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Title: On horse-breaking
Author: Robert Moreton
Release date: August 15, 2023 [eBook #71409]
Language: English
Original publication: United Kingdom: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1877
Credits: deaurider, David Wilson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON HORSE-BREAKING ***
LONDON: PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET
ON
HORSE-BREAKING
BY
ROBERT MORETON, M.R.C.V.S.
LONDON
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
1877
_All rights reserved_
PREFACE.
In these pages it has been my endeavour to point out some of the errors
in horse-breaking which have been blindly followed from generation
to generation, and to embrace as much matter in a short space as is
compatible with clearness of expression.
I hope that this little volume may prove of some service to
agriculturists and horse-owners, who often break-in their own colts or
cause them to be broken-in by their grooms, and that they may be able
to realise larger prices for their horses when properly broken than
they otherwise would.
=Robert Moreton.=
=21 Onslow Gardens, South Kensington.=
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
METHOD OF HALTERING A COLT.
PAGE
That most in vogue—A scene—Driving a colt from pasture—Getting
him into the stable—Selection of halter—How to tame lions and
tigers—Signs of temper in a colt—How to handle him—Tying him up
—An instance of a wild colt 1
CHAPTER II.
LONGEING THE COLT.
Leading in circles, semicircles, and in a straight line—Bits used
for mouthing purposes—Mouthing by machinery _versus_ mechanical
mouthing—Placing the tackling on the colt—Teaching him to pass
vehicles, etc.—Shoeing the colt 19
CHAPTER III.
SADDLING THE COLT.
The common martingale—The French martingale—The proper position
for the bit in the mouth—Riders with and without hands—Ditto
with and without seats—Mounting—The first ride—Remarks on grooms
and coachmen—How to pass a heap of stones—When to use whip and
spur—Mouthing—Horse-taming—Captain Cuttle’s fig-tree 43
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.
The walk—Ignorance of Englishmen as to the value of the
walk—Australian walking horses—The trot—The jig-jog—The flying
trot—Ladies’ trotters—The canter—Ladies’ rocking horses—The
gallop—Trainers 63
CHAPTER V.
THE ROAD HACK.
His conformation—The ladies’ horse—Rotten Row—The covert
hack—The hunter—For an open country—For a cramped country—‘Made
hunters’—Pleasures of a pulling horse—Breaking in a colt to
hounds—‘Can he leap?’—Natural jumpers—Artificial fences—Lifting
horses at their fences—An incident—Water jumps—How to
fall well—High-couraged _versus_ sluggish horses—Washing
horses’ legs—Mud fever—Stopping horses’ feet—Microscopic
experiments—English racers in Australia and India—Paring horses’
feet—Colts shedding their teeth—Composition of bone—Two-year-old
racing—Prize-fighters—Early maturity and early decay—Famous
American trotters: Topgallant, Lady Blanche, Dutchman, Ajax,
Flora Temple, Lady Thorn, Goldsmith Maid, Dexter, American
girl—Racing now-a-days a money-making business 75
CHAPTER VI.
BREAKING TO HARNESS.
Double _versus_ single harness—Four wheels _versus_ two—Breaking
to double harness—Breaking to single harness—Breaking the cart
colt to harness—Blinkers—Ladies’ eyes 111
CHAPTER VII.
THE BAROUCHE, LANDAU, AND BROUGHAM HORSE.
The Victoria, T-cart, light waggonette, or dog-cart horse—The
omnibus and van horse—The cart-horse—The Lincolnshire dray-horse
—The Suffolk punch—The Clydesdale—Scotch breeders 131
CHAPTER I.
METHOD OF HALTERING A COLT.
THAT MOST IN VOGUE—A SCENE—DRIVING A COLT FROM PASTURE—GETTING
HIM INTO THE STABLE—SELECTION OF HALTER—HOW TO TAME LIONS AND
TIGERS—SIGNS OF TEMPER IN A COLT—HOW TO HANDLE HIM—TYING HIM UP
—AN INSTANCE OF A WILD COLT.
CHAPTER I.
METHOD OF HALTERING A COLT.
The first step towards the breaking-in of a horse is placing a halter
upon his head.
There are many methods of doing this in vogue, most of which are by
brute force; for instance, a farmer has a colt he wishes to halter, so
he gets his men together, and drives the colt into a yard or stable; a
man then hangs on to the timid animal by one of his ears and his nose,
another man seizes his tail, whilst three or four more men push against
either side of the poor frightened beast; then ensues a struggle: the
colt, frightened out of his senses and not knowing what is required
of him, fights the half-dozen men clinging to him; he rears, kicks,
bites, and strikes with his fore feet. The men on seeing this, and the
farmer standing near, say he is a savage brute, and must be reduced by
savage means. The colt is then beaten with a broom or pitchfork-handle,
his tail is twisted, and every means of inflicting excruciating pain
is resorted to, which instead of subduing the animal has the reverse
effect; the colt, being driven to madness, struggles and fights until
he vanquishes his foes. There is then a consultation between the farmer
and his men, and at last this ferocious beast is haltered by stratagem,
but throughout all his life he is either vicious or extremely nervous
and shy, for he will never forget his first introduction to mankind,
and the rough usage he then underwent.
I well remember a scene enacted during the above process, and think I
cannot do better than recount it here.
The colt to be haltered was driven into an empty stable, and got into
one of the stalls; the men then all pressed forward to keep him there,
and the above method of haltering was gone through, but the colt being
a game one, kicked a hole through the partition, and knocked some of
the men down. After the men had recovered themselves they began again,
but with this difference, that two of them got the colt’s tail through
the hole in the partition, and hung on to it with might and main,
they being in security on the opposite side of the partition to that
on which the colt was. Thinking it was not my business to interfere
with the owner’s orders, I stood by and watched this process for an
hour and a half, till at last the men being exhausted, and the colt as
game as ever, the owner asked my opinion as to how the animal could be
haltered, on which I told him that if he would withdraw his men I would
halter him myself, which I accordingly did in about a quarter of an
hour.
To proceed with the subject of this chapter: the colt or filly
(throughout this treatise I shall assume that every animal to be
broken-in is a colt, for if I spoke of colts and fillies I should only
confuse myself as well as my readers) to be haltered should be driven
into a yard, stable, or loose box as quietly as possible—the best way
being to lead an old horse, and endeavour to entice the young one to
follow, having one or two men to walk quietly behind to keep him up,
for he might otherwise lag behind and then gallop off by himself in
an opposite direction. If the men follow up quietly, and at a certain
distance (for they must not be too close, or the animal will take
fright and gallop away) the colt will, as a rule, follow his leader.
The most important point is perfect quietness on the part of the men
engaged in this business; they should, however, speak in low soothing
tones to the colt, and do anything they may happen to think of to allay
the fears of the young animal. The men should keep their arms still; in
fact, the best thing they can do is to put their hands in their trouser
pockets, _and keep them there_. They must on no account yell and shout,
but do all they can to prevent the colt thinking they are following
him; in short, they should dissemble as far as possible, and try to
imagine themselves out for a quiet stroll, and that the movements of
the colt before them have nothing in the world to do with them. By this
means a colt can be driven to the place selected to halter him in with
little or no trouble; but let there be any fuss or unusual noise, and
the animal will then, through his instinct, guess that something is
going to happen to him, and will show you a clean pair of heels.
I will now suppose the colt has been driven into a stable with the old
horse, and will also go so far as to suppose that there is a loose box
in the stable. Not more than two men should be in the stable now, one
of them to hold the old horse, and watch his opportunity of leading him
out, and the other to insinuate himself by degrees between the colt and
the old horse, and stop the colt rushing out when he finds the horse is
leaving him. My reason for now removing the old horse is, that whether
in haltering a colt, or during any other process of breaking-in, you
should always dispense with anything that is calculated to draw the
colt’s gaze from yourself, for _you require his undivided attention_.
A child cannot learn his alphabet and play with the animals in his
Noah’s ark at the same time; much less, therefore, can a colt, being
unable to understand what you say to him, learn by your voice, manner,
and caresses, what you wish of him, when there is another horse or
man near him, whose least movement will attract his attention, if not
alarm him, being as he is in a perfectly new position—namely, in close
contact with a man, who as yet he is unable to perceive will hurt him
or not, but his instinct points to the former.
After the removal of the old horse, and the stable door being closed,
one man only should be in the stable with the colt, who will endeavour
to get him into the loose box, the door of which should have been
previously opened. There should be no noise or bustle outside the
stable to distract the colt. The man in the stable must keep quiet, and
allow the colt to smell about and inspect everything, taking advantage
from time to time of any of his movements to manœuvre him into the box.
The great thing is time; take plenty of time, do not hurry, but watch
your opportunities of improving your position. This may be compared to
a General commanding an army in action; he stands quietly watching the
battle, and gives orders to his men to take up such situations as from
time to time he sees will lead to the success of his army.
By degrees the colt gets nearer his loose box, and out of sheer
curiosity walks in to inspect it. Now is your time; walk up quickly but
quietly and close the door. If you make much noise and fuss about it,
the colt will become alarmed and rush out, and then, through your own
fault, you will have to go through the whole performance again.
You had better now leave the colt alone for half an hour or so, that
he may become accustomed to his new quarters, after which you may
endeavour to halter him. Select a halter with a long ‘shank’ (I prefer
one about eight feet in length, if it is much longer it will be an
encumbrance), and tie a knot in it so as to prevent the nose-band
pinching the jaws when the colt pulls at the rope on finding he is
fast. Enter the loose box and close the door, hang the halter up out
of the way of the colt, for it is better to approach him first without
it. Avoid all unnecessary movements of the arms, as they will frighten
the colt; when you take a step, do it slowly and quietly; if you only
take one step in a minute, it will repay you; be deliberate, quiet, and
gentle in every movement. The colt will now be watching you, not being
able to understand what is going to happen. Speak to him soothingly,
and approach gently and slowly. Watch him, do not stare in his eyes
with a ferocious look, as some people do, under the impression that by
so doing they can subdue the wildest animal. I have been told it will
tame a lion or tiger, but I know it will _not_ subdue a horse, for
I have _tried_ it. Do not fix your eye on any one spot on his body,
but keep moving them from his eyes to his ears, from his tail to his
legs, in fact keep them running all over his body, for a man who knows
a horse will understand by any one or combined movements of the above
parts what sort of temper the colt is in, and also in what form he may
expect an attack. For instance, if the colt shake his tail impatiently,
and move one of his hind legs, you may look out for a kicker; if he
arch his neck, lay his ears back, and take short snaps with his mouth,
you must take care he does not bite you; if he paw viciously with his
fore-feet, he probably will strike you if he can. I do not lay these
rules down as facts which are invincible, but that they generally show
in which direction the temper of the colt will be manifested, and thus
the breaker-in can avoid being bitten, kicked, or struck if he keep his
eyes open. As a rule, however, the man should imagine that every colt
has _each and every one of these tricks_, and thus be prepared for any
or all that may present themselves.
I cannot lay down any rule as to what point on the body the hand
should first touch; the best place undoubtedly is the shoulder, but
you must use your own judgment after having watched the animal as to
what part of his body is most accessible. Some colts will allow you
to touch their heads directly, whilst others—and I think they are the
most numerous—present their tails to you. Anyhow, in whichever part
they seem most inclined to allow your first caresses, you must make it
your _rule_ to, by degrees, manipulate _towards the head_; which, after
you have _once_ been permitted to handle freely, you may consider the
battle as won: for are not the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, and
sensation (I have no doubt that the sense of taste has also something
to do with the matter) fully developed in the head? Thus, I make a
point of advising my readers _always_ to make an effort to handle the
head, as by a more intimate and scrutinising inspection of your hand
and body the colt is better enabled to arrive at a fair understanding
with you.
Now that the colt has allowed you to handle him to a certain extent,
and has found you are not going to hurt him, you may leave his side
(quietly and slowly as when you approached him) and get the halter you
previously hung up; but avoid all hurry, jerking of the arms, &c. Hold
the halter in the left hand with the ‘shank’ coiled up, the end of
which you must grasp with the right hand. Approach the colt gently as
before, speaking soothingly to him; place your right hand on any part
of his body which is easiest got at, and work your way gently up to the
neck; spend some time here handling him with your right hand containing
the ‘shank’ end (I am here supposing the man to be on the near side of
the animal, where he ought always to endeavour to be). Having reached
the mane, pay the rope out slowly between your fingers, so that it
will fall on the off side of the neck; when about eighteen inches to a
couple of feet have been worked out through your fingers, you will see
the end of the rope hanging down under the neck on the off side. You
must now keep handling the neck downwards until your hand is close to
the rope’s end, when you must catch it quietly and tie it on the near
side so as to form a noose round the animal’s neck. You can do all this
easily with your one hand as it is all finger work, but if you have
your left hand to help you there would in all probability be a good
deal of elbow movement which would frighten the colt, make him move,
and most likely all your manipulation would have to be gone through
again.
Although as yet the halter is not on the colt’s head, it is virtually
there; for now that you have a rope round his neck you have him to a
certain extent in your power, and the rest is comparatively easy. The
next move is to endeavour to place the halter on his head with your
left hand, whilst you hold the rope in your right, thus have partial
control over the animal. When the halter is near his nose he will ‘bob’
his head, move away, and feeling the constraint of the rope round his
neck for the first time, will struggle and endeavour to drag you to
the other side of the box; but he will soon give in, and then you can
easily place the halter on his head, after which untie the ‘shank’
round his neck, and all is finished.
You must now handle him, pet him, talk to him, and make much of him,
but do not pull at the halter so as to make him fight. In half-an-hour
or so you can slip a leather head-stall over the halter, and remove
the latter. Some people may say: ‘Why do you not put the head-stall on
first instead of taking all this time and bother to put a halter on?’
My answer is this: the halter is easiest put on, for the throat strap
in the head-stall, unlike that of the bridle, is a fixture, and in
placing it on the head this throat strap scrapes along the skin from
the chin to the angle of the jaw, causing the colt uneasiness; and
another drawback is, that in buckling on the head-stall the colt takes
fright, jerks his head, and down drops the head-stall at your feet: but
if you put it on over the halter the colt has by this time got used to
seeing and feeling your hand about his head, and also you can steady
his head with the halter. Again, I think I hear the question: ‘Why do
you take so much time and trouble to tie the halter shank round the
colt’s neck when you might throw a lasso over his head in a second?’
My answer to this is, that I do not wish to frighten the colt, but by
gentleness and kindness to make him repose confidence in me.
If you can spare time, after placing the head-stall on the colt’s
head you may handle him for a time, then place water and food within
his reach, and leave him to himself for the rest of the day to get
accustomed to his new headdress.
On the following day you can handle him quietly in the loose box and
offer him choice locks of hay or corn out of your hand to increase
his intimacy with you, and then you may tie a rope to the head-stall
and fasten him up. He is sure to struggle when he finds himself tied
up, therefore you must not leave him; for if you have done your work
properly he will have already recognised you as a friend and not
a foe, and will, when he hears you speaking to him soothingly and
encouragingly, become quieter by degrees, and will soon cease to
resist. Stay with him for half-an-hour and pet him, then release him,
take off the rope from the head-stall, and leave him to himself. The
day following you can repeat the above, and afterwards let him out in a
yard or paddock by himself for exercise; do not stay with him, but let
him amuse himself as he likes.
He has learnt his lessons very well so far, and will be all the more
fit for future instruction if he is allowed a little recreation. There
is no greater mistake than tying up a colt for half a day at a time; it
makes him disgusted with his lessons and also tends to make him hate
the sight of his instructor, which should always be guarded against.
The wildest colt I ever saw when first handled, was after a fortnight’s
handling so fond of his breaker-in that he would follow him about
wherever he went in an open field, without having any allurements held
out to him in the shape of corn &c.
CHAPTER II.
LONGEING THE COLT.
LEADING IN CIRCLES, SEMICIRCLES, AND IN A STRAIGHT LINE—BITS USED
FOR MOUTHING PURPOSES—MOUTHING BY MACHINERY _VERSUS_ MECHANICAL
MOUTHING—PLACING THE TACKLING ON THE COLT—TEACHING HIM TO PASS
VEHICLES ETC.—SHOEING THE COLT.
CHAPTER II.
LONGEING THE COLT.
The colt may now be ‘longed’ and taught to lead.
Having procured a long cavasson of webbing with a spring swivel at one
end, fasten it to the headstall, open the door of the loose box and
allow the colt to walk out, following him up quietly and regulating
your pace to his, so that he will not feel himself in bondage until
he is outside the stable, otherwise he would, on finding he was not
free, commence to struggle, and might possibly injure himself by
running against the stall posts or slipping upon the stone floor. Once
outside the stable endeavour to get the colt to the place selected for
longeing, which should be as near as possible. Do not pull at him,
but try to get him there by cunningness, that is to say, by taking
advantage of his movements and manœuvring as much as possible to make
him go there of his own accord. Avoid pulling at him until you arrive
at the longing ground, for he is sure to resist and fight, and it is
best that this should not take place before you get to the cleared
space required for his longing, otherwise obstacles such as trees,
gate-posts, &c., will interfere very much in your command over him and
might also injure him. If he should struggle before you have got him
into a clear space, use all your strength to hold him, but keep as
quiet as possible, or he will become so terrified at your struggles as
to fight all the more, and it will become a pitched battle between the
colt at one end of the cavasson and yourself at the other for mastery.
Speak to him quietly, but at the same time keep up a firm steady pull
at him, when, as he has already become accustomed to being tied up,
he will soon give in and leave off struggling. You must now slacken
the cavasson a little, and decrease the distance between you by taking
a few steps quietly towards him, then stand still and talk to him,
when he will soon recover himself and walk off again, of course in
the direction required, for you will have placed him between you and
the longeing ground, thus he will walk away _from_ you to it. Having
arrived at last at the spot selected, take the initiative by planting
your feet firmly and taking a pull at the colt, thus giving him his
first real lesson in submission. He of course will be astonished at
your temerity and struggle, but will soon give in, when you must try
to induce him quietly to walk, trot, or canter as he likes in a circle
round you, the length of the cavasson being the radius of the circle.
It is as well to have a whip with you, but do not use it or even crack
it until every other means have been tried to induce the colt to do as
you wish. As a rule he will give no trouble, but will run round you
at the length of his halter, pulling more or less strongly upon the
cavasson. Keep him at it for a time, and then gradually shorten the
cavasson and stop him, pat him, speak kindly to him, and make much of
him, giving him a handful of corn or anything he may be accustomed
to eat. After having rested him you may start him again but in the
_opposite_ direction, so as not to tire his legs or make him disgusted
with his work. He will soon leave off pulling against you, and when
he becomes a little tired he will get used to your word of command
and will be glad to stop when told to do so, when you should always
approach and make much of him. It is of the utmost importance from the
very beginning to familiarise the colt with certain words to indicate
what you require of him. As soon as he has learnt to start on his
circular trip and continue it without much fuss, you must leave off and
take him back to his loose box, and on no account keep him at his work
until he is really tired, or he will soon become disgusted with it and
will not exert himself on future occasions, or he may turn sulky, which
is worse. After placing him in his box again, leave him to himself with
food and water within his reach. In the afternoon you may give him
another lesson of from three-quarters to an hour in length, according
to circumstances. On the following day you can teach him to lead.
Take the colt on to the longeing ground and make him circle round you;
after a time, when the animal has sobered down a little, you can take
in the cavasson by degrees while you walk round in small circles to the
colt’s larger radius; keep on decreasing the distance between yourself
and the colt until you are within a few feet of him, and then continue
walking round with him as before for a few turns, when you can take
in all the remaining length of cavasson and walk on as before, but
with this difference, that at first you stood still, being in fact a
fixed point representing the centre of the circle, then you described
small circles to his larger ones, whilst now you are walking side by
side with him. Talk to him and pat him, but be very gentle for fear he
should take fright and pull away from you. After the colt has become
accustomed to this and has gone round quietly a few times with you, you
may by pushing against him, gradually cause him imperceptibly to move
in another circle, that is, with him nearest the centre, whilst before
he had been farthest from that point, and so you change his legs and
prevent him from tiring.
Keep changing the direction of the circle from time to time, and when
you think he has learnt how to lead in a circle, or that he is getting
tired, you can lead him back to his box by _circles_. Do not attempt
as yet to induce him to be led in a straight line, for if you do he is
almost sure to fight; he cannot be made to understand everything at
once. So far he has been taught to lead in a circle by stratagem, and
by stratagem he will also be taught to lead in a straight line, but
this must take place by degrees, being postponed to a future day.
Leave him in his loose box until the afternoon, when you can longe him
again, and then by degrees shorten the cavasson as before and lead
him in circles as in the morning, but do not keep him out more than
an hour, after which take him back again in circles. On the next day
you may teach the colt to lead straight. Take him on to the longeing
ground and run him round a few times until he has got rid of his
exuberant spirits, then do as before and lead him round in circles,
changing the direction of the circles from time to time, by degrees
enlarging them; then, instead of leading him round an entire circle,
make semicircles, that is to say, a half circle one way and then a half
circle in the opposite direction, and so on, so that the _centres_ of
these semicircles will be in a straight line. Thus by degrees you can
diminish the _short_ diameters of these semicircles, at the same time
increasing their _long_ diameters in length, so as to form semi-ovals,
and by continuing to lengthen them you will in time have imperceptibly
gained a _straight_ line. When you have to turn him do so in a sweeping
curve, and gradually get him into the straight line again. Keep him at
this some time, for this walking exercise will not tire him, and he
will get used to you and to his work. In the afternoon you can repeat
the lesson, and also on the day or two following, until he leads well.
On the second day of leading him in a straight line you should carry
a whip, to teach him always to walk with his shoulder opposite yours;
his head should always be in front of you, and your body should be
level with his fore-arm and shoulder, otherwise if you allow his head
to be level with you he will by degrees hang back, and you will teach
him to drag on you, and for ever afterwards when being led you will
have to _pull_ him along. To prevent this fault you must lead him with
the cavasson in your right hand, and with your left hand containing
the whip, whenever his shoulder drops behind yours, you must strike
him gently _behind_ you, when he will come into his proper position
immediately. By doing this and watching him carefully, you will in a
few days teach him to lead well, keep his shoulder always level with
yours, and not hang back, and thus prevent him in after days from being
_pulled_ along, and save him much ill-usage and beating. In two or
three days he will lead well, and then you may put the tackling on
him, which will consist of a roller, a crupper, and a bit. The roller
is nothing more than a surcingle having that part which corresponds to
the saddle well padded, having on each side of it on a level with the
sides of the withers a buckle for the reins, and behind, in the centre
line, a D for the crupper, which should near the tail have a buckle on
the near side of it, or it may be as well to have one on either side.
The buckle greatly facilitates placing the crupper under the tail, as
it can be put round its root easily, instead of having to be drawn over
its whole length from the tip to the root, hair and all.
As to the best bit, everyone has his particular fancy in this respect.
Some advocate a large smooth snaffle, with keys depending from its
central ring; others a large smooth straight bit; others a straight
bit with rollers on its mouthpiece; others a large straight bit the
mouthpiece of which is of wood; others a circular bit consisting of a
smooth ring with a loop on its upper surface at either side for its
attachment to the bridle, whilst others again believe in a bit having
a smooth semicircular mouthpiece. I will now mention these bits in
their reverse order. The semicircular bit being only a modification
of the circular, I may treat the two as one. Allowing, as they do, no
relief to the gums and mouth, through their continued pressure on them,
they are not qualified to give a colt a good mouth, but at the same
time they are most admirable bits for the use of grooms leading horses
out for exercise, or even for the horses they ride during exercise, as
they are least calculated to spoil a mouth of any bits with which I
am acquainted, and as it is a notorious fact that almost every groom
(and a good many gentlemen too) hangs on by the bit instead of by the
muscular power of his legs, of course the bit which is least severe on
a horse’s mouth, and calculated to do least damage to it, is the best.
Therefore I can confidently recommend both these bits for exercise
work, watering bridles, and in fact for any stable work.
The straight bit having a wooden mouthpiece I also object to, for
by being softened with the saliva in the mouth, it is easily torn
and roughened during the process of ‘champing,’ (for every colt will
play with his bit as a rule,) and whenever it comes in contact with
his teeth a wooden bit is more or less lacerated, thus presenting a
roughened surface, which is anything but conducive to the formation of
a good mouth.
The next on the list is a straight bit with smooth rollers or rings on
its mouth-piece, which are for the purpose of preventing the colt from
sliding his mouth from one side of the bit to the other. This may be
all very well in theory, but here prevention is _not_ better than cure,
for the colt will so injure his lips and gums as to make him either
hard-mouthed or extremely sensitive, so much so in fact that the least
pull on his mouth will make him throw up his head instantly, and thus
not being able to see where he is going to is the cause of many an
accident. This is the bit which brings martingales so much into use,
from its having been used during the so-called mouthing of the colt.
The next bit under consideration is the large, smooth, straight one,
with keys hanging from its centre. So far I have condemned all the
bits I have mentioned, but this one will not allow of a mere mention
and then a dismissal, it having its strong points, and in my opinion,
its weak ones also. Its advocates say it prevents the colt from being
mouthed irregularly, or in other words that the colt cannot relieve
the pressure on its mouth by alternately leaning on either side of
the bit. This, I must say, is not reasonable, for if the animal only
arches his neck a little more, and turns his head to the right when
he is tied with the reins to the roller, the pressure of the bit
will be on the _left_ side, thus relieving the right side, and _vice
versâ_. Again, these bits seldom fit the colt’s mouth, and consequently
they either pinch and hurt the mouth, or are much too wide, which is
generally the case, thus teaching the animal to slide his mouth on it
from side to side, for which trick the straight mouth-piece with rings
has been invented for its eradication. When I say that the colt can,
by keeping his tongue more or less elevated in his mouth, prevent all
pressure of this bit on his gums and lips, I think I may pass it over
as incompetent for the object in view, namely a good mouth.
The next, and last bit to be considered is the large smooth snaffle,
with keys depending from its central ring.
I consider this to be the best bit as yet invented for mouthing a
colt. No movement of the tongue can raise it from the gums or lips,
the colt can play with it with ease, and seems to enjoy it, instead of
continually fighting with it more or less, as he does with the others
already mentioned, with the exception of the circular or semicircular
bits. Some people may say it causes an unequal mouth, but I maintain
that it does not, for if, as already described, the animal arches his
neck and turns his head to the right, undoubtedly the _pressure_ of
the bit will be on the left side, but the _weight_ of the right half
of the bit will still be on the right side of the mouth, which cannot
be the case with a straight mouth-piece. Again, it is not of so much
consequence as to whether this sort of bit fits the colt’s mouth
or not, provided it is placed in the proper place in the mouth, as
the weights of each half depending from their centres will keep the
pressure on both sides equal. The great mistake made in mouthing a
colt is that the animal is tied up too long with the bit in his mouth,
for when muscular contraction is exhausted he is forced through sheer
fatigue to _lean upon the bit_, and thus lay the stepping stone to a
hard mouth.
Men think now-a-days they can mouth a colt by machinery. They tie his
head up and down in the most intricate manner, put a great bit in his
mouth, and if the bit is not considered heavy enough, a bag of shot is
tied to each side of it. The animal is then forced to stand in a stall
with his head tightly buckled up to the roller, and there he is made
to stand, fastened to the pillar reins, in a fixed position for hours
at a time. No wonder that half the horses in England have mouths like
cast-iron. Colts cannot be mouthed by machinery, but only by proper
handling in the saddle. It is of no use going through all the elaborate
process now in vogue of _stable_ mouthing, india-rubber dumb jockeys,
reins, &c. It is the man’s _hands_ only which can do so, but at the
same time I must confess it is a difficult thing to find a man with
good and light hands. Perhaps this system of mechanical mouthing may
have had something to do with hardening men’s hands as well as horses’
mouths.
I may now describe the proper position for the bit in the mouth. It
should not be drawn up tightly into the angle of the lips, neither
should it be so slack as to be among the incisor teeth, but it should
be exactly opposite the _groove_ in the chin where the curb-chain ought
to be when used. I think I need not tell my readers how to put the
roller on the colt; the only things required are to take time, be as
gentle as possible, and take care not to buckle it on tight at first,
but leave it loose for the first two or three days. To put the crupper
on, all that is required is to unbuckle it on the near side, elevate
the tail, place it in its proper position, and then buckle it up again.
There will be no trouble in placing the roller or crupper on the colt
if he has been previously treated as advocated by me, for by this time
he will have become tolerably quiet through having been gently handled
daily. Most people fasten the bit to the head-stall, which I object
to; for when you lead or longe the colt the cavasson is attached to
the nose-band either before, behind, or on either side of it, which
necessarily must displace the bit more or less; therefore I much prefer
a bridle with the bit attached to be placed under the head-stall, when
there will be no fear of displacing the bit. Do not fasten reins to the
bit for the first day or two, but lead the colt out without them, for
he will have enough to do to get used to the constraint of bit, roller,
and crupper. When you have placed the tackling on the young animal,
you may let him stand in the loose box for half-an-hour to familiarise
himself with the objects on his body, when he can be taken to the
longing ground, and run round for a time in different directions, after
which lead him about for an hour or two. In the afternoon you can longe
him a little, and then lead him out of the field and take him along a
road or lane to accustom him to see and pass strange objects. The road
selected for his first lesson should be the quietest that can be found
near the longing ground. When he is startled at a heap of stones, a log
of wood, or any other object, he must be spoken to quietly and patted,
but above all allow him plenty of time to examine minutely the object
which has frightened him, when, after a time, he will approach it,
smell it, and touch it with his nose, thus allaying all his fears; he
may then be led backwards and forwards past the place a few times, and
proceed on his journey. For the day following you will have to longe
him, and then lead him along the road both morning and afternoon.
Always commence the day’s work by longeing, so as to take some of the
‘gas’ out of the colt and sober him down a little before he begins
his daily lessons, otherwise he will be so full of play as to pay no
attention to your teaching. On the third day you may attach reins to
the bit and buckle them to the roller, but be sure you leave them very
slack; you may also lead him about in more frequented roads, and if he
has been tolerably quiet so far, you can take him through a village or
town, and thus accustom him to objects in a new sphere of life. For a
fortnight after the first tackling took place, your work will be to
lead him about roads, towns, and even take him to railway stations to
get accustomed to the trains. Take the reins up a hole every other
day until his head is carried perpendicularly, but then stop, do not
take them up the eighth of an inch more. At the expiration of the
fortnight you must longe him with the cavasson attached alternately to
either side of the bit, so as to teach the animal side pressure, for
so far he has only been undergoing direct pressure. It is as well to
count how many circles he goes on one side of the bit, and then give
him a corresponding number on the other to prevent his mouth becoming
one-sided or, in other words, having one side of his mouth _more_ or
_less_ sensitive than the other. Do not keep him at this long, or his
mouth will become very tender and sore, but occupy the remainder of
the time in leading about the roads &c. Continue doing this for two
or three days, and then, having procured long reins, drive him about
on the longing ground or in a field, turning him from time to time
from one side to the other, stopping him every now and then to get him
accustomed to his work, and if you do not pull at him too much, but
allow him plenty of play with his head, he will in two or three days
have a very fair mouth. After the first day of using reins you may
drive him about the roads instead of leading him.
Of course, during all this time—in fact, from the haltering of the
colt—you will have been freely handling him daily, lifting first his
fore-feet and striking them with your hand, at first gently, to get him
used to the hammer, and afterwards, when this has been accomplished
with facility, the same has been done to the hind ones; and after
the colt has been taught to drive in reins, it is time he was shod
preparatory to mounting him.
In mouthing a colt he should never be placed in a stall and fastened
to the pillar reins, as is too often the practice now-a-days, for it
only teaches him to lean upon the bit and slide his mouth from one side
of it to the other, thus teaching him a habit to counteract which the
ringed mouthpiece has been invented. A day should be fixed for shoeing
the colt, and an arrangement made with the blacksmith to shoe him at
a certain hour; for if this is neglected, the animal may have to wait
his turn whilst three or four other horses are undergoing the process.
Before taking him to the blacksmith’s shop at the hour appointed, the
colt must be well longed so as to get him sobered down a little; and
if he is a very nervous fidgety animal, he should be longed until he is
really tired. If on arriving at the shop the blacksmith is not quite
ready for him, do not tie him up, but lead him up and down until he
is wanted; and then, during the process of shoeing, stand by him and
do all you can to soothe and allay his fears, at the same time taking
care that the smith performs his work as quietly as possible. If he is
very refractory, get his fore-feet shod and leave the hind ones for the
following day.
After the colt has been shod and has been driven about the roads in
reins for a few days to get him used to going in shoes, he may be got
ready for mounting, but that will require a fresh chapter.
CHAPTER III.
SADDLING THE COLT.
THE COMMON MARTINGALE—THE FRENCH MARTINGALE—THE PROPER POSITION
FOR THE BIT IN THE MOUTH—RIDERS WITH AND WITHOUT HANDS—DITTO
WITH AND WITHOUT SEATS—MOUNTING—THE FIRST RIDE—REMARKS ON GROOMS
AND COACHMEN—HOW TO PASS A HEAP OF STONES—WHEN TO USE WHIP AND
SPUR—MOUTHING—HORSE-TAMING—CAPTAIN CUTTLE’S FIG-TREE.
CHAPTER III.
SADDLING THE COLT.
The colt must now be saddled. Allow him first to look at, smell, and
feel the saddle, then place it gently on his back, draw the girths up,
at first very slackly, put on the crupper with the buckle as before,
and a breastplate. I object to a martingale, my reason for which I
shall mention further on. At first do not put on any stirrup-straps or
stirrups, as they will only act as alarmants to the colt. After petting
him for a time in the loose box, tighten the girths moderately, and
lead him out for a time, and then longe him to accustom him to the
flapping of the saddle; after which drive him about the roads with the
saddle on. Repeat this in the afternoon. On the following day do as
before, but attach stirrup-irons and straps to the saddle; you may also
fasten a strap on either side of the flank to the crupper, so as to
get the animal used to having objects touching and dangling from him.
Repeat this in the afternoon, and also on the following day, when the
colt will be ready for mounting.
Before mounting, longe the colt well with the saddle on, then take him
back to his loose box, and put on a French, or as some people call
it, a Dutch martingale, consisting simply of a couple of rings joined
together, through which the reins pass. To make this clearer for such
of my readers who may not have seen one, I will describe how this is
done. Unfasten the buckle in the centre of the reins, and pass each
rein through a different ring, then buckle the reins together again
over the withers, the rings or French martingale will then be between
the colt’s chin and his breast. I much prefer this French martingale
to the one in ordinary use, which has two straps with rings at their
extremities buckled on to the breastplate, through which the reins
pass, for with the former you are able to steady the colt’s head
without constraining it, which is the worst thing you can do when first
riding a young animal; while the latter fixes the head too much in one
position, and also tends to make him carry it far too low, when all
attempts to mouth him are useless, for the bit will then be in the
_angle of the lips_, the very place where it ought not to be.
There is also a danger should the colt fight much, especially with his
fore-feet, of their becoming entangled in the martingale or reins. Men
put the common martingale on when riding a young colt, for the simple
reason that it gives them a good purchase, and thus enables them to
hold on; a man who requires this aid to keep him in the saddle should
never attempt to break-in a colt, that is, if he wishes him to have a
good mouth, or one only a little removed from cast-iron. If a man can
sit a colt without any pressure on the reins, he will probably be able
to mouth the animal well, provided he has certain other qualities, such
as patience, knack, &c., for a man who can retain his seat without the
aid of the reins has, as a general rule, light hands; while on the
contrary, the man who relies upon the reins to secure him his seat in
the saddle, has neither hands nor seat, and the sooner he contents
himself with riding the horse nature gave him—to wit, his own legs—the
better, for he will only spoil every horse he crosses, provided they
have not been already spoilt by some other bad rider.
To return to the subject. After having put on the ring martingale, see
that everything is right about the colt. Look to the girths, that they
may not be slack, see that the crupper is neither too tight or too
loose, and that no hairs have gathered under it, and satisfy yourself
that everything is as it ought to be, even to the buckles of the
bridle. Then gathering up the reins in your left hand, and standing
with your left side to his shoulder, place your left foot in the
stirrup, and gradually bear weight upon it, when after a while you
may raise yourself in the stirrup, so that both your legs are off the
ground. You must watch minutely every movement of the animal, and speak
gently and soothingly to him. After standing in the stirrup for a few
seconds, lower yourself to the ground again, and then repeat the same
a few times, until the colt seems quiet and used to it, when you may
throw your right leg gently over his back, taking care not to touch him
with it, and placing all your weight on your right hand, grasping the
pommel of the saddle. When your leg is over his back, lower it quietly
into its proper position, but keep it from touching the animal’s side
until you have gently seated yourself in the saddle, then put your foot
in the stirrup and there you are. Now do not spoil everything by trying
to make the colt progress, but sit still, talk to him, pat him, and do
everything you can to pacify the animal, and get him used to seeing you
take such liberties with him as sitting on his back; for, mind you, he
feels an insult as much as you do. If a stranger were to jump on your
back, you would immediately resent it by trying to get him off, and
by fighting him; but if a friend were to do the same thing you would
laugh, and if you did not exactly enjoy the joke, at any rate you would
not resent it. The same with the colt. If you get on his back and urge
him forward, he thinks you are taking a liberty, and as such are an
enemy, and therefore tries his best to get rid of you; but on the other
hand, if you sit still and speak kindly to him, he will recognise your
action as that of a friend, although he may not actually laugh. After
having sat on him a few minutes, you may get off, but very quietly, so
as not to frighten him. Release your right foot from the stirrup, keep
the leg from the animal’s side, and raise it to a level with his back,
then gradually lower it on the near side until you are standing in the
near stirrup. Pause here a few seconds, make much of him, and then
lower yourself to the ground, take your left foot out of the stirrup,
and then handle and fondle the colt. Repeat this a few times, and then
lead him out to the longing ground, as that most familiar to him, and
where he has learnt his several acts of subordination, which latter is
not the least beneficial aid, for he will recognise it as the scene of
such to you. You must now mount him in the same quiet manner as before,
but sit still, talk to him, and above all do not urge him forward, for
if you do he will generally fight, plunge, rear, buck or kick, and
then unless you are a good rider he will send you sprawling on mother
earth. A fight at this juncture should always be avoided, for if he
throws you he will know he is the conqueror, and will most likely be
a kicker, a rearer, &c., for some time to come, if not for life; but,
on the other hand, if you get the better of him it may so cow him that
it will be a long time before he gets out of the sulks, or he may be a
‘slug’ and mean-spirited horse for the remainder of his days. Therefore
avoid making him worse, for if you only give him time he will most
likely walk off of his own accord, and if on the longing ground will
probably walk or jig-jog round the circular track through sheer custom,
or he may take a path of his own, but whether he chooses the circular
path or one of his own, do not check him, but allow him to go where he
likes for a time, of course gradually sheering him off with the reins
until he goes where _you_ like. Do not pull at him, let him have all
the reins you can, your only control being gradual guidance from side
to side. Never mind his taking large corners, you are not mouthing him
as yet, but getting him used to carry you, and by degrees cajoling him
into going where you require him. You must not force him, or there will
be an open fight, which is to be avoided for the first few days after
first mounting, but little by little cause him to go in your direction,
but so imperceptibly as to make him believe it is of his own free will
he is going there.
It has been my theory from the commencement of this little treatise so
to work as to cajole and manœuvre the colt into following your wishes,
that they are so imperceptibly gained that he does not notice them as
acts of actual obedience, for they have come upon him in so gradual a
manner that there having been no fight over the matter he imagines the
actions to have been of his own free will. Of course there must be an
open rupture sooner or later which will undeceive him, but this should
be avoided with all possible care until he has been mounted a week
if possible. Ride the animal about the field for an hour or an hour
and a half quietly, not going out of a walk or jig-jog, and then take
him back to his loose box, and repeat the same in the afternoon, your
object at present being to get him used to your weight on his back, and
to gradual guidance; you are not trying to mouth him, or attempting to
teach him his paces. ‘Little by little,’ and ‘Perseverando,’ are my
mottoes, and ought to be those of every man who undertakes to break-in
a colt. It is very much like bringing up a child; you cannot give a
child an adult’s thoughts at one lesson, or teach him right from
wrong, but must continue it over a long course of years; and if you
correct a child harshly, or beat him without showing where his fault
lies and reasoning with him, he will either show fight as best he
can—for he does not _understand_ what he has done wrong or _why_ it is
wrong—or else he turns sulky and broods over his wrongs, which latter
I hold to be worse than the former; and this holds good in the horse,
for a sulky colt is much harder to overcome and requires much more
patience than one which breaks out in open fight, for when the fight is
over it is over, but with a sulky one there is no knowing how long it
may last. As it is best to reason with a child, and prove to him that
he is wrong, instead of whipping him, so is it best to teach a horse
by degrees what is required of him, for he cannot be reasoned with,
but must learn step by step the lessons given him. If you endeavour
to teach him too much at once, or in too rapid strides, he _cannot
understand_, and therefore when you punish or reprimand him he turns
sulky, or shows fight, and very naturally too, for he does not know why
he has been punished after doing his best to please you.
Ride the colt for the three following days (morning and afternoon)
about the field so as to avoid a fight with him caused by passing
carriages, carts, or any other objects which might alarm him, and by
so doing he will gradually become accustomed to the guidance of the
reins and understand the pressure of the heels and other little signs,
imparting to him the pace and direction in which he is to move, after
which he can be ridden on the road. It is best to select a good wide
road, and to avoid all narrow ones and lanes for a time, until he is
handy at passing vehicles &c., for if you meet a cart in a lane there
is very little room for him to pass it by, and as he is almost sure to
dance about a little there is always some danger of his hurting himself
against the wheel or some projecting part of the cart; but on the
other hand, if the road be wide there is no such danger, and he will
also be got past any object which may frighten him much easier, and
the chances of having a fight with him are thus reduced to a minimum.
Always avoid a fight if possible by every means in your power, for
instance, if a carriage is coming very fast towards you, either from
behind or in front, and you think it calculated to frighten your pupil
very much, you can by raising your hand show the coachman that you wish
him to drive quietly until he has passed you, and you will find that in
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred he is civil enough to comply with
your mute request, but the hundredth deserves—— Well, perhaps the
less said about his deserts the better, for I suppose it is impossible
to find a flock of human beings without one black sheep amongst them,
above all amongst grooms and coachmen, who as a class are the most
ignorant and bigoted men on the face of the earth; there are, however,
some few trustworthy excellent men among them, but they are very few
and far between.
If on nearing a heap of stones or any other object, such as a woman’s
petticoat or other garments drying on a hedge, at which the colt seems
inclined to be frightened, do not flog him past but speak kindly to
him and pat him, do not hurry, but let the animal take his own time,
and you will find by degrees that he will take a step or two towards
it, and at last get close to and possibly touch it with his nose after
having smelt it; then you must ride him backwards and forwards past it
a few times, and when he has ceased to notice it continue on your way.
You will of course have a fight some time or other, for the colt may
wish at some cross roads to choose one for himself, irrespective of any
choice on your part, or he may wish to follow some horse on the road
before him, and refuse to leave an animal feeding by the roadside, but
in whichever mode he disputes your authority you must undeceive him,
and that _thoroughly and at once_. If he requires whip and spur, let
him have them, but remember, never allow him to get the upper hand
of you, for if so, you may just as well turn him out and leave off
breaking, until you have found a man who _can_ master him, for he will
have found out his own strength and will not forget it in a hurry. If
it takes you half a day or even a whole one to make him do as you wish,
it will be time well spent.
After having ridden him for a fortnight, you may discontinue the
mouthing bit, and in its stead use an ordinary plain snaffle, taking
care to select as large a one as possible, for if it is too fine it
will hurt the animal’s mouth, and either render it dull or extremely
sensitive.
If a colt is well broken at first there will be no necessity in after
life to resort to such means as those which Rarey introduced, or the
dodging process of M. Carriès as mentioned in the ‘Pall Mall Gazette,’
the paragraph concerning which I here reproduce:—
‘=Horse Taming.=—History repeats itself in horse-taming, it appears,
as well as in other matters. Mr. Rarey and Cruiser have met with their
match in M. Carriès and Trocadéro. Trocadéro, son of Monarque and
Antonio, has of late exhibited symptoms of the most fearful ferocity;
and “about two months ago,” according to “Le Sport,” M. Aumont “met
M. Carriès,” who offered to tame the animal. M. Aumont, having inquired
whether the means employed would not be drugs or such violence as might
injure the horse or render him still more furious, and having received
an assurance that nothing of the kind would be used, he consented; and,
at a time agreed upon, a visit was paid to the stud at Victat-Pontfol,
and the experiments began. The first thing was to enter the horse-box.
This M. Carriès did, in presence of M. Aumont and all the “stable,”
who “s’attendait à le voir dévoré.” An exciting “duel” ensued; the
horse rushing, time after time, with open mouth and with “hennissements
féroces,” at M. Carriès, who merely dodged him by rapid movements
aside, as the toreador dodges the bull. After ten of these attacks
so met, “the animal suddenly stopped to contemplate the audacious
individual who braved him in this manner, and was at once seized with
the nervous trembling which comes over ‘le lutteur aux prises avec un
adversaire contre lequel ses moyens habituels ont échoué. Trocadéro
était dompté!’” And M. Carriès took advantage of the horse’s stupor
to put a saddle and bridle upon him, after which Trocadéro submitted
like a lamb to have his fore-feet shod, and ultimately his hind-feet,
without more ado. The dodging process of M. Carriès certainly beats for
simplicity even the throwing-down process of Mr. Rarey; but it might
be awkward if the tamer were to meet with a horse less susceptible
of “stupeur” than Trocadéro appears to be. The question suggested by
all these horse-taming feats, however, is whether they could not be
rendered altogether unnecessary by care taken in the original training,
and whether, as regards the trainer and the method he adopts towards
his four-legged pupils, the gist of the whole matter does not lie in
what has been said by a French authority:—“S’il est brutal, le poulain
deviendra farouche, violent, et méfiant; si, au contraire, il sait
mettre l’animal en confiance, la bonne entente s’établira promptement.”
It certainly seems that, if a horse in his years of discretion, or
rather maturity, and of confirmed viciousness, can be tamed so readily
by a resolute but gentle master, there ought to be little or no
difficulty in training him up during foalhood, like Captain Cuttle’s
fig-tree, in the way he should go, so that when he is old he would not
depart from it.’
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.
THE WALK—IGNORANCE OF ENGLISHMEN AS TO THE VALUE OF THE
WALK—AUSTRALIAN WALKING HORSES—THE TROT—THE JIG-JOG—THE FLYING
TROT—LADIES’ TROTTERS—THE CANTER—LADIES’ ROCKING HORSES—THE
GALLOP—TRAINERS.
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING THE COLT HIS PACES.
Now that the colt has been mounted and more or less mouthed during his
fortnight’s road work, he must be taught his paces, viz., how to walk,
trot, canter, and gallop properly. Ambling, pacing, and running not
being in vogue in this country, I shall make no mention of them.
=The Walk.=—It is of great importance to teach a horse to walk well;
there is nothing more disagreeable than riding a horse that walks as
if he was crawling to his own funeral, or one which will not walk, but
prefers to shake the life out of you with a jig-jog. People in this
country do not place so much value on the walk as they would if they
had long journeys to go. The Australians, on the contrary, who live in
the saddle, appreciate a good walking horse, and will give a good deal
more for a walker than they will for one that is not. An Australian
may be travelling a long distance, or in search of lost sheep, cattle,
or horses; in either case the pace would be slow, and probably the
distance covered daily from forty to forty-five miles, or perhaps more,
and to ride a horse day after day for this distance, which will not
walk, but only jig-jog, is simply martyrdom. Therefore those men who
break-in horses for their own use take very great pains to teach them
to walk well. In England the average pace of a horse which has any
pretensions to walking is about four miles an hour, and I very much
doubt if the best ever get to five. In Australia, where horses are
_educated_ to walk, good walkers can do their six miles an hour. The
Americans _educate_ their horses to trot, and beat us at that pace. A
good Australian walking horse will be able to keep up five miles an
hour for the distance of twenty miles; and for a long distance, say
a journey of two or three hundred miles, doing from thirty to fifty
miles daily, he will walk four and a half miles an hour. In fact a
bushman knows to a mile how far he has gone by consulting his watch
only, for he is able to tell through experience the pace his horse is
walking at, just in the same way that a jockey judges the speed of his
race-horse. At all the largest horse-shows in the Australian Colonies,
special prizes are given for the best walking horses.
To teach a horse to walk well is a very easy matter, only requiring
patience, time, and a certain amount of knack. The reins must not be
drawn up tightly, but on the contrary they must be slack, and only so
drawn up as just to feel the colt’s mouth and no more. A horse cannot
extend himself and walk fast if he has not his head, which holds good
with respect to any pace, for a horse can neither gallop, trot, or walk
at his best, if his head is confined. When commencing to teach a horse
to walk, the only thing to be done is to prevent him from indulging
in the jig-jog; and to prevent this every time he does so, he must
be brought up to the walk again by means of pressure on the bit. No
endeavour should now be made at fast walking; the only thing to be done
is to make him walk in _some_ style or other, and to prevent him from
breaking. A man who is used to this work will _feel_ the colt is going
to break, or wants to do so, and so will be in readiness to prevent
him, or at least prevent him breaking badly. It will take a month or
more before the colt is tolerably free from breaking, but as soon as he
has got to understand he is not to do so, and his breaks grow less in
number, he may be taught to increase the speed of his walk by pressure
of the heel or spur. You should not use a whip, for it generally causes
them to break. As soon as he has recovered his break, slack the reins
again and urge him to his fastest walk, which in time will be double
what it was at first. The colt should not be sickened of one pace, but
after walking a mile he must be trotted or cantered for half a mile,
and then drawn up to the walk again. When a colt is being taught his
paces, he should not be out long; if he gets an hour of it twice daily,
and is made to do his best all the time, it will be plenty for him.
When he is walking he must be made to do his best, and when he gets a
trot or canter to rest him from walking, he should be made to do that
also in his best form. By so doing he is taught to exert himself, and
to learn that he must not move in a slovenly manner, and at the same
time, although the chief subject at present is to teach him to walk,
he is also being initiated into the proper method of trotting and
cantering. Although he will, in three or four months, be a fair walker,
it will be a year, or perhaps two, before he has attained perfection.
The Americans do not count months, but years, in educating a horse
to trot. To get a horse at his best pace requires time, and time and
patience alone can accomplish it.
=The Trot.=—There are three kinds of trot: the jog-trot or jig-jog, the
true trot, and the flying-trot. The jog-trot is a most uncomfortable
pace, and is not faster than a walk; the flying-trot is that indulged
in by the Americans, and by our own countrymen in trotting-matches,
but as the true trot is the only one used by the bulk of the people
in this country, I shall confine myself to describing the method of
teaching the colt the proper mode of progressing in that pace. The
jog-trot is a modification of the true trot, whilst the flying-trot is
an exaggeration of it; therefore the true trot is the medium, and the
best for all purposes with the exception of race trotting.
To teach a colt the true trot, the reins should not be held slack as in
walking, but should be well gathered up to make the animal place his
hind legs well under him, and also cause him to lift his fore limbs
higher, thus giving him knee action; the great beauty and comfort in
the trot being free action, and as an extreme pace is not required,
comfort and looks are placed in the scale against flying speed. The
animal should be urged forward by voice, heel, or spur, at the same
time being kept in check by the bit; he is thus forced to expend his
increased exertions in the air, or in other words, he will trot with
higher action, although his speed will be little or no faster than
before. He should not be trotted more than half a mile at a time, but
whilst trotting must do so in his best form, and when walked between
his trots, he must do that also in his best style.
What I have already said under the head of walking, with reference to
the time to be occupied daily in teaching a colt his paces, applies
equally to the trot and other paces, for a colt, if tired, cannot be
taught his paces, and will only be spoilt if persevered with when
fatigued; therefore make him do his best all the time, at whatever
different paces he is put, but avoid tiring him.
The off fore-leg is the best to teach him to lead off with; but some
horses go easier, and with more comfort to their riders, when leading
with the near fore; therefore I do not think a rule can be laid down as
to which is invariably the best, but after having ridden the colt a
little time you will soon find out which way he goes best, for I think
it a pity, if he goes best with his near fore first, just for the sake
of fashion, to alter it to the off fore; for although it is easy to
teach him to lead with the off leg, it will never have the same easy
and free motion it had when using the near, which in this particular
case nature seemed to have intended for that purpose. Again, some
horses will trot equally well with either leg leading. If the colt is
being taught for a lady’s riding, he must lead with his off fore-leg.
=The Canter.=—By some writers the canter is described as a thoroughly
artificial pace, but why, I am unable to understand. The _true_ canter
is nothing more than a slow gallop, as is the gallop an extended and
fast canter, the difference between the two paces being a matter of
_speed_. If the style of movement of some ladies’ horses which go with
a sort of hop and a shuffle, which is generally termed a canter, is
_the_ canter alluded to by these authors, then I acknowledge it _is_
an artificial pace, and one very tiring to the animal as well as very
prejudicial to his soundness, and, to my mind, very ugly to boot. If
ladies must ride rocking-horses, they would be much better supplied
with wooden ones, which could be kept at much less cost, requiring
neither food, shoeing, nor grooming, whilst the wear and tear of the
habit would be much reduced, owing to the lack of mud thrown up.
Luckily we seldom see one of these hopping, shuffling brutes, which by
some are supposed to be the perfection of a lady’s horse.
The colt is taught to canter by urging him forward, the meanwhile
restraining him with the bit. In the canter as in the trot, true action
is required, and for the same reason, namely, that speed not being
requisite, comfort and beauty of pace take its place, which can only be
accomplished by having the hind legs well drawn under the body, and the
knees well elevated and flexed. If the colt is for a gentleman to ride,
I do not think it matters which fore-leg he leads with, for, as in the
trot, some animals lead better with one than the other; but if for a
lady, the colt should always be taught to lead with his off fore, which
is done by drawing his head a little to the near side, at the same time
striking him with the whip on the same side.
=The Gallop= is an extension or exaggeration of the canter, the limbs
not being elevated so much as in the canter, but extended to a greater
extent, whilst the abdomen is brought nearer to the ground. For
ordinary galloping the colt requires no teaching; only give him his
head, and urge him forward fast enough, and he will gallop. For racing
purposes the colt must be taught to make the most of his gallop; but
as this is not a treatise on training, and as the racing colt acquires
his education under the supervision of his trainer, I shall not enter
further into the subject.
CHAPTER V.
THE ROAD HACK.
HIS CONFORMATION—THE LADIES’ HORSE—ROTTEN ROW—THE COVERT
HACK—THE HUNTER—FOR AN OPEN COUNTRY—FOR A CRAMPED COUNTRY—MADE
HUNTERS—PLEASURES OF A PULLING HORSE—BREAKING IN A COLT TO
HOUNDS—‘CAN HE LEAP?’—NATURAL JUMPERS—ARTIFICIAL FENCES—LIFTING
HORSES AT THEIR FENCES—AN INCIDENT—WATER JUMPS—HOW TO
FALL WELL—HIGH-COURAGED _VERSUS_ SLUGGISH HORSES—WASHING
HORSES’ LEGS—MUD FEVER—STOPPING HORSES’ FEET—MICROSCOPIC
EXPERIMENTS—ENGLISH RACERS IN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA—PARING HORSES’
FEET—COLTS SHEDDING THEIR TEETH—COMPOSITION OF BONE—TWO-YEAR-OLD
RACING—PRIZE-FIGHTERS—EARLY MATURITY AND EARLY DECAY—FAMOUS
AMERICAN TROTTERS: TOPGALLANT, LADY BLANCHE, DUTCHMAN, AJAX,
FLORA TEMPLE, LADY THORN, GOLDSMITH MAID, DEXTER, AMERICAN
GIRL—RACING NOW-A-DAYS A MONEY-MAKING BUSINESS.
CHAPTER V.
THE ROAD HACK.
I will here give a brief description of the several classes of
saddle-horses required in this country for civil purposes.
=The Road Hack=, worked as he is on hard metal roads, cannot combine
speed with durability, as the rate of fourteen to eighteen miles an
hour would soon wear out his feet and legs, when he would only be fit
for a tradesman’s cart or cab work, therefore a horse of this sort
should be a good walker, and be able to trot from eight to twelve or
fourteen miles an hour, doing it with good, true, and level action,
being neither too high nor too low, for with low action when he has
gone some distance and begins to feel tired he will trip over stones
or inequalities in the ground, and very possibly fall, and if the
action is too high he will soon batter his legs and feet to pieces.
With regard to make and shape, he should be as near perfection as
possible, for without perfect symmetry no pace can be at the height of
excellence, but as perfect conformation is seldom met with, its nearest
approach must be sought for.
The head should be small and fine, broad between the eyes and between
the branches of the lower jaw at their angles, also the distance
from the eye to the angle of the lower jaw should be great; the
nostrils should be large, wide, clean, and well-defined; the mouth
small, with the lips thin and firm; the ears should be small, fine,
and pointed, being carried firmly with their tips inclining slightly
towards each other; the eye should be large, full, and prominent, with
well-developed arch. The neck must be long, thin, and fit well into
the space formed between the branches of the lower jaw, longer on
its upper than its under surface, as well as convex on its superior
border. The head should be well ‘set on’ to the neck, which, if the
jaws are wide and the neck of the proper conformation will be the
case, and add very materially to the good mouth of the horse. The
withers must neither be too fine, thick, or low, whilst a fine wither
well clothed with muscle, and yet not loaded, is perfection. The mane
should be fine, silky, and not too abundant. The shoulder-blade must be
long and oblique, not straight, neither must it be coarse, but blend
gradually into the withers and back; a coarse thick shoulder should
always be avoided, as also a very fine one, leaving the withers to
stand up by themselves like a plough-share, for an animal with such
shoulders will soon tire, owing to insufficient muscular development
of the parts. The long oblique shoulder gives plenty of space before
the rider, the saddle sits well provided the girth is also deep and
the action is pleasant, but if the shoulder be straight or short, or
a combination of both, the saddle will be too forward, and when the
horse stumbles, as he is almost sure to do from defective action due
to this malconformation, he runs the chance of falling, breaking his
knees, and perhaps the neck of his rider as well. The chest should be
deep and moderately broad, both being essential to the full development
of the functions of the heart and lungs. The fore-arm must be long
in proportion to the leg, that is, the greater length in proportion
must be above the knee, and the less below it the better; the muscular
development of the fore-arm should be as great as possible. The elbow
long and prominent, not ‘tied in,’ but clear of the chest. The knee
should be large, wide, and prominent, but should appear more or less
flat when examined from in front; the trapezium, or bone behind the
knee, should also be long and prominent. Avoid ‘calf’ knees, and those
which are bent forward. The cannon or shank bone should be as short
and strong as possible, and perfectly straight, being neither curved
forwards, backwards, or laterally: the tendons at the posterior aspect
of this bone should stand well out from it, which will be the case when
the trapezium is well developed; there should be a distinct line of
demarcation between the tendons and the bone, but if this is filled up
the leg will be more or less round instead of being broad and flat.
Such legs are called ‘gummy.’ The fetlock joint should be large and
flat laterally, its posterior aspect being well-defined and prominent.
The pastern bones should neither be too long, short, oblique, or
straight. If the pastern is long it is necessarily oblique, and
therefore weak; if short it is upright, and the severe concussion so
produced causes ringbones, windgalls, navicular disease, &c., besides
causing the horse to be rough and unpleasant to ride. The pastern joint
should be well developed and strong. The feet, as regards the size,
make and shape, &c., of the horse should neither be too large nor too
small; the walls of the foot should form at the toe an angle of about
45° with the ground; the sole should be moderately concave, the frog
large and strong, and the whole hoof should be tough, sound, and not
brittle. The back should be straight and not too long, a hollow back
being objectionable on account of its weakness, whilst a roach back
is very strong, although a horse having a back of that conformation
will be rough to ride. The ribs should be long and oval, and they
should continue to be so up to the very last, and the space between
the last rib and the ‘hooks’ should be capable of being covered by the
breadth of the hand. The hind quarters must be long, deep, full, and
broad, as well as straight from the back to the tail, the distance
from the ‘hooks’ to the hocks great, the stifle prominent, and the
‘second thighs’ large and full. The hock should be large and fine,
without being coarse or having any puffiness about it; the point of
the hock prominent, and the leg below the hock incline a little under
the body; it should neither be perpendicular nor deviate laterally
from the perpendicular, or in other words, should not be ‘wide behind’
or ‘cow-hocked.’ Those parts below the hocks may be compared with the
description of those below the knee. The tail should be carried in a
straight line from the spinal chain and then droop in a graceful curve.
=The Ladies’ Horse= should be cast in a longer mould, or his body will
be almost hidden by the habit, therefore his neck must be long, and
his back longer than that of a man’s hack, which will also give more
elasticity to its paces. He should be perfect in conformation, paces,
mouth, and temper, which if one may judge by what one sees of ladies’
mounts in the Row, is very seldom found, by far the greater number
being long-legged weeds or thick coarse carriage-horses, as rough as
an elephant, and often very lame as well; in fact, they are horses
that a man would not ride himself if he possibly could help it, but
yet he considers them good enough for his sisters, daughters, or wife.
It is quite a treat to see a really good lady’s horse amongst the
miscellaneous herd of nags to be found in the Row during the season.
=The Cover Hack= is a cob of from fourteen to fifteen hands high,
capable of carrying his rider to the meet at the rate of about sixteen
miles an hour, and he must also be able to jump a little so as to go
by short cuts if required to do so. If for a heavy weight he must be a
stout cob, but for a weight under fifteen stone may be well bred, or
for a light weight actually thoroughbred.
=The Hunter= may be quite thoroughbred, nearly thoroughbred, or
half-bred. If for a light weight, say under twelve stone, and in such
flying counties as Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, a thoroughbred
should be ridden, provided the purse be long enough to procure one up
to the weight and with the necessary qualities. A nearly thoroughbred
will suit a weight of from twelve to sixteen stone, but beyond that
a horse with great strength, good action, and a certain amount of
breeding—in fact, a well-bred cart-horse—will be required. If the
country be an open one with large enclosures, and consequently few
fences, the thoroughbred will be the best horse for hunting purposes,
speed being the requisite, but for a cramped country, a half-bred horse
is the best, being better qualified to get over awkward fences than
the thoroughbred, who has for generations and generations been bred
for flat racing, and consequently has to some extent lost the knack or
power of jumping over a high fence, although he can easily defeat the
half-bred over a wide jump. Moreover, the hot, fiery, and eager temper
of the thoroughbred is not qualified to negotiate high, frequent, and
difficult fences with calmness, and therefore accidents are more liable
to happen; whilst the half-bred being of more equable temperament is
not flurried to such an extent, and when in any difficulty at a fence
is more likely to recover himself and carry his rider safely to the
end of the run than the thoroughbred. As a rule, the thoroughbred is
not good over rough ground, for although he may not actually have been
trained or raced, his parents in all probability have, and of course
the training-ground and race-course being smooth and level, they have
had no necessity or opportunity of picking their way and regulating
their steps to the ground over which they are going; therefore every
breeder of horses intended for hunting should run his young stock for
a certain period on the roughest ground he can find, having a few open
drains, bogs, &c., to assist in the education of the young animals over
uneven, broken, and rough ground.
A hunter should be as near perfection as regards make and shape as
possible, he should be eager, but at the same time his temper must be
good, his mouth also should be perfect. It is easy to buy a so-called
‘_made hunter_’ provided the purse be of sufficient elasticity to meet
the demands of the vendor. As a rule, and with _very_ few exceptions,
this ‘made hunter’ is a good leaper, has a hard mouth, and when in
view of a fence clenches his bit in his mouth, and rushes at it at the
speed of twenty miles an hour. I should like to know what _pleasure_
can be derived by riding such a brute as above described. It takes
all a man can do to moderate the animal’s pace, it requires two hands
on the reins to turn him from side to side, and the rider has the
pleasant prospect in the event of a mistake at a fence, of his horse
not being able to recover himself, the almost inevitable ‘spill’ being
the result. Besides, his mount requiring all his attention, he is thus
unable to enjoy the hunting, that is to say, he is unable to watch
the working of the hounds, and thus his day’s hunting (so called) is
nothing more than a modified steeplechase with none of its accompanying
pleasures.
To have a good hunter the best way is to break him in yourself,
provided you are competent to do so, having a good seat, good hands,
patience, pluck, and above all a liking for the work.
I will suppose you have a three-year-old, broken to road work, and that
you wish to break him to hounds. The best way to do so will be to ride
him to the meets as often as possible, and when he has got accustomed
to the excitement of being amongst a crowd of horsemen in gay-coloured
coats, the foot-people and the hounds, you may allow him a longer
‘interview’ with them by following them to the covert. Harriers are
the best for this purpose, owing to ‘puss’ as a rule running in a
circle, where you have the opportunity of showing your colt everything,
without ‘taking it out of him.’ Besides, the pace being so moderate
you can always get some one to give you a lead over a small fence or
two, in fact you are teaching your colt to become used to the crush,
excitement, &c., and at the same time giving him a few easy lessons in
leaping.
‘Can he leap?’ is a common question amongst ‘horsey’ men when alluding
to a colt. My answer to this is that _any_ colt will jump if in good
hands, and provided he has not already been made a fool of by some
greater fool than himself. Whether it be a thoroughbred, half-bred,
or cart colt, he will _naturally_ jump if he has not been previously
messed about with. I do not say they will all leap an equal height
or an equal width, but that they will do so to the best of their
abilities. I have frequently leaped colts over fences in cool blood
within a week or fortnight after having first mounted them, and never
met with a refusal. I do not mean to say that it is good practice to
do so so early, but merely mention the fact. When you first begin
to follow hounds with your colt, do not stay with them more than an
hour, and if they are running fast leave them before that time has
expired, for your object at present is not to gallop after hounds, but
to accustom your animal to the bustle and excitement connected with
hunting. With a three-year-old no galloping should be done, but if the
hounds after the first draw go away, and you think it probable the fox
will return to that covert, or to one near it, you may ‘potter’ about
a little in the hopes of falling in with them again, but you must be
sure to take your colt home before he is tired, for the excitement will
carry him through for a time, but on reaching home he may be quite done
up, refuse his food, and be anything but =A 1= for two or three days.
All a three-year-old should do, is to go to the meet and trot about
with the hounds till they find, and if there is a probable chance of
them circling about for a time, as when in a big wood, he may still be
kept moving. But when hounds commence to run, the colt should be turned
homewards and ridden quietly so as to get him settled down if possible
before reaching his stables; he should then be roughly groomed and left
to himself with a feed of corn for a time, before his final polish up.
A four-year-old may be allowed to follow the hounds when running for a
short distance, but at the first check should be ridden home quietly,
and if the run is very fast he should be eased off, and when the field
is out of sight turned homewards.
A five-year-old may do a little more, but must not be ridden in a long
or fast run, neither must he be out with the hounds more than three
hours, for he is still a _baby_, having only just shed his milk teeth,
and donned his permanent ones. Every hunting man knows that a horse is
not fit to go through a run until he is six years old.
By the preceding remarks it will be seen that unless a man can forego
the excitement of the chase he is not capable of breaking-in a colt
with the ultimate view of making him a hunter.
To teach the colt to leap, the best way is to take him over small
fences every now and then with hounds; but it will be as well to give
him lessons in cold blood also, and for that purpose a few artificial
fences may be put up in a field, care being taken to vary them. Thus,
you may have a plain hedge, a hedge with a ditch on one side of it, and
another with a ditch on both sides; some hurdles, and a plain but low
post and rail fence. These fences should not be high, three feet six
inches to four feet being quite high enough; the hurdles and post and
rails should be firmly fixed, otherwise the colt will soon find out
that they are easily knocked down, and then will not even try to clear
them. A fall or two over timber at the commencement will soon teach
the animal that the fences cannot be thrown down, but that to elude a
‘spill’ they must be cleared properly. The colt should be ridden very
quietly at his fences, his head should be tolerably slack, and every
endeavour on the part of the rider should be brought into play to get
the young animal to fence as quietly as he would canter over a field;
by these means rushing at fences is overcome, or rather not taught,
and in the event of a slip or fall the animal has a good chance of
recovering himself, having the free use of his head and the pace being
moderate. One constantly hears of such and such a rider being very
good, owing to his being able to _lift_ his horse at his fences. Can
a man _lift_ a horse when he is on his back? Could a man—booted and
spurred if you like—seated across a form or chair with his feet off the
ground, _lift_ it? It is a perfect impossibility for a man to lift his
horse at a fence, and those people who are in the habit of using this
expression evidently do not think of what they are saying. What they
really do mean is, that the rider draws his horse on to his haunches
at his fence and then, with whip or spur, sends him over. This is all
very well—but, for all that, is bad horsemanship—at an easy, clean
fence; but if the leap should be an awkward one, with the taking off
or landing (or perhaps both) bad, a horse so ridden would be sure to
fall short of his leap, and, through his head being too much confined,
when he does come to grief he is unable to help himself. Therefore,
make it a rule to give your horse his head and allow him to take his
leaps as he thinks best, for depend upon it his instinct will teach him
what is required far better than you can. I have seen many a fall in
the hunting-field through no fault whatever of the horse, but owing to
the meddling of his rider who imagined he was able to lift or assist
him. When a horse has over-jumped himself or is in danger of losing
his balance, if you pull at the bit it disconcerts him, draws his
attention away from his danger, and down he goes as a rule. I will
here relate a case in point. The hounds were running when a very high
bank stopped the field, who, one by one, were getting through a gap in
the fence, when a horseman, being impatient of waiting his turn, backed
his horse a few paces and rode him quietly at the bank which was over
six feet high. The horse (a four-year-old) landed on the top, but owing
to its height wavered, and seemed inclined to fall either backwards
or forwards. The rider, with great tact, sat motionless, and allowed
the colt the free use of his head, when he soon recovered his balance,
and jumping down on the opposite side landed in safety and joined the
hunt. Now, supposing an ordinary rider had been in this predicament on
the top of the bank, he would have handled the reins and thus either
pulled the animal back on the top of him or else have fallen on the
opposite side; in either case there would have been broken bones, if
not loss of life. There is one exception to allowing a colt to take his
leaps as he thinks best, and that is when going over water or over a
fence with a wide ditch on one side or a ditch on both sides. When a
wide-jump has to be negotiated, the colt must be sent full speed at it,
so as to cover it in his stride, being the opposite to high jumping;
for the higher the fence the slower should the horse be ridden at it. I
was riding a colt to hounds once, when a watercourse came in our way;
it was not a wide one, being only about twelve feet across, but it was
six or eight feet deep with bricked sides and having very little water
at the bottom of it, altogether forming an ugly jump for a young one
who had never been over water before. I sent him at it at a good pace,
but feeling he wavered on nearing it I swerved him round and put him at
it again, when he again slackened speed, and knowing that he would not
refuse I allowed him to do as he liked. He looked down at the bottom
of it for a second or so, and then gathering himself together leaped
over it standing, but fell on the opposite bank with his hind fetlocks
hanging over the bank; another three or four inches would have cleared
it, but he fell so collectedly that he did not unseat me although I had
to dismount to allow him to regain his feet. I always considered this
a good lesson, for the colt afterwards, whenever nearing a water-jump,
increased his speed of his own accord, having evidently learnt that
water could not be crossed standing. Depend upon it, the less you try
to _teach_ a colt to go across country the better, for he can do it
much better than you can teach him, provided you only leave him alone.
In teaching a colt over artificial fences, great care must be taken
not to sicken him of his work, but every endeavour should be made to
get him to be fond and eager to jump; therefore, if he is ridden once
backwards and forwards over the fences three times a week it will be
quite sufficient. In the meantime you may give him a leap or two out
of one field into another, or take him out with the hounds for a short
distance.
A perfect leaper is one who takes his fences as a matter of course,
just as he would canter from furrow to furrow over a field; nothing
can be worse than a horse who, on seeing a fence before him, rushes at
it _nolens volens_; as, owing to the impetus thus gained, if he makes
a mistake it is very difficult for him to recover himself. Therefore,
take every precaution to teach your colt to leap quietly and without
any fuss.
When a horse is required to hunt in a bank country, it is a very common
practice to attach a cavasson to his bridle and lead him over a few
of these fences, but I do not consider this good practice, or indeed
for any kind of leaping. For if he is taken over small banks at first
he will learn the use of his legs, which in reality is the object
required, and if he should by chance fall, the pace being so slow and
the height so insignificant, the rider, if he be competent to break-in
a colt at all, will not hurt himself: for a _good_ rider ought to know
how to _fall well_ as well as how to ride well. When you fall try to
retain the reins in your hand, but if you see that by so doing you run
the danger of the animal rolling over or striking you, you must let
them loose, and if you are quickly on your legs again you may regain
them before the horse has recovered himself; but if not, it is far
better to have a run to catch your steed than undergo the chance of
being crushed or maimed by him.
High-couraged generous horses are apt to go faster and do more work
than they should; therefore they should be kept in check, or their
eagerness to do their work will not keep pace with their strength and
endurance. On the contrary, sluggish animals require a great deal of
work to make them fit to gallop, and they also must be roused up from
time to time.
Although I feel it is not within the province of this little volume, I
wish to draw the attention of my readers to the malpractice of washing
horses’ legs and feet, and also of ‘stopping’ the feet. When washing
horses’ legs you are almost sure not to dry them thoroughly, thereby
inducing cracked heels and the so-called ‘mud fever;’ but if on the
return of the animal to his stable the worst of the mud is brushed off
with a stiff brush, and when dry well brushed again, the increased
circulation so produced will excite a healthy action of the skin and
prevent all disease. Horses’ feet can very well be cleansed by means
of a pick and a cloth without resorting to water, which being absorbed
by capillary attraction into the horn-fibres, causes them to dilate;
and thus the horn-substance, instead of being hard and compact, is
rendered soft and spongy. Again, horses’ feet should not be ‘stopped,’
nor should they be suffered to stand in their excretions, for the
ammonia given off from the dung and urine dilates to a great extent the
horn-fibres, thus causing the horn to be so soft that ‘thrush’ is the
consequent disease. I have lately made microscopic experiments on the
healthy horn, the horn soaked with water, and that with ammonia and
water, and found the fibres in the horny sole soaked in water to be
twice the size of the natural or healthy horn, whilst that in contact
with ammonia showed the fibres to be three times the size of those
in healthy horn. English racers in Australia are allowed seven pounds
because their feet are unable to withstand the hard ground; and, for
the same reason, English horses are useless for racing purposes in
India. Shoes are nailed to horses’ feet for the very reason that nature
did not make them _hard_ enough to stand work on metal roads, therefore
why do people put stopping into their horses’ feet to make them softer,
thus counteracting to a certain extent the benefit derived from the
shoes? Surely if people _desire_ soft feet there is rain enough in this
country, puddles enough on the roads, and surface water _ad libitum_ on
the fields, to effect their purpose without resorting to such a filthy,
beastly thing as cowdung. Horses’ feet get so soaked with water during
their work or exercise, that the aim of every horse owner should be to
_keep them as dry as possible_ when in the stable, instead of doing
their best to make them rotten and diseased. Horses in dry climates,
such as India and Australia, have very hard feet because they are
never wet, and for this reason are seldom shod except when used for
work on metal roads; but when in the rainy season they get soft they
are obliged to be shod, because their feet are _not hard enough_.
Paring horses’ feet is also a very bad practice. Nature meant the sole
to be strong, but when pared it becomes weak, unable to withstand hard
substances, and thus gets bruised and subject to corns &c. The knife
should, in all cases, be kept off the feet, the rasp being the best
instrument with which to shorten the walls, and it is also perfectly
able to remove all exfoliated horn from the sole. Is there any sense
in paring an animal’s feet, and then having to put on leather soles to
protect them?
Hunters should not be put to full work until six years of age, for
their bones and tendons are unable to stand the continued strain.
Until colts have attained their fifth year, they are shedding their
milk teeth and cutting others; consequently their mouths are broken,
sore, and the system more or less fevered. Owing to the soreness and
tenderness of the animal’s mouth, he is unable to feed well, and thus
cannot be got into proper condition; besides the colt cannot stand the
wear and tear on account of his bones not being _formed_, they having
more cartilaginous than osseous material in their formation. The adult
horse, that is, one that has a full mouth, has ⅔ of osseous to ⅓ of
cartilaginous material entering into the composition of his bones,
whilst the two-year-old has about half of each; therefore the cartilage
predominating over the required quantity of osseous material causes
the bones to be soft and unable to withstand the shocks of early work.
Some owners of race-horses run their two-year-olds to _find out their
weak points_. In cases where weak points are observable at that age, if
raced, they are sure to develop, and thus cripple the colt perhaps for
life, whilst if he had been allowed to lay by until of a maturer age,
in all probability this weakness would have disappeared. Again, if a
sound colt be trained and raced when two years of age, it is ten to one
that his tendons and bones are not able to stand the work, but that in
all probability he will get sore shins, splints, or perhaps some worse
disease of the legs or feet.
A horse is not able to undergo regular hunting until he is six years
old, and even then he should not be worked hard. I think all our
own countrymen know this, although they do not always bring it into
practice. The Americans know it and profit by it. A growing colt
does not make internal fat as does the adult, therefore the system
not having attained firmness, cannot bear the scraping and sweating
necessary to get him into condition for the hunting-field or for the
racecourse. If the fat is taken off a colt, his muscular development is
interfered with. In the same way prize-fighters cannot stay if trained
too young, instances of which are found in Aaron Jones and M‘Cormick,
who, although they felt well and fit, were unable to last. Colts are
forced to early maturity and worked hard when they ought to be in the
nursery, the result being that they are unable to last any time, but
become useless (except for stud purposes) before they have attained
horsehood. Early maturity means early decay.
The Americans break in their trotters, as a rule, at three years of
age. They then give them ordinary road work, in the mean time gradually
teaching them to trot in form by giving them occasionally a spurt for a
quarter of a mile or so. But they do not usually race them until they
are from five to seven years old; in fact, they do not consider a horse
to be at his best until he is from seven to nine years of age.
I will now give a few instances of famous American trotters, who lasted
well through not having been worked too young. Topgallant was foaled in
1808; when in his sixteenth year, in 1823, he trotted twelve miles, in
harness, in 38 m. In 1829, when in his twenty-second year, he trotted
four heats of four miles, against Whalebone, and won, his fastest time
being 11 m. 4 s. In 1831, when in his twenty-fourth year, he trotted
a race of three-mile heats, which was won in four heats, Topgallant
winning the second and running second in the deciding heat. A week
afterwards he won a race for three-mile heats.
Lady Blanche was foaled in 1829. She first trotted a match in 1835, and
when twenty-four years old she won a race of four heats. In 1855 she
died, during her training.
Dutchman was foaled in 1828, and when five years of age was drawing
bricks in a team. In 1836, when eight years old, he trotted, to saddle,
four miles in 10 m. 51 s. On August 1, 1839, when eleven years of age,
he trotted, to saddle, three miles in 7 m. 32½ s. In 1838, when ten
years old, he trotted Rattler for three-mile heats, winning two out
of three and the race. In 1846, when eighteen years old, Dutchman won
another race, but died in the following year.
Ajax, foaled in 1832, when sixteen years of age was matched to trot a
mare for twelve miles, and won.
Flora Temple was foaled in 1845, was broken-in when five years old,
and raced the same year. In 1859 she trotted two-mile heats against
Princess, and won in two heats, the fastest being in 4 m. 50½ s., when
fourteen years of age. In 1860, when fifteen years old, she trotted
three miles in 7 m. 33¾ s. She ran in 1861, since which date I have had
no opportunity of finding any record of her running.
Lady Thorn was foaled in 1856; she first trotted in 1864, when eight
years old, and remained upon the turf until the latter end of 1870,
when she got injured through an accident. Her best one-mile time was
accomplished in 1869, for four heats, against Goldsmith Maid, American
Girl, &c. She won three out of the four heats, her fastest time being
2 m. 18¼ s.
Goldsmith Maid was foaled in 1857, and ran wild until she was eight
years old. In 1865 she ran her first race. On September 2, 1874, when
seventeen years of age, she trotted the fastest mile on record, namely,
in 2 m. 14 s. Whether her time has since been beaten or not I am unable
to state. She is still on the trotting turf.
Dexter was foaled in 1858, was not broken-in until he was four years
old, and until then had never eaten grain of any kind. He did not
trot a race until he was six years old, and was king of the trotting
track until 1868, since which date I have no record of him. In 1867,
when nine years old, he trotted one mile in 2 m. 17¼ s., and in the
same year he won two heats against Lady Thorn, for two-mile heats, the
fastest of which was done in 4 m. 51 s.
American Girl was foaled in 1862. She appeared on the track in 1867;
and I find she was still running in 1874, when twelve years old, and
in that year did a mile in 2 m. 16¾ s., and in all probability she is
still trotting.
Dexter never trotted until he was six years old; Dutchman never trotted
until he was six, and underwent no training until he was seven years
of age; Goldsmith Maid and Lady Thorn were eight years old before they
were introduced to the trotting track.
Now having enumerated these _facts_ (taken from the celebrities of the
American trotting turf), which apply equally to hunting as to racing,
may I ask, is it common sense to gallop a colt when a yearling, to
train and race him as a two-year-old, and get him screwed and useless
except for breeding purposes when he is three or four years old, thus
doing away with a long course of excellence and utility? How many colts
ever see a race-course after they are three or four years old, whilst
those that are able to gallop at five or six years of age are looked
upon as wonders? Look at such horses as Flying Childers, Eclipse,
Matchem, Goldfinder, Gimcrack, Pot-8-os, Bay Malton, Glencoe, Bay
Middleton, St. Albans, Blair Athol, Favonius, &c. &c., who never ran
as two-year-olds. Again, look at Macgregor, who won the 2,000 guineas
in 1870; and Doncaster, who won the Derby and came in second for the
St. Leger in 1873, won the Goodwood Cup in 1874, and the Ascot Cup
and Alexandra Plate in 1875, and was sold for 14,000_l._, the highest
price ever paid for a stud horse; both these horses never ran as
two-year-olds.
On the other hand, look at The Rake, Lady Elizabeth, Queen’s Messenger,
Pall Mall, Almoner, Sir William Wallace, and a host of other horses,
who were not able to stand the shocks of training. Kingcraft, although
he won the Derby in 1870, came out badly afterwards, which is generally
attributed to his having run so much as a two-year-old, plainly showing
that however great his speed was, he was unable to withstand early
training, and thus a good horse was spoilt.
We first begin to train them as yearlings, and run them so much as
two-year-olds that many become roarers, like Prince Charlie, Belladrum,
and Liddington; or rupture their suspensory ligaments, like Student,
Crucifix, and Dundee; rupture blood-vessels, like The Rake, Hermit,
and Atlantic; whilst others fall down dead whilst at exercise, like
Orinoco and Aquilo.
Racing now-a-days is a money-making business, carried on under the
cloak of improving the breed of our horses, which in reality is quite a
secondary consideration, money-making being the chief object. I do not
say this out of spite, for I am very much attached to racing: in fact
it is, in my opinion, the sport _par excellence_ of all others. But I
must own I should like to see more attention paid to the improvement of
stock than to the accumulation of the almighty dollar. So long as we
run two-year-olds, so long will the stamina of our horses diminish, and
our two-year-olds run a few times and, as a rule, disappear for ever.
CHAPTER VI.
BREAKING TO HARNESS.
DOUBLE _VERSUS_ SINGLE HARNESS—FOUR WHEELS _VERSUS_ TWO—BREAKING
TO DOUBLE HARNESS—BREAKING TO SINGLE HARNESS—BREAKING THE CART
COLT TO HARNESS—BLINKERS—LADIES’ EYES.
CHAPTER VI.
BREAKING TO HARNESS.
Breaking to harness may be divided into two sections, one for the
well-bred horse and the other for the cart-horse.
The well-bred horse first requires to be well broken to the saddle and
well mouthed, for most carriage-horses are used for saddle purposes
as well as for driving, many gentlemen and _ladies_ also riding their
carriage-horses, whilst some hunt them as well; anyhow, the groom rides
them at exercise, so they must be able to carry as well as draw. The
cart-horse, being of a duller temperament, does not require so much
previous breaking-in before being put in harness, and a great many
which have never been first broken to the saddle will take no notice
whatever if a man jumps on their backs and rides them; but it is always
best to break them in a little to riding at first, as a good mouth is
in that way best obtained.
When breaking-in a well-bred horse to harness, that is to say, one
whose pace will be the trot and not the slow drudgery of the farm or
cart-horse, he must previously have been well mouthed and broken to the
saddle, before a set of harness is placed on him. Allow him to smell
and look at every article of harness well before you endeavour to put
it on him. Be very quiet, and take plenty of time. After having let
him inspect the collar, place it gently over his head. Some men prefer
a collar open at the withers, which can be slipped over the neck and
fastened with a buckle, but these stretch very much, do not sit firmly,
but ‘waddle,’ and thus cause sore shoulders to an animal which is not
accustomed to harness work, and whose shoulders consequently are not
hardened. For the first day or two it is as well to put on a collar
which is too big for him, and when he is actually to be put to, it may
be exchanged for one of the proper dimensions. By this means a colt
will not become alarmed, for the large collar slipping easily over his
head, he becomes used to the action by the time he is required to don
his own. The pad, crupper, and breeching must now be placed on his
back, the tail elevated, and the crupper (with a buckle on its side)
slipped under it, care being taken that no hairs are enclosed by it;
then the crupper is buckled up, the pad adjusted, and the girth drawn
up. It is as well on the first day of harnessing the colt to omit
putting on the hames and traces, for they would only knock about and
alarm him, but if you decide on putting them on, the traces must be
drawn out horizontally and firmly attached to the breeching by means
of straps or cording. It is good practice to connect the collar at
the withers loosely with the pad by means of a strap, to prevent the
collar from slipping forward to the ears when the animal’s head is
lowered. A common riding bridle should then be placed on the head, and
the colt led about for an hour. By using a common riding bridle the
colt is enabled to see everything on his back, and thus when any part
of the harness strikes him he is able to see it, and soon getting to
understand the cause, takes no further notice of it. But when a bridle
with blinkers is put on, and at every step he takes the harness strikes
him, he _then_ does not know the cause, and thus becoming terrified, it
requires some time and patience to calm him. After he has been led out
for about an hour, a driving bridle with blinkers may be placed on his
head in lieu of the riding bridle, and then he must be led about again
for twenty minutes or half-an-hour, when he should be returned to his
stables and the harness removed. You may repeat this for a short time
in the afternoon. On the following day he must be harnessed again, but
with the addition of the hames and traces, and led about with a riding
bridle, which, after a time may be exchanged for one with blinkers, the
same being repeated in the afternoon. Of course a very quiet-tempered
colt will get used to the harness in much less time, in fact some take
no notice of it at all; but with a high-spirited or nervous animal,
every precaution should be taken, and plenty of time spent over the
process.
The colt is now ready for putting to.
Some people advocate breaking-in a colt to double harness in a break
first, whilst others recommend putting him between the shafts at once.
Undoubtedly when a break can be secured, it is both safest and best for
this purpose. As to single harness, some people prefer four wheels to
two, their theory being that in a four-wheeled trap there is no weight
on the animal’s back, whilst in the two-wheel there is. If this were
the only evidence for or against four wheels _versus_ two, their theory
would be inevitable, but unfortunately for them, the four wheels have
great drawbacks which counteract the benefit incurred by placing no
weight on the animal’s back, for if the colt is restive and backs, the
hind wheels run out at right angles to the horse and driver, rendering
the vehicle uncontrollable and highly dangerous; and also when rounding
sharp corners, or in turning, the colt not being as yet handy, the hind
wheels are very likely to be caught against some obstruction, and thus
possibly overturn the conveyance. Again, during the act of turning, the
hind wheels may become locked against the fore ones. For breaking to
single harness, the two-wheeler is most certainly the best and safest,
for when rounding a sharp turn, you know exactly where you are, and
have not got to watch any hind wheels, thus taking your attention from
the colt, which, as a rule, requires all you can give him; he can also
back to his heart’s content without much danger, or at least without
one fiftieth part of that incurred with a four-wheeled vehicle.
=For breaking to double harness=, an old horse is required which is
free from vice, and well trained to start immediately the word is
given, and to stand perfectly still when required. The break having
been placed with the pole pointing in the direction in which you
intend going, the break-horse is put to on the near side, and the
colt (which should have a halter on as well as his bridle, the shank
end being tied to the tracebearers) led out. The colt is then loosely
buckled to the pole-piece, after which the trace nearest the pole is
passed over the roller bolt, the animal’s quarters are then gently
forced towards the pole, the outside trace attached, and the pole-piece
adjusted to the requisite length, then the reins are crossed and
buckled, and the driver, taking their ends, mounts the box, the old
horse receives the word of command, and the pair start without any
effort on the part of the young animal. If all this is done quietly,
quickly, but without any fuss, the colt will be put to before he knows
where he is. At starting, and for a little way along the road, a man
(commonly called the breaksman) should keep beside the colt about
opposite his shoulder, so that at any moment he can place his hand upon
the halter shank, and be ready to assist the driver, if required;
but as soon as it is evident that the colt is inclined to go quietly,
the breaksman may mount the stand behind the box, and stand there,
but must be ready at a second’s notice to jump down when his services
are thought to be needed. The break should not be out above an hour,
or the colt will be liable to get sore shoulders, but must be driven
about slowly, and when required to turn round, the breaksman must help
him by pulling the halter towards himself, whilst the driver turns
the old horse in a wide circle. During the drive the horses should be
stopped and started again several times, that the colt may get a few
lessons. For the first few days driving either up or down steep hills
must be avoided, but the work should consist in driving quietly about
roads, teaching the colt to turn round, and also turn sharp angles into
another road &c. A few days of this kind of work will enable him to be
driven anywhere, such as in crowded streets &c., but it will not do to
take him into any crush, for as yet he cannot be depended upon, and
might show fight, which, owing to the crowd, might not be successfully
baffled. It is a good plan from the commencement of putting to the
colt, on his return to the stable to bathe his shoulders, whether
they appear tender or not, with a cooling astringent, such as the
lead lotion, for it often happens that, although you cannot see or
feel anything amiss, they in reality are slightly tender, and on the
following day he objects to the collar. Many a horse has been made a
‘jibber’ for life through the want of this precaution. When the colt
has become tolerably handy in the break, he may be put between the
shafts, which in all its material points will be the same as that
described below.
=In breaking a colt to single harness=, he must first have a couple of
days’ tuition to get him used to his harness, as before mentioned under
the head of breaking-in to double harness. The harness is best when so
constructed that the tugs open from above, allowing the shafts to drop
into them, and every man who is in the habit of breaking young horses
to single harness should have a set so made. It is not difficult to
place the shafts quietly through the ordinary tugs, but when the horse
is being loosed they are very apt to strike the animal and frighten
him; thus in many instances teaching him, to his dying day, to _rush_
out of the shafts. The two-wheeled break should be strong and high
on the wheels, that the splinter-bar may be high, and so prevent the
animal kicking over it, should he be so inclined. The colt, wearing a
halter besides his bridle, is brought out, the shafts placed gently in
the tugs, and the harness fastened in the ordinary manner, as well as a
kicking-strap over his quarters buckled to the shafts. The driver now
mounts to his seat with the reins, whilst a man at the colt’s head pats
and coaxes him forwards, when, on feeling himself confined between the
shafts, he will probably plunge, rear, or possibly kick. But whatever
he does, he must be reassured and calmed by kindness, the man at his
head giving him such little assistance as he is enabled to, such as
pushing against the shaft or pulling it towards himself, according to
circumstances; he must also run alongside of him for some time, but
when the animal settles down and gets warmed to his work, he may either
jump into the break or stand on the step; in either case he must be in
readiness to leap down and help when required. The colt should not be
driven more than an hour, and when required to turn the man must seize
the halter and draw the colt round towards himself, at the same time
pulling the shaft on that side towards himself; this must be continued
for some days, until the colt has learnt to push against the shaft
himself. Of course, when the animal is turned on the opposite side, the
assistance must be on that side also.
If the colt jibs, it is best to sit still and coax him a little, and
when he is tired of standing he will move on; but there are some
animals which will not do so, and then it must rest with the judgment
of the driver, with his knowledge of the colt’s temper, whether he
use the whip and risk a kick or two, and perhaps a rear, or not. A
colt being broken to single harness should not be driven down anything
like a steep hill until he is handy at other things, for this is the
most difficult lesson of all for him to learn, as he then has the full
weight of the vehicle pushing against him, and it takes a long time
before he will learn to keep himself straight in the breeching, but
will push sideways and run into the opposite bank, if the man at his
head does not take care and help him.
The bit I prefer to all others when breaking a colt to single harness
is the smooth ring snaffle, with the reins passed through both rings on
either side, thus converting it into an ordinary snaffle; but if you
buckle them to the separate ring on either side, the bit becomes too
severe, pinches the jaw, and causes so much pain that the animal fights
with it, and becoming restive, pays no attention to what you wish to
teach him.
=Breaking the cart colt to harness= requires a very different method
of operation to that used for the purpose with the lighter breeds.
Some farmers put them in a team at the plough as soon as they have been
taught to lead; but I do not consider this happy-go-lucky style at all
a good one. They are not likely to have good mouths, and the heavy
strain of this continual dead pulling work makes them slow, is inclined
to make them downhearted, and whether they work in the furrow or on the
surface, it causes them to move unequally with their fellow, and so
is very apt to make them jerky in their style of going; and moreover,
being young, with their bones and tendons undeveloped, they are very
liable to ‘shoulder slip,’ as it is commonly called.
The colt should be led about the roads with the breaking-in tackling
on, as stated in Chapter II., until he is used to passing objects,
vehicles, &c. He should also be driven in reins, and then ridden a few
times. After he has got tolerably quiet at this kind of work, some cart
harness may be put on him, and he is then to be led or driven about for
a couple of days without blinkers, after which he may be driven, with
the addition of a cart bridle, with blinkers, when he will be ready
for a few lessons in pulling. Three or four rails or planks should be
tied together, and attached by chains to the harness, of course having
a stretcher or cross-bar between them. The colt is then to be led
about a field with them, and after he is found to drag them tolerably
quietly he should be driven instead of being led. You may keep him at
this work for an hour, after which he must be unharnessed, and his
shoulders bathed with an astringent cooling lotion. This should be
repeated on the following day, and after that the weight of rails or
timber may be gradually increased; of course this hour’s work daily is
not sufficient, so besides this he may be driven about the roads in his
harness for an hour or two as well, or ridden. When he has drawn light
loads of timber for a week, he should be harnessed to an empty cart and
taken on to a road; he may be taken two or three miles—of course at a
walk—and then turned. When on his homeward journey he may be stopped
and started again occasionally, as well as being turned round every now
and then. A week of this work will make him tolerably handy, and then
he should be taught to back the empty cart; after having learnt which
he may be made to draw small loads, and so commence to earn his living.
It is a great mistake to put cart colts to draw heavy loads at first,
for they are much more liable to jib if not properly broken-in than
well-bred ones; and when once a cart colt has jibbed it is the most
difficult thing in the world to cure him of that propensity.
As far as I am concerned I much prefer breaking-in colts, whether for
heavy or light draught, without blinkers, for it is much easier and
safer done. Who has not seen a horse perfectly quiet to ride but having
a nervous temperament, put in harness, half-blinded by the blinkers,
carrying his ears erect but continually keeping them in motion, turning
them forwards, backwards, and to the side in quick succession, his
eyes having a frightened, scared expression, whilst his whole body
indicates fear of something not understood? Put that same horse in
harness _without_ blinkers, thus allowing him to see what is going on,
and he will be perfectly quiet and happy.
During the year 1874 light carts were debited with 572 casualties,
including both killed and wounded, in London alone; whilst in 1875
the number was 741, being an increase of 169. The police report that
reckless driving is on the decrease. This great discrepancy in killed
and wounded during the years 1874 and 1875 is chiefly owing to the fact
that tradesmen’s carts are left standing in the streets whilst the
drivers are delivering their masters’ goods. The horses remain still
so long as there is nothing to disturb their equanimity, but should a
regimental band, a fire-engine, &c., pass by, away they go on their
headlong career until some passing wheel or lamp-post overthrows them.
Now, if these horses were accustomed to go without blinkers and allowed
to have the free use of their eyes as nature intended them, they
would in nine cases out of ten not run away. If some object suddenly
fell with a crash near them they would certainly start and move a
few paces (and so would you), but having the free use of their eyes
they would soon see the cause of their fright, and then understanding
that no harm was intended them would become still again. Again, if a
band or fire-engine is coming towards them, either from in front or
from behind, they are enabled to see it, scrutinise it, and become
acquainted with its nature before it nears them; but if the animal
wears blinkers he hears a noise, elevates his head, moves his ears in
all directions (for being unable to see he makes as much use of his
sense of hearing as possible), becomes fidgety, and when the object of
his fears _suddenly_ comes within range of his diminished vision, he
is very naturally terrified, and the consequence is that he runs away
to avoid it. I am certain that if horses were driven without blinkers
such accidents caused by running away would be greatly diminished; it
is only _fashion_, that bugbear of society, that causes blinkers to be
an inseparable part of harness. I am sure a horse looks better without
them if people would only accustom themselves to the sight. Why hide
a horse’s eyes, the most expressive feature in his head? What would a
lady be if her eyes were put out or hidden from view, and unable to use
them as some know only too well how to do.
In concluding this chapter let me remind my readers that bearing-reins
are both useless and cruel, the former because the horse cannot pull
to the full extent of his power when his head is stuck up in the air,
and that all attempts to alter the natural conformation of his head and
neck are futile; the latter because the head and neck being kept in an
unnatural and constrained position causes the animal excessive pain.
CHAPTER VII.
THE BAROUCHE, LANDAU, AND BROUGHAM HORSE.
THE VICTORIA, T-CART, LIGHT WAGGONETTE, OR DOG-CART HORSE—THE
OMNIBUS AND VAN HORSE—THE CART-HORSE—THE LINCOLNSHIRE DRAY-HORSE
—THE SUFFOLK PUNCH—THE CLYDESDALE—SCOTCH BREEDERS.
CHAPTER VII.
THE BAROUCHE, LANDAU, AND BROUGHAM HORSE.
The barouche is always drawn by a pair of horses; the landau and
brougham are also pair-horse carriages, except when especially built
for single harness. I shall first suppose all three of these carriages
are intended to be drawn by pairs of horses. The horses required for
this work are chiefly bred in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Shropshire,
being, as a rule, a cross between cart-mares—especially if of the
Cleveland breed, now rarely met with—and the thoroughbred horse. A good
horse of this sort should be lengthy, and yet have a tolerably short
back; should have oblique and muscular shoulders, long, straight, and
strong quarters, besides having good knee and hock action; the head
should be neat, and the neck gracefully curved and well set on. He
should be deep in the girth, have a good round barrel well ribbed up,
and should not be less than 16 hands high. For single harness, in a
landau or brougham, the horse must have all the above points, but must
besides be a heavier and larger built animal; in height he must not be
less than 16 hands, nor much above that standard, for a horse which
stands 16 hands 3 inches, or 17 hands high, is generally long-legged,
long-backed, and weak in comparison to his height.
=For the Victoria, T-cart, light Waggonette, Phaeton, or Dog-cart=, a
better bred horse is required; he may be nearly or quite thoroughbred,
but must be of good conformation, and have good and moderately high
action; in height he may be 15 hands 3 inches, or 16 hands. Norfolk
supplies the best horses for this kind of work, they being strong,
handsome animals, high-actioned, and fast trotters, as far as fast
trotting and high action are compatible with speed.
=The Omnibus and Van-horse= is rather a nondescript sort of animal,
being something between a carriage-horse and that used for heavy
draught. There is no distinct breed of this class of horse; but a great
many of our omnibus-horses come from abroad, especially from Normandy,
whilst the van-horses are chiefly chance gets, picked up here and there
wherever found. Colts got by a carthorse out of a half-bred mare are
very apt to develop into van-horses. An omnibus-horse should be capable
of drawing a heavy load at a speed of about 8 miles an hour, whilst a
van-horse should do about 6 miles in the same time.
=The Cart-horse.=—The Lincolnshire dray-horse is a large and
magnificent animal, being the produce of a cross between the old
English black and the Flemish horse, but being very slow, he has for
some time been superseded by the Suffolk and Clydesdale horses. In his
day he was in great request for brewers’ drays, but owing to his want
of speed he has now been almost discarded. The Lincolnshire dray-horse
is now used for the production of carriage-horses by thoroughbred
sires, and also some breeders of Clydesdale horses in Scotland are
rather fond of crossing them with the Clydesdale, and selling the
produce as thoroughbred Clydesdales, thus realising a thoroughbred
price for a crossbred animal.
=The Suffolk Cart-horse= is chestnut, varying from a sorrel to a
moderately dark chestnut colour; he is rather long in the back,
deep-chested, full in the flank, and deep-bellied, having clean and
wiry legs and a full crest. He is often seen in the South of England,
but the Clydesdale is fast superseding him. Taking into consideration
his make and shape, I do not see why the mares should not produce good
carriage-horses, if mated with suitable thoroughbred sires.
=The Clydesdale= certainly is at present the king of the cart-horses
in Great Britain; he is generally of a bay, brown, or black colour,
the bay and brown predominating. He has a neat well-bred head, a good
neck, deep girth and round middlepiece, is short in the leg, the bone
of which is remarkably large, and the fetlock covered with long hair.
Much fashion depends upon the growth of hair at the fetlock; formerly
it was curly, but now a Clydesdale will not pass muster unless he has
about six inches of quite straight hair on these parts. Great prices
are given for these horses, even when yearlings; when thoroughbred
or _supposed_ to be so, some good sires being let for the season at
500_l._ In Scotland they are all the rage, great care being taken with
their breeding, although occasionally a breeder does sell a crossbred
one as a thoroughbred, thus putting a nice little sum into his pocket.
=Note.=—Since the above was written, a Clydesdale Society has been
formed, and a Clydesdale Stud Book is being compiled.
_Spottiswoode & Co., Printers, New-street Square, London._
Transcriber’s Note
Inconsistent hyphenation has been retained: break-in/break in,
carthorse/cart-horse, flying-trot/flying trot, headstall/head-stall
meantime/mean time, mouthpiece/mouth-piece, racecourse/race-course
rocking-horses/rocking horses.
The notation =Text= denotes the use of small capitals in the original.
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