The breaking enclosure.—In order to carry out the system of breaking horses, it is a great advantage to have a proper enclosure, of about 20 yards square, with walls around it about 7 ft. high. The ground inside should be quite soft, so that horses which are made to lie down on it, may not run any chance of hurting themselves.

I may here impress on the reader the danger there is to the breaker of having any one standing right behind him when he is handling vicious horses; for, in such a case, if the animal make an offensive movement, the man will probably knock up against the other, and thus fail to get out of harm’s way.

Making a rope-halter.—The simplest way to do this is to take a half-inch rope, about 9 yards long; make it double for about 3 ft. 6 in.; put a knot on the doubled part, so as to form a large loop, in which make a small loop, for the leading rein to pass through. The second knot should divide the large loop, so that the head-piece should be about twice as long as the nose-band. The halter will now be ready to be put on (see Figs. 4 and 5). The nose-band may be made sufficiently long, and the loop through which the loose end passes, tight enough to prevent the nose-band and leading rein (the free end of the rope), forming a running noose, which might hurt the horse. Or, if required, a knot may be made with the leading rein at the ring through which it passes; so that the nose-band of the halter may not squeeze the horse’s jaws together.

The rope employed should be soft, and not too thick, so as to allow the knots to be made with facility.

The reader will observe, that this halter which I have devised, is only an improvised adaptation, which need not take half a minute to make, of the ordinary rope-halter. I have no doubt that others, prompted by necessity, like myself, have hit on this rough-and-ready method; although I have never seen a halter made in quite the same manner as I have described.

Haltering a loose Horse.—Let us suppose that the animal is in some suitable enclosure, such as a yard, loose box, or small paddock; for it is almost needless to say, that if he were at liberty in the open, and averse from being captured, no man unaided could possibly catch him. The first thing to do is to make the rope-halter—as described in the preceding part of this chapter—if one be not at hand, and then to get the horse to stand quietly in some convenient corner. We may make him move, or stop, as may be required, by gently working a long pole held in the hands across the body, alternately, behind and in front of him; and, having got him into the proper position, we may induce him to stand steady, as I have found by experience, by touching him on the neck, and then rubbing it with the end of the pole. I have hardly ever known this to fail in its object. Horses, almost always, like having their necks scratched. As soon as the animal will stand still, while his neck is being “gentled” with the stick, the halter may be put on the end of the pole by a couple of turns (see Fig. 6), while the free end of the rope may be twisted once or twice round the pole, to prevent it hanging down too low. The operator will now take the pole, with the halter then rigged on to it, and will endeavour to bring the crown-piece of the halter behind the ears, without frightening the animal; while holding the end of the pole a little above

its head (see Fig. 7). He can take the precautions I have described, for making the horse stand still, as he may think necessary. As soon as the crown-piece of the halter comes behind the ears,

the operator should swing the pole smartly down in front of the animal’s nose, and then under the lower jaw; a proceeding which will bring the halter into its proper place. Nothing now remains except to withdraw the pole. Care should be taken not to bring the pole under the lower jaw, until the nose-band is in front of the ears; for, if it remains behind them, when the end of the stick is brought down, the horse will be lassoed and not haltered. The precautions necessary to be taken in haltering the horse will depend on the amount of his vice, or timidity. A horse can be thus caught best, when he is standing in the corner of a wall which is too high for him to look over. In a circular enclosure, the animal will be able, by turning round, to defeat the intentions of his would-be captor, much more easily than he could do in a rectangular one. In a roped-in arena, the horse can get his head away from the halter, easier than he could do when close to a wall. There is no fear of a horse, however vicious he may be, of “charging home” on the operator, if the man keeps the pole across the animal’s face, ready, if need be, to give him a tap or two on the muzzle. The larger the enclosure, the less will a horse attempt to “savage” any one approaching him. In extreme cases, a blow on the forehead might be necessary. I may mention that the brain is covered at the forehead, by only a thin plate of bone. Mr. O. S. Pratt, the American “horse-tamer,” gives, in his book, a method for haltering a loose horse, by putting the crown-piece of the halter on the end of the pole (see Fig. 8). In applying this, the horse is very apt to shy away from the halter, which has to be put on from the front. The manner of haltering which I have described, and which was shewn to me by Mr. Banham, F.R.C.V.S., appears to be much better than Pratt’s plan.

Making a loose Horse stand still.—If timidity

is the only cause that renders a loose horse difficult to halter, we may make him stand still after having put him in a proper enclosure, by cutting him, with the whip, about the hocks and hind-heels whenever he attempts to turn round, and to shew his hind-quarters to the breaker. If the animal attempts to pass by, the man should stop him with the point of the whip. As soon as the horse understands that he exposes himself to punishment by turning round, he will, proportionately, abstain from doing so. He will then be readily induced to stand still by the point of the whip preventing him from passing; and the fear of punishment, from turning round. As a rule, the operator can quickly get up to his forehand by “gentling” his crest with the end of the whip or pole, and afterwards with the hand. The foregoing method, which I learned from that excellent teacher, Professor Sample, is not altogether suitable for horses that “strike out in front.” The punishment that has to be inflicted during its application, may be an objection to its employment.

Taking up a fore-leg.—Having haltered the horse, we may, in order to gain further control over him, take up a fore-leg in two ways.

1. If we are afraid that the horse, on our approaching him, will “strike out,” or kick, we

may, as Colonel Rawlins, R.H.A., shewed me, form a noose about two feet and a half in diameter, with a rope, and having laid it on the ground, give the free end to an assistant to hold. We may, then, make the horse move about until he places one fore-foot within the noose (see Fig. 9), when the assistant should pull the rope, and thus lasso the pastern. The end of the rope may, now, be thrown over the animal’s back to the other side, and the leg pulled up (see Fig. 10); or, if the animal will not stand this being done, the leg may be pulled back by the rope, and lifted up by another assistant. If the horse “shews fight,” it may be necessary to blindfold him at this stage of the proceedings. The long pole may, also, be called into requisition to “gentle” the horse, and thus render him comparatively quiet. The operator can always quickly accomplish his object, in the manner described, if he will only exercise a little patience.

I may mention that this method of noosing the leg, is precisely similar to that employed in securing the limbs of wild elephants, in India, when they have been driven into a stockade.

2. The best way for lifting up a fore-leg, with the hand, is, as I have found out, to grasp, say, the near fore, with the left hand; pinch it with the fingers to stimulate the flexors of the knee to contract; turn the elbow in, and press it against the upper part of the fore-arm, so as to throw the weight from the near, on to the off fore, and thus to render the picking-up of the near fore a very easy matter (see Fig. 11). If required, an upward pull is given with the left arm, and the foot is caught with the right hand as the horse lifts it up. I may add, that the muscles against which the man’s elbow presses assist in raising the foot from the ground. By this plan the breaker can stand at the side of the leg that has to be raised, and a little away from it, thus keeping out of danger, as much as possible. If

he attempts to lift the fore-leg of a bad cow-kicker, in the ordinary way, by catching hold of the pastern, he will run a great risk of getting hit on the head or body, by having to stoop down while standing close to, and a little behind, the fore-leg.

Mr. J. Leach, M.R.C.V.S., shewed me a neat method for lifting up the leg of a heavy cart-horse, by catching the hair of the fetlock, and then drawing up the leg. The slight irritation caused by the pull at the roots of the hair will cause the horse to readily bend the knee.

Holding up a fore-leg.—If the fore-leg be held up by the hand passing under the fetlock or pastern, as is frequently done, the horse, by bearing a portion of his weight on the man’s hand, can easily kick with either hind-leg. The foot should, on the contrary, be held by the hoof, under which the fingers pass, while the thumb presses down on the sole (see Fig. 12). The animal will now avoid placing weight on the man’s hand; for by doing so he would cause the joints of the foot to become bent in a painful manner.

A convenient way for holding up the fore-leg, for “gentling” and other purposes, is that shewn by Fig. 10.

Tying up a fore-leg.—Having “picked up” the foot, we may secure it as follows:

1. By Rarey’s leg strap, which is about 3 ft. long, and is furnished, at one end, with a buckle, below which, a leather “keeper” is placed on both sides (see Fig. 13). To apply it, the free end is passed round the pastern, from the outside, through the keeper at the back of the buckle, thus forming a loop. Another turn is taken round the forearm, and a second loop is made by passing the end through the buckle. The strap can now be tightened up as may be required, and the end run through the second keeper. Fig. 14 shews how this can be equally well done with a stirrup leather, with which two or three turns have been taken round the pastern; so as to bring the punched holes sufficiently near

the buckle. (See, also, Fig. 16.) The objections to the employment of this method of tying up the leg are: (a) That it is apt to irritate the animal by the compression needed to keep the strap in its place; (b) That, when the leg is thus fixed, the horse, in the event of his “coming down,”

is liable to hurt his knee, “capped knee” being the usual result of the injury; on account of the broad extensor tendon being, necessarily, tightly stretched over the part. I have had this accident occur, on different occasions, when making a horse lie down, even when he had knee-caps on, and when the ground was quite soft; (c) The heel of the shoe, if one be on, is apt to bruise and cut the elbow; (d) The compression exercised by the strap on the fore-arm numbs the leg, and tends to make the animal fall awkwardly, if he is made to lie down; (e) Unless the strap is kept very tight, it is apt to slip down the fore-arm, and thus exercise an injurious strain on the fetlock joint.

2. By far the best way for tying up a fore-leg is the one described by Mr. Saunders in ‘Our Horses,’ by which the leg is simply suspended, at any length required, from the surcingle. Mr. Saunders advises the use of a small loop to connect the surcingle and strap together (see Fig. 15), with the object, I presume, of keeping the limb in a plane parallel to the general direction of the horse’s body. This is certainly an advantage when making a horse lie down, although I have found, for ordinary purposes of control,

that the employment of the small loop may be dispensed with, and the leg-strap passed through the surcingle, or girth.

This method of suspending the leg is most useful, when gentling the fore-limb, and when shoeing a “difficult” animal; as the foot can be retained at any convenient height from the ground without irritating the horse, and, consequently, without inciting him to “fight.”

I have learned, on more than one occasion, by bitter experience, that it is possible for a horse to effectually cow-kick with the hind-leg of the side on which a fore-leg is tied up.

A stirrup leather, with two or three holes punched at convenient distances, will make a capital leg-strap (see Fig. 16). It has the advantage of having, at the back of the buckle, no leather keeper, which is always liable to give way, by reason of the strain exerted on it.

For suspending a fore-leg, we need punch no extra holes in the leather, if we take, as before

described, a few turns with it round the pastern, before passing its end through the lower part of the buckle. This way would naturally take a few seconds longer than if the holes were punched at proper distances, and, consequently, is not as applicable as the other, to horses that are extremely difficult to handle.

Blindfolding a Horse.—After the animal has been secured in the manner described, or after he has been simply haltered, a further step in the process of rendering him helpless may be taken, by throwing a rug, or other convenient cloth, over his head, and then applying the rope-twitch (see page 113). If he be dangerous to approach, the rug may be placed on the end of a long pole, and then brought over his head, or a blindfolding halter may be put on, now, or in the first instance. The originating idea of this appliance is, I believe, of French origin. It consists of an ordinary halter, with a cloth filling up the space between the cheek-pieces, brow-band, and nose-band; so as to cover the horse’s eyes.

Blindfolding is an efficient means of control with the majority of horses, although it excites some to offer more vigorous resistance than they would otherwise do. I have never found a horse that would, when blindfolded, attempt to kick, or strike out, on the chance of hitting his man, unless he was touched about the limbs or body; nor bite, whether touched or not, under similar circumstances. I, therefore, think that the breaker runs no risk whatsoever in going up to the animal’s head, when it is, thus, temporarily deprived of sight, no matter how vicious it may be.

Applying the halter-twitch.—At this stage of the proceedings, the breaker may apply a modification of Pratt’s twitch, by making a half hitch with the free part of the rope of the halter, passing the loop over the ears (see Fig. 17), bringing the lower part of the loop under the animal’s upper lip, and then pulling it taut (see Fig. 18). He may jerk the rope (leading rein) three or four times, accompanying the action on each occasion with the word “steady.” I may

mention that the part of the rope which passes under the upper lip, should be kept slack, except

when the jerk is given, and that any other suitable word may be substituted for that of “steady.” It is now perfectly safe to remove the blindfolding apparatus; as no horse will attempt any aggressive movement towards the man who holds the leading rein, when thus secured. The rope may be jerked and the word “steady” used, as may be required. The pain inflicted by the application of this twitch, is a necessary evil, which may well be disregarded; for its amount is trifling in comparison with the extent of control obtained by its means. If employed carefully, no mark need be left on the mucous membrane. The proper use of this twitch is thoroughly rational, for it keeps the horse quiet by its deterrent effect, and not by retaining the horse in a continued state of suffering, as is done by the ordinary twitch. The word “steady,” or any convenient substitute for it, should never be omitted; for, after the animal has learned, as he will do in a minute or two, to connect it with the idea of pain, the twitch may be removed, and the word alone used, in order to keep him in subjection. In this experiment, it is evident that the horse fears the word, and not the twitch; for, no matter how often the rope is put on, he will not resent its application more than he did on the first occasion. The oftener, on the contrary, the ordinary twitch is employed, the shyer will the animal become of having his muzzle touched. The chief advantages of the rope-twitch over the common one, are: that it can be easier procured and applied; it does not inflict so much pain, which, with it, is momentary, and not continuous, as with the other; it is more effective; it is not so liable to slip off; it can be retained in position for any reasonable length of time, to be used as required; it has a more or less permanently good effect on the horse’s temper, and not a bad one, like the other; and it does not make the horse shy of having his mouth touched. The fact of numbers of horses being rendered difficult to bridle, by the employment of the ordinary twitch, will, naturally, occur to the reader. The general substitution of this twitch for the ordinary one, by veterinary surgeons, would certainly remove a grave reproach against us which now exists. It is, of course, used by them, only, faute de mieux.

If, when the ordinary twitch is twisted up tight, its stick be struck or jerked, as some do, on the animal moving, it will doubtless have a deterrent effect, as well as the one produced by the brutal and needless infliction of continued pain.

The rope-twitch.—Everything I have said in the preceding paragraphs, respecting the halter-twitch, applies equally well to its original form, as described in Mr. O. S. Pratt’s book, ‘The Horse’s Friend,’ which was published at Buffalo in 1876. Mr. C. G. Frasier, who was Pratt’s assistant for some years, in America, tells me, that this twitch was not invented by Pratt, long before whose time it was in use. He thinks that it was, probably, the idea of the “horse-tamer,”

Fanchion, who practised his art many years ago in the States. Pratt calls it “the double-hitch Bonaparte bridle.” It is made as follows: Take a rope, and make a simple knot with it at one end, at a distance of about eighteen inches from which make another knot loosely, and pass the

first knot through the second, so as to form a loop which will not draw tight. Make a halter by taking a turn of the rope through the fixed loop (see Fig. 19). Place the halter over the horse’s head, and the loop in his mouth. Make a half hitch with the free part of the rope, pass it over the horse’s head and under his upper lip, and draw moderately tight (see Figs. 20 and 21). By making the fixed loop long, one can obtain more power than with the halter-twitch.

Fig. 21.—Pratt’s twitch on horse’s head, and tightened at word “steady.”