“No matter how unruly the horse or mule that was put into his hands, he was able to make it perfectly docile in half an hour. Exactly what he did nobody knew, and the secret died with him.
“He used to ask that the stable where they kept the horse on which he was to operate should be shut, and he was to be left alone with the animal until he gave the signal for opening the door. In about half an hour he would give the signal and when the people entered they found the horse lying down and the man and horse playing together in the most friendly way imaginable. From that time on the horse was perfectly docile, no matter how bad his temper had been before. Horses that had refused to be shod and had resisted all the efforts of other trainers became thoroughly obedient in the short time he was with them; they obeyed others just as readily as they did the man who tamed them.”
In the evening following the foregoing conversation, one of the boys asked Mr. Graham about the different ways of breaking horses to saddle or harness.
“That is a branch of the horse business I don't think it desirable for you to engage in,” was the reply, “but it is well for you to know about it.”
“Various methods are pursued by trainers,” he continued, “and a great deal depends upon the character of the horse. Most of the horse-breakers are coarse, rough fellows, and employ the harshest means for subduing the animals they take into their charge. Some horses are readily tamed, and if an animal is played with by children when a colt, and grows up among them, it is generally the case that he can be ridden without the least resistance. He should be accustomed to have a blanket folded over his back when he is very young, then a saddle should be placed upon him, and after a few days of this practice a very light person may mount the saddle. Coaxing and caressing will do a great deal; it is said that the Arabs do not have to 'break' their horses at all, for the simple reason that the animals associate with the family and are accustomed to be ridden by the children of their owners when they are the merest colts.”
“Here's an account of how they break horses in Texas,” said Mr. Graham, as he took up a newspaper, from which he proceeded to read as follows:
“There are but a few men who make it a business to break horses, and who possess sufficient skill and patience to conquer the fiery spirit of the most vicious animal. These 'wild horse riders,' as they are called, in addition to receiving the use of the horse while handling him, get fees ranging from five dollars to twenty-five dollars. Fearless Frank, a well-known Texas tamer, had been engaged to break a magnificent sorrel, called Mad Ranger. Ranger was a spoiled horse. He had been caught several times for the purpose of being saddled and bridled, but the tamers had been unable to do anything with him.