The Farmers Own Book 8

The Farmers Own Book 8

The above is the only safe and sure course which you can pursue with a

horse with bad habits. I would here again press upon you when you have

him on his knees, to commence patting him under the belly--continue with

gentle strokes upon the belly. You will in a few minutes bring him to

his knees behind: continue the process and he will lay down and submit

himself to your treatment. By proceeding gently you may handle his feet

and legs any way you choose. By practising this process a few times,

you will find him perfectly gentle and submissive, and will generally

follow you, and is unwilling to leave you unless he be very wild; the

first treatment will answer.--Should you have a very wild horse, and

cannot manage him, take the button or horney substance which grows on the

back part of the horse’s leg; dry this, pulverize it fine, drop a few

drops of oil of roses and a few drops oil cummin; put some of this up his

nostrils: this is best done by putting it in a large quill and blowing it

up the nostril; feed him with a small portion of it from off your hand,

with a little oats; also breathe your breath into his nostrils; by doing

this, he will permit you to handle his feet, legs, &c. or permit you to

get on his back, or suffer you to handle as you please. By pursuing these

courses, and handling occasionally, always letting him know what you want

him to do, you will be able to quiet and tame a horse to become perfectly

gentle.

 

 

RULES FOR A HORSE THAT SHYES.

 

When you have a horse that shyes or scares at a stump, log or any object

that may come in his way, never whip him for it, or attempt to force him

up to it or by it. But be easy with him, try and get him up to the object

by gentle handling; patting and rubbing him on the neck, shoulders, &c.

Finally you will get him up to the object, and he will smell or feel

it with his nose. If you pursue this course he will finally forget and

give up the habit of scaring. If you wish to satisfy yourself about this

course, take a buffalo robe or a red blanket, place your horse in a yard

and hold up the robe, moving towards him; he will soon throw up his

head, snort and run. Then throw the robe down in the centre of the yard;

if frightened he will not rest until he has touched it with his nose;

he will soon begin to walk toward the robe and snort, getting a little

closer until he touches it with his nose, he will see that it will do him

no harm, and finally he will pick it up with his teeth and care nothing

about it. This will show you at once that if you can get him up to the

object and let him feel it with his nose, he will care nothing about

it, and soon forget his scaring, &c.--When you try the robe experiment

step up to one side and watch his motions, and he will soon give you

the principle upon which he acts. The same course must be pursued in

breaking wild colts; go up to it cautiously and by degrees, never rush up

to it all at once; be cautious, watch the colt, and if you see that he

is frightened at your approach stop a little, and when he becomes quiet

approach a little nearer, and so on until he will suffer you to touch

his face, then rub him gently the way the hair lays; continue doing this

until he will permit you to feel him pretty near all over; then place

your halter on him, gently rubbing and feeling him over the face and

head. When you have the halter on lead him over the yard cautiously; do

not frighten him or whip him. Never whip unless he is very stubborn and

does not fear you, then you should give him a few sharp cuts with the

whip about his hind legs so as it will crack sharp and cause him to fear

you. After you have him started feel his face, fore legs, &c. a good

deal more than you have whipped him, then he will soon become fond of you

again. After you have learned him to move off, you may put on the bridle

and learn him by gentling him as you did with the halter; you may now put

on the saddle, but do it cautiously, feeling him by degrees, then get

yourself a block about eighteen inches high, place this by his side and

when he gets used to this get up on the block, then put your foot in the

stirrup, putting a little of your weight in it by degrees; as soon as you

find he will bear it you can get on the saddle and make him move off, but

do it all cautiously so as not to frighten him. When you have learned him

all this you may next put on the harness, carefully feeling him first,

and give him to understand what you want him to do; as soon as he finds

out you will not hurt him he will suffer the harness to be put on; now

you may hitch him to a light log, and learn him to pull this first; when

he does this well use a heavier one, and when he does this all well you

can hitch him up in a wagon or sulky, but do it all carefully, and do not

frighten him or you may make a bad job of it. The above principle should

always be carried out in every thing you wish the horse to learn. You

cannot expect a man to do any piece of work for you unless he understands

it, or has learned the principle of it, much less can you expect a horse

to do something he knows nothing about. If you pursue this course you

can soon get the horse to understand what you want him to do, and he

will become very fond of you. I will here state that if you have a very

stubborn colt or horse, you may use the oil of roses and oil of cummin

with the powdered button, which should be blown into his nostrils.

 

 

HOW TO DRIVE OR BREAK A KICKING HORSE.

 

Or horses with bad habits. First take up one fore foot, bend his leg

till his hoof is bottom upward, then slip a loop over his knee above the

pastern joint to keep it tight. This should be done with a leather strap,

forming a loop around the one, and so fixed as to buckle around the

other; be careful so as to fasten it so as it cannot slip down or come

loose, or you may pass a loop over the leg, and with another strap tie

the loop close together, between the leg, so as to prevent it from coming

down. This will leave the horse on three legs. You can handle now as you

wish, as it is impossible for him to kick whilst his leg is up. This will

conquer the horse quicker than any other course which you can pursue, and

especially a kicker or one that runs off when he has the chance so to do.

 

The surest plan for a horse that will attempt to run off as soon as you

hitch him up, is to fasten up his leg as directed above or learn him to

hop along on three legs awhile, which he will soon learn to do. Exercise

him two or three times, in this way fifteen or twenty minutes at a time,

or until conquered, allowing his leg to be loosed. When you have learned

him to walk in this way, fasten up his leg and put the harness on him

and hitch up to sulky. Now you may drive off and need not be fearful of

the horse kicking or doing any damage while one foot is up, nor can he

kick or run fast enough to do any harm. But you can now drive him as you

please. Should he want to run let him have the lines and whip too, with

perfect safety; by doing this two or three times you will cure him at

once of running off. The horse will be frightened at first, but he will

soon see that you do not want to hurt him and will not care anything more

about it. You can finally let down the leg and drive off gently without

any further trouble.

 

I will here give you another plan to break or prevent a horse from

kicking whilst working him. Loop a strap or rope around the horse’s hind

leg, with one end and with the other end fasten around the foreleg,

allowing it just long enough for him to make a step, in order to keep

the strap from dragging on the ground or being in his way while walking.

Pass a strap around his back, letting it pass under his belly and fasten

it up in this way; this properly done will soon conquer him, as it is

impossible for him to kick whilst the strap is to his legs.

 

I will still give you another plan to prevent a horse from kicking. Loop

a strap around the hind leg; let it pass through between the fore legs,

thence through the ring of the bridle bit, allowing the strap just long

enough for him to make the step, now fasten the strap. You can now drive

off with safety, as it is utterly impossible for him to kick or to do any

harm. You should pass a strap around the horse’s back and fasten up the

strap or rope to prevent it from dragging on the ground.

 

Another still to prevent a horse from kicking when hitched up in shafts,

if he will stand quiet long enough to fasten in the shafts, when you have

him hitched up, loop a strong strap around the shaft on the one side,

let it pass over the hips and fasten it to the shaft on the opposite

side; next fasten the strap to the harness at the top, so as to prevent

it from slipping down; you can now drive off with safety, as far as the

kicking is concerned; for he cannot kick to do any harm if the strap

stays firmly at its place, and the vehicle heavy enough to prevent him

from raising it.

 

 

FOR THE BLACKSMITH.

 

If you have a horse which you cannot manage to shoe, take up his leg as

directed in the kicking horse, and handle him awhile, patting and rubbing

all his legs, &c.; when he becomes quiet, let his leg down to rest;

then take it up again and rub his legs as before, and let him know what

you are about to do to him; then let his leg down and commence to shoe.

Should he be very fretful yet, and will not suffer you to put on the

shoe, you will meet with success by making him lay down and perform as

directed in making the horse lay down.

 

 

CURE FOR BOTS.

 

Mix 1 pint honey with 1 quart sweet milk; give as a drench; 1 hour after

dissolve 1 oz. pulverized copperas 1 pint of water, use as a drench;

then give 1 quart linseed oil; this cure is said to be effectual. The

principle of giving the horse the sweet drench is good; it will generally

cause the bots to let loose and take a fill of the sweet drench; then you

should not fail to give plenty of physic to carry them off.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU.

 

Put your horse into a large stable or small yard; commence to gentle

him a little, take hold of the halter or bridle, turn him towards you,

touching him with a long whip; at the same time lead him the length of

the stable or yard, rubbing him on the neck, face and head; say to him

gently as you lead, come along boy, or better to use his name: whenever

you turn, touch him slightly with the whip, so as to make him step up

close to you; then gentle him again with your hand as before; he will

soon learn to escape the whip and to be gentled with the hand; he will

soon learn to follow you around without taking hold of the halter or

bridle. Should he stop or turn from you, give him a few cuts about the

hind legs; he will soon turn his head towards you, when you must always

gentle him with your hand. A few lessons will make him follow you or

run after you if he sees the motion of the whip; in a half hour he will

follow you about the stable or yard. After you have given him 3 or 4

lessons in this way, you can take into a lot and from thence into the

road, and he will follow you any where and run after you.

 

 

HOW TO LEARN HIM TO STAND STILL.

 

Commence to gentle him with your hand about the head, &c. Should he move

give him a cut with the whip and put him back in the same place if he

stands; gentle him with the hand as before, and continue in this until