The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-07-09
A LAST LESSON.


Putting the finishing touches to o
Dronco's education is sometimes excit-
Ing business. "Bronc" was a big black
beauty of O. colt, but as mean as he
was handsome. He had never been
properly broken by his first owner, and
his second master put him into the
hands of the best horse-breaker in
camp, hoping for an improvement
How his education was completed is
described in Out West.
They called this pony an outlaw
afore / took a-holt Of him." remarked
the ''bronco-buster," when the training
Of the black beast was well along
"Shucks. Nowadays IL boss bucks his
saddle-blankets off'n him the boys say,
Outlaw! Bad bronco! Guess III ride
that OF boss over yonder.'
1--WE sweated most o. the ugliness
oufen him Already" continued the
trainer. "He amt got but one mean
habit left, an to-day I'm a-going to
Farm him to fergit it."
The mean habit referred to was this
When Bronc decided to go straight
ahead, he'd so. Over rocks and down
the steep banks or wash, through
cactus and the well-named eats claw:
and If the chollas pricked him or the
curved claws of the brush snatched at
his TANKS, he would throw In some
fancy bucklng for good measure as he
tore along. But turn? Never.
The trainer took his RATA from the
saddle-horn, tied one end to the rope
bride, or hackamore, and fastened it
securely under the jaw. Then he petted
the colt, working toward Its TANKS,
until the animal allowed him to reach
the tail and fasten a loop of rope in
It's heavy strands.
The free end Of the RATA was passed
through the loop In a way which would
bring the horses head and tail to-
gether when frightened, and by passing
the RATA once more through both hack
amore and loop 1t was prevented from
slipping when released.
'Now for the grand merry-go-
round" announced the trainer; and
standing away from the colts heels, he
pulled the RATA taut till the animal
was bent nearly double. Keep turn
ing till 1 say We can stop!" he COM
manded; ard In fact the bewildered
creature was revolving like a top, slow
ly learning the old lesson OF his race
that mans will Is law for the horse.
At the end Of twenty minutes or so
the trainer decided that the stiff neck
was sufficiently Timber. When he
mounted he discovered his error; the
frightened horse pranced and bucked
with him, and finally tried to roll over
the rider, who sprang from the saddle
just In time.
But his patience was by no means
exhausted.
Here's a sure way to make 'em
limber," he announced and picking up
a large fat stone, he tapped the horses
neck for a few minutes steadily, but
not with sufficient force to hurt him.
Hell feel that pretty soon, an find
it easier to turn than brace his tender
neck against the reins.'
When the pony had been reversed
that is tied head and tail on the OPP
posite side--and allowed to rotate an
other half-hour. he was dripping with
sweat, and completely subdued.
The trainer mounted. and tie colt
allowed himself to be ridden about
the fat until he tangled in his trailing
RATA and fell. the rider still on top.
"Now well turn him loose an see
how he behaves himself" remarked
the trainer; and unslinging the ropes,
he again mounted and rode the now
tractable horse in circles and figure
eights, turning and wheeling at will.
I'D heap sooner twist this crit
ters neck with Il rope" the trainer
concluded, than have him break his
back an NINE too, over yonder cliff"
This was the justification of Bronc's
hard lesson.