Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1911-05-10

without the corn. knowing that 1t
would be fed at the end
In the training of horses some very
wonderful things have been accom-
plished by Dr. Martin ]. Potter. a
New York veterinarian, who prepares
practically all the horses that appear
In special acts on the American stage
Everyone will remember the Hippo
drome plunging horses. that leaped
overheard with their riders on their
backs in the course of a battle and
swan to the other shore. 1t took
Doctor Potter six months to prepare
the horses for that act He began by
leading them gently into shallow wa
ter. Then they were made to lump
into 1t from n small platform. Grad
ually the height of this platform was
raised 20 four feet. When the horses
had gotten accustomed to jumping
from this, they were taken into the
empty tank and the water raised until
it was so deep they had to swim
The last stage was TO make them
jump into the tank with dummies In
the saddle and swim for the other
shore.
The hardest thing of all to teach
a horse" says Doctor Potter is the
one that appears easiest-that IS. to
make him stand still" Many persons
will recall the aerial horse that made
ascensions at one of the big circuses.
This horse had no wings. like Pega-
sus, and so had to be lifted skyward
He stood on a small platform with
nothing TO prevent his Jumping of.
On his back sat n woman. AS the
animal was hoisted slowly upward
the audience sat GREATNESS; for had
the animal taken a single step. he
would have plunged with his rider to
the earth below. Doctor Potter trained
that horse, and 1t took a world of
patience to do It. Time and again
the horse leaped from the platform.
sometimes when 1t was fifteen feet I'm
air. But the stage was thickly padded
and the horse was never injured. In
the end patience won
Monkeys. because of their agility
and their natural habits, can be
taught tricks that would be impossi-
bic for other animals.
Dogs. as everybody knows. can be
dogs are so easily trained that usually
a dogs owner is It's trainer as well.
a dog Will naturally sit UP to beg
for p tidbit 10 takes but little
training TO get him to sit up at com.
mand Dogs are trained 10 walk on
their hind or front feet much as n
baby is taught TO walk The trainer
takes the legs not in use and sun.
ports the animal II soon learns to
balance itself OF course Il is always
rewarded at first by bite to eat.
Cats can likewise be tralned-'f you
know how. There seems 10 b. some
thing I'm the feline nature averse TO
compulsory work. and the house cat
s. usually as unwilling performer
as her larger cousins IS cat viii DO
anything for piece OF liver" said
Mr. Powers when pressed for the Sc
cret If training cats, "and the worst
punishment you can give a cat SIS to
hit 30 on the tail. That's all there is
40 training "a cat Keep at Il until II
doe your bidding, then give 81 some
liver. n the animal won't leap through
q hoop or through your hands. tap II
ON The tail near the body. and It will
jump quick enough"
Perhaps the most remarkable ac.
complement I'm the history Of animal
training was Mr. Bostocks prepare
tion for the Buffalo exposition. lie
was under contract 10 have a mum.
Der Of wonderful animal groups ready
fo- the opening Of the exposition In
May on tho twenty-ninth Of January.