“It has often occurred to our mind, on account of the many and destructive runaways of horses harnessed to sleighs, that have taken place in this city and its neighborhood the present winter, that some mode of training might be adopted for family or carriage horses, which would entirely prevent or at least mitigate the violence and excitement of horses that may take fright. A good plan, based upon our knowledge and observation of the excitability and nervous temperament of horses disposed to take fright, would be to harness them with strong harness to an old but stout carriage a few times before the sleighing season, and have them taken slowly out of the city to a country road, not too hard for the horses’ feet, and drive them at a full run or gallop for a few rods at a time. Repeating this several times during the drive will so accustom the horses to the excitement of a run in harness and the rattle of a carriage behind them, that it will become familiar, and when occasions arise, as they sometime will in all large cities, to start them to run, they can be at once brought up and kept under complete control. The training to an occasional run has familiarized such horses with the excitement; but conversely, once let a team not used to it in harness, get a start and run, the excitement every moment becomes greater, takes the place of animal instinct, and all control of them is lost—till brought up against some obstacle, with a general smash of all surroundings, and perhaps the loss of valuable and useful life. Whether the horse be hurt or not, they are forever of no value for family purposes, and the groom or coachman not unfrequently loses both situation and character as a driver. To familiarize your horse to an occasional run in harness will do them no harm; and our word for it, much good will be done, and safety insured.”
HOW TO INSTANTLY STOP RUNAWAY HORSES.
When a Canadian family party, traveling in winter over ice covered rivers and swamps, is so unlucky as to cross a place where the horse sinks, they save him from drowning, and themselves from the danger of sharing the same fate, by pulling a rope so arranged that it chokes him. The water being thus prevented from entering his gullet or windpipe, he floats on the surface, and it only requires a long and firm pull to bring him to solid ground, when the rope being relaxed he quickly recovers his wind and is ready once more to start on his journey.
Perhaps profiting by this example, a similar means has been adopted with success for stopping runaway and subduing infuriated horses whether in riding or driving. It consists of a rein composed partly of thread-covered cat-gut, and partly of common leather, one end of which is attached to the bridle at the top of the horse’s head, while the other rests at the pummel of the saddle, or on the coach box, as the case may be. Running upon the cat-gut part by means of loops, is a short cross piece of cat-gut which rests against the windpipe of the animal, ready to be pulled up against it by taking hold of the nearer end of the rein. A quick and firm pull, to stop the breathing of the animal, is all that is necessary to bring him to an instantaneous pause. He may be in a state of panic, running off with the bit between his teeth in spite of every ordinary means of checking him: but no sooner does he feel the stricture on his breathing than he is conscious of being outwitted and nonplussed and becomes instantly as quiet as a lamb; at the same time he keeps quite firm upon his legs—the check not being by any means calculated to bring him down. On the contrary, from the position in which it places the horse, his shoulders being brought up, and being pressed back upon his haunches, the check is, indeed, calculated to keep him up.
CHAPTER III.
ENGLISH SYSTEM OF TRAINING HUNTERS.
Owing to difference in customs of the two nations, such horses as the English hunters are not the most desirable for use in this country, and the system of training adopted to suit the animals to the requirements of English gentlemen, are seldom called into requisition here. Still, as we desire our work to be as complete as possible, and as the method of training is interesting, though it may prove useful to but few of our readers, we introduce it. We take this spirited description from “A Holiday on Horseback,” from the pen of an English writer whose name is not given:
“A light built, gaylooking thoroughbred was passing into a paddock for a lesson in jumping over a swivel bush hurdle. Without spur or whip, the rider—the horsebreaker’s son—rode the mare steadily at the fence, and she went over without touching a top twig, clearing nine yards in the leap. ‘The great thing, sir, is to bring them into workmanlike ways; not to be fussy and flurried at their fence, so as to take off at the right spot.’ Then he went on to inform us that hunters should be carefully handled at a very early age, if they are intended to become temperate and handy. They may be ridden gently by a light weight with good hands, at three years old, over small fences. At four they ought to be shown hounds, but they should only be allowed to follow them at a distance, after the fences are broken down, for if you put them to large leaps at that age they are apt to get alarmed and never make steady fencers afterward. Above all things, avoid getting them into boggy ditches, or riding them at brooks; but they should be practiced at leaping small ditches, if possible, with water in them, the rider facing them at a brisk gallop, for this gives a horse confidence and courage. The old custom of teaching colts to leap, standing, over a bar is now obsolete, and they are taught to become timber jumpers simply by taking timber as it comes across the country—the present rate of hounds gives no time for standing leaps. The circular bar, however, is not a bad thing if in a good place and well managed. Every description of fence that your hunter is likely to meet with should be placed within a prescribed circle on soft ground, the man who holds him standing on a stage in the center. Another man, following the colt with a whip, obliges him to clear his fences at a certain pace, and in a very short time a good tempered colt will go at his jumps with pleasure.
“Here let me observe—for the conversation had ended—that no matter how carefully a hunter may have been trained, until you taste and try him in the field, it is hard to say whether the right stuff be in him. The best judges are often deceived by outsides and school performances. A few general rules may, however, be given, which will be found of certain application. In a hilly country, for instance, nothing has a chance against a pure thoroughbred. Lengthy horses always make the best jumpers, if they have good hind quarters, good loins and good courage. Extraordinary things have been done by such horses. In 1829 Dick Christian jumped thirty-three feet on King of the Valley; and Captain Littler’s horse, Chandler, cleared thirty-nine feet over a brook at Leamington. The most dangerous of all horses in the field is a star gazer. A hunter should carry his head low, as by so doing he is less liable to fall, and gives his rider a firmer seat. All wild horses lower their crests in leaping. It is, however, the peculiar excellence of going well through dirt which decides the real value of a horse for our best hunting counties. To find out this quality he must be ridden fair and straight. If he flinch on soft ground he is of no use. No matter how wide a horse may be, if he is not deep in the girth he cannot carry weight, and is very seldom a good winded horse, even under a light man. One of the best things that can be said of a hunter is, that at first sight he appears two inches lower than he really is. Short legged horses leap better and safer than long legged cattle, and go faster and farther under hard riders. Horses with straight hind legs never can have good mouths. He should have well placed hind legs with wide hips, well spread gaskins, as much as possible of the vis a lergo, well knit joints, short cannon bone, oblique pasterns and largish feet. The bone of a hunter’s hock cannot be too long. These are the points for strength and bottom.
“‘Handsome is as handsome does,’ and an old whip once said to a nobleman who remarked that his staunch old horse who had carried him through so many troubles had an awkward head: ‘Never mind his ’ed, my lord; I ain’t a going to ride on his ’ed.’ Indeed, what is called the perfect model horse is by no means the best. A horse’s constitution may be too good. Horses of a very hard nature, and very closely ribbed up, are large feeders, with great barrels, and do not make brilliant hunters. They require so much work to keep them in place and wind that their legs suffer, and often give way when their constitution is in its prime. Horses with moderate carcasses last much longer, and, provided they are good feeders, are usually bright and lasting enough, if otherwise well shaped. Finally, a hunter should be well seasoned. Few five year old horses are fit to carry a gentleman across country; for they cannot be sufficiently experienced to take a straight line. About fifteen hands two inches is the best hight for a hunter. His action should be smooth, or it cannot last. The movement of the fore legs should be round, not high; the horse should be quick on his legs as well as fast.”