HANDLING HORSES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19941, 27 October 1934, Page 21

HANDLING HORSES

SOME USEFUL ADVICE CAREFUL BREAKING IN There is a decided difference between breaking in and breaking down a young horse. The practice of erecting a strainer post in the middle of the yard to hitch a newly-haltered colt to is, to put it very mildly, most unscientific. Apart from the decided risk of breaking the neck or back of the colt there is a greater risk of breaking his

spirit (states a writer in the “Daily Exporter”). It sometimes happens that men who adopt this style give the colt an hour or so trying to strangle himself, and then when the beast is knocked silly, wangle hill into the back of the blocks and give him half a day ploughing. It doesn’t take many | brains to make a colt into a plough j horse in eight hours if a man is satis--1 fled to follow a team of donkeys. I A horse has brains. Certainly some I strains have far greater intelligence I ness and also size up the man who is handling them or working them. A panicky driver usually has an undependable team, and an ignorant or bad-tempered driver seldom has a team that can be depended on for a stiff pull. Even among humans the one who loses his temper in an argument usually gets the worst of it. Horses, like dogs, require correcting now and then, but there is a wide difference between a correction and a flogging. A correction makes for respect, while a flogging will undo the value of much’ patience and training. “A man who can control his temper is greater than he who can control cities” is a precept which should be continually borne' in mind v/hen handling | horses, or, for that matter, any animal. The English System In Britain they usually • allow three weeks 'for breaking a colt, but there is much too long for the average colonial and it is longer than there is any necessity for except where special training for show purposes is required. Horse breaking may be summed up in five acts, feeding, haltering, legging, mounting and yoking. A young horse should be in strong condition before handling. A weak youngster is liable to have his spirit broken, and in any case he is no use when broken in.

Slip on a head stall or halter in the stable or in a small yard and exert a mild presure on the leading rope. If the horse is a fighter let him trail about five feet of rope in the yard for two or three hours. By tramping on the rope he will soon learn to stop fighting. • However, great care must be taken to see that his head does not become sore. Where the rope has been allowed to trail all day the back of the ears become jarred and this makes a young horse timid about the head, which is one of the chief things to guard against. When the colt can be held by the halter rope, work the hand over the nose and up to the forehead. Rubbing the forehead quietly and firmly is one of the quickest means of gaining his confidence. After the first rubbing, pull gently and firmly to the near side, and when he responds, pull to the off side, giving a rub for each response. In a very short time he will lead quite nicely, but one should always have a firm hold of the rope in case of a sudden change of mind in the colt.

‘Legging” the Young Horse

Once a horse has been haltered and taught to lead and stand, it simplifies future operations if he is carefully and thoroughly legged. A horse’s natural instinct prompts hiip to fight for fieedom from restraint. It prompts him to kick when a leg becomes entangled in chains or harness, and is frequently tne cause of accidents. Legging, on the

other hand, teaches him that restraint is not necessarily hurtful, and a welllegged horse may later be Involved in a merry mix-up such as a capsize and be quite safe to handle.

One requires about 16ft of rope about the weight of the leg rope used in the milking sheds. Put a noose round the near fore pastern, then pass the rope over the horse’s back and under the belly. This work requires two men, one on the halter and one for the leg rope. When the foot is pulled and held up, the horse will naturally plunge for a few minutes, but will soon settle. He can them be given a rub and the foot slowly let down. Repeat two or three times, and the foot can then usually be lifted by hand. Next take the near hind foot. It is as well to put on collar and harness; the collar for the rope to run through and the hames as a support for the collar straps. I have seen a strong colt rip the straps out of a collar and kick the collar to pieces.

Rendered Helpless

Make a loop on the end of the rope about a foot across and pascs this through the lowest part of the collar for about six feet. Pass both ends of rope between the forelegs and pass the pulling end of the rope through the loop. The loop is now laid on the ground, and the colt moved forward so that he will put his foot in it. The free end of the rope, which has been run through the loop, is now pulled and gives the trainer a double purchase hold. The rope is tightened till the colt can barely touch the ground and in this position he is in one bf the most helpless positions it is possible to place a horse.

He can be approached on the off side in perfect safety, clapped about the buttocks or belly or mounted from either side or behind without being able to kick or buck. I have seen a young horse clipped by this means the day he was haltered, and even the ticky parts gave no trouble. The only trouble was that the colt in his fight had sweated, and wet hair is difficult to clip. When the colt has become used to having the near hind leg handled the loop may be transferred to the off leg and then to the off fore leg. The last two legs are usually merely a matter of form, but for all the extra time it takes it is much better to treat all alike. If full opportunity has been taken to handle and rub the colt while his legs were tied and being untied he should now be perfectly safe as regards kicking or plunging, and the mouthing and yoking will not entail many risks. It may be thought that I have overstressed the value of legging, but anything which creates confidence between a horseman and his team cannot be overstressed. I once put my waggon leaders into the smithy and mentioned to the blacksmith that two of them had not previously been shod. When he had finished he remarked that he would sooner shoe my youngsters than plenty of old ones. He also said that a good number of his customers seemed to think that he was there to break in their young horses.