Secret of Handling a Balky Horse.
A tired, balky horse is less apt to balk than one fresh from the stable, and such horses are oftentimes kept in harness right up to the time of sale. This is a “David Harum” trick and well worth remembering. Also, when a horse balks, be careful to examine his shoulders. Soreness of the skin may be the cause. It is a trick of the “gyps” secretly to bathe the shoulders of a horse with an irritating solution which in 12 hours or less makes the animal refuse to pull in harness. They do this with horses on which they purpose making a bid the following day in the hope that when the victim balks the owner will become disgusted and discount the price. Some horses balk when worked in single harness but go all right when hitched double. Chloroform is sometimes used to make a balky horse stupid, so that he will forget to balk.
Kindness, petting, coaxing with a lump of sugar, carrot, apple or other dainty sometimes succeeds with a balky horse when harsh measures fail. Cruel procedures should be discountenanced and punished and among these the worst trick, perhaps, is to start a fire of paper, straw or brush under the balker. Sometimes all that is necessary is to distract the animal’s attention by pounding lightly with a stone on the shoe of a fore foot, by tying a cord around the leg under the knee, or by holding up one foot for a few minutes.
When a horse balks, one way of curing him is to remove the harness, put on a halter, pull his head around to his side and tie the halter rope in a slip-knot to a strand or two of the tail hair, so as to keep the head well toward the tail. Then he is forced to walk around in a circle until he staggers and is ready to drop, when the rope may be loosed and the horse will be likely to behave and remember the lesson for some time.
Some horses balk by lying down and refusing to budge. If the four feet of such a sulker are “hog-tied” together and he is abandoned and allowed to remain tied for an hour or two, he will usually be thankful to get up and go on when set at liberty.
One owner broke a balker by working him on a mower for a few days with his tail tied to the singletree tight enough to take part of the strain. After that he would pull by the tugs without having his tail tied.
The “guy rope” plan is sometimes effective. A small rope is tied around the horse’s neck and a half hitch taken with it on his lower jaw. A husky man then pulls steadily upon the rope and the horse will usually start forward with a lunge. If not a confirmed old balker he may give up the standing habit if treated in this way a few times.
Light, rapid switching across the nose with a light whip sometimes starts a balker, but severe whipping has an opposite effect.
The writer once was called to see a draft work-mare that was “down” in an Irish teamster’s yard and refused to get up. The poor brute was surrounded with whips and sticks that had been broken over her back, and her body was covered with welts from the whipping. The neighbors thronged around to see what would happen when the “Doctor” tried his hand at a job which had baffled their attempts. Examination of the pulse showed a normal condition and the membranes of the eyes gave no indication of sickness. After the mare’s head and neck had been patted and stroked for a few minutes, and she had been spoken to kindly and gently, she got up at once when the halter was pulled upon and the word of command given. Then she followed the veterinarian about the yard like a dog, recognizing him as her only friend, and ever since that teamster has said, “Sure that mon has the power iv healin’ in his hands!” Whereas, the abused mare only needed and wanted a little kindness and coaxing.
Here is a cure for balking recommended by E. A. Gerrard: “In order to break a balky horse it is necessary to have the appliances, though the first requirement is a cool head. Next you will want a steady horse to hitch with the balky one, together with a strong hopple strap, a rope and a covered swivel pulley, and a good harness and wagon with a long tongue, though one of ordinary length will do.
Fasten your pulley on the end of the tongue so that it will work free; put the hopple on the balky horse’s hind ankle, next to the tongue, and tie the rope in the hopple ring. Now run it through the belly-band, up through the pulley and back to the end of the doubletree on the side of the balky horse, and tie it fast. See that your horses are standing even, making the rope snug, so that the horse can stand easy. Take off your stay chains, sever the line from the terrets on the balky horse, get into the wagon, gather your lines so that you can have control, keep cool, and wait half a minute; then speak to the team and start the steady horse. As he starts he pulls his end of the doubletree forward and draws on the wagon, the other end of the doubletree going back, pulling the rope through the pulley and lifting the balky horse’s foot. He tries to put his foot down and in doing so he takes a step.
Say, ‘whoa!’ and stop your steady horse. Do not let the balky horse make more than one step. Now sit still for half a minute, then start again, stopping as soon as the first step is made, by the same process. Sit still for another half minute, then repeat. Each time you will have taught your horse that when you told him to go he had to step.
Now if you are a horseman get down, go to your horse’s head, pat his neck, tell him he is doing well and that he will be the best pulling horse on the place. Then try him again. If he is very anxious to go at the word, let him make six or eight steps, then stop and sit quiet for half a minute. Gradually increase the distance you allow them to go each time, not forgetting to stop long enough to allay any excitement before starting again. When you have driven half a mile be sure you are back at the stable, take your horse out, have a bottle of strong borax water at hand and bathe his ankle for five minutes where the hopple rubbed it.
On the next day hitch up with the balker on the other side of the tongue. With most balky horses two lessons will prove enough; often one will answer. But if the horse is old he may forget in two or three weeks, if rested much, so you will need to keep your appliances ready and put them on at the first sign of balking.
There is little danger of a horse forgetting if he is worked with the same mate and driver; therefore if you want a perfect job you will do well to change the driver and the mate while the lesson is fresh.”
Mr. F. H. Osburn, of Benton County, Indiana, is the author of the following method of handling a balky mare:
“I had a good true horse to put beside this mare, one which I knew could pull two such as she. Then instead of putting a stay chain to my true horse I put on what I call a stay rope, looping it around the balky mare’s tail, drawing it up short and tying it to the other horse’s hame ring. Whenever I spoke to my true puller something else had to come although the balky mare was not very hasty to respond for the first few lessons. We now have her convinced and I drive her single, ride her when driving cattle, can use the cattle whip over her, and she pays no attention to it. At times she runs idle for a week or ten days, but she never gives me a minute’s bother when I use her again.”