Fig. 36.—Wooden gag.
one I use is made out of a block of hard wood, 5 inches long and 2 inches square, which is made octagonal by planing off the corners. Lately, I have had this gag made with a semicircular groove, about a third of an inch broad, running down the centre of each face of the octagonal, in order to make it more “punishing.” A hole is bored, down the centre, for a chain which is attached to the head-stall. I use leather guards on each side to prevent the animal from getting the gag out of his mouth (see [Fig. 36]). This is a modification of Rarey’s wooden mouthing bit, which was a round block of wood.
General Peat suggested to me the advisability of having the gag made with sharp edges, and not round; so as to teach the horse, by the pain inflicted on his gums, not to bite.
CHAPTER IV.
RENDERING HORSES DOCILE.
The crupper leading rein—Gentling the horse—Throwing the horse with the strait-jacket—Making the horse lie down by means of the cord—Keeping the horse in a constrained position on the ground.
In this chapter, we need consider only quick methods of removing a horse’s nervousness, and proving to him that he need have no fear of us, or of his other surroundings; for the ordinary ways of accustoming him to the presence of man, are too self-evident to need any special mention here. The breaker, however, should remember that, by adopting a system of “gentling,” which requires several days, if not weeks, for its completion, he runs the risk of allowing the horse to find out his own power of resistance—a species of knowledge which our rapid style of breaking never permits him to acquire. If the animal sulks, or exhibits deliberate impatience of control, he should be conquered, then and there, as I have mentioned on [page 11].
The crupper leading-rein.—Whichever style of breaking be adopted, the first step that I would advise, is to accustom the horse to the “crupper leading-rein,” which can be readily made by taking a long rope, doubling it, making a loop in the middle by knotting it, and passing the loop under the horse’s tail, and the ends of the rope through the halter, or rings of the snaffle (see [Fig. 37]). By using this leading-rein in preference to one attached to the head-stall or halter, the animal will never attempt to “hang on” the leading-rein, as he will often do with the other, and, when led, instead of “going on his fore-hand,” will move, as he ought to do, “collectedly,” on
Fig. 37.