Part 4

Another exception to the general rule, are those horses which, after having been begun, and already handled in the forehead, show an inclination to bite, as you proceed on, and would actually do so, without your taking some precaution. Now, as my general rule of gentling horses is all mildness, gentleness, &c., except from this rule horses of this latter description; and, whenever they show an inclination to bite, correct them by giving them a pretty smart slap with your hand, and they will never repeat it more than two or three times. I never knew this to happen with horses of the first description, which one would be naturally inclined to suppose more apt to do so than any others. As to the rest, proceed as in others. If you wish your horse to go in a cart, coach or plow, after having gentled him in this manner, harness him, put on lines, and at first make him go round before you several times: you will tie some light thing behind, for him to drag, and go on progressively, and in a very short time you may harness him to a cart, or plough, and he will go off without difficulty; especially if you do this immediately after having gentled him, for then is the best time to take away all caprices. It is well to give him a few days exercise.

OBSERVATION. If the horse you are going to break has received a blow upon his forehead, his ears, or about any part of his head, so that it is sore or painful when touched, it is useless to undertake to break him before he gets well: for the very touch which would give him pleasure being well, gives him pain in this situation, and the more you try to handle him the more you will irritate him. Let him get well, before you undertake to gentle him.

REFRACTORY HORSES GENTLED FOR A LONG TIME IN THE COMMON WAY.

I begin first with those which are afraid of a gun, or the like. Cause a pen to be made, just big enough to put the horses in, and in such a manner as to be able to go round it in every direction, as well behind as before; and let the bars be far enough apart for you to handle him every where. Let him remain in his pen or cage from two o’clock in the afternoon till the next morning, without eating or drinking. The pen ought to be made so high, that the horse cannot reach his head over it, and with four strong posts in the ground, so that if he should fall back upon the bars, that traverse it behind, his weight will not be sufficient to break or derange them. Go to him in the morning. Handle him smartly a few minutes; then stand at a distance before him, with your gun in your hand, without moving it, but so that he can see it. If he is frightened at it, keep your position for some time, till he remains quiet, then flash it off. Repeat this, till he is in some measure reconciled to it. Draw nigher. Repeat the same: flash it off before him, very nigh. Handle him in the forehead, and hold the gun in one of your hands. Go on thus progressively, till you can load and fire it off over his head, with as heavy a charge as you wish to put in it, which you will be able to do in about two or three hours. When you have gone thus far, run suddenly up to him, with your gun in your hand. Handle him in the forehead, holding it still in your hand. Exercise him well in this way, till he does not flinch or show any signs of fear, when you thus approach him. Now, you suppose the work to be completed? If you do, you are very much mistaken; for you must recollect, that he has much to unlearn. Take away Fear--Inspire Confidence--Familiarize--are three great lessons to be taught, in the art of gentling a wild horse; and, to bring a rebellious horse to obedience, you must add, Unlearn. Repeat the same, unlearn, &c., till he is completely gentle.

Now give your horse a plenty to eat and drink. I suppose it to be about ten o’clock. Let him rest, if he will. Repeat your lessons at four o’clock in the afternoon, more or less rapidly, according as he is inclined to obey them. Feed him at night; let him remain in the pen all night. Next day, go over the same exercise; at the end of which, if you think him sufficiently docile, take him out of the pen, and go through the same exercise that you did whilst he was in the pen. If he shows no signs of fear at the explosion of the gun, when fired off from his back or neck, you are sure of him. But you must exercise him a little, for two or three days more; at the end of which, you may always rely on him afterwards. Should he be somewhat refractory, when you take him out of the pen, which would be a rare case, though some horses may be, put him again into it, and repeat, and you will never fail to succeed. In the same progressive manner, you can correct the defects of a skittish horse, in a great measure; but some are of so fearful a nature that, if they have been gentled in the common way, it requires a great deal of patience to manage them.

A SKITTISH HORSE.

The best method of correcting a horse of this description, when one is on the road, is, to stop him suddenly, whenever he appears to be frightened at any thing he sees before him or at his side. Let him stand perfectly still: get down, if he does not become quiet in three or four minutes, and handle him in the forehead. Lead him by the bridle to the object that frightened him: then lead him back to where he was, and get on him. Ride him up to it, &c. You can likewise give him the same exercise as you do to a wild horse of the third kind, and you will not fail to succeed in correcting him by repeating it several times. I never knew a horse to become skittish that I had gentled by my secret, though I am not certain that such a thing might not happen; for, as I said before, there is no rule without an exception.

A HORSE THAT WILL NOT SUFFER HIS EARS TO BE TOUCHED.

Begin at his forehead, just above the nose, and handle it in the same manner as you would do with a wild horse, according to the rules laid down in that part of the secret. Gentleness, Patience, Perseverance, Faith; all these are necessary, in order to succeed with some horses. It has taken me from five to six hours, to be able to handle the ears of some horses; but, at the end of that time, they let me handle them with as much ease as I could those of a house-dog. They will always let you handle them afterwards.

Shortly after my arrival in Mexico, a gentleman who had read an article which the President had caused to be published in the government paper, concerning what I had done with a wild horse that

I had gentled in his presence, a few days before, sent for me, telling me he had a horse of great value, that he had given only five hundred dollars for, on account of a defect, or vice, that the horse had contracted two years before, and which had augmented to such a degree, that he would have killed any one that would have attempted to put a bridle on him, or touch him about the ears. He asked me if I thought I could cure him of this evil habit. I told him I would try; and, accordingly, I sent every person away, and went in to the horse. I had taken the precaution of having a halter (jaguima) put upon him before-hand, and a long rope, dragging upon the ground, tied to it. In order to put this halter upon him, they had to throw a rope upon his legs, and tie them, and another around his nose; and this was a ceremony they had to perform every time they put the bridle on him. When I had got in where the horse was, I took up the rope and advanced, holding out my left hand, as when I break a wild horse, and came up to him. I used a great deal of precaution, when I touched him in the forehead for the first time, as I do with a horse belonging to the first class, that is, those that seem to fear nothing; and, continuing on in this manner, gradually ascending, making my fingers play upon his forehead with great rapidity--gaining ground so slow, that I remained two hours before I came to the roots of his ears, which I began to touch very lightly at the end of another half hour; and, by continuing the operation an hour longer, I was able to handle them with ease and safety. A few minutes after, I bridled him, led him about, and made him follow me, without pulling him by the bridle. I took it off, and put it on again. I repeated this exercise several times. Then I called in my servant, and made him bridle and unbridle him. Then sent him to tell the owner of the horse to come and see him.

Give me leave here to observe, that when I performed upon a horse, I never let any one be present, (for fear they might discover the real secret,) except such a gentleman as I knew would give me a handsome gratification: for a man is always more or less willing to pay to satisfy his curiosity as well as his interest.

The owner of the horse came in where he was standing without rope or bridle. I called a little Indian boy, who had never bridled a horse in his life, and gave him the bridle; and, as the horse’s head was too high for him to reach up to it, I told him to get into a chair, and put the bridle on. His master cried out, “For God’s sake, don’t let him go nigh him! I cannot yet have confidence enough in that animal, to let the little boy go nigh him: I know he would kill him, though Beelzebub himself had been to work at him since the time you first went into the stable!” I then went and put on the bridle myself, and took it off; then he agreed to let the little Indian do the same, which he did, as may be supposed, in a very awkward, fumbling manner, standing all the while in a chair, to the great surprise of his master, who then came in and bridled him himself, and made me a present of eight doubloons, (a hundred and twenty-four dollars.)

TO BREAK A HORSE OF KICKING.

Handle the kicking horse in the forehead, and from thence every where, except his legs and feet. Then tie up one of his fore legs, (no matter which); handle him gently all over, and descend, by degrees to his feet, always speaking to him: he will let you handle them in a few minutes. Untie his fore leg, and go through the same ceremony. After repeating this operation two or three times, he will let any one handle his feet with the greatest ease imaginable.

HOW TO MANAGE A HORSE THAT KICKS UP, SO AS TO BREAK HIM OF THAT VICIOUS HABIT.

A horse that is apt to kick up, ought to be dealt with in the following manner: Put upon him a pack-saddle, if you have one; if not, something as nigh to it as possible. Take two bags, and put one hundred and twenty-five pounds of sand in each, if your horse is a common sized one. Girt them on, or bind them very tight, in such a manner that no effort of the horse can throw them off. Have another horse prepared at hand, and some one mounted on him to take hold of the rope of the vicious horse, the moment he is loaded with the sand. Let him start off, with another horseman behind with a good whip in his hand; and the more he kicks up, let him whip him the more; or, in other words, let him whip him every time he kicks up. Let him trot off thus, about ten or fifteen miles; at the end of which, take off his load, and let some one get immediately upon him, and trot back with the same speed. After having exercised him thus, for two or three times, it is not common that a horse will ever kick up again.

It is to be observed, that if the horse should kick up with the load of sand at the end of ten miles or more, make him go at least three miles after he has ceased kicking up; but it is very uncommon for a horse to kick up, after the first three or four miles. If he should appear a little tired, you can regulate the distance, more or less, and vice versa. I believe this to be the most infallible remedy known, without exposing one’s self. There are other remedies, which none but a good horseman can put in practice; but I write for every class of men that ride on horseback, whether doctors, lawyers or priests, farmers or merchants. If this advice should save a few necks from getting broken, I shall feel gratified.

TO HANDLE A HORSE’S FEET THAT IS APT TO KICK.

Put him in a pen, and go on progressively, till you can handle all his feet as you would a dog’s. It must be recollected, that when I speak of putting a horse in a pen, I suppose them to be of the most refractory kind imaginable; otherwise, I can handle a bad horse’s feet, in a very few minutes, by beginning at his forehead, and so on.

TO TEACH A HORSE, SO THAT HE WILL NOT LET A PERSON DRESSED IN A CERTAIN MANNER COME NIGH HIM.

If you would not wish to have a person, for example, wearing a white hat, come nigh your horse, put on a white hat, go into the stable where your horse is, and take a whip in your hand: go up to him, and give him a few good lashes with it. Retire and change your hat for one of another color: leave your whip, come in again without it; stroke your horse, pat him, talk to him and feed him. Go out again, and put on your white hat: come in and whip him soundly. Then retire, put on another hat, and come in and handle him gently. Repeat the same for a few days, and your horse would as lief see the devil as a man with a white hat, and will not let such a one come near him; and thus it will happen with any other clothing.

I will relate a little anecdote, which took place in Mexico, a few years before I left there. One of my friends had a horse extremely gentle, and of such an easy, agreeable gait, that he took the greatest care of him, and held him at a great price. A well-fed, big and lusty friar was a friend to our neighbor: one who liked the good things of this world, as well as he liked to ride out to the small towns, bordering upon the city of Mexico, and take a dinner with the bonny lasses and countrymen, inhabiting those villages. He used to ask my friend to loan him his horse, to take these excursions just around the capital; and, as his requests were granted with so good a grace, he in a short time went so far as to ask the loan of this favorite animal, to go to Cuernavaca, a distance of eighteen leagues, or fifty miles. As this happened pretty often, our friend complained to me one day, at the indiscretion of the friar. I asked him if he could procure me a friar’s dress, for a few days, and leave his horse with me, for the same time. He did so. I dressed myself in the friar’s dress, and went in where the horse was. I took a good whip in my hand, and made him do penance for no other sin but that of too much gentleness. In going out I took off the friar’s dress, and went in again in my own dress, and handled him gently. I repeated the operation a few days, at the end of which, I took the horse back to his master, and told him he might lend him to the friar whenever he pleased. A day or two after, he came to my store. Your remedy, said he, has had a marvellous effect. Our monk has just left my house, perfectly persuaded that my horse is possessed with the devil. For, when the holy personage came up to take him by the bridle to get on him, he was so frightened, and wheeled round so quick, and flew away from him with so much terror, that one would have said he took him for the destroying angel. The friar crossed himself many times, hurried away with all haste to his convent, to sprinkle himself abundantly with holy water, and never asked my friend for his horse again.

TO TEACH YOUR HORSE, SO THAT HE WILL LET NO ONE BUT YOURSELF COME NEAR HIM.

Whilst your horse is eating, let another person come in to him with a stick sharpened at the end. Let him prick his nose with it, to irritate him; but slightly, drawing back at the same time. Let him repeat the same an instant afterwards, and every time the horse begins to eat again. Come to him yourself, and caress him and talk to him. Go out again, and cause another person to come in with the sharpened stick; but not the same one that came in at first. Let him fret him in the same manner as the other did. Call him out and go in yourself; handle the horse gently, and talk to him. Call in a third, and a fourth, and perform the same; always retiring suddenly from the horse, as if they were afraid of him, every time he leers at them, or endeavors to bite them. These lessons, repeated a few days, will inspire your horse with so much mistrust against every person but yourself, and a certain confidence in his own strength, that he will not suffer any one but yourself to come near him.

TO PREVENT A HORSE FROM PULLING UPON HIS BRIDLE-REINS, IN ORDER TO BREAK THEM.

Put a halter, (of that kind which Spaniards call a jaquima, used to ride young horses: it goes over their ears, comes down and crosses their nose, and has a throat-latch to it,) upon your horse, so strong that it cannot be easily broken, and tie it to a tree so small that it will bend a little, if the horse pulls with all his strength. Scare him. Run up before him. Give him even a light stroke or two with the whip: speaking to him to be quiet, whenever he pulls upon the rope. In a short time, he will see that it is impossible for him to break it; and, by exercising him twice a day for half an hour, each day in about a week, he will no longer pull upon the halter, when you scare him, and consequently will stand still afterwards, when hitched by the bridle.

THE MEXICAN MODE OF PREVENTING A HORSE FROM BREAKING HIS BRIDLE.

The Mexicans, when they ride out, always carry a beautiful hair rope, hanging from their horse’s neck. Whenever they stop, they hitch or tie their horses by this rope; and this simple method keeps them from breaking their bridle-reins. I would advise every one to do the same; especially if he stops long, is on a journey, or rides a stud. Merchants and saddlers may, perhaps, not like this advice, but I write for all. They likewise sell ropes.

HOW TO MANAGE A HORSE THAT GETS THE STUDS, OR ONE THAT STOPS AND WILL NOT ADVANCE A STEP WHEN YOU PUT HIM TO A PLOUGH, &c.

When your horse is harnessed, and put before the plough, and you find it impossible to drive him forward, either by gentle or rough means, drive down a strong stake or post, at the very place where he stops. Let it be so strong that he cannot break it by pulling. Then put a rope upon him equally strong; tie him rather short. Take out your watch, if you have one; if not, look at the sun. Let him remain in this position for twelve hours, without eating or drinking. If the days are short, I would advise you to tie him a little before sun-set, and let him remain all night. Go to him, untie him, and then speak to him to go on. He will undoubtedly advance. Make him plough two or three rounds; then unharness him, and give him something to eat, after having watered him, and put him again in the plough, should he stop again, do with him as at first, and let him stand nine or ten hours. It is rare that you have to repeat the operation: almost all horses go after the first time they have been thus managed.

HOW TO TEACH A HORSE TO LIE DOWN AT THE WORD OF COMMAND.

Tie up the horse’s right foot with a handkerchief, or a buckled strap, or something that is not so hard, as a common rope. Hold him close by the bridle-reins. Then take a small stick in your right hand, and strike gently upon the horse’s left leg, pulling downwards at the same time upon the bridle-reins, which you hold in your left hand, speaking to the horse, and telling him to lie down. Every time you strike his left leg, bear a little against him, and pull upon the bridle, saying to him, “Lie down, sir!” The horse, after several repetitions of the strokes, tries to lift up his left leg; but, as the other is tied up, this motion naturally throws him upon his knees. Now push him gently, till he lies upon his side. After he has remained several minutes in this position, untie his left leg, and say, “Stand up!” After he gets up, pat him in the forehead and all over, and lead him about a little. By repeating these lessons a few times, the horse will lie down at the word of command, by your pulling a little upon the bridle-reins, and leaning against him. When I practice this upon a wild horse that I have just been breaking, it is surprising to see how quick he will learn to lie down. He will do it in less than one half the time which one that has been broken in the common way will be, in doing the same, and very often in one fourth.

HOW TO TEACH A HORSE TO COUNT ANY NUMBER.

Take the horse’s left foot in your right hand; lift it up, and strike it upon the ground, counting one, at the same time. Strike again, and count two, and again, and count three, &c. to ten: when you pronounce this last number, raise your voice, so that it will be a little more audible than it was in the other numbers, and let the horse’s foot fall at the same time. Now count fifteen, or any other number, in the same manner; always telling the horse to count ten, fifteen, &c., and pronouncing the number you tell in a more audible manner, letting his foot fall at the same time. In a few lessons, he will learn to count at the word of command, and will stop at any number, whenever you raise your voice a little. In the same manner, you may make him tell what o’clock it is, &c.

EASY MODE OF FATTENING A HORSE IN A SHORT TIME.

The first day you take a lean horse, and wish to put him in a situation, as quick as possible, to be able to perform a journey or any other fatigue: give him, in the morning, twelve ears of corn, soaked twenty four hours in clean water. Scatter half a spoonful of fine salt over it; then let him eat hay or fodder for one hour. At noon, give him eight ears more, and a little fodder. Let him stand till five o’clock, if the weather is warm, and then bathe him: feed him as in the morning, and give him hay, grass or fodder, not quite so much as he would eat. The second day, bleed him by one or two slight incisions in the mouth, and give him sixteen ears of corn in the morning, and what grass or fodder he will eat in half an hour, and no more than four ears of corn at noon. Feed him in the evening as in the morning, after having bathed him as before, and augment the quantity of fodder. If the weather is cool, curry him and rub him well, instead of bathing. Third day, give him as much corn as he will eat, and fodder at discretion all night. Feed him as above, at seven or eight o’clock in the morning, and give him no hay or fodder, and nothing at noon: continue in this manner, observing to scatter a little salt upon his corn every third day. It will be necessary, after the third or fourth day, to ride him a mile or two twice a day. A horse managed in this manner, will be fatter at the end of ten or twelve days, than one fed in the common way will be in a month. A horse upon a journey, from September till April, requires no feeding, from the time you start in the morning till you stop at night. He will stand the journey better, and lose less flesh. I have travelled thousands of miles in the Mexican states, and have always found it to be the case, with the exception of those hot countries bordering on the Pacific Ocean, where I fed a little at noon--started a little early, and rode late, on account of the heat, which is equally great at all seasons of the year. A horse fed as I have directed for fifteen days, may then eat his corn without being soaked; and, though these directions are more particularly intended for this country, and for horses taken from the prairies, still, the directions will hold good in all countries and all climates: allowing something, however, for the different length of days in different seasons and climates. When on a journey, let a horse drink as often as he wishes.

A REMEDY FOR A HORSE THAT WILL NOT FATTEN, THOUGH WELL FED.