EDUCATING THE HORSE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XIX, Issue 3228, 19 September 1892, Page 2

EDUCATING THE HORSE.

Under the above heading the Normanby correspondent of the Auckland Weekly News says : — A number of settlers met at Alley's farm on the Skeet road, near Te Boti, on Tuesday, 3th September, to attend an exhibition by Mr. C. Liohtwark, eldest son ot Professor Lichtwark, of Normanby. Two horses had been brought io for Mr. Lichtwark to operate on, one a two and a-balf-year-old filly that had never been handled, the other a six-year-old mare "broken to harness whioh had proved a regular gib from the first, refasing to pull and with the nasty knack oi rnnning backwards with the trap. The first taken in hand was the filly, a well.brea fiery animal. On going into the enclosure Mr. Liohtwark went straight to work, and very soon succeeded in establishing a half-confidenoe between the filly and himself; after a while this confidence seemed to be fully established between them, and a halter was very soon placed around its head, Mr. Liohtwark leading it about with ease. After about an hour he was able to handle the filly as he liked, picking up first the , forelegs, then tbe hind ones, and at his command the filly followed him about as a dog would its master, and at the end of [ two hours the filly was that quiet that j anyone present could mount it, get on and i off either side, also slide off behind — in faot, the filly was that thoroughly at home owing to the quiet, gentle, and humane treatment that Mr. Alley, its owner, put bis little sod (a mere infant) on its back, tbe horse taking no notice whatever. Others also trom amongst those present rode tbe filly around the enclosure without either saddle or bridle. All present were expressive of the thoroughness of Mr. Liohtwark's method. Kindness, gentleness, persistence, and fearlessness were the only qualities which Mr. Liohtwark used, and one and all agreed that he bad succeeded beyond the expectation of the most sanguine. No praise can be too high for Mr. Liohtwark for the manner in which he oarried out bis methods, which are simpler, and his results more pronounced, than any other which I have seen, and all were agree that the lesson was worth double the money charged. After dinner (which Mr. Alley generously provided) Mr. Litohwark gave his attention to the mare, and in less than two hours had her running in the spring trap like an old coaoh horse. Tbis one, bowever, he took home with him, to give her a week's drill to make things doubly sure. Of course, it would not be fair on my part to divulge the modus operandi by which snch astounding results were realised, but should any branch of tbe famous Lichtwark family visit Auckland district anyone becoming a member of their class will never regret the fee charged.