Curb, snaffle, and spur

Preface

^T^HIS little work has been written especially ■*■ with a view of presenting a method of training horses for the use of mounted soldiers ; but there is nothing herein recommended that would not be important, if not absolutely necessary, for the education of any horse intended for the saddle.

How long it would take to carry a horse through the course I have laid down would depend upon the age, strength, and disposition of each horse. The lessons might extend from the time the colt is weaned until it is four years old ; or a strong three-year-old, with two short lessons daily, might be thoroughly trained in three months.

viii Preface.

Five horses were brought before the camera for the illustration of the book. Silvana, now many years in service, was employed to explain the advanced exercises; Coquette, an Englishbred mare, is represented in the frontispiece ; and three young horses which were photographed from the day the author took them in hand. These latter three had been broken to harness, and were quiet to handle, but had received no training such as they were then given, and they had all of the awkwardness and rigidity that could be desired. I have found that a horse wholly undisciplined is of but little service before the camera when certain positions are required. The photographs were taken by Rombach and Groene, of Cincinnati, and the half-tone reproductions were made by the Heliotype Printing Company, of Boston.

CURB, SNAFFLE, AND SPUR.

Contents

fart I.

IN THE SNAFFLE.

Chapter Page

Chapter I. Handling The Young Horse

IT must be understood at the outset that in the method of training presented in the following pages the object of the work described is to obtain immediate and exact control over the horse, through a kindly enforced discipline, in which nothing is left to the volition or willing obedience of the animal. The muscular actions which would impulsively follow the applications of the hand and heel are to be cultivated in the proper directions, so that the horse shall instinctively answer to the demands of its rider under all circumstances. We are not to depend upon the intelligence or the good-will of the animal, beyond acquiring its confidence to such an extent that its fears are not aroused by any movement the trainer may make; and neither whip nor spur should be used in punishment, — the correction of faults, whether voluntary or involuntary, being obtained by the control which will follow the true use of the aids. The horse should not be taught to regard any motions, words, or bugle-calls ; for it might obey such signals at inopportune times. The silent application of the aids is the proper manner for the rider to indicate his demands, and the horse will be the readier to obey if it be unused to preparatory signals. The trainer must soothe by kind tones the young horse in its early lessons, and he may correct it by a harsh voice ; but as soon as he acquires the confidence of the animal, and it begins to understand the bit and the spur, the man should conduct the lessons in silence, and depend upon the aids for enforcing his requirements. I know of nothing that seems to give such pleasure and such satisfaction to the horse as a slight relaxation upon the tension of the reins, and an almost imperceptible touch of the bridle-hand upon the crest, when the rider wishes to encourage or reward his mount. The horse very soon learns the meaning of this, and how to appreciate it ; and as long as it does not affect the speed, direction, or carriage of the trained animal, I see nothing objectionable in it. This is the method followed by some of the best horsemen. One of these, a professional trainer, is so successful in his management of vicious horses, that I have frequently heard him say that he did not find anything wrong in certain animals which were turned over to his care as unruly by their owners.

The education of the horse cannot be begun too early. There is no reason why a yearling should not be as thoroughly disciplined as an old-school horse, and the early training will last during the life of the animal. Training does not injuriously affect the vivacity or the spirit of the horse ; on the contrary, a cold-blooded drudge can be made active and mettlesome by a course of schooling. Witness Alidor, the horse employed to furnish the photographs for the first edition of " Modern Horsemanship," a coarse, heavy colt, which was brought to perform the high-school movements with grace and precision. The mare which was used for most of the illustrations in the present work, better bred than Alidor, is an example of the fact that a long iS Curd, Snaffle, and Spur.

course of training is beneficial ; for at fifteen years she is full of life, mettle, and action, although a child might ride her. I wish to say here that there is one class of horses that it is useless to attempt to train or to use. These are such that from deficiency in cranial development, or from some lesion or injury to the brain, are subject to fits of terror and wild excitement ; for although even these may be taught to obey the aids, their attacks are frequently so sudden that the rider is in peril before he can attempt to obtain control. The outward. conformation sometimes marks these animals, even to the inexperienced, and I have never known the small, protuberant eye (known as the buck's eye) fail to give true warning that its possessor is a dangerous and useless fool.

With the young horse brought to the trainer already disciplined from its early days, or with the three-year-old simply halter-broken, we should proceed in the same manner, although in the first instance the preliminary lessons would be far shorter, and rather as a test to see how far the discipline had been carried. The cavesson (a leather head-collar with a jointed metal nose-band, having a ring at either side and one in front) will be placed upon the horse, a strong line, at least fifteen feet long, being attached to the metal nose-band ring. The animal should be led to some retired place, where there is sufficient ground upon which to conduct the exercises. A covered school is preferable for the whole work of training, as the man can then have the attention of the horse ; but wherever the work is carried on, there should be such quiet as can be had. It is true that a schoolbroken horse must be made acquainted with many strange and new sights when it is first taken out; but every young horse has to go through such experiences, and it is much easier to control the disciplined horse under these circumstances than the raw colt, which has not been taught to obey hand and heel. The man should be perfectly composed, and he should avoid doing anything that will arouse the fears of the horse. He should lead the colt in a circle of about thirty feet in diameter, first to one hand and then to the other, walking at its shoulder, and holding the line at about eighteen inches from the nose-ring.

If the colt refuses to lead, as it probably will, the man must wait upon it. If he tries to force it to lead, the frightened animal will sulk, and all acknowledged resistances are to be avoided. It is likely that in a very short time it will become irksome to the colt to remain still, and at its first motion the trainer should let it move off, and encourage it as though the whole incident had been in accordance with his desires. The trainer should, from time to time, stop the colt, and then make it resume its round. The trainer's aim from this time forth should be, that the colt shall not volunteer a movement ; or should it become necessary for him to take advantage of a voluntary movement after a refusal, the animal should be led to believe that it has really obeyed the man. During the circles, at the walk and at the halts, the man should handle the colt, as far as he can, without arousing its fears, — picking up its feet, patting it on various parts of its body, and rubbing the poll, never of course letting go of the line. The trainer will gradually lengthen his hold on the line, depending upon the behavior of the colt, until he has the animal walking about him at its full length. He will bring the colt to a halt by gently waving the line horizontally, and he should then go quietly up to the animal and make much of it. The colt must not be allowed to come in to the man, but should, as far as possible, be made to stop and stand in the path of the circle. If the colt moves off without permission, the man should bring it to a halt, and then demand that it move, so that, from the earliest lessons, it will learn to look to the man for orders. These lessons will interest and exercise the horse, and may be conducted as long as the trainer sees fit, provided he does not fatisrue the animal. When the colt will walk about the man quietly, and come to a halt as he requires it, the trainer may put it into a slow trot, using great care not to excite the colt or to permit it to go too rapidly. He should then teach it to come to a halt and turn about for a change of direction. During the longeing lessons the trainer should teach the horse to bear the whip, which should never be applied with any severity, a simple tap being all that should be given, and this touch will answer every requirement. The horse having

Citrb, Snaffle, and Spur.

been taught to enjoy caresses, the rider should frequently pat and handle the animal while holding the short whip in his hand. Gradually he should habituate the horse to bear the whip

RUBBING THE COLT WITH THE WHIP.

as it is passed over various parts of the legs and body, and finally to move forward at a slight tap delivered upon the rump. The horse must not flinch at the motion or at the touch of the whip. A long whip should then be substituted for the riding-rod, and the trainer should use it with great discretion in stimulating the horse, by light touches given against the sides, or by striking the ground in rear of the animal, to increased speed and action on the longeing circles, it of course being understood that the rate of speed on the longeing circles should always be moderate. Should the horse be too eager or too much excited to obey the horizontal waves of the longe-line when the trainer wishes to reduce the speed or to demand a halt, a series of motions of the line up and down, with a strong pull on the line as it comes down, will have the greatest effect upon the cavesson ; but this severe use of the longe-line is to be avoided. The exercises upon the longe will be continued until the horse is given sufficient work under the saddle ; and during these, the trainer cannot use too much caution in securing the horse from fright or excitement.

Chapter II. Riding The Young Horse

A CERTAIN amount of discipline having been established while upon the cavesson, and the young horse having found that there is nothing to dread in the approach or in the touch of its master, we arrive at the most important, and not the least difficult, part of the education of the animal. The manner in which the colt is tauoht to bear its rider will have a very marked influence upon its future usefulness ; but any man of ordinary intelligence should be able to make the colt quiet to ride, if he be patient and firm. The horse should be saddled with care, the girths being but moderately tight, and the stirrups arranged so that they shall not touch the sides of the horse. The horse must now be taught something of the effects of the bit. I find that this, and some other matters connected with the general progress of the training, can be accomplished very readily by the trainer driving the horse before him for a few times, a pair of light long lines being run through the loops on the surcingle to an easy snaffle-bit. The horse should be driven in circles and upon straight lines, being frequently brought to a halt and then started forward, the trainer using as little force on the bit as is possible, and employing a long straight whip with caution. If at any time the animal kicks or rushes forward, it should be corrected by a sharp pull upon the reins. I have seen horses made confirmed kickers by the application of the whip as a corrective measure, and by the use of whip blows the horse may be taught to kick when it is even threatened. The horse that kicks must be corrected by having its head thrown up ; and any horse can be taught to bear the whip, properly used, by gradual lessons, without flinching or resentment. During the halts in these lessons, the trainer should from time to time loosen and tighten the girths to accustom the horse to such handling, and he should occasionally bear some weight with his arms upon the saddle. The

Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

trainer should induce the horse to submit to be driven with the stirrups let out to the full length of the leathers, and dangling against the sides, and to bear the flapping of cloths over

ELEVATION OF HEAD.

any part of its body or legs. I may say here that it is difficult to give these lessons when the horse is annoyed by flies or other insects, as the animal is apt to kick at the application of whip or heel under such circumstances.

In mounting the colt for the first time the trainer should select an occasion when, after some gentle exercise, the animal is composed and confident. He should see that the snaffle-bridle is in good order, that it fits the head and mouth without discomfort, and that the saddle is properly and strongly girthed. If he has reason to believe that the horse will make violent resistances, he can insure his seat by having a rolled blanket strapped to the pommel of the saddle ; but it is an exceptional horse that will give trouble, if its education has been conducted on the lines recommended. In riding a young or difficult horse for the first time, I prefer to have a leg up from an assistant ; for in that way the rider can quietly obtain his seat before the animal can prevent, and this is a moral victory which the colt will understand. Should the trainer elect to mount in the usual way, he must take care that he does not irritate the horse by a thrust of the left toe, and that he does not strike the rump as he carries the right leg over. Once in the saddle, he should let the colt walk off as quietly as it will, the reins just taking a bearing upon the animal's mouth, and his heels away from its flanks. In this first lesson the man should do very little beyond letting the colt go quietly forward in a walk. Unless something frightens the animal, it is not probable that it will show any misconduct. If, after a few minutes, all goes well, the rider should quietly dismount, and resume the exercises upon the longe-line. Upon the second time of mounting, the same precaution should be taken ; and on each succeeding dav the time during which the man is on the colt's back may be gradually extended, depending upon its strength and conduct. Perhaps on the fourth or fifth time that it is mounted, the novelty of the situation having worn off, the colt may take notice of surrounding things, and if an excuse may be found in a barking dog, a flying bird, or some such matter, it may pretend to be frightened, and give a few plunges. If the rider will gently keep up its head, and let it go forward in any slow pace or action it will take, the colt will be convinced that it has gained nothing by its efforts, and will not be likely to repeat its misconduct except under some provocation. Gradually the trainer will take more command over the movements of the horse, turning: it to the right or the left, bringing it to a

Riding the Young Horse.

halt and resuming the forward movement, putting it into a trot and bringing it back to a walk, accustoming it to the pressure of the legs against the flanks and even to light whip-taps behind the

BENDING HEAD.

girths to incite it to action. The hand should be ready but light, and the colt's head should be held well up. Plunging and bucking are the only disorders which are not due to the trainer's mismanagement, and these are the natural de-

Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

fences of the horse. The former is a coltish prank, which may become a fixed vice by bad handling ; the latter is seldom found in horses of domestic breeds, and is perhaps due as much to tight girthing and rough " breaking " as to the instinctive resistances of the half-wild animals in which the vice is commonly found.

The precautions which I have so strongly insisted upon may seem to some readers to be greater than the matter requires ; but if the best results are to be obtained, a trainer cannot observe too much care in the treatment of the colt in these early lessons. The critical period of the colt's education having been passed, and the animal having been brought to carry its rider quietly, we must extend the discipline, which up to this time has been as little irksome as possible.

A most important thing is to teach the horse to go into the bridle. Nearly every vice and resistance offered by a horse is preceded and made possible by the animal getting behind the hand ; that is, it refuses to face the bit, so that the rider's hand can find nothing by which he can enforce his demands. The horse is taught to go into the bridle by gently pushing it forward in a

Riding the Young Horse.

slow trot against a light but constant tension of the reins. In time, by proceedings which we shall afterwards describe, the mouth of the horse may be made so elastic and light that it will answer to the gentlest drawing of the rein, always giving something upon which to act, but without rigidity or opposition. At first I do no^t hesitate to give my young horses mouths rather too hard than too soft, and I make them hold the head rather higher than is necessary for the union and balance of the extremities. This confirms them in facing the bit, and insures against the usual habit of too low a carriage of the head. Any condition of the mouth may be given the horse : a hard hand makes a hard mouth, a light hand a light mouth, and a nerveless hand lets the horse get behind the bit, and gives no mouth. During these lessons the trainer, before mounting, and after dismounting, should make the horse elevate its head, and bend its head and neck to the right and to the left, as such exercises will aid in the suppling lessons of the mounted horse. To elevate the head of the horse, the trainer will stand in front of the animal, and taking a ring of the bit in each hand, he will, without unnecessary

Curb, Snaffle, and Sp ur.

force, extend his arms upward until the neck and head of the horse are raised as hisfh as he can reach. He should then gently lower his arms until the head of the horse comes to a natural position, placing its face about vertically to the ground, and inducing it to yield the lower jaw by gentle plays upon the bit. To bend the head to the left he will stand on the off-side, a little in advance of the shoulder, taking the left rein in his left hand and the right rein in his right hand near the rings on the bit, and he will gently turn the bit in the mouth of the horse so that the head is well turned to the left, the face placed about vertically to the ground by the tension upon both reins, the jaw and neck of the horse being kept free of rigidity by the gentle manner in which the bit is used. In a similar way the head of the horse should be turned to the right, the man standing on the near side in front of the shoulder. These exercises give control over the positions of the head of the horse, and make the neck and jaw supple, so that the animal becomes light and yielding to the reins when it is mounted; and in conducting the bending lessons, the trainer should take care that the head of the horse is held as high as it should be carried when the horse is straight, and in motion under the rider. The young horse must have sufficient exercise, or the trainer will not be able to direct and keep its

CARRYING THE CROUP ABOUT THE FOREHAND.

attention. Many of the disorderly movements, which may become vices, are due to the hysterical condition of the horse. Horses too fresh, and even old trained horses, are difficult to control when nervous from want of work.

While the other exercises on foot are being employed, the preliminary lesson for carrying the croup about the forehand may be given. The trainer, standing at the shoulder of the horse, on the near side, and holding the reins under the chin of the horse in his left hand, should give a slight tap of the whip upon the left side, near the girths, so that the horse will take one step to the right with the hind legs, the forehand being held in place. This will throw the right fore leg a little in rear of its proper place for the new position, and it will be brought up by a tap of the whip. Then another step will be demanded from the croup, and the right fore leg be again brought up to its place. In this way, step by step, the croup will be made to go about the forehand, the left fore leg acting as a fixed pivot, no step being permitted that is not demanded. In the same manner, the croup will be carried to the left, about the right fore leg as a pivot, the trainer standing at the shoulder on the off-side, and holding the reins under the animal's chin in his right hand, while, with the whip in his left hand, he delivers the taps upon the right flank of the horse.

Chapter III. Hand And Heel. — The Trot, The Walk, Changes Of Direction

THE horse having been taught to go forward freely against a constant light tension upon the reins, it is proper to employ lessons which will confirm its obedience to the combined effects of hands and heels, to demand even and regular paces, and to increase the discipline by which we are to deprive the horse of volition. A brisk, slow trot is the best pace in which to produce these effects ; for until the horse is brought to answer every application of the hands and heels, we must have the impulse of a forward movement, upon which the hand may act. A very important rule should be observed in riding ; that is, the pressure of the rider's legs, or of his heels, must always precede any action of the hand. I do not now speak of the spur, for that should not be used until the education of the animal is more advanced ; and I may say here that the occasions when the sharp rowel may be applied to the well-trained horse are very rare, as the sensitive animal will readily answer the side of the heel or the pressure of the calf of the leg. If the young horse does not answer to the heel, the demand may be enforced by a light whip-tap delivered behind the girths. The snaffle should still be the bit employed, for while it is only the exceptional horseman who can get the best effects in uniting the horse from this simple mouthpiece, it is less harassing to the young horse than the curb-bit, and there is still much work that can be accomplished with it. The aim of the rider in the remaining lessons in the snaffle should be to teach the horse, while it maintains a good bearing, to move in free, even, and regular paces, and to make the changes of direction smoothly and correctly. The rider's heels will bring up impulses which will be directed and controlled by the hand. If the mouth has been made a trifle rigid in teaching the horse to face the bit, it may now be softened by using gentle tensions upon the reins, and by bringing the hind legs of the animal under the mass by the application of the rider's heels. Upon mounting, the rider will draw

Hand and HeeL 37

the reins until they take a feeling upon the mouth of the horse. The rider's legs will then be closed against the flanks, and the hand will make gentle vibrations of the reins until the head of the horse is sustained without support, and the mouth gives elastic response to the hand. The rider will then know by the movement of the muscles under him that the impulses are ready, and if the hand gives sufficient liberty, the horse will move off in a walk, the rider's legs demanding impulse, and the hand receiving and directing this impulse. In the early lessons, the rider should not require too close a collection in any pace, but the forehand must not be allowed to get heavy, nor the hind quarters be permitted to drag. A slightly increased pressure of the rider's heels, enforced by a whip-tap if necessary, will increase the impulse, which will be so directed by the hand that the horse shall quicken its action into the trot. The speed should not be very great, but the movement should be clean and strong, the best possible action in which to cultivate the use of the aids and to practice the union of the extremities. In this strong but slow trot the rider should maintain a regular rate of speed, demanding such collection

3 8 Curdy Snaffle, and Spur.

as he can without harassing the horse, but always having in view a clear and even pace. To turn to the right, the rider will increase the pressure of his legs upon the flanks, the left leg a little more strongly than the right, and draw the right rein sufficiently, while the left measures its effect, so that the body of the horse will keep true to the line of the change of direction. When the change has been effected, the reins will take an even bearing upon the mouth, and the same state of collection will be observed as that held before the change. The change of direction to the left will be made in exactly the same manner, the right and left aids being interchanged. To bring the horse to a walk, the rider's legs should first close against the animal's flanks, and the tension upon the reins be increased until the horse reduces the speed to a walk, when the hand will permit it liberty to advance in that pace, while the rider's legs maintain sufficient impulse to insure it being clear and even. The changes of direction will be made as in the trot. To bring the horse to a halt, the riders legs will first close against the sides of the horse, and the hand will increase the tension of the reins until the horse stops, when

Hand and HeeL 39

first the hand, and then the rider's legs, will cease to act. In increasing or decreasing the speed, the riders legs will always act before the hand, so that by insuring impulses from the croup, the hand shall always have something with which it may deal. In the walk and in the trot, the horse should be ridden in straight lines, in changes of direction upon circumferences of various diameters, and in figures of eight ; and for a few minutes each day the animal should be put into a good brisk trot, as rapid as proves consistent with cadenced action ; that is, the impulses from the croup must not be so great as to throw the weight upon the forehand, nor must the forehand be so elevated, or its forces so carried back, as to impede the hind quarters. Whenever fresh impulses are demanded from the croup, the hand must receive them and measure their effects ; so in taking the walk from a halt, or the trot from the walk, the hand first relaxes the tension until the impulse is received, and then meets the impulse. In reducing the speed, and in coming to a halt, the rider's heels close against the sides, and the hand increases the tension upon the mouth, until the desired result is obtained, and