The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-22
THE sHYING HORSE.

When street cars first appeared
horses had to become use to them in
order to be safe drivers, and the auto
on the road is new alarm for horses,
and both the auto driver and horse
men will have to learn to be cautious.
A writer on the shying horse makes
some suggestions that are worthy OF
noting and we give few paragraphs
below from the Farmers Adv0cate .
The chief difficulty was to accustom
them to the trolley cars which came
along the roads at any speed pto 80
miles an hour.
My plan was to ride quietly to the
terminus and wait, at a respectful dis
tance, the advent of a car. When 1t
was stationary I spent the ten minutes
Of its stay in riding round it in circles
Of gradually diminishing in size, but
lever trying to force the horse nearer
ssshan he could be coaxed to approach.
Generally, In less than an hour, the
horse would go right up to the car and
accept caresses from the conductor.
The next step was to follow the
starting car, which, luckily went slow
ly for the first mile, trotting behind
and alongside, till the horse took no
notice of 1t whatever. After that it
was merely matter of meeting cars
at points where they moved slowly,
till gradually, the horse grew accus-
toned to face them at any speed.
In teaching a horse to be fearless
of any strange, and therefore to him
an alarming object, there are three
rules of conduct to which there is no
exception: Never speak harshly j;
never use your whip, and never urge
him forward with a tight rein. A
frightened or nervous horse is psy-
chologically the equivalent of a fright
ened child. Would any one in his
senses expect to cure his child's tim
idity by scolding or whipping him, or
by yanking him suddenly by the arm ?
1t is impossible to condemn too
strongly the pulling of a horses
mouth and laying the whip smartly
across his back, which is the practice
usually seen and popularity advocated
ito distract his attention." when a
horse shows symptoms of alarm at an
approaching object, such as a motor
car a greater mistake or one more
productive of future trouble for the
driver was never made.
The ancient superstition that a
horse can think of only one thing at
a time, and that, therefore, the whip
will divert his attention from the OBJ
ject of his fears, Is neither logical nor
tenable in practice.
"Put yourself in his place." is a
good motto when dealing with horses.
A sudden curtailment of his usual
freedom of movement, by tightening
the reins, when nervous horse is
looking suspiciously at some strange
approaching object, naturally increas-
ss his alarm. while use of the whip
a tear OF the oDJect, Which
it will take no end OF time and trouble
to eradicate.
The fact that the approach of the
alarming object was quickly followed
by punishment naturally produces an
association of the two in the equine
mind, and logical objection to face
that object again.
The psychology of the free hand in
the non frightened shier, is not SO easy
to follow, but 1 can vouch for its sue
cess. Do not go to the extreme of
letting your reins fall loose hold
them so as to have instant control of
your horses head, but just relax
whatever pull you have on his mouth.
If he knows you talk to him sooth-
ingly; horse will pass with a rider
or driver whom he knows many an
object that no stranger can persuade
him to face.
If riding never leave your saddle;
if driving you may be compelled from
reasons of safety to lead him; when
you do so, walk between him and the
cause of his alarm.