The whip being a requisite aid in the management and guidance of the horse, should be used as an instrument of correction, and by no means to be played with, nor flourished about. When using the whip for punishment, scold at the same time; by this means, with a cross word will be associated the idea of chastisement. However, far more can be achieved by kindness than by any harsh measure; but when such instances occur that it is absolutely necessary, never hesitate to punish well, so that the animal may thoroughly understand that it is punishment that is meant for his fault—not play.
“A man of kindness to his beast is kind,
But brutal actions show a brutal mind:
Remember He who made thee, made the brute,
Who gave thee speech and reason, form’d him mute;
He can’t complain, but God’s omniscient eye
Beholds thy cruelty. He hears his cry.
He was designed thy servant—not thy drudge;
But know, that his Creator is thy Judge.”
Colt-breaking by the Guachos is performed in the same mode as the Kalmucks, with the lasso; the idea of being thrown, let a horse do what he pleases, never occurs to a Guacho. According to them, a “good rider” is a man who can manage an untamed colt, and one, if his horse should fall, could alight unhurt upon his feet. At the moment of a horse falling backwards they can slip quietly off, and, on the instant of his rising, jump on him again. They never seem to exert muscular force, and appear to ride very loosely, as if every moment they must fall off: yet should his horse be suddenly frightened, the Guacho will start, and take, simultaneously, fright with the horse. There is nothing done on foot by the Guachos that cannot be done on horseback; even mounted beggars are to be seen in the streets of Buenos Ayres and Mendoza. It is not, therefore, surprising that, with such multitudes of horses, that the people should all be riders, and excel all other nations in their expertness and boldness in their management.
The Pampas and Prairie Indians, whose forefathers fled from the Spanish horsemen, as if they were fatal apparitions, now seem to be part and parcel of the horse. They affirm the proudest attitude of the human figure is when a man bending over his horse, lance in hand, is riding at his enemy. The Guachos, who ride so beautifully, declare it is utterly impossible to vie with mounted Indians; they have such a way of urging on their horses by cries, and a peculiar motion of their bodies; even were they to change horses, the Indians would beat them.
The Turks prefer the Turkman horse to the pure-blooded, slender Arabian. In fact, from their trying mode of riding, the fine limbs of the Arab could not stand the shock upon them, their favourite manœuvre being to make a dead stop when galloping at full speed. To accomplish this feat, they use a very severe bit, which, of course, destroys the sensibility of their horses’ mouths; while, on the contrary, the Arabs use only a plain snaffle, which preserves all the sensitiveness of the animals’ mouths.
The Toorkman, or Turkman horses.—These are much esteemed by the Persians. They are large and swift, and possess extraordinary powers of endurance, though they are exceedingly awkward in appearance. Turkistan is their native region, which lies north-east of the Caspian Sea; but their tribes are widely dispersed over Persia, Asia Minor, and Syria.
The Persians are great admirers of horsemanship, and a bad rider affords them infinite amusement. “An officer of an English frigate having gone ashore to visit the envoy, and being mounted on a very spirited horse, and a very bad rider, caused great entertainment to the Persian populace. The next day the man who supplied the ship with vegetables, and spoke a little English, said to the officer, ‘Don’t be ashamed, sir, nobody knows you—bad rider! I tell them you, like all English, ride well, but that time they see you very drunk!’ We were much amused at this conception of our national character. The Persian thought it would have been a reproach for a man of a warlike nation not to ride well, but none for a European to get drunk.”[33-*]
The Syrian horses are reared with the utmost tenderness and care; they are fondled and played with like children. The Syrian horse is equally good on mountainous, or stony ground, as on the plain; he is indefatigable, and full of spirit. The Timarli ride horses of the Syrian breed, mostly from their possessing these inestimable qualifications.
The Neapolitan horse.—This horse is small, but compact and strong; the head rather large; the neck short, and bull-shaped: the prototype of the horses represented on the bassi-relievi of ancient Roman sculpture. He is capable of living on hard fare, and undergoing great fatigue. He is frequently vicious and headstrong; this is chiefly owing to his harsh treatment; though very high-spirited, he would, with gentle usage, become extremely docile and good tempered. The districts of Apulia, Abruzzi, and parts of Calabria furnish this excellent animal. The Neapolitans have taken extreme pains in the breeding of their horses; they make great display of them in their streets during the Carnival, and through Lent. The aristocratic families have excellent studs of great spirit and beauty.