With the organs naturally used for that purpose

With the organs naturally used for that purpose

With the organs naturally used for that purpose

3rd. That by enabling a horse to examine every object with which we desire to make him familiar, with the organs naturally used for that purpose, viz. seeing, smelling, and feeling, you may take any object around, over, and on him that does not actually hurt him.

Thus, for example, the objects which affright horses are the feel of saddles, riding-habits, harness, and wheeled carriages; the sight of umbrellas and flags; loaded waggons, troops, or a crowd; the sound of wheels, of drums, of musketry. There are thousands of horses that by degrees learn to bear all these things; others, under our old imperfect system, never improve, and continue nervous or vicious to the end of their lives. Every year good sound horses are drafted from the cavalry, or from hunters’ barbs and carriage-horses, into omnibuses and Hansom cabs, because they cannot be made to bear the sound of drums and firearms, or will not submit to be shod, and be safe and steady in crowded cities, or at covert side. Nothing is more common than to hear that such a horse would be invaluable if he would go in harness, or carry a lady, or that a racehorse of great swiftness is almost valueless because his temper is so bad, or his nervousness in a crowd so great that he cannot be depended on to start or to run his best.

In plain language Mr Rarey means

In plain language Mr Rarey means

In plain language Mr Rarey means

In plain language, Mr. Rarey means, that

1st. That any horse may be taught to do anything that a horse can do if taught in a proper manner.

2nd. That a horse is not conscious of his own strength until he has resisted and conquered a man, and that by taking advantage of man’s reasoning powers a horse can be handled in such a manner that he shall not find out his strength.

Of which the following are the heads

Of which the following are the heads

Of which the following are the heads

These three principles have been enlarged upon and explained in a fuller and more familiar manner by Mr. Rarey in his Lectures, of which the following are the heads.

Principles on which horses should be treated and educated not by fear or force By an intelligent application of skill with firmness and patience How to approach a colt How to halter How teach to lead in twenty minutes How to subdue and cause to lie down in fifteen minutes How to tame and cure fear and nervousness How to saddle and bridle How to accustom to be mounted and ridden How to accustom to a drum to an umbrella to a lady’s habit, or any other object, in a few minutes How to harness a horse for the first time How to drive a horse unbroken to harness, and make go steady, single or double, in a couple of hours How to make any horse stand still until called How to make a horse follow his owner.

With this introduction to the principles of my theory

With this introduction to the principles of my theory

With this introduction to the principles of my theory

With this introduction to the principles of my theory, I shall next attempt to teach you how to put it into practice; and whatever instructions may follow, you can rely on as having been proven practically by my own experiments. And knowing, from experience, just what obstacles I have met with in handling bad horses, I shall try to anticipate them for you, and assist you in surmounting them, by commencing with the first steps to be taken with the colt, and accompanying you through the whole task of breaking.

A log or stump by the road-side may be

A log or stump by the road-side may be

A log or stump by the road-side may be

A log or stump by the road-side may be, in the imagination of the horse, some great beast about to pounce upon him; but after you take him up to it, and let him stand by it a little while, and touch it with his nose, and go through his process of examination, he will not care anything more about it. And the same principle and process will have the same effect with any other object, however frightful in appearance, in which there is no harm. Take a boy that has been frightened by a false face, or any other object that he could not comprehend at once; but let him take that face or object in his hands and examine it, and he will not care anything more about it. This is a demonstration of the same principle.

However frightful in appearance

However frightful in appearance

However frightful in appearance

Third He will allow any object, however frightful in appearance, to come around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain.

We know, from a natural course of reasoning, that there has never been an effect without a cause; and we infer from this that there can be no action, either in animate or inanimate matter, without there first being some cause to produce it. And from this self-evident fact we know that there is some cause for every impulse or movement of either mind or matter, and that this law governs every action or movement of the animal kingdom. Then, according to this theory, there must be some cause before fear can exist; and if fear exists from the effect of imagination, and not from the infliction of real pain, it can be removed by complying with those laws of nature by which the horse examines an object, and determines upon its innocence or harm.

If that wild horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength

If that wild horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength

If that wild horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength

Then, we can but come to the conclusion that, if a horse is not taken in a way at variance with the laws of his nature, he will do anything that he fully comprehends, without making any offer of resistance.

Second The fact of the horse being unconscious of the amount of his strength can be proven to the satisfaction of any one. For instance, such remarks as these are common, and perhaps familiar to your recollection. One person says to another, If that wild horse there was conscious of the amount of his strength, his owner would have no business with him in that vehicle: such light reins and harness, too if he knew, he could snap them asunder in a minute, and be as free as the air we breathe; and, That horse yonder, that is pawing and fretting to follow the company that is fast leaving him if he knew his strength, he would not remain long fastened to that hitching post so much against his will, by a strap that would no more resist his powerful weight and strength than a cotton thread would bind a strong man. Yet these facts, made common by every-day occurrence, are not thought of as anything wonderful.

Like the ignorant man who looks at the different phases of the moon, you look at these things as he looks at her different changes, without troubling your mind with the question,
Why are these things so? What would be the condition of the world if all our minds lay dormant? If men did not think, reason, and act, our undisturbed, slumbering intellects would not excel the imbecility of the brute; we should live in chaos, hardly aware of our existence. And yet, with all our activity of mind, we daily pass by unobserved that which would be wonderful if philosophized and reasoned upon; and with the same inconsistency wonder at that which a little consideration, reason, and philosophy, would make but a simple affair.

God has wisely formed his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man.

God has wisely formed his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man.

God has wisely formed his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man according to the dictates of his will; and he might well be termed an unconscious, submissive servant. This truth we can see verified in every day’s experience by the abuses practised upon him. Any one who chooses to be so cruel can mount the noble steed and run him till he drops with fatigue, or, as is often the case with the more spirited, falls dead beneath his rider. If he had the power to reason, would he not rear and pitch his rider, rather than suffer him to run him to death? Or would he condescend to carry at all the vain impostor, who, with but equal intellect, was trying to impose on his equal rights and equally independent spirit? But, happily for us, he has no consciousness of imposition, no thought of disobedience except by impulse caused by the violation of the law of his nature. Consequently, when disobedient, it is the fault of man.

To take these assertions in order

To take these assertions in order

To take these assertions in order

To take these assertions in order, I will first give you some of the reasons why I think he is naturally obedient, and will not offer resistance to anything fully comprehended. The horse, though possessed of some faculties superior to man’s, being deficient in reasoning powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government, and knows not of any imposition practised upon him, however unreasonable these impositions may be. Consequently, he cannot come to any decision as to what he should or should not do, because he has not the reasoning faculties of man to argue the justice of the thing demanded of him. If he had, taking into consideration his superior strength, he would be useless to man as a servant. Give him mind in proportion to his strength, and he will demand of us the green fields for his inheritance, where he will roam at leisure, denying the right of servitude at all.

That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience

That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience

That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience

Second. That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience, and can be handled according to our will without force.

Third. That we can, in compliance with the laws of his nature, by which he examines all things new to him, take any object, however frightful, around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain without causing him to fear.

That a horse should be so handled and tied

That a horse should be so handled and tied

The three fundamental principles of the Rarey Theory. Heads of the Rarey Lectures. Editor’s paraphrase. That any horse may be taught docility. That a horse should be so handled and tied as to feel inferior to man. That a horse should be allowed to see, smell, and feel all fearful objects. Key note of the Rarey system.

First. That he is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends, if made in a way consistent with the laws of his nature.

But such vicious horses are rare exceptions

But such vicious horses are rare exceptions

But such vicious horses are rare exceptions

From this we learn that such a horse won’t be bullied and must not be feared. But such vicious horses are rare exceptions. It is curious, that Mr. Rarey should have made his reputation by the least useful exercise of his art.

The Cape horse has recently come into notice, in consequence of the publication of Papers relating to the Purchase of Horses at the Cape for the Army of India. It seems that not less than 3300 have been purchased for that purpose; that Cape horses purchased by Colonel Havelock arrived from India in the Crimea in better condition than any other horses in the regiment; and that in the Caffre War Cape horses condemned by the martinets of a Remount Committee, carried the 7th Dragoons, averaging, in marching order, over nineteen stone, and no privation or fatigue could make General Cathcart’s horses succumb. These horses are bred between the Arabs introduced by the Dutch and the English thoroughbred. I confess I see with, surprise that Colonel Apperley, the remount agent, recommends crosses with Norfolk trotting and Cleveland stallions. No such cross has ever answered in this country. Had he recommended thoroughbred weight-carrying stallions in preference to Arabs, I could have understood his condemnation of the latter. I should have hesitated to set my opinion against Colonel Apperley, had I not found that he differs entirely from the late General Sir Walter Gilbert, the greatest horseman, take him for all in all, as a cavalry officer, as a flat and steeple-chase rider, and rider to hounds of his day. See Napier’s Indian Misgovernment, p. 286 et seq.

All that can be safely said is

All that can be safely said is

All that can be safely said is

As to curing vicious horses, all that can be safely said is, that it puts it into the power of a courageous, calm-tempered horseman to conquer any horse. Cruiser was quiet in the hands of Mr. Rarey and Mr. Rice, but when insulted in the circus of Leicester Square by a violent jerk, he rushed at his tormentor with such ferocity that he cleared the ring of all the spangled troupe, yet, in the midst of his rage, he halted and ran up on being called by Rarey.

The Rarey system is invaluable for training colts

The Rarey system is invaluable for training colts

The Rarey system is invaluable for training colts

In my opinion, the Rarey system is invaluable for training colts, breaking horses into harness, and curing kickers and jibbers. I do not profess to be a horse-tamer, my pursuits are too sedentary during the greater part of the year, but I have succeeded with even colts. I tried my hand on two of them wild from the Devonshire moors, in August last, and succeeded perfectly in an hour. I made them as affectionate as pet ponies, ready to follow me everywhere, as well as to submit to be mounted and ridden.

And added the information I have derived from hearing his lectures

And added the information I have derived from hearing his lectures

And added the information I have derived from hearing his lectures

In the following pages, I have given the text of the American edition of Mr. Rarey’s pamphlet, and added the information I have derived from hearing his lectures, seeing his operations on Cruiser, and other difficult horses, and from the experience of my friends and self in taming horses. Thus, in Chap. VI. to Mr. Rarey’s five pages I have added sixteen, and nine woodcut illustrations. In Chap. VII. the directions for the drum, umbrella, and riding habit are in print for the first time, as well as the directions for mounting with slack girths. Chaps. VIII. to XIV. have been added, in order to make this little work a complete manual for those who wish to benefit in riding as well as training horses from the experience of others.

Light men with broad chests have been enlisted for Indian service

Light men with broad chests have been enlisted for Indian service

Light men with broad chests have been enlisted for Indian service

Since the war, light men with broad chests have been enlisted for Indian service. The next step, originally suggested by Nolan, that every cavalry soldier should train his own horse, will be made easy by the introduction of the Rarey system. Country horse-breakers are too ignorant, too prejudiced, and too much interested in keeping up a mystery that gives them three months employment, instead of three weeks, to adopt it. The reform will probably commence in the army and in racing stables.

Are expected to bound to hand and spur

Are expected to bound to hand and spur

Are expected to bound to hand and spur

Our poor horses thus loaded, are expected to bound to hand and spur, while the riders wield their swords worthily. They cannot; and both man and horse appear inferior to their Indian opponents. The Eastern warrior’s eye is quick, but not quicker than the European’s; his heart is big, yet not bigger than the European’s; his arm is strong, but not so strong as the European’s; the swing of his razor-like scimitar is terrible, but an English trooper’s downright blow splits the skull. Why then does the latter fail? The light-weighted horse of the dark swordsman carries him round his foe with elastic bounds, and the strong European, unable to deal the cleaving blow, falls under the activity of an inferior adversary!

Since the real experience of the Crimean war

Since the real experience of the Crimean war

Since the real experience of the Crimean war

A little common sense has been introduced into the management of our cavalry, since the real experience of the Crimean war. General Sir Charles Napier was not noticed when, nearly ten years ago, he wrote, The cavalry charger, on a Hounslow Heath parade, well fed, well groomed, goes through a field-day without injury, although carrying more than twenty stone weight; he and his rider presenting together, a kind of alderman centaur. But if in the field, half starved, they have, at the end of a forced march, to charge an enemy! The biped full of fire and courage, transformed by war-work to a wiry muscular dragoon, is able and willing, but the overloaded quadruped cannot gallop he staggers.

There the common hacks of the county breed on the moors

There the common hacks of the county breed on the moors

There the common hacks of the county breed on the moors

Proof that our horses have become feeble from pampering may be found in Devonshire. There the common hacks of the county breed on the moors, and, crossed with native ponies, are usually undersized and coarse and heavy about the shoulders, like most wild horses, and all the inferior breeds of Arabs, but they are hardy and enduring to a degree that a Yorkshire breeder would scarcely believe. Mean-looking Galloways will draw a heavy dog-cart over the Devonshire hills fifty miles a-day for many days in succession.

First by pampering them in hot stables under warm clothing

First by pampering them in hot stables under warm clothing

First by pampering them in hot stables under warm clothing

We spoil our horses, first by pampering them in hot stables under warm clothing; next, by working them too young; and, lastly, by entrusting their training to rude, ignorant men, who rely for leading colt the way he should go on mere force, harsh words, a sharp whip, and the worrying use of the longeing rein. Rarey has shown how easily, quietly, and safely horses may be tamed; but we must also train men before we can obtain full benefit from our admirable breeds of horses.

As compared with the English thorough-bred

As compared with the English thorough-bred

As compared with the English thorough-bred

The exaggerated idea that long prevailed of the value of the Arab horse, as compared with the English thorough-bred, which is an Eastern horse improved by long years of care and ample food, has been to a great extent dissipated by the large importation of Arabs that took place after the Crimean war in fact, they are on the average pretty ponies of great endurance, but of very little use in this country, where size is indispensable for profit. In the East they are of great value for cavalry; they are hardy and full of fire and spirit. But, says Captain Nolan, no horse can compare with the English no horse is more easily broken in to anything and everything there is no quality in which the English horse does not excel no performance in which he cannot beat all competition; and Nolan was as familiar with the Eastern, Hungarian, and German crosses with the Arab as with the English thorough-bred.

English thoroughbred horses when once acclimatized and

English thoroughbred horses when once acclimatized and

English thoroughbred horses when once acclimatized and

English thoroughbred horses, when once acclimatized and bred in the open air on the dry pastures of Australia and South Africa, are found, if not put to work too early, as enduring as the Arab. Experiments in the Indian artillery have proved that the Australian horse and the Cape horse, which has also been improved by judicious crosses with English blood, are superior for strength and endurance to the Eastern horses bred in the stud establishments of the East India Company.

As to the performances of Arab horses and their owners

As to the performances of Arab horses and their owners

As to the performances of Arab horses and their owners

The Arabian stories, as to the performances of Arab horses and their owners, must be received with considerable hesitation, for the horse is one of the subjects on which Orientals love to found their poetical fireside stories. This is certain, that the Arab horse being highly bred, is very intelligent, being reared from its birth in the family of its master, extremely docile, and, being always in the open air and fed on a moderate quantity of dry food, very hardy.

They would be equally affectionate and tractable

They would be equally affectionate and tractable

They would be equally affectionate and tractable

If we lived with our horses, as we do with our dogs, they would be equally affectionate and tractable.

In Norway, in consequence of the severity of the climate, the ponies are all housed during the winter, and thus become so familiar with their owner that there is scarcely any difficulty in putting them into harness, even the first time.

The bas-reliefs in the British Museum

The bas-reliefs in the British Museum

The bas-reliefs in the British Museum

To go still further back, the bas-reliefs in the British Museum, discovered by Mr. Layard in the Assyrian Palace of Nimroud, contain spirited representation of horses with bridles, ridden in hunting and in pursuit of enemies, as well as driven in war-chariots. These horses are Arabs, while those of the Elgin Marbles more resemble the cream-coloured Hanoverians which draw the state carriage of our sovereigns. In one of the Nimroud bas-reliefs, we have cavalry soldiers standing with the bridles of their horses in their hands, waiting, as Mr. Bonomi tells us, for the orders to mount; but, as they stand on the left side, with the bridles in their left hands, it is difficult to understand how they could obey such an order with reasonable celerity.

The speculations of the American author

The speculations of the American author

The speculations of the American author

Mr. Rarey’s Pamphlet. Introduction.

Mr. Rarey’s American Pamphlet would make about fifty pages of this type, if given in full; but, in revising my Illustrated Edition, I have decided on omitting six pages of Introduction, which, copied from Mr. Rollo Springfield, an American author, do not contain any reliable facts or useful inferences.

The speculations of the American author, as to the early history of the horse, are written without sufficient information. So far from the polished Greeks having, as he states, ridden without bridles, we have the best authority in the frieze of the Parthenon for knowing that, although they rode barebacked on their compact cobby ponies, they used reins and handled them skilfully and elegantly.

First subjugated a two-year old filly

First subjugated a two-year old filly

First subjugated a two-year old filly

Mr. Rarey, when here, first subjugated a two-year old filly, perfectly unbroken. This he accomplished under half an hour, riding on her, opening an umbrella, beating a drum upon her, &c. He then took Cruiser in hand, and in three hours Mr. Rarey and myself mounted him. He had not been ridden for nearly three years, and was so vicious that it was impossible even to dress him, and it was necessary to keep him muzzled constantly. The following morning Mr. Rarey led him behind an open carriage, on his road to London. This horse was returned to me by the Rawcliffe and Stud Company on account of his vice, it being considered as much as a man’s life was worth to attend to him.

Greywell, April 7.          Dorchester.

Cruiser was the property of Lord Dorchester

Cruiser was the property of Lord Dorchester

Cruiser was the property of Lord Dorchester

Cruiser was the property of Lord Dorchester, and was a good favourite for the Derby in Wild Dayrell’s year, but broke down before the race. Like all Venison horses, his temper was not of the mildest kind, and John Day was delighted to get rid of him. When started for Rawcliffe, he told the man who led him on no account to put him into a stable, as he would never get him out. This injunction was of course disregarded, for when the man wanted some refreshment, he put him into a country public-house stable, and left him, and to get him out, the roof of the building had to be pulled off. At Rawcliffe, he was always exhibited by a groom with a ticket-of-leave bludgeon in his hand, and few were bold enough to venture into his yard. This animal, whose temper has depreciated him perhaps a thousand pounds in value, I think would be ‘the right horse in the right place’ for Mr. Rarey. Phlegon and Vatican would also be good patients. I am sorry to hear that the latter has been blinded: if leathern blinds had been put on his eyes, the same effect would have been produced. Morning Post, March 2, 1858.

And passing his hand over his head and mouth

And passing his hand over his head and mouth

And passing his hand over his head and mouth

Mr. Rarey concluded his first exhibition by beating a drum on Stafford’s back, and passing his hand over his head and mouth. Stafford was afterwards ridden by a groom, and showed the same docility in his hands as in those of Mr. Rarey.

Mr. Rarey succeeded on the first attempt in putting him in harness with a mare, although he had never had his head through a collar before; and he went as quietly as the best-broken carriage-horse in Paris. Mr Rarey concluded by firing a six-chambered revolver from his back. Paris Illustrated Journal.

After being alone with Stafford for an hour and a half

After being alone with Stafford for an hour and a half

After being alone with Stafford for an hour and a half

After being alone with Stafford for an hour and a half, Mr. Rarey rode on him into the Riding School, guiding him with a common snaffle-bridle. The appearance of the horse was completely altered: he was calm and docile. His docility did not seem to be produced by fear or constraint, but the result of perfect confidence. The astonishment of the spectators was increased when Mr. Rarey unbridled him, and guided the late savage animal, with a mere motion of his hands or indication with his leg, as easily as a trained circus-horse. Then, dashing into a gallop, he stopped him short with a single word.

Stafford is a half-bred carriage stallion

Stafford is a half-bred carriage stallion

Stafford is a half-bred carriage stallion

Stafford is a half-bred carriage stallion, six years old. For three years he has formed one of the breeding-stud at Cluny, where he has acquired the character of being a most dangerous animal. He was about to be withdrawn from the stud and destroyed, in consequence of the protests of the breeders for a whole year he had obstinately refused to be dressed, and was obliged to be closely confined in his box. He rushed at every one who appeared with both fore-feet, and open mouthed. Every means of subduing and restraining him was adopted; he was muzzled, blindfolded, and hobbled. In order to give Mr. Rarey’s method a trial, Stafford was sent to Paris, and there a great number of persons, including the principal members of the Jockey Club, had an opportunity of judging of his vicious disposition.

Owner of Fisherman

Owner of Fisherman

Owner of Fisherman

Owner of Fisherman.

See The Post and the Paddock, by The Druid.

Carter, one of the Van Amburgh showmen.

Son of the late Marquis of Anglesea, one of the finest horsemen of his day, even with one leg, after he left the other at Waterloo.

The list itself is one of the most extraordinary documents ever printed, in regard to the rank and equestrian accomplishments of the subscribers.

Mr Rarey is about thirty years of age

Mr Rarey is about thirty years of age

Mr Rarey is about thirty years of age

Mr. Rarey is about thirty years of age, of middle height, and well-proportioned figure, wiry and active rather than muscular his complexion is almost effeminately fair, with more colour than is usually found in those of his countrymen who live in the cities of the sea-coast. And his fair hair, large gray eyes, which only light up and flash fire when he has an awkward customer to tackle, give him altogether the appearance of a Saxon Englishman. His walk is remarkably light and springy, yet regular, as he turns round his horse; something between the set-up of a soldier and the light step of a sportsman. Altogether his appearance and manners are eminently gentlemanly. Although a self-educated and not a book-educated man, his conversation, when he cares to talk, for he is rather reserved, always displays a good deal of thoughtful originality, relieved by flashes of playful humour. This may be seen in his writing.

It may easily be imagined that he is

It may easily be imagined that he is

It may easily be imagined that he is

It may easily be imagined that he is extremely popular with all those with whom he has been brought in contact, and has acquired the personal friendship of some of the most accomplished noblemen and gentlemen of the day.

Mr. Rarey’s system of horse-training will infallibly supersede all others for both civil and military purposes, and his name will take rank among the great social reformers of the nineteenth century. May we have many more such importations from America!

Several ladies have succeeded famously in horse-taming

Several ladies have succeeded famously in horse-taming

Several ladies have succeeded famously in horse-taming

Several ladies have succeeded famously in horse-taming; but they have been ladies accustomed to horses and to exercise, and always with gentlemen by, in case a customer proved too tough.

Before concluding this desultory but necessary introductory sketch of the rise, progress, and success of the Rarey system, it will be as well, perhaps, for the benefit of lady readers, to give a personal sketch of Mr. Rarey, who is by no means the athletic giant that many imagine.

And with the help of pictures and diagrams

And with the help of pictures and diagrams

And with the help of pictures and diagrams

In the following work I shall endeavour to fill up the blanks in Mr. Rarey’s sketch, and with the help of pictures and diagrams, show how a cool determined man or boy may break in any colt, and make him a docile hack, harness horse, or hunter; stand still, follow, and obey the voice almost as much as the reins.

To say that written or oral instructions will teach every man how to grapple with savages like Stafford, Cruiser, Phlegon, or Mr. Gurney’s gray colt, would be sheer humbug that must depend on the man; but we have an instance of what can be done that is encouraging. When Mr. Rarey was so ill that he was unable to sit Mr. Gurney’s gray colt, the boasting Mr. Goodenough tried his hand, and was beaten pale and trembling out of the circus by that equine tiger; but Mr. Thomas Rice, the jobmaster of Motcombe Street, who had had the charge of Cruiser in Mr. Rarey’s absence up to that time, although he had never before tried his hand at Rareyfying a horse, stuck to the gray colt, laid down, made him fast, and completely conquered him in one evening, so that he was fit to be exhibited the next day, when Mr. Goodenough, more suo, claimed the benefit of the victory.

It was high time that it should

It was high time that it should

It was high time that it should

It was high time that it should, for, while Mr. Rarey had been handsomely paid for his instruction, the more scrupulous of his subscribers were unable to practise his lessons for want of a place where they could work in secrecy.

But although the re-publication of Mr. Rarey’s American pamphlet virtually absolved his subscribers from the agreement which he gave up formally a few days later in his letter to the Times, it is quite absurd to assert that the little pamphlet teaches the Art of Horse-Taming as now practised by Mr. Rarey. Certainly no one but a horseman skilled in the equitation of schools could do much with a horse without great danger of injuring the animal and himself, if he had no other instruction than that contained in Mr. Rarey’s clever, original, but vague chapters.

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names, and, in conjunction with the subscription received in Yorkshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Dublin, and Paris, besides private lessons at £25 each, had realised upwards of £20,000 for Mr. Rarey and his partner, when the five-hundred secrecy agreement was extinguished by the re-publication of the little American pamphlet already mentioned.

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names

The London subscription list had passed eleven hundred names, and, in conjunction with the subscription received in Yorkshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Dublin, and Paris, besides private lessons at £25 each, had realised upwards of £20,000 for Mr. Rarey and his partner, when the five-hundred secrecy agreement was extinguished by the re-publication of the little American pamphlet already mentioned.

The five-hundred list was filled

The five-hundred list was filled

The five-hundred list was filled

In a word, the five-hundred list was filled, and overflowed, the subscribers were satisfied, and the responsibility of Messrs. Tattersall as stakeholders for the public ceased, and the Secretary and Treasurer to the fund, having wound up the accounts and retired, the connection between Mr. Rarey and the Messrs. Tattersall resolved itself into the use of an office at Hyde Park Corner.

It is quite too late now to attempt

It is quite too late now to attempt

It is quite too late now to attempt

It is quite too late now to attempt to depreciate a system the value of which has been repeatedly and openly acknowledged by authorities above question. As to the secret, the subscribers must have known that it was impossible that a system that required so much space, and involved so much noise, could long remain a secret.

The Earl of Jersey, so celebrated in this century as a breeder of race-horses, in the last century as a rider to hounds, stood through a long lesson, and was as much delighted as his son the Honourable Frederick Villiers, Master of the Pytchley Hounds. Sir Tatton Sykes of Sledmere, perhaps the finest amateur horseman that ever rode a race, whose equestrian performances on the course and in the hunting-field date back more than sixty years, was as enthusiastic in his approval as the young Guardsman who, fortified by Mr. Rarey’s lessons, mastered a mare that had defied the efforts of all the farriers of the Household Cavalry.

To which Mr Rarey was obliged to remove

To which Mr Rarey was obliged to remove

To which Mr Rarey was obliged to remove

The school in Kinnerton Street, to which Mr. Rarey was obliged to remove, was crowded, the excitement increasing with each lesson. On the day that Cruiser was exhibited for the first time, long before the doors were open, the little back street was filled with a fashionable mob, including ladies of the highest rank. An admission by noble non-subscribers with notes, gold, and cheques in hands, was begged for with a polite insinuating humility that was quite edifying. A hatful of ten-guinea subscriptions was thrust upon the unwilling secretary at the door with as much eagerness as if he had been the allotter of shares in a ten per cent railway in the day of Hudsonian guarantees. And it must be observed that this crowd included among the mere fashion-mongers almost every distinguished horseman and hunting-man in the three kingdoms.

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

But early in April, when it became known that Mr. Rarey had tamed Cruiser, the most vicious stallion in England, who could do more fighting in less time than any horse in the world, and that he had brought him to London on the very day after, that he first backed him and had ridden him within three hours after the first interview, slow conviction swelled to enthusiasm. The list filled up rapidly.

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

When it became known that Mr Rarey had tamed Cruiser

But early in April, when it became known that Mr. Rarey had tamed Cruiser, the most vicious stallion in England, who could do more fighting in less time than any horse in the world, and that he had brought him to London on the very day after, that he first backed him and had ridden him within three hours after the first interview, slow conviction swelled to enthusiasm. The list filled up rapidly.

The course was commenced on the 20th March

The course was commenced on the 20th March

The course was commenced on the 20th March

The course was commenced on the 20th March, by inviting to a private lesson a select party of noblemen and gentlemen, twenty-one in all, including, amongst other accomplished horsemen and horse-breeders, Lord Palmerston, the two ex-masters of the Royal Buckhounds, Earls Granville and Bessborough, the Marquis of Stafford, Vice-President of the Four-Horse Driving Club, and the Honourable Admiral Rous, the leading authority of the Jockey Club on all racing matters. The favourable report of these, perhaps, among the most competent judges of anything appertaining to horses in the world, settled the value of Mr. Rarey’s lessons, and the list began to fill speedily; many of the subscribers, no doubt, being more influenced by the prevailing fashion and curiosity, than by an inclination to turn horse-tamers.

Intense enthusiasm was created in Paris by the conquest of Stafford

Intense enthusiasm was created in Paris by the conquest of Stafford

Intense enthusiasm was created in Paris by the conquest of Stafford

Intense enthusiasm was created in Paris by the conquest of Stafford, but 250 francs was too large a sum to found a long subscription list in a city so little given to private horsemanship, and a French experiment did not produce much effect in England.

In fact, the English list, which started so bravely under distinguished patronage, after touching some 250 names, languished, and in spite of testimonials from great names, only reached 320, when Mr. Rarey, at the pressing recommendation of his English friends, returned from Paris, and fixed the day for commencing his lessons in the private riding-school of the Duke of Wellington, the use of which had been in the kindest manner offered by his Grace as a testimony of his high opinion of the value of the new system.

This list was opened the first day at Mr Jos

This list was opened the first day at Mr Jos

This list was opened the first day at Mr Jos

This list was opened the first day at Mr. Jos. Anderson’s, after Mr. Rarey had exhibited, not his method, but the results of his method on the celebrated black, or rather iron-gray, horse already mentioned.

Leaving the list to fill, Mr. Rarey went to Paris, and there tamed the vicious and probably half-mad coaching stallion, Stafford. It is not generally known that having omitted the precautions of gagging this wild beast with the wooden bit, which forms one of the vignettes of this book, he turned round suddenly, while the tamer was soothing his legs, caught his shoulder in his mouth, and would have made an end of the Rarey system if assistance had not been at hand in the shape of Mr. Goodenough and a pitchfork.

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr. Rarey’s noble patrons, it was decided that a list should be opened at Hyde Park Corner for subscribers at £10 10s. each, paid in advance, the teaching to commence as soon as five hundred subscriptions had been paid, each subscriber signing an engagement, under a penalty of £500, not to teach or divulge Mr. Rarey’s method, and Messrs. Tattersall undertaking to hold the subscriptions in trust until Mr. Rarey had performed his part of the agreement. To this fund, at the request of my friends Messrs. Tattersall, I agreed to act as Secretary. My duties ceased when the list was filled, and the management of the business passed from those gentlemen to Mr. Rarey’s partner, Mr. Goodenough, on the 3rd of May, 1858.

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr Rarey’s noble patrons

After a consultation with Mr. Rarey’s noble patrons, it was decided that a list should be opened at Hyde Park Corner for subscribers at £10 10s. each, paid in advance, the teaching to commence as soon as five hundred subscriptions had been paid, each subscriber signing an engagement, under a penalty of £500, not to teach or divulge Mr. Rarey’s method, and Messrs. Tattersall undertaking to hold the subscriptions in trust until Mr. Rarey had performed his part of the agreement. To this fund, at the request of my friends Messrs. Tattersall, I agreed to act as Secretary. My duties ceased when the list was filled, and the management of the business passed from those gentlemen to Mr. Rarey’s partner, Mr. Goodenough, on the 3rd of May, 1858.

As the methods used by Mr Rarey are so exceedingly simple

As the methods used by Mr Rarey are so exceedingly simple

As the methods used by Mr Rarey are so exceedingly simple

As the methods used by Mr. Rarey are so exceedingly simple, the question next arose of how Mr. Rarey was to be remunerated when teaching in a city where hundreds live by collecting and retailing news. His previous lessons had been given to the thinly-populated districts of Ohio and Texas, where each pupil was a dealer in horses, and kept his secret for his own sake. Had he been the inventor of an improved corkscrew or stirrup-iron, a patent would have secured him that limited monopoly which very imperfectly rewards many invaluable mechanical inventions. Had his countrymen chosen to agree to a reciprocity treaty for copyright of books, he might have secured some certain remuneration by a printed publication of his Lectures. But they prefer the liberty of borrowing our copyrights without consulting the author, and we occasionally return the compliment. In this instance the author cannot say that the British nation has not paid him handsomely.

An accident withdrew the great reformer of horse-training

An accident withdrew the great reformer of horse-training

An accident withdrew the great reformer of horse-training

An accident withdrew the great reformer of horse-training from obscurity.

In the course of his travels as a teacher of horse-taming he met with Mr. Goodenough, a sharp, hard-fisted New Englander, of the true Yankee breed, so well-described by Sam Slick, settled in the city of Toronto, Canada, as a general dealer. In fact, a sort of Barnum. Mr. Goodenough saw that there was money to be made out of the Rarey system formed a partnership with the Ohio farmer conducted him to Canada obtained an opportunity of exhibiting his talents before Major Robertson, Aide-de-camp to General Sir William Eyre, K.C.B., Commander of the forces, and, through the Major, before Sir William himself, who is (as I can say from having seen him with hounds) an accomplished horseman and enthusiastic fox-hunter. From these high authorities the partners obtained letters of introduction to the Horse Guards in England, and to several gentlemen attached to the Court; in one of the letters of introduction, General Eyre said, that the system was new to him, and valuable for military purposes. On arriving in England, Mr. Rarey made known his system, and was fortunate enough to convert and obtain the active assistance of Sir Richard Airey, Quarter-Master General, Lord Alfred Paget, and Colonel Hood, the two first being noted for their skill as horsemen, and the two latter being attached to the Court. From these gentlemen of high degree, Mr. Rarey proceeded, under good advice, to make known his art to Mr. Joseph Anderson of Piccadilly, and his prime minister, the well-known George Rice tamed for them a black horse that had been returned by Sir Matthew White Ridley, as unridable from vice and nervousness. The next step was an introduction to Messrs. Tattersall of Hyde Park, whose reputation for honour and integrity in most difficult transactions is world wide and nearly a century old. Introduced at Hyde Park Corner with the strongest recommendations and certificates from such authorities as Lord Alfred Paget, Sir Richard Airey, Colonel Hood, &c., &c., Messrs. Tattersall investigated Mr. Rarey’s system, and became convinced that its general adoption would confer an invaluable benefit on what may be called the great horse interest, and do away with a great deal of cruelty and unnecessary severity now practised on the best-bred and most high-spirited animals through ignorance of colt-breakers and grooms. They, therefore, decided, with that liberality which has always distinguished the firm, to lend Mr. Rarey all the assistance in their power, without taking any commission, or remuneration of any kind.

There would have been so many accidents and so many failures

There would have been so many accidents and so many failures

There would have been so many accidents and so many failures

It is very fortunate that this book did not find its way to England before Mr. Rarey himself came and conquered Cruiser, and in face-to-face interviews gained the confidence and co-operation of all our horse-loving aristocracy. For had the book appeared unsupported by lectures (or such explanations written and pictorial as this edition will supply), there would have been so many accidents and so many failures, that Mr. Rarey would have had great difficulty in obtaining a hearing, and for many years our splendid colts would have been left to the empirical treatment of ignorant rough-riders.

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

It was from considering the docility of the high-bred Arab horse and intractableness of the quibly, roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse, that Mr. Rarey was led to think over and perfect the system which he has repeatedly explained and illustrated by living examples in his lectures, and very imperfectly explained in his valuable, original, but crude little book.

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

Roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse

It was from considering the docility of the high-bred Arab horse and intractableness of the quibly, roughly broken prairie or Pampas horse, that Mr. Rarey was led to think over and perfect the system which he has repeatedly explained and illustrated by living examples in his lectures, and very imperfectly explained in his valuable, original, but crude little book.

Who have no need to hurry the education of their horses

Who have no need to hurry the education of their horses

Who have no need to hurry the education of their horses

The Arabs alone, who have no need to hurry the education of their horses, and who live with them as we do with our pet dogs, train their colts by degrees, with patient gentleness, and only resort to severe measures to teach them to gallop and stop short. For this reason Arabs are most docile until they fall into the hands of cruel grooms.

In a French newspaper article on Mr Rarey’s system

In a French newspaper article on Mr Rarey’s system

In a French newspaper article on Mr Rarey’s system

In a French newspaper article on Mr. Rarey’s system, it is related that a French horse-breaker, in 1846, made a good speculation by purchasing vicious horses, which are more common in France than in England, and selling them, after a few days’ discipline, perfectly quiet. His remedy lay in a loaded whip, freely applied between the ears when any symptom of vice was displayed. This expedient was only a revival of the method of Grisoné, the Neapolitan, called, in the fifteenth century, the regenerator of horsemanship, predecessor of the French school, who says In breaking young horses, put them into a circular pit; be very severe with those that are sensitive, and of high courage; beat them between the ears with a stick. His followers tied their horses to the pillars in riding-schools, and beat them to make them raise their fore-legs. We do not approve of Grisoné’s maxims at the present day in print, but we leave our horses too much to ignorant colt-breakers, who practise them.

The Guachos on the South American Pampas lasso a wild horse

The Guachos on the South American Pampas lasso a wild horse

The Guachos on the South American Pampas lasso a wild horse

The Guachos on the South American Pampas lasso a wild horse, throw him down, cover his head with one of their ponchos, or cloaks, and, having girthed on him one of their heavy demi-piqued saddles, from which it is almost impossible to be dislodged, thrust a curb-bit, capable of breaking the jaw with one tug, into the poor wretch’s mouth, mount him with a pair of spurs with rowels six inches long, and ride him over the treeless plains until he sinks exhausted in a fainting state. But horses thus broken are almost invariably either vicious or stupid; in fact, idiotic. There is another milder method sometimes adopted by these Pampas horsemen, on which, no doubt, Mr. Rarey partly founded his system. After lassoing a horse, they blind his eyes with a poncho, tie him fast to a post, and girth a heavy saddle on him. The animal sometimes dies at once of fright and anger: if not, he trembles, sweats, and would, after a time, fall down from terror and weakness. The Guacho then goes up to him, caresses him, removes the poncho from his eyes, continues to caress him; so that, according to the notion of the country, the horse becomes grateful and attached to the man for delivering him from something frightful; and from that moment the process of training becomes easy, and, with the help of the long spurs, is completed in a few days. This plan must spoil as many horses as it makes quiet, and fail utterly with the more nervous and high-spirited; for the very qualities that render a horse most useful and beautiful, when properly trained, lead him, when unbroken, to resist more obstinately rough violent usage.

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes. In Australia, where the people are always in a hurry, the usual mode of breaking in the bush horses is to ride them quiet; that is, to let the man fight it out with the horse until the latter gives in; for the time, at any rate. The result is, that nine-tenths of the Australian horses are vicious, and especially given to the trick of buck-jumping. This vile vice consists in a succession of leaps from all-fours, the beast descending with the back arched, the limbs rigid, and the head as low down between the legs as possible. Not one horseman in a hundred can sit three jumps of a confirmed buck-jumper. Charles Barter, who was one of the hardest riders in the Heythrope Hunt, in his Six Months in Natal, says, when my horse began buck-jumping I dismounted, and I recommend every one under the same circumstances to do the same.

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes

The system of Arabia and Australia are the two extremes. In Australia, where the people are always in a hurry, the usual mode of breaking in the bush horses is to ride them quiet; that is, to let the man fight it out with the horse until the latter gives in; for the time, at any rate. The result is, that nine-tenths of the Australian horses are vicious, and especially given to the trick of buck-jumping. This vile vice consists in a succession of leaps from all-fours, the beast descending with the back arched, the limbs rigid, and the head as low down between the legs as possible. Not one horseman in a hundred can sit three jumps of a confirmed buck-jumper. Charles Barter, who was one of the hardest riders in the Heythrope Hunt, in his Six Months in Natal, says, when my horse began buck-jumping I dismounted, and I recommend every one under the same circumstances to do the same.

And with a rapidity heretofore quite unknown

And with a rapidity heretofore quite unknown

And with a rapidity heretofore quite unknown

Therefore, in dealing with Mr. Rarey’s plan we are not wasting our time about a trick for conquering these rare exceptions incurably-savage horses but considering the principles of a universally applicable system for taming and training horses for man’s use, with a perfection of docility rarely found except in aged pet horses, and with a rapidity heretofore quite unknown.

The value of Mr Rarey’s system consists

The value of Mr Rarey’s system consists

The value of Mr Rarey’s system consists

The value of Mr. Rarey’s system consists in the fact that it may be taught to, and successfully practised by, a ploughboy of thirteen or fourteen for use on all except extremely vicious and powerful horses.

It requires patience it requires the habit of dealing with horses as well as coolness; but the real work is rather a matter of skill than strength. Not only have boys of five or six stone become successful horse-tamers, but ladies of high rank have in the course of ten minutes perfectly subdued and reduced to death-like calmness fiery blood-horses.

And conciliate the most savage dogs at first sight

And conciliate the most savage dogs at first sight

And conciliate the most savage dogs at first sight

There can be very little doubt that most of the mysterious horse-whisperers relied for their power of subduing a vicious horse partly on the special personal influence already referred to, and partly on some one of those cruel modes of intimidating the animal. It has been observed that idiots can sometimes manage the most savage horses and bulls, and conciliate the most savage dogs at first sight.

Which consisted in breathing into the nostrils of a colt

Which consisted in breathing into the nostrils of a colt

Which consisted in breathing into the nostrils of a colt

The latest instantaneous system which acquired a certain degree of temporary popularity was that introduced from the western prairies, by Mr. Ellis, of Trinity College, Cambridge, which consisted in breathing into the nostrils of a colt, or buffalo colt, while its eyes were covered. But although on some animals this seemed to produce a soothing effect, on others it totally failed.

The writer in the Household Words article

The writer in the Household Words article

The writer in the Household Words article

The writer in the Household Words article, to which I have already referred, tells how a coachman in Kent, who had been quite mastered by horses, called in the assistance of a professed whisperer. After his ghostly course the horses had the worst of it for two months, when their ill-humour returned, and the coachman himself immediately darkened his stable, and held what he termed a little conversation with them, which kept them placid till two more months had passed. He did not seem altogether to approve of the system, and plainly confessed that it was cruel. Putting shot in the ear is an old stupid and fatal trick of ignorant carters to cure a gibbing horse it cures and kills him too.

Paterfamilias conquers the quagga by biting its ear

Paterfamilias conquers the quagga by biting its ear

Paterfamilias conquers the quagga by biting its ear

Bleeding a vicious horse has been recommended in German books on equitation. In the family Robinson Crusoe, paterfamilias conquers the quagga by biting its ear, and every farrier knows how to apply a twitch to a horse’s ear or nose to secure his quietness under an operation. A Mr. King, some years since, exhibited a learned horse, which he said he subdued by pinching a nerve of its mouth, called the nerve of susceptibility.

The accepted modes of taming a determined colt

The accepted modes of taming a determined colt

The accepted modes of taming a determined colt

In Ireland as in England, the accepted modes of taming a determined colt, or vicious horse, are either by a resolute rider with whip and spur, and violent longeings, or by starving, physic, and sleepless nights. It was by these means combined that the well-known horseman, Bartley the bootmaker, twenty years ago, tamed a splendid thorough-bred horse, that had defied all the efforts of all the rough-riders of the Household Cavalry regiments.

For teaching his grandfather’s art of horse-taming

For teaching his grandfather’s art of horse-taming

For teaching his grandfather’s art of horse-taming

The reputation of Mr. Rarey brought to light a number of provincial horse-tamers, and, amongst others, a grandson of Sullivan has opened a list under the auspices of the Marquis of Waterford, for teaching his grandfather’s art of horse-taming. It is impossible not to ask, why, if the art is of any value, it has not been taught long ago?

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Sullivan never took any pupils, and, as far as I can learn, never attempted to train colts by his method, although that is a more profitable and useful branch of business than training vicious horses. It is stated in an article in Household Words on Horse-Tamers, that he was so jealous of his gift that even the priest of Ballyclough could not wring it from him at the confessional. His son used to boast how his reverence met his sire as they both rode towards Mallow, and charged him with being a confederate of the wicked one, and how the whisperer laid the priest’s horse under a spell, and forthwith led him a weary chase among the cross roads, till he promised in despair to let Sullivan alone for ever. Sullivan left three sons: one only practised his art, with imperfect success till his death; neither of the others pretended to any knowledge of it. One of them is to this day a horse-breaker at Mallow.

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Never attempted to train colts by his method

Sullivan never took any pupils, and, as far as I can learn, never attempted to train colts by his method, although that is a more profitable and useful branch of business than training vicious horses. It is stated in an article in Household Words on Horse-Tamers, that he was so jealous of his gift that even the priest of Ballyclough could not wring it from him at the confessional. His son used to boast how his reverence met his sire as they both rode towards Mallow, and charged him with being a confederate of the wicked one, and how the whisperer laid the priest’s horse under a spell, and forthwith led him a weary chase among the cross roads, till he promised in despair to let Sullivan alone for ever. Sullivan left three sons: one only practised his art, with imperfect success till his death; neither of the others pretended to any knowledge of it. One of them is to this day a horse-breaker at Mallow.

Who flourished about fifty years ago

Who flourished about fifty years ago

Who flourished about fifty years ago

Dan Sullivan, who flourished about fifty years ago, was the greatest horse-tamer of whom there is any record in modern times. His triumph commenced by his purchasing for an old song a dragoon’s horse at Mallow, who was so savage that he was obliged to be fed through a hole in the wall. After one of Sullivan’s lessons the trooper drew a car quietly through Mallow, and remained a very proverb of gentleness for years after. In fact, with mule or horse, one half-hour’s lesson from Sullivan was enough; but they relapsed in other hands. Sullivan’s own account of the secret was, that he originally acquired it from a wearied soldier who had not money to pay for a pint of porter he had drunk. The landlord was retaining part of his kit as a pledge, when Sullivan, who sat in the bar, vowed he would never see a hungry man want, and gave the soldier so good a luncheon, that, in his gratitude, he drew him aside at parting, and revealed what he believed to be an Indian charm.

The other class rely on the infliction of acute pain

The other class rely on the infliction of acute pain

The other class rely on the infliction of acute pain

The other class rely on the infliction of acute pain, or, stupefaction by drugs, or other similar expedients for acquiring a temporary ascendancy.

In a work printed in 1664, quoted by Nolan, we have a melancholy account of the fate of an ingenious horse-tamer. A Neapolitan, called Pietro, had a little horse, named Mauroço, doubtless a Barb or Arab, which he had taught to perform many tricks. He would, at a sign from his master, lie down, kneel, and make as many courvettes (springs on his hind-legs forward, like rearing), as his master told him. He jumped over a stick, and through hoops, carried a glove to the person Pietro pointed out, and performed a thousand pretty antics. He travelled through the greater part of the Continent, but unfortunately passing through Arles, the people in that ‘age of faith,’ took him for a sorcerer, and burned him and poor Mauroço in the market-place. It was probably from this incident that Victor Hugo took the catastrophe of La Esmeralda and her goat.

But they may be divided into two classes

But they may be divided into two classes

But they may be divided into two classes

From the time of Alexander the Great down to the Northumberland Horse-Breaker, there have been instances of courageous men who have been able to do extraordinary things with horses. But they may be divided into two classes, neither of which have been able to originate or impart a system for the use of ordinary horsemen.

The one class relied and relies on personal influence over lower animals. They terrify, subdue, or conciliate by eye, voice, and touch, just as some wicked women, not endowed with any extraordinary external charms, bewitch and betray the wisest men.

It is true that Mademoiselle Isabel’s experiment was

It is true that Mademoiselle Isabel’s experiment was

It is true that Mademoiselle Isabel’s experiment was

It is true that Mademoiselle Isabel’s experiment was made contrary to the wishes and plans of the head of the Cavalry Training Department, the late General Griffiths; but it is not less true that within the last two years influential cavalry officers were looking for an improvement in training horses from an adroit use of the whip and spur.

And foremost to acknowledge the American’s merits was M

And foremost to acknowledge the American’s merits was M

And foremost to acknowledge the American’s merits was M

The difference between this and Rarey’s plan of laying down a horse is as great as between Franklin’s kite and Wheatstone’s electrical telegraph; and foremost to acknowledge the American’s merits was M. Baucher.

So little idea had cavalry authorities that a horse could be trained without severity, that, during the Crimean war, a Mademoiselle Isabel came over to this country with strong recommendations from the French war minister, and was employed at considerable cost at Maidstone for some months in spoiling a number of horses by her system, the principal features of which consisted in a new dumb jockey, and a severe spur attached to a whip!

As soon as he does this without difficulty

As soon as he does this without difficulty

As soon as he does this without difficulty

As soon as he does this without difficulty, leave off the use of the longeing line, and next leave both legs at liberty: by striking him on the shins with the whip, he will understand that he is to kneel down.

When on his knees, send his head well to the off-side, and, supporting him with the left rein, pull the right rein down against his neck till he falls to the near side; when down at full length, you cannot make too much of him; have his head held that he may not get up too suddenly, or before you wish him. You can do this by placing your right foot on the right reins; this keeps the horse’s nose raised from the ground, and thus deprives him of the power of struggling successfully against you. Profit by his present position to make him sit up on his haunches, and in the position of the ‘Cheval Gastronomie.’

Tie his pastern-joint to his elbow

Tie his pastern-joint to his elbow

Tie his pastern-joint to his elbow

To make a horse kneel, tie his pastern-joint to his elbow, make fast a longer line to the other pastern-joint, have this held tight, and strike the leg with the whip; the instant he raises it from the ground, pull at the longeing line to bend the leg. He cannot help it he must fall on his knees. Make much of the horse in this position, and let him get up free of all hindrance.

Could any one imagine that such nonsense could

Could any one imagine that such nonsense could

Could any one imagine that such nonsense could

Could any one imagine that such nonsense could emanate from people who passed for horsemen?

Now from this, although in some respects the same class of nonsense that was talked about Mr. Rarey, it does not seem that any Parisian veterinary surgeon staked his reputation on the efficacy of oils and scents.

M. Baucher then proceeds to give what he calls sixteen Airs de Manége, which reflect the highest credit on his skill as a rational horseman, using his hands and legs. But he proceeds to say It is with regret I publish the means of making a horse kneel, limp, lie down, and sit on his haunches in the position called the ‘Cheval Gastronomie,’ or ‘The Horse at Dinner.’ This work is degrading to the poor horse, and painful to the trainer, who no longer sees in the poor trembling beast the proud courser, full of spirit and energy, he took such pleasure in training.

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Monsieur Baucher, in his Méthode d’Equitation, says, speaking of the surprise created by the feats he performed with trained horses, According to some, I was a new ‘Carter,’ taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment: others would have it, that I tied ropes to their legs, and suspended them in the air; some again supposed that I fascinated them by the power of the eye; and part of the audience, seeing my horses (Partisan, Capitaine, Neptune, and Baridan) work in time to my friend Monsieur Paul Cuzent’s charming music, seriously argued that the horses had a capital ear for music, and that they stopped when the clarionets and trombones ceased to play, and that the music had more power over the horse than I had. That the beast obeyed an ‘ut’ or a ‘sol’ or ‘staccato,’ but my hands and legs went for nothing.

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment

Monsieur Baucher, in his Méthode d’Equitation, says, speaking of the surprise created by the feats he performed with trained horses, According to some, I was a new ‘Carter,’ taming my horses by depriving them of rest and nourishment: others would have it, that I tied ropes to their legs, and suspended them in the air; some again supposed that I fascinated them by the power of the eye; and part of the audience, seeing my horses (Partisan, Capitaine, Neptune, and Baridan) work in time to my friend Monsieur Paul Cuzent’s charming music, seriously argued that the horses had a capital ear for music, and that they stopped when the clarionets and trombones ceased to play, and that the music had more power over the horse than I had. That the beast obeyed an ‘ut’ or a ‘sol’ or ‘staccato,’ but my hands and legs went for nothing.