JOHNA.SEAVERNS 
 
Sm 
 
 ISE^V S^i^STEiVX 
 
 OF 
 
 lORSE TRAININC 
 
 As Practiced and Taught by S. R. Clapp, 
 
 5 
 
 INCLUDING A 
 
 TREATISE ON SHOEING. 
 
 ALBANY: 
 
 C. VAN BENTHUYSEN & SONS, PRINTERS. 
 
 * 1867. 
 
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 PREFACE. 
 
 The subject of horsemanship is so closely allied and identi- 
 fied- with all man's interest, that everything that can be said to 
 promote a reform in that particular, cannot but commend itself 
 to every one interested in that noble animal ; and who is there 
 that is not. For the most common transactions of every day 
 life cannot be consummated without calling in his aid. This 
 book is not presented to the public as an uaexceptionable 
 treatise on the horse. It is merely a plain, practical exposi- 
 tion of the best system of horsemanship, that to-day is extant, 
 one that has met with the approbation and commendation of 
 the best horsemen of the age, and one that has received a 
 patronage vouchsafed to no other system. It is merely to grat- 
 ify a desire expressed by hundreds who have witnessed my 
 operations, to have me publish a book explanatory of the system, 
 so that many things that otherwise might escape their notice, 
 can at any moment be refreshed by simply a reference to the 
 book, and yet every move with the horse is made so plain and 
 intelligible, that those who have never witnessed mj opera- 
 tions can take hold and manage the wildest colt or the most 
 vicious horse. While 1 beg from the scrutinizing public a 
 charitable criticism for any shortcoming that may be discovered, 
 I yet feel great confidence that the work will meet with a hearty 
 approval from horsemen generally, and prove a valuable aux- 
 iliary in bringing about that much needed reform in the proper 
 management and control of the most noble of the brute creation. 
 
TREATISE ON HOESE TAra&. 
 
 NATURE OF THE HORSE. 
 
 Ths horse has no reasoning faculties beyond the limits of his 
 experience. Hence we can reason with him by acts alone. 
 Literally with the horse, acts speak louder than words, and 
 hence the absolute importance of commencing every move with 
 the horse right. For by our acts he learns. Secondly — Early 
 impressions are strong, both in the human family and with the 
 horse, and seldom, if ever, are entirely erased from memory's 
 tablet. 
 
 Who is there in the human family that does not well remem- 
 ber the first impression of his boyhood days? and as we journey 
 on through life what a controlling influence they exert over us. 
 Just so with the horse ; hence the great importance of having 
 his first impressions of man of such a nature as to convince him 
 not only of man's superiority, but to satisfy him that man is his 
 best friend. Obtain by systematic course of handling not only 
 supreme power over him, but teach him also to repose trust and 
 confidence in you, and then never betray it. No animal has 
 memory equal to that of the horse, and none will reciprocate a 
 kindness or resent an injury sooner. We hold that man being, 
 on account of his intellectual resources, superior to all other 
 animals, is and has a right to be at the head of all animal crea- 
 tion, for he can adopt means to overcome the strength of the 
 horse, or even use it against himself. 
 
 NECESSITY OP KINDNESS AND HONESTY. 
 
 You must treat the horse kindly — you must obtain his confi- 
 dence and then never abuse it ; deal honestly with him never 
 
 lie to him — he judges by your acts — never ask him to do 
 anything witliout you are in position to compel obedience ( if 
 he has a correct idea of what you want), and then when the 
 obedience is rendered, reward him for it. Be prompt, but 
 never deceive him. 
 
NECESSITY OP FAMILIARIZING TO OBJECTS OP FEAR. 
 
 As we are taught there is no effect without a cause, and as 
 the horse becomes fearless and confident so far as he under- 
 stands, there is no cause for fear. We should remove the cause 
 of mischief as much as possible by complying with those laws 
 )f his nature by which he examines an object or determines 
 ipon its innocence or harm. Therefore let him examine and 
 smell of such things as are likely to frighten him, such as a 
 og by the roadside, an umbrella, buffalo robe, or any frightful 
 )bject — his nose is his fingers. 
 
 USE INTELLIGENT MEANS. 
 
 The horse should be treated with kindness and consideration; 
 70U have a right to curb and restrain his spirit, but not to sub- 
 lue it ; he has no more natural spirit than it is proper he should 
 lave, and the great difficulty with all the theories of horseman- 
 hip that have been promulgated to the world is, that they 
 lave been founded upon the one idea of subjugation alone. 
 Subjugation is not teaching ; you have a right to restrain — to 
 aake them to conform to your will. But you must also teach 
 im what you want him to do. To hitch up the wild colt and 
 say whoa to him, without first having taught him the word 
 rhoa, is unreasonable in the extreme. 'Tis true, we cannot 
 andle the wild colt that is actuated by fear as we can the old 
 orse that is actuated by vengeance ; with the one we are all 
 lildness, whereas we take hold of the other in a manner that 
 atisfies him that there is no partnership arrangement about it, 
 ut we are to have it our way all the time. 
 
 TO HALTER THE WILD COLT. 
 
 Provide yourself with a pole, a piece of edging, a rake han- 
 le, or anything else of that kind, cut a notch into one end and 
 bout^ seven inches from this end raise a few chips from the 
 Dposite end of the stick. Then take a common rope halter, 
 raw out the stale through the loop so that that portion will 
 rop down eighteen or twenty inches; now hang the head piece 
 Q the notches on the end of your stick, holding the end in 
 our hand with your stick ; your halter now hangs upon your 
 'ick so spread that you can put it over the colt's ears without 
 )uching any part of his head. You now approach the colt 
 vinging your halter which immediately attracts his attention, 
 id he will reach out his nose to smell it. While he is smelling 
 ' it, you cautiously raise it over his head until back of his 
 

 ears, then turn your stick half round and your halter will drop 
 u pon his head, now take the end of the stick and shove up the 
 loop so as to draw up the slack, and your colt is haltered, and 
 he is not frightened and you are not hurt. 
 
 TO TEACH THE OOLT TO LEAD. 
 
 Step back on a line with his hips and say, " come here, sir," 
 and give him a smart, sharp pull, which will swing him round 
 to you, then step to the opposite side and give him the same 
 side pull and say, "come here, sir." If he should not pull 
 easy enough, as soon as you can gentle him enough to approach 
 him, fasten up with a short strap one forefoot and then you can 
 pull him the more readily either side ; never pull him straight 
 ahead until after you have taught him to come to either side, 
 for sideways you can pull him, and straight ahead you cannot. 
 Do not let him know his strength, for he has no reasoning pow- 
 ers to say, "you can pull me sideways, but straight ahead you 
 cannot." Should he sulk after a little and refuse to come either 
 way, take a short hold of the halter with the left hand, while 
 with the right grasp the tail firmly and whirl him round until 
 he acts dizzy, then whirl him the other way. This convinces 
 him you can handle him just as you please. The moment he 
 follows you, pat him for it. 
 
 TO HANDLE THE COLT'S FEET. 
 
 ' If a forefoot, stand by the side of your colt and throw over 
 his back a light strap and tie it around his arm loosely, so that 
 it will slip down to his fetlock joint, then take up his foot with 
 the strap and keep close to his side until after he is through 
 struggling, then commence to gentle the foot with your hands 
 and pound upon it a very little. In a short time he will suffer 
 you to handle it as you please. If a hindfoot, take the forefoot 
 in your left hand, while with your right you pass the end of 
 the strap around the hind leg below the fetlock. Now pull 
 upon the strap which will cause the foot to be drawn forward. 
 This he will resist by kicking, but he soon finds resistance use- 
 less and will give you his foot, then take it into your hands and 
 <rentle as described for the forefoot. If more thorough treat- 
 ment is found necessary, see management of horses bad to shoe. 
 
 HOW TO RIDE THE WILD COLT. 
 
 Stand on the near side of your colt and throw over his back 
 a piece of web or strap and fasten to his right forefoot 
 
below the fetlock joint, then take up his foot and hold it for a 
 few minutes until he ceases struggling, then quietly let him 
 have it and lead him along a few steps and say whoa, and at the 
 same time you say whoa, draw up the strap, which makes him 
 stop, for it puts him on three legs. After you have led him a 
 little ways in this way, stand by his side and take up his foot 
 and wind your hand in the strap and commence to jump up and 
 down by his side a few times, keeping hold of the foot ; then 
 carefully jump on him with your breast and slide back again ; 
 then while holding up the foot jump quietly on his back. Now 
 let down his foot, and if he shows the least disposition to stir 
 take up his foot and drop it and take it again. The idea is that 
 he cannot think of two things at once, and the moment he 
 thinks of throwing you off ( which you detect by the drawiiig of 
 the muscles of his back), you take his foot and change his 
 attention to that and his back is all right. This plan will ride 
 any colt or horse. 
 
 TO TEACH A COLT TO FOLLOW UNDER THE WHIP. 
 
 Buckle around your colt an ordinary surcingle rather loosely, 
 take a piece of web or a long strap about fifteen or even twenty 
 feet in length. Take the strap and pass it through the surcingle 
 and fasten to the colt's left forefoot ; now take hold of the strap 
 about sia feet from where it passes through the surcingle, and 
 place your whip over the colt's back and commence to tap him 
 on the right side of the head very gently. If he turns his. 
 head towards you and looks or makes a step towards you, stop 
 and pat him ; if he attempts to leave you, take his foot and let 
 him go on three legs, running around you ; the moment he stops 
 step up to him again, place your whip over his back and repeat, 
 and in a very few minutes he will turn towards you the moment 
 you place the whip on the opposite side. Then you can take 
 off your strap and he will follow you readily, but be careful 
 and not whip when ho is turning towards you. Keep him in 
 difficulty with the whip whenever he turns his head from you, 
 but the moment he turns towards you reward him, and he will 
 soon learn there is no peace except by you, and then practice 
 will soon make him perfect. This same plan breaks the wild 
 steer to haw and gee under the whip. 
 
 THE WAR BRIDLE. 
 
 This is one of the most powerful means of control in the 
 management of the horse that is known. The War Bridle is 
 simply a cord of about the size of a common bedcord or clothes- 
 
line. It should be of cotton and made of fine yarn, or what is 
 known as fine thread cotton cord, about three-eighths of an inch 
 in diameter, used extensively for clothes-lines — or any cord of 
 about the same strength. 
 
 Take a cord of the above description — in length about fifteen 
 feet ; tie one end into a hard knot, just as you would to prevent 
 its raveling ; now tie another knot about ten inches, or a little 
 more, from the one on the end, but before you draw it tight put 
 the knot on the end through. You now have a loop that will 
 not slip. This loop should be just large enough to slip over the 
 under jaw of the horse you wish to train ; put the loop over the 
 lower jaw, then, while standing on the near side, take the cord 
 in the left hand and bring over the neck by passing the left 
 hand under the neck to the opposite side towards the mane ; 
 now bring the right hand over the neck, and take the cord from 
 the left and pass back to the loop and put through from the top 
 side, until the part over the neck is drawn down like a check 
 rein ; now take hold of the end of this rein and you will find 
 you have a means of power in it that makes the strongest horse 
 almost a plaything in your hands. You must use this bridle 
 with judgment, for in the proper use of it consists its great 
 value. In handling the colt with it you must use the utmost 
 mildness, whereas many who have witnessed my operations, and 
 then commenced subsequently to use it, have made a little 
 resistance on the part of the colt an excuse to use it in the most 
 severe manner, until the colt becomes so desperate with pain as 
 to be entirely reckless and regardless of the utmost efforts, but 
 in the management of the old horse you can take hold of him 
 as if you were determined that any resistance on his part would 
 be entirely useless. Step to one side of your colt and say, 
 "come here, sir," pulling a very little on the bridle, just 
 enough to bring his head towards you, and repeat for a few 
 times ; each time that he comes towards you at the word, reward 
 him with a pat on the neck, and if he don't stir, pull him with 
 the bridle. Any colt or horse can be made to follow you in a 
 very few minutes with this bridle. 
 
 HANDLING THE COLt's FEET. 
 
 Commence gently to pick up his feet, and if he resists you 
 reprove him for it by pulling down a little on the mouth with 
 the bridle, which will act like a charm. If it is the hind feet 
 you wish to handle, put a strap to his hind foot and bring up 
 the loot ; then the moment he kicks, brino; down on the mouth 
 
sharply with the bridle. In a short time he will submit ; if not, 
 use him according to directions laid down elsewhere for the 
 horse bad to shoe. 
 
 TO TEACH THE COLT TO BACK. 
 
 Put on the war bridle, stand directly in front of your horse ; 
 having hold of the cord — about twenty inches from the head — 
 with your left hand, resting the right on the cord or bridle 
 about four or five inches from the head. You will say, " back, 
 sir," at the same time press down and back with your right 
 hand steadily on the cord until, by way of relieving himself, he 
 will step back one step ; let up on the cord and pat him. That 
 teaches him what you want. Then repeat for a few times, and 
 after you have given him the idea and the motion, you then 
 can press him back sharply with the cord, and in a few minutes 
 more at the word. This will never fail to teach the colt or bad 
 horse to back. 
 
 BITTING THE COLT. 
 
 All you can possibly accomplish with the old-fashioned bit- 
 ting bridle I can accomplish with my bridle in forty minutes, 
 and that is to teach the horse to hold down his head, hold up 
 his head, and to the right and to the left at the touch of the 
 rein. If nature has not designated the horse to have a high, 
 stylish head and carriage, no art of man can alter it, and the 
 old-fashioned practice of straining up the neck, in an unnatural 
 position, and leaving it there for hours, nine times out of ten 
 results in a heavy-headed lugger on the bits. 
 
 HOW so MAKE A BITTING BRIDLE. 
 
 Take your cord, previously used, and fix a loop upon the 
 other end, just like the one used to go over the jaw, only big 
 enough to go over his neck, and fit down rather tight where the 
 collar is worn; now bring your cord forward, put through the 
 mouth from the off side and bring back on the near side, and 
 put through the loop around the neck ; now pull upon this cord 
 and the head will be drawn back to the breast. You are now 
 prepared to bit. Simply pull upon the cord a little, and as soon 
 as he curbs his head well, relieve him ; that teaches him it is 
 there you want it. When you want to raise his head, lift 
 quickly on the cord, and you elevate his head finely. You 
 should not bit over five minutes at a time, and then put it away, 
 and after a little resume it, and in forty minutes' time, dividing 
 each bitting into five minutes each, you can bit your colt well. 
 
TRAINING TO HARNESS. 
 
 You should be very careful the first time you undertake to 
 harness your colt, to see that the harness fits perfectly well, 
 and that it is perfectly safe. Many accidents have been the 
 results of such carelessness. Then, with aid of the bridle to 
 reprove him if he resists the putting of the harness on him, 
 harness him, and after you have moved him about a little, attach 
 to him, before you undertake to hitch him to the sulky, what I 
 shall call a foot strap, which is simply a piece of webbing, or a 
 piece of strap or rope long enough to be fastened to one of his 
 forward feet, and then run over the belly-band of the harness, 
 and then outside of the tugs back to the buggy or sulky, which 
 you hold in your hand as a life insurance or third rein. If he 
 attempts to run away, pull upon the strap, which throws him 
 on three feet instantly, and he has to stop. If he attempts to 
 run back the same remedy stops him. If he attempts to kick 
 you, attract his attention forward instantly, and at the same 
 time makes it impossible for him to kick. The moment you 
 notice any disposition to kick, you take his foot, which discon- 
 certs him, and attracts his attention away from his hind parts, 
 while it is impossible for him to kick ; but do not take his foot 
 and hold it, but keep snatching and letting him have it, and 
 you will soon break him up of the habit. This is one of the 
 most powerful means of control ever yet devised, because you 
 beat him while right in the act. 
 
 OBJECTS OF FEAR. 
 
 Never whip your horse for becoming frightened at any object 
 by the roadside ; for if he sees a stump, a log, or a heap of tan 
 bark in the road, and while he is eyeing it carefully, and about 
 to pass it, you strike him with the whip ; it is the log, or the 
 stump, or the tan bark that is hurting him, in his way of 
 reasoning, and the next time he will act more frightened, (iive 
 him time to examine and smell of all these objects, and use the 
 war bridle to assist you in bringing him carefully to these 
 objects of fear. Bring all objects, if possible, to his nose, and 
 let him smell of them, and then you can commence to gentle 
 him with them. 
 
 DRIVING. 
 
 In teaching a young horse to drive well, do not be in a hurry 
 to see how fast he can trot. Keep each pace clear and distinct 
 from each other — that is in walking, make him walk, and, do 
 not allow him to trot. While trotting be equally careful that 
 
he keeps steadily at his pace, and do not allow him to slack 
 into a walk. The reins, while driving, should be kept snug ; 
 and when pushed to the top of his speed keep him well in hand, 
 that he may learn to bear well upon the bit, so that when going 
 at a high rate of speed he can be held at his pace, but do not 
 allow him to pull too hard, for that is not only unpleasant, but 
 makes it often difficult to manage him. 
 
 TO TRAIN A HORSE TO STAND WHEN GETTING INTO A CARRIAGE. 
 
 Take your horse on the barn floor and throw a strap over his 
 back and fasten it to his right fore foot ; lead him along and 
 say "who," at the same time pull down on the strap, which 
 throws him on three feet and makes him stop suddenly. This 
 is the best way known to teach whoa, though you can put on 
 the war bridle, and say whoa, and give him a sharp jerk that 
 will stop him about as soon as the strap to the foot. Then put 
 him in harness with the foot strap, as directed to under the 
 head of "Training to Harness," and drive him up to the door. 
 The moment he undertakes to move take his foot and say whoa. 
 Get into your carriage and get out again; rattle the thills; 
 make all the noise getting in and out you can; give him to 
 understand, by snatching his foot each time he moves, that he 
 must stand until you tell him to go ; and in a few times you 
 will have a horse that you can put the whole family in and he 
 wont stir out of his tracks. 
 
 BALKY HORSES. 
 
 "When the horse balks in harness it is not from any unwill- 
 ingness to perform his duty, but from some confusion or excite- 
 ment arising from mismanagement. He is willing and anxious 
 to go, but too eager and high spirited to make the steady push 
 against the collar necessary to move the load. The usual plan 
 is to commence to curse and lash. A volume might be written 
 on the importance of keeping cool on all such occasions. Fre- 
 quently, simply going to their heads and moving them gently 
 against their collars to the right or left evenly, giving them 
 time to get cool, and they will start of their own accord. 
 Sometimes taking up one fore foot in your hand, and giving' 
 the horse a sharp press against the shoulder, to one side, will 
 cause him to step and stop him. But if the habit is firmly 
 fixed, you will have to resort to the following means, which 
 will take a few lessons, and then you break up the habit : 
 
 Take your balky horse in the barn or on a piece of green 
 sward ; take him by the head and tail, and whirl him around 
 
10 
 
 until lie is quite dizzy, and if you become dizzy before he does, 
 let bim whirl himself, as follows : Tie the hair of the tail into 
 a hard knot ; then take the halter strap in your left hand, hold- 
 ing the tail in your right, pass the halter strap through the 
 hair, above the knot, and draw up as short as the horse will 
 bear without running around, tying quickly. This will bring 
 the horse in the form of a half-circle — his head fast to his tail 
 by the halter strap. Your object is to break up his confidence 
 in himself, and nothing on earth, no process you can subject 
 him to do, will do it half so soon as this. Should he not run 
 around very freely, touch him behind with the whip, which will 
 cause him to move sharply. Simply keeping him moving until 
 he falls down by becoming dizzy, which he will do inside of a 
 minute and a half. Let him lie a few minutes; then tie him 
 in the opposite direction and put him through until he falls, or 
 is unable to move. Then put on your war bridle and give him 
 a few sharp jerks to the right and left, and show him you can 
 handle him by the head as well as by the tail ; and train him 
 until he will spring to the right and left and straight forward 
 when you ask him to — and then you are in a shape to put him 
 in harness. If he refuses to draw, step in front of him with 
 the bridle on, and fetch him either way first, and then straight 
 ahead ; and in a short time you will work it out of him. If at 
 any time your horse should become warm, set him away and 
 let him cool. You will gain time by it, for when sulky and 
 heated he is in no shape to learn. 
 
 KICKING IN HARNESS. 
 
 Kicking in harness is regarded as one of the worst and the 
 most dangerous habits that the horse has. How often do we 
 hear the remark made by dealers, " I care not what he will do 
 if he will not kick." It is generally the result in the first 
 instance of gross carelessness and bad management. The habit 
 in the colt, frequently, is formed by suffering the straps to 
 dangle about his flanks and legs, which frightens^ him and 
 makes him kick, as a matter of self-defence. In old horses the 
 habit usually is caused by some mishap while in harness, such 
 as hitching him too near, so that his heels touch the cross-bar, 
 or by a bolt of the thills coming out and letting the wagon on 
 his heels. 
 
 This fear must be broken up by habituating the horse to 
 bein«- touched, and made to bear the various causes of mischief 
 with'out the ability to resist ; when he, becoming convinced that 
 
11 
 
 there is no harm to he apprehended from them, he will give up 
 the hahit. Your main remedy is the foot strap. Put on your 
 foot strap, and as the horse moves off, say gently, whoa, and 
 instantly pull upon the strap, which throws him upon three 
 legs — and so contine until he will stop instantly when whoa is 
 called. Then tempt the horse to kick, and the next instant 
 take his foot. Put your strap between his hind legs, dangle it 
 all around him; use behind him any frightful object that he is 
 afraid of, and for the first few times in harness, use him with 
 the foot strap on, as the third rein. 
 
 KICKING IN STALL. 
 
 r- Put on the saddle part of a carriage harness and buckle on 
 tightly. Then take a short strap with a ring attached, and 
 buckle around the forward foot below the fetlock. To this 
 short strap attach another strap, which bring up and pass 
 through the turret; then return to the foot and run through 
 the ring in the short strap, then pass over the belly-band and 
 tie to the hind leg below the fetlock. With this attachment 
 on each side, the moment a horse kicks he pulls his forward 
 feet from under and trips himself upon his knees, which he will 
 be very careful not to do but a few times. 
 
 HALTER PULLING. 
 
 Put on the war bridle and train the horse about until he will 
 come to you readily when you pull upon him a little sideways. 
 Simply repeat this, gradually a little more on a line with his 
 body at each repetition, until he will yield as readily to being 
 pulled forward as sideways. Now take him to the post and 
 run your bridle through the ring, but do not tie ; keep hold of 
 it in your hand and frighten him back, as he starts to run back, 
 give him a quick, sharp pull, then let go. Do not hang on, 
 even if he draws the bridle out of the ring. Fetch him up 
 again, and repeat, and at the third or fourth trial you will not 
 be able to make him pull. Then do not consider him broke, 
 by any means, but repeat whenever he has the habit of pulling 
 at the post in the street, in the stall, or wherever it may be. 
 Another plan is : Tie a strap or a piece of rope around the 
 body where the harness saddle rests, now lead the horse to his 
 manger or to a post, run the halter strap through the ring or 
 hole, and pass back between the fore legs, over the strap or 
 rope tied around the body, and tie to the hind leg, below the 
 fetlock. You now step forward to his head and make him pull. 
 
12 
 
 Of course he will go back with a rush, but the moment he at- 
 tempts going back the halter strap pulls directly upon his hind 
 leg, which friglitens him behind, and he steps forward to get 
 out of difficulty. Three or four lessons will usually break up 
 the habit ; but do not be afraid of making him pull. Frighten 
 him back by all means possible. The more you can make him 
 pull upon himself at first, the quicker he will give it up. 
 
 THE HORSE BAD TO SHOE. 
 
 Usually, all horses bad to shoe, can be shod by attaching to 
 his hind foot a short strap, and taking it in your right hand, 
 while you have the war bridle on him and in your left hand, 
 you pull Ms foot forward with the strap, at which he kicks, and 
 you reprove him with the war bridle, keeping his foot up with 
 the strap until he submits without resistance. But if your 
 subject is very bad, take a piece of webbing, a strap, or a rope, 
 about twelve feet long, step before the horse and tie one end 
 of it in a loop around the neck where the collar rests. Now 
 pass the other end back between the fore legs, around the near 
 hind leg, below the fetlock, and bring forward outside of the 
 left fore leg, and put through the loop around the neck ; now 
 step a little in front of the horse and take hold of this strap 
 and pull back upon it, until you bring the foot forward a very 
 little, just so that when he undertakes to step he can just reach 
 the floor a little ; in a few minutes more take up his foot as far 
 forward as you can, when you can hold it very easily. He will 
 struggle to free the foot by kicking, but you must let him 
 struggle, and if he undertakes to run backward, whirl him 
 around by the head until he will yield his foot. As soon as he 
 yields a little, handle it gently until he will sufi'er you to handle 
 it while back in its natural position. Be sure and rub the leg 
 very carefully when you put it down, and use a soft strap or 
 piece of webbing, for fear you may chafe the foot. 
 
 RUNNING AWAY. 
 
 Put on the foot strap, and when he attempts to run take up 
 his foot, making him run and tripping him every time he wall 
 not stop instantly at the word whoa. Should he be extremely 
 willful, he may run on three legs. If you mistrust so, attach 
 another strap to the opposite foot. Then make him run, and 
 if he will not stop for the taking up of one foot, take up the 
 second, which will destroy his confidence in short order. This 
 will eff'ectually beat any runaway horse or team. 
 
13 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 Mankind are too apt to depend upon tteir strength to beat 
 the horse without making any use of their reasoning powers to 
 out-general him — and, in many instances, such an exercise of 
 tyranny over the horse only engenders a rebellious spirit on the 
 part of the animal. Therefore lay aside your strength, and use 
 your reason ; be moderate, be temperate. No man can become 
 a good horseman, and not have first learned to control himself, 
 before he attempts to control the animal. Be firm, be perse- 
 vering, be honest — never lie to your horse. Endeavor to have 
 him understand what you want, and do not confuse him by at- 
 taching difi'erent meanings to the same word. It is quite com- 
 mon to say whoa, when it is only intended to go slower ; or 
 when the horse has not stirred a foot, to let him know of your 
 presence, and then when you want a whoa — when your life may 
 depend upon your having a good whoa upon your horse— you 
 find you have not got it. You have played it entirely out of 
 him. Never say whoa, unless you mean to stop right there. 
 Speak always in a natural tone of voice, on all occasions.^ 
 
 Have your horse understand by examination and experience, 
 that things liable to frighten are harmless; and be sure not to 
 whip for being frightened. Always let your horse face the 
 object of fear ; and, when frightened, remember the slower you 
 move your horse, the more power you have over him. There 
 are times when letting a horse trot is almost as bad as letting 
 him run away. . 
 
 Fear is something a horseman should never exhibit m his 
 countenance or voice, as the horse is a close observer, and soon 
 learns to take advantage of such indications, to become careless 
 of control, if not, indeed, aggressive. Let your lessons be 
 thorough, but not very long. Be gentle and patient with the 
 eolt, but make the willful, stubborn horse feel the full extent 
 of your power until he submits. Though if he should become 
 much heated and excited, it is prudent to stop, and repeat the 
 lesson at some future time; but repeat until there is thorough 
 and unconditional submission. Let your treatment be charac- 
 terized by gentleness afterward. 
 
 TRICKS. 
 
 As many of my scholars may wish to know how to teach 
 their horses tricks, I will explain how it may be done. Teach- 
 ing a young horse a few tricks serves greatly to keep up an 
 interest in him, and makes him appear intelligent, fearless and 
 
14 
 
 affectionate. In teaching your horse to perform tricks, it is 
 best to give liim one or two lessons of half or three-quarters 
 of an hour each, daily. 
 
 TO COME AT THE CRACK OF THE WHIP, OB AT THE WORD OP 
 COMMAND. 
 
 Put on the war bridle, stand off a few feet from his head, 
 holding the end of the bridle in your left hand and the whip in 
 the right. Crack the whip a little, and say, come here, sir. He 
 does not know what this means, but you show him by pulling on 
 the bridle a little, which he will obey by moving towards you a 
 few steps, This movement you thank him for by stepping for- 
 ward and giving him a little apple or a few kernels of corn, 
 and caressing him gently ; then repeat in the same way, reward- 
 ing him as before, and so continue until he will walk up to you 
 readily when you crack the whip, or say, eome here, sir, which 
 he will soon learn to do. Each time he comes to you, talk to 
 him kindly, and do not fail to give him his little reward of 
 corn, apple, oats, or something of the kind which he likes. 
 You can now take off his halter and turn him loose, and repeat 
 until he fully comprehends that the way to avoid the whip is 
 to come to you, which, with the encouragement of rewarding, 
 will soon inspire his fullest confidence, and he will come to you 
 and follow like a dog. 
 
 Be very cautious about the use of the whip or harsh language, 
 remembering that perfect, cheerful obedience is your object, 
 and that can be secured only by great patience and gentleness. 
 
 TO MAKE A BOW. 
 
 Take a pin in your right hand, between the thumb and fore 
 finger, and stand up before but a little to the left of your horse. 
 Then prick him on the breast very lightly, as if a fly biting, 
 which to relieve he will bring down his head, which you will 
 accept as yes, and for which you will reward by caressing and 
 feeding as before. Then repeat, and so continue until he will 
 bring his head down the moment he sees the least motion of 
 your liand towards his breast, or substitute some signal which 
 he will understand readily. 
 
 TO SAY NO. 
 
 Stand by your horse near the shoulder, holding the same pin 
 in your hand, with which prick him liohtly on the withers, and 
 to drive which away he will shake his head. You then caress 
 
15 
 
 aa before, and repeating, until he will shake his head at the 
 least indication of your touching him with the pin; you. can 
 train your horse so nicely in this way in a short time as to 
 cause him to shake his head or bow by merely turning the 
 hand a little, or moving it slightly toward him. 
 
 TO LIE DOWN. 
 
 To teach a horse how to do this trick quickly, you must lay 
 him down two or three times, or as often as you will find it 
 necessary to make him understand your object. If an old 
 horse, strap the near foreleg up to the arm, then take your little 
 strap, preyiously used to hamper your colt with, and place over 
 the back and strap around the off fore foot, below the fetlock. 
 Then take the bridle rein firmly in your left hand, about eigh- 
 teen inches from the head, and pull it a little towards you. The 
 moment he steps pull upon the strap over the body, which will 
 bring the horse on his knees. Hold him quietly, at the same 
 time talking to him gently. When he springs, pull sharply 
 with the left hand, and at the same instant pull down with the 
 right, which will swing him around you and prevent his rising 
 high enough to injure his knees by the momentum of the body 
 in coming' down. By being gentle, the horse will usually lie 
 down in a short time. When down, treat your horse with the 
 greatest attention and kindness. After holding him down ten 
 or fifteen minutes permit him to get up. Repeat this lesson 
 until he will come down readily. Then use only the strap over 
 the back, and which have on the near foot, and bring him on 
 his knees gently, when he will soon lie down. When he will 
 come on his knees readily by taking up the foot in this way, 
 take up the foot with the hand, asking him to lie down. He 
 will soon come down. When he will come on his knees readily 
 by taking up the foot with the hand, simply stoop as if intend- 
 ing to take it up, saying, "lie down, sir." Then make him come 
 down by a motion of the hand, and, finally, by simply telling 
 him to lie down. If a colt, use but the single strap over the 
 body at first, which will soon cause him to come on his knees. 
 In teaching a horse to lie down, be gentle, caress and reward 
 him for lying down, and your horse comprehending what you 
 want, and finding himself paid for compliance, will soon 
 be as anxious to get down for the reward as you are to have 
 him do so. 
 
16 
 
 TO SIT UP. 
 
 When your horse will lie down readily you can then teach 
 him to sit up like a dog, easily. If young, and not very heavy 
 and sti-ong, you can easily prevent his getting up without tying 
 down. First cause him to lie down, having on him a common 
 bridle, with the reins over the neck, then step behind him and 
 place the right foot firmly upon the tail, the reins in your hands. 
 Then say, "sit up, sir!" 
 
 The horse, rising from a recumbent position, first turns on 
 his belly, throws out his forward feet and raises himself on 
 them, springs forward and rises on his hind feet. Now, stand- 
 ing upon his tail firmly, and pulling back upon the reins when 
 he attempts to spring forward and up, will prevent his doing 
 so, and you holding him sitting up. 
 
 Hold him firmly a few seconds, talking to him kindly, before 
 permitting him to rise on his feet. Repeat a few times, when, 
 instead of springing up, he will sit on his haunches a short 
 time, which you are to accept as complying with your wishes. 
 Always say, "sit up, sir!" every time, and hold him in this 
 position as long as he will bear, by fondling and feeding him 
 with something he likes, from the hand, and your horse will 
 soon learn to sit up for you as long as you please. 
 
 But if your horse is heavy and strong, it will be necessary 
 to resort to other means to hold him down at first. ^ This you 
 do by putting on his neek a common collar and causing him to 
 lie down. Then fasten a piece of rope, or a rein, to each hind 
 foot, and bring forward through the collar and draw up close, 
 which will bring the hind feet well forward. Then step behind, 
 as before, and when he attempts to rise on his hind feet he 
 finds it impossible to do so, because you hold him firmly with 
 those straps. Repeat two or three times, when it will not be 
 necessary to resort to such force. 
 
 TO TEACH YOUR HORSE TO KISS YOU. 
 
 Teach him first to take an apple out of your hand. Then 
 gradually raise the hand nearer your mouth, at each reception, 
 until you require him to take it from your mouth, holding it 
 with the hand, telling him at the same time to kiss you. He 
 will soon learn to reach his nose up to your mouth, first to get 
 his apple, but finally because commanded to do so. Simply 
 repeat until your horse understands the trick thoroughly. 
 
17 
 
 TO SHAKE HANDS. 
 
 Tie a short strap, or piece of cord, to the forward foot, below 
 the fetlock. Stand directly before the horse, holding the end 
 of the strap or cord in your hand, then say, " shake hands, 
 sir," and immediately after commanding him to do so, pull 
 upon the strap, which will bring his foot forward, and which 
 you are to accept as shaking hands, thanking him for it by 
 caressing and feeding, and so repeat until, when you make the 
 demand, he will bring the foot forward in anticipation of having 
 it pulled up. This is a very easy trick to teach a horse. By 
 a little practice, a horse may be easily trained to approach, 
 make a bow, shake hands, follow like a dog, lie down, sit up, 
 &c., which make him appear both polite and intelligent. 
 
 Never lose courage or confidence in your ability, because 
 you may not bring about good results easily. To accomplish 
 any thing of importance, remember, requires no ordinary reso- 
 lution and perseverance. There would be no credit or import- 
 ance attached to managing and mastering bad horses, if not 
 difficult and apparently dangerous. No duty requires more 
 firmness of purpose in the control of the passions, or more 
 fidelity to the principles of kindness and truth, than that of 
 horsemanship. 
 
 If you would be a really successful horseman, you must never 
 seem to forget, by your conduct, that you are a man, and that 
 your real superiority over the animal consists in the prudent 
 exercise of your reasoning powers. Brute force is not your 
 forte, and the instant you give way to passion, your reason must 
 yield to the control of blind instinct, and you at once abdicate 
 your intellectual superiority over the animal. Try to prove, 
 by the example of your actions in the performance of the duty, 
 that to be a good horseman, requires higher qualifications of 
 fitness than that of the huckstering, dishonesty and depravity 
 so generally evinced in the conduct of those claiming the 
 distinction. 
 
SHOEING 
 
 If we examine the horse's foot while in the natural state, it 
 will be found to be almost round, and very elastic at the heels. 
 The frocr is broad, plump, and of a soft yielding character ; the 
 commissures open and well defined, and the sole concave ; the 
 outside of the crust, from the heels to the toe, increased from a 
 slight level to an angle of about forty-five degrees. Conse- 
 quently as the hoof grows, it becomes longer and wider m 
 proportion to the amount of horn secreted, and the narrower 
 and shorter in proportion to the amount of horn cut away from 
 the ground surface. If a shoe were fitted nicely and accurately 
 to the foot after being dressed down well, it would be found 
 too narrow and short for the same foot after the lapse of a few 
 weeks Now, if an unyielding shoe of iron is nailed lirmly to 
 this naturally enlarging and elastic hoof, it prevents its natural 
 freedom of expansion almost wholly, and does not, as the toot 
 erows down, allow it to become wider at the quarters, in pro- 
 portion to the quantity of horn grown, as before being shod; 
 and consequently, the foot changes from the continued effect of 
 the restraint, from an almost round, healthy foot, to a contrac- 
 ted and unhealthy condition, as generally seen m horses shod 
 for a few years. The principles which should govern in shoeing 
 are few and simple, and it is surprising that a matter invoying 
 such serious consequences, should be conducted with so little 
 consideration. The object of the shoer should be, in trimming 
 and preparing the hoof for the shoe, to keep the foot natural, 
 and this involves, first, the cutting away of any undue accumu- 
 lation of horn affecting in the least its health and freedom 
 
 Second. To carry out in the form of the shoe that ot the 
 foot as nearly as possible. , ^ , ^ • . 
 
 Third. To fit and fasten the shoe to the foot so as to inter- 
 fere least with its health and elasticity. , u i. ^ 
 
 The object in preparing the foot for the shoe, should be to 
 remove any undue accumulation of horn. designed to prevent its 
 natural bearing, and the free, healthy action of its parts, and 
 requires the cutting away about tho proportion contact with the 
 ground would have worn off, or so much as had grown since 
 
19 
 
 being shod last. If the shoes have been on a month, then the 
 proportion of horn secreted in the time is to be remov.ed. If 
 on two months, then the proportion of two months' growth. 
 No definite rule can be given ; the judgment must be governed 
 by the circumstances of the case. The stronger and more 
 rapid the growth of the foot, the more must be cut away ; and 
 the weaker and less horn produced, the less, to the extreme of 
 simply leveling the crust a little, the better to conform to the 
 shoe. There is, generally, a far more rapid growth of corn at 
 the toe than at either the heels or the quarters ; more, there- 
 fore, will require to be taken off the toe than off the other 
 parts. Therefore shorten the toe and lower the heels until 
 you succeed in bringing doAvn the bearing surface of the hoof 
 upon the shoe to almost a level with the live horn of the sole. 
 Be careful to make the heels level. 
 
 Having lowered the crust to the necessary extent with the 
 buttress or knife, smooth it down level with the rasp. The 
 sole and frog detach the old horn by exfoliation as it becomes 
 superbaundant. The sole, therefore, would not need paring 
 were it not for the restraining effect of the shoe upon the gene- 
 ral functions of the foot, which is liable to prevent such detach- 
 ment of the horn. 
 
 When this is the case, the sole should be properly dressed 
 out with an English shave, the end of which is shaped like an 
 iron used at saw mills to mark and measure boards. The but- 
 tress is too large and square-edged to dress out so concave a 
 surface properly, and unless great care is exercised it will not 
 only penetrate through the sole in some places, but leave others 
 entirely neglected. While a good workman may work well with 
 almost any kind of tools, such have also the faculty of adapting 
 tools to the work. A horse's foot is not to be hacked and cut, 
 as if only a block of lifeless wood, and if even a lifeless machine, 
 what care would be found necessary to preserve its harmony of 
 action complete. The buttress does not seem to me to be at 
 all adapted to dressing out the sole, and should not be used for 
 that purpose. While I am obliged to find fault with the care- 
 lessness of blacksmiths in this respect, it is with the spirit of 
 kindness, sensible that I am myself only a dull pupil in the 
 work of reform, and perhaps deserving severe criticism. 
 
 I would be particular, also, in impressing the necessity of 
 not confounding the bars with the substance of the sole, and 
 cutting them down to common level wdth the sole. Any man 
 of common sense can see that the bearing of the bars should 
 
20 
 
 be equal to the outside of the crust upon the shoe, and that 
 they offer a decided resistance to the contraction ot the heels. 
 The cutting away of the bars, to give the heel an open appear- 
 ance, is inexcusable, and should not be done. 
 
 In a natural, healthy condition, the frog has a line of bear- 
 ing with the hoof, and by its elastic nature acts as a safeguard 
 to the delicate machinery of the foot immediately over it, and 
 helns to preserve the foot in its natural state, by keeping the 
 heels spread. It seems to be wisely intended to give life and 
 health to the foot. Permitting the heels to grow down, with 
 the addition of high-heeled shoes, raises the frog from its natu- 
 ral position and causes it to shrink and harden, and bears, m 
 consequence, an important influence in setting up a diseased 
 action that usually results in the contraction of the foot. It 
 the heels are square and high, and the hoof presents rather a 
 long, narrow appearance, and is hollow in the bottom, there la 
 a state of contraction going on, and you must not hesitate to 
 dress down thoroughly. Do not hesitate because the foot will 
 appear small; cut away until you are well down to a level with 
 the live horn of the sole, and if the foot is weak use the same 
 prudence in not cutting it away too much. The shoer must 
 also bear in mind that the sole must not rest upon the shoe. 
 The sole, when not clogged with old horn, acts as a spring to 
 the weight of the horse, and if it rests upon the shoe an in- 
 flammation may be caused by the pressure of the coffin bone 
 upon the sensitive lamina, which are liable, in consequence to 
 be so bruised as to cause soreness and inflammation, ihe 
 effects of such bruises are most common at the angle ot the 
 inner heel, where the descending heel of the coffin bone, forci- 
 bly pressing the soft, sensible sole upon the horny sole, is apt 
 to rupture one or more of the small blood vessels of the deli.ate 
 fleshy substance connecting the crust to the coffin bone of the 
 part, causing red spots, called corns. T^^* ^^^^^^^V ' ! 
 dressed down, and the shoe so approximate, that the bearing 
 will come evenly upon the crust all the way round, without the 
 sole touching the shoe. This requires the crust to be dressed 
 level, and though well down to the live horn of the sole, it 
 should always be left a little higher. n ^,,,^ 
 
 The corners between the bars and crust should be well pared 
 out, so that there is no danger of the sole resting upon the 
 
 ^ Presuming that I have said enough on the subject of paring, 
 I will now consider 
 
21 
 
 THE SHOE. 
 
 The main object should be to have the shoe so formed as to 
 size, weight, fitting and fastening, as to combine the most 
 advantages of protection, and preserve the natural tread of the 
 foot for best ; in weight, it should be proportioned to the work 
 or employment of the horse. The foot should not be loaded 
 with more iron than is necessarj to preserve it. If the hoof is 
 light, the shoe should be light also ; but if the horse works 
 principally on the road, his sheos should be rather heavy. In 
 its natural state, the foot has a concave sole surface, which 
 seems to offer the greatest fulcrum of resistance to the horse 
 when traveling. Most of the shoes I exhibit are fashioned on 
 this principle, and, aside form the advantages of lightness and 
 strength, they are considered to be an improvement upon the 
 common flat shoe. 
 
 Geo. H. Dodd, veterinary surgeon, said lately in a letter on 
 shoeing : " The action of concave feet may be compared to that 
 of the claws of a cat, or the nails on the fingers and toes of a 
 man ; the nails and toes are the fulcrum; they grasp, as it were, 
 the object with which they come in contact, and thus they secure 
 a fulcrum of resistance when traveling or grasping. Now in 
 order to preserve the natural mechanical action of the horn and 
 sole, the ground sarface of the shoe must correspond exactly 
 with the ground surface of the foot ; that is, the ground sur- 
 face of the shoe must be beveled, cup fashion; its outer edge 
 being prominent, corresponds to the lower and outer rim of the 
 hoof; while the shoe being hollow, it resembles the natural 
 concavity of the sole of the foot. No matter what may be the 
 form of the foot, whether it be high or low heeled, contracted 
 at the heels, lengthened or shortened at the toe, or having a 
 concave or convex sole it matters not, the ground surface of 
 the shoe must be concave. In every other part of the shoe, 
 alterations, deviations from any given rule or form are needed, 
 in eonsequence of the ever varying form of the foot, and the 
 condition of the same, both as regards health and disease ; but 
 the sole of the foot being concave, presents a pattern for the 
 ground surface of the shoe, which the smith, with all his skill, 
 cannot improve on, and if all such craftsmen were to follow 
 this pattern more closely than they do, there would be fewer 
 accidents in falling, and a less number of lame horses.*' 
 
 The shoe should be of an equal thickness all the way round, 
 perfectly level on the top side, and concave on the ground sur- 
 face. I cannot see the propriety, as given by a standard author, 
 
22 
 
 of seating all the shoes alike, and of carrying it well back to 
 the heel. Seating appears to be necessary only for flat-footed 
 horses, or the inside edge of the shoe must be lowered from the 
 possible bearing of the 'sole, and enough to run a picker round 
 between the shoe and hoof, to remove any gravel or foreign 
 matter, that may find a lodgment between the sole and shoe.^ If 
 there is much space between the sole and the shoe, it invites 
 the accumulation of gravel and other substances injurious to the 
 foot. If the seating is carried well back, and the shoe so wide 
 that the heels, instead of bearing on a level surface, as they 
 should, come down upon this inclined plane, it tends to crowd 
 them together. If the shoe is not wide in the web, and the foot 
 strong and arched, it may be made entirely level on the top. At 
 all e^^ents, that portion upon which rests the heels and crust, 
 must be level, and should be fitted accurately. The shoe should 
 be continued completely round toward the heels as far as the 
 crust extends, as large as the full unrasped hoof ; but no part 
 must project beyond it, excepting at the extreme of the heels. 
 The expansion of the heels and the growth of the foot, require 
 that the shoe should be long enough and wide enough at the 
 heels to allow for the natural growth of the foot, in the time it 
 is calculated the shoe should be on before being reset ; for as 
 the foot enlarges, the shoe is brought forward, until it loses its 
 original proportion, and becomes too short and narrow. The 
 sho'e may be about a quarter of an inch wider and longer than 
 the extreme bearing of the heels. The nail holes should be 
 punched coarse, and in the center of the web. If the hind 
 shoe, four on the side and well forward ; if the forward shoe, 
 four 'on the outside, and two or three well forward in the inside 
 toe, as found necessary to retain the shoe. The manner of 
 fastening the shoe is what really affects the foot, and which 
 requires the most special attention in shoeing. For the foot 
 being elastic, expands in the same degree to the weight of the 
 bod/ on the rough that it does on the nicely fitted shoe. It is 
 the number and position of the nails that really affect the foot. 
 If they are placed well back in the quarters, four on the side, 
 as is common, the crust is held as firmly to this unyielding shoo 
 as if in a vice, which utterly prevents the free action necessary 
 to its health. Inflammation of the sensitive laminse is pro- 
 duced, which causes contraction, and the consequent derange- 
 ment of the whole foot. No matter how well shaped a boot 
 may be, if it is too short and small for the free action of the 
 foot when in use, it is a cause of continual torment, and induces 
 
23 
 
 the irritation of inverted toe nails and corns of the most aggra- 
 vating character. 
 
 The principle is precisely the same in shoeing horses ; if the 
 free natural expansion of the feet is prevented by the shoe 
 being so nailed to the hoof as to obstruct its expansion and the 
 possibility of the quarters spreading in proportion to the growth 
 of the hoof, there must result an irritation of the fleshy sub- 
 stance between the crust and the cof&n bone, that ultimately sets 
 up so much diseased action on the parts, as to cause contraction 
 and mavicular disease. Now shoes may be securely fastened 
 without causing such mischief, if the following method of nail- 
 ing be observed : 
 
 Drive four nails on the outer side of the foot, same as com- 
 mon, while you drive but two or three well forward in the toe 
 of the opposite, which leaves the inner quarter virtually free 
 and independent of the shoe ; for the outride of the foot being 
 the only part fastened, carries the whole shoe with it at every 
 expansion, while the inner side being unattached, expands inde- 
 pendently of it, and the foot is left as nearly as possible in a 
 state of nature, so far as its power of expansion is concerned. 
 The reader may ask, will this style of nailing hold shoes on the 
 feet of the horse of all work? I answer, yes. Experience has 
 fully demonstreted that seven nails will hold shoes on ordinary 
 feet, for any purpose, if the shoes are properly fitted, for a 
 period of from four to seven weeks, which is as long as shoes 
 ought to be on without resetting. 
 
 If the shoes are made with little clips at the toes to prevent 
 being pushed under the toes, less nailing will be required. If 
 seven nails are found to be necessary, you can drive three in a 
 space of an inch and a quarter, well forward in the toe, though 
 in most cases two will be found to answer the purpose. Turn 
 down the clinchers strongly. Nothing should be done for what 
 is called fancy. The hoof should never be rasped or filed above 
 the clinchers. The hoof is covered by a peculiar enamel that 
 prevents the too rapid evaporation of moisture from the horn 
 and must not be disturbed. The practice of rasping, filing and 
 sand papering the hoof to make it look nice, only produces 
 mischief, and should not be permitted. 
 
 Horses kept for light driving, and irregular work, and par- 
 ticularly those having rather square, upright heels, should be 
 shod on the one-sided nailing principle, as the feet of such horses 
 are much disposed to contraction. So far as observation and 
 experience teach me, I find proper attention to paring down 
 
24 
 
 the feet and fastening the shoe, so as not to interfere with the 
 free expansion of the hoof, as above, will remedy contraction; 
 though attention to growing down the crust and the application 
 of shoes that are slightly convex, or beveled out, so as to have 
 a tendency to spread the heels when the weight of the body is 
 thrown upon the foot, and fastening on the principle of the 
 inside quarter being left free, is regarded as much better But 
 the blacksmith must be a good workman to fashion and ht a 
 shoe in this way properly. The nails should not be driven higher 
 in the crust than seven-eighths of an inch and not so deep as 
 to possibly strike through to the quick. If the foot is light 
 and shows a thin, delicate crust, the nails should be small and 
 not driven high or deep into the horn. As a rule, the fewer 
 and smaller the nails used, provided they secure the shoe to the 
 foot with safety, the better. Shoes should be reset or replaced, 
 as often as once a month; though in some cases it may not be 
 necessary to reset quite so often. It is a positive necessity at 
 six, and must not be neglected longer than seven or eight weeks. 
 
 INTERFERING SHOES. 
 
 To prevent interfering, know what part of the foot hits the 
 opposite ankle. This you can do by wrapping the ankle with 
 a rag nicely, which color with some kind of coloring matter 
 over where the opposite foot hits. Then drive the horse until 
 you can discover, by some of this coloring matter adhering, 
 what portion of the crust hits the ankle. Remove this portion 
 of the crust, and have the shoe set well under the foot, but 
 carefully fitted, so as to support the foot safely by the bearing 
 of the bar and heel. The hoof should be pared lowest on the 
 outside, to turn the ankle, that the outer hoof may pass clear. 
 Yet if the inside sole is not dressed, the rim soon breaks, and 
 the inside is found to be actually lower than the outside. Shoes, 
 to prevent interfering, should be light and of narrow web on 
 the inside, with three nail holes near the toe. They should be 
 straight at the point where they come m contact with the ankle 
 of the oposite leg. Bv adhering strictly to this principle of 
 paring the foot, and fitting and fastening of the shoe, you will 
 prevent a recurrence of the difficulty. 
 
 Shoes to prevent over-reaching should be long, and for the 
 forward feet, heavy, especially at the heels ; and for the hmd 
 feet, light, with heavy toes. The hoof should be well pared at 
 the toe. 
 
25 
 
 TO CURE CORNS. 
 
 Cut the horn well down, but not to the quick; fit the shoe so 
 that it does not press upon the part. Then saturate well with 
 pine or sap gum, which is found exhuding from pine trees when 
 cut. Fill the part nicely with tow, and put on the shoe, remem- 
 bering that the shoe must be so fitted as not to oblige the part 
 to support but very slightly, if any, the weight of the horse. 
 This remedy was given me by an intelligent shoer, and is cer- 
 tainly good. Horses with corns must be oftener and more 
 carefully shod than those free from them. 
 
 In shoeing, strive to keep the form of the foot natural. If 
 the hoofs are not flat and weak, the shoes should set out evenly 
 to the edge of the crust under the toe. Let the nails be driven 
 well forward in the toe, or what is much better, be placed well 
 round in the outside quarter, and as far forward in the toe of 
 the inside as possible, and as few as will be found by experience 
 necessary to retain the shoe. Be positive in the enforcement 
 of this rule; and lastly, have the shoes reset at least once 
 every six or seven weeks. 
 
 HECIPES. 
 
 The following Recipes have been gathered from sources 
 entitled to the fullest confidence, as remedies of great value, 
 and some of them at an unusual cost, and they are presented 
 with the hope of being fully appreciated. 
 
 It is well to remember, that to keep horses in health is much 
 more important, less troublesome, and requires less skill than 
 to cure sick ones. Abuse, overwork and exposure, should be 
 guarded against, if the serious consequences of inflammation of 
 the lungs, colic, etc., are to be avoided; and should your horse 
 be sick, it is always best to be cautious about doctoring too 
 much, or until you are sure of what is necessary to be done. 
 
 FOR INFLAM3IATI0N OF THE LUNGS IN THE HORSE. 
 
 First, a thorough bleeding ; then would give tinct. veratrum 
 viride, J oz. ; laudanum, 4 ozs. ; tinct. aconite, J oz.; shake 
 
2G 
 
 well together, and give a teaspoonful every tliree or four hours, 
 in some water well sweetened ; and if it does not bring down 
 the pulse the dose can be gradually increased to a tablespoon- 
 ful, and as soon as the horse recovers so as to eat and lie down 
 naturally, would keep hira on hay alone, perhaps with a few car- 
 rots or potatoes, and daily give a bran mash with saltpetre, crude 
 antimony and sulphur, for ten or fifteen days, and you will pre- 
 vent dropsy of the chest, which is a sequel of that disease. 
 
 FOR COLIC IN HORSES. 
 
 Sulph. ether, 1 pint ; aromatic spirits ammonia, 1 pint; sweet 
 spirits nitre, 2 pints ; opium, J lb. ; assafoetida, (pure) J lb. ; 
 camphor, J lb. ; put in a large bottle, let stand fourteen days, 
 with frequent shaking, and it will be fit for use. Does 2 ozs. 
 every two, three or four hours, until the horse is relieved. 
 Should be given in water well sweetened. 
 
 Another Remedy — One oz. laudanum ; 1 oz. sweet spirits of 
 nitre ; 1 oz. tinct. assafoetida ; 1 tablespoonful capsicum ; from 
 2 to 3 oz. carbonate soda ; \ pint whisky ; J pint water.^ Mix 
 and give at one dose, and if no better in twenty-five minutes, 
 repeat half dose. 
 
 FOR SPAVIN. 
 
 Five ozs. euphorbium ; 2 ozs. Spanish flies (fine) ; 1 oz. iodine, 
 dissolved with alcohol ; ^ oz. red precipitate ; 1 oz. corrosive 
 sublim. ; J oz. quicksilver ; 6 ozs. hog's lard ; 6 ozs. white 
 turpentine ; \ lb. verdigris. Melt the lard and the turpentine 
 together, then while hot add all together. Mix well ; when 
 cold fit for use. Rub it in thoroughly on the spavin every day 
 for three days, then wash clean with soap suds ; omit for three 
 days, and then repeat for three days again, and so on until a 
 perfect cure is produced. Should it blister, use it more cau- 
 tiously. 
 
 A PREPARATION FOR BLOOD SPLVIN. 
 
 One-half pound of blood-root, 1 quart of alcohol, 2 ozs. of 
 tannin, and quarter of a pound of alum. Mix and let it stand, 
 shaking it several times a day, till the strength is all in the 
 alcohol, and bathe the spavin twice a day, rubbing it in with 
 the hand. 
 
 HEAVES. 
 
 Take smart-weed, steep it in boiling water till the strength 
 is all out ; give one quart every day, mixed with bran or shorts, 
 
27 
 
 for eight or ten days. Give green or cut feed, wet witli water, 
 during the operation, and it will cure. 
 
 TO COVER HEAVES. 
 
 Oil tar, 1 oz. ; oil amber, 1 oz. Mix and give 15 or 20 drops 
 in feed daily. 
 
 FOR STIFLE. 
 
 First, prepare your medicine. Take 4 qts. white oak bark — 
 rasped; put it into 8 qts. water, boil 2 qts. ; turn off the liquid 
 while hot, and add a three-penny paper of tobacco. Now let 
 stand until a little above blood heat. Now heat a flat iron or 
 a brick, then proceed immediately to put the stifle in its place. 
 Now bathe it thoroughly with the decoction about five minutes, 
 then apply your flat-iron as near as the animal will bear, until 
 all absorbed. Then give the animal rest for one hour, and if 
 it should possibly slip out again, repeat as before, observing 
 care about straining for a few days. 
 
 Another Remedy. — One oz. sugar of lead ; 1 pint alcohol. 
 Mix and apply three or four times a day, until a cure is pro- 
 duced. 
 
 SCRATCHES. 
 
 Hydrate of potassa, 10 grs. ; pulvd. nutgall, \ oz. ; white 
 lead, \ oz. ; pulvd. opium, \ oz. ; hog's lard, \ lb. 
 
 Another Remedy. — One quart good vinegar; ^ lb. litharge. 
 Mix and simmer down to half the quantity ; strain and apply. 
 
 FOR WINDGALLS. 
 
 Olive oil, 3 ozs. ; nitric acid, 1 oz. Rubbed in as much daily 
 or every second or third day as it will bear without starting 
 the hair. 
 
 GREASE. 
 
 Two ozs. flour sulphur; J oz. verdigris. Mix and apply 
 after washing. 
 
 TO RECRUIT A HORSE HIND-BOUND, OR OTHERWISE OUT OF 
 
 SORTS. 
 
 Nit. potassa ( or saltpetre), 4 ozs. ; crude antimon}^, 1 oz. ; 
 sulphur, 3 ozs. Nitrate of potassa and antimony should be 
 finely pulverized, then add the sulphur, and mix them well 
 together. Dose, a tablespoonful of the mixture in a bran mash, 
 daily. 
 
28 
 
 MAGIC LINIMENT. 
 
 Two ounces oil of spike, two ounces origanum, two ounces 
 of hemlock, two ounces of wormwood, four ounces of sweet oil, 
 two ounces spirit ammonia, two ounces of gum camphor, two 
 ounces spirits turpentine, and one quart of proof spirits, nine 
 per cent. Mix well together and bottle tight. For sprains, 
 bruises, lameness, etc., this liniment is unsurpassed, and origi- 
 nally cost (which is worth) one hundred dollars. This is the 
 same liniment, without the turpentine, which has achieved such 
 wonderful cures for human ailments. For domestic purposes, 
 it is invaluable. 
 
 LINIMENT FOR OPEN WOUNDS. 
 
 Take of sulphate of copper (copperas), 1 oz.; white vitrol, 
 2 ozs.; muriate of soda (salt), 2 oz. ; oil linseed, 2 ozs. ; 
 Orleans molasses, 8 ozs. ; boil over a slow fire fifteen minutes, 
 in a pint of urine, all of the above ingredients ; when nearly 
 cold, add one oz. of oil of vitrol and 4 ozs. of spirits of tur- 
 pentine, and bottle for use. Apply it to the wound with a 
 quill, which will soon set the wound to discharging, and per- 
 form a cure in a few days. Be careful to keep the wound 
 covered, either by a bandage or a plaster. Should be applied 
 once or twice a day until it discharges freely. 
 
 SIMPLE LINIMENT. 
 
 Put into spirits of turpenting all the camphor gum it will 
 cut, when for ordinary purposes.it is fit for use ; but if designed 
 to reduce pain, add as much laudanum as there is turpentine. 
 This liniment is as good as it is simple. 
 
 COUaH POWDERS. 
 
 Camphor, 1 oz. ; tartar emetic, 1 oz. ; nit. potassa, 2 ozs. ; 
 and digitalis, 1 drachm, if you choose. 
 
 RECIPE FOR MAKING CONDITION POWDERS. 
 
 Take one pound of ginger, one pound of anise seed pulver- 
 ized, one ounce of fenugreek seed, two ounces of ginseng root 
 pulverized, one ounce of the seed of sumac berries, pulverized, 
 one ounce of antimony. Mix it with a pound of brawn sugar. 
 This is excellent for coughs, colds, or to give a horse an appetite. 
 
29 
 
 ATTI-SPASMODIC TINCTURE, FOR MAN OR HORSE. 
 
 Oil of cajeput, 1 oz. ; oil of cloves, 1 oz. ; oil of pepper- 
 mint, 1 oz. ; oil of anise, 1 oz. ; alcohol, 1 quart. Mix all 
 well together and bottle for use. Dose for a horse, 1 oz. every 
 15 minutes, in a little whisky and hot water, sweetened with 
 molasses; continue until relieved. Dose for a man, tea- 
 spoonful. 
 
 THRUSH. 
 
 Cleanse the foot out well, then crowd in fine salt and wash 
 with beef brine. 
 
 PHYSIC BALL. 
 
 Barbadoes aloes, 1 lb. ; syrup buckthorn, 3 ozs. ; cod liver 
 oil, 3 ozs. ; melt the whole and stir till cold. In winter, add a 
 little water ; make into eighteen pills, and give one every four 
 hours, or as much as will move the bowels. 
 
 DIURETIC DROPS 
 
 That are reliable for stoppage of water, foul water, or inflam- 
 mation of the kidneys, in all cases: 
 
 Take of sweet spirits of nitre, 4 ozs. ; balsam copaiba, 2 
 ozs. ; spirits of turpentine, 2 ozs. ; oil of juniper, 2 ozs. ; gum 
 camphor, pulverized, 1 oz. ; mix all together and shake well ; 
 bottle, and it is fit for use, for man or beast, under all circum- 
 stances where a diuretic is required. 
 
 Dose : For a horse, one ounce in half a pint of milk, once 
 in six hours ; for a man, one teaspoonful, in a teaspoonful of 
 milk, once in six hours. 
 
 Be sure to shake the ingredients up well, before turning out 
 for use. 
 
 TO CURE HORSE DISTEMPER. 
 
 If the glands of the neck are not swollen much, give half a 
 three cent paper of smoking tobacco, morning and evening, in 
 a warm bran mash, and give no hay, but a little fine cut straw, 
 wet, with bran mixed in. If the glands of the neck are swollen, 
 then apply a warm poultice made of wheat bran and hot vine- 
 gar, changing as often as the poultices get dry, and be sure and 
 get down all you can of flax-seed tea, or slippery elm tea will 
 answer the same purpose, and let this be his constant drink. 
 Be cautious to keep the horse from taking cold in any way, and 
 keep on a blanket, and thus you will save many a noble animal. 
 
30 
 
 Be cautious never to bleed your horse during the horse distem- 
 per, nor physic him any more than what you will be able to do 
 with your warm bran mash. 
 
 REMEDY FOR BOTS 
 
 Which will remove them in a few days : Take of oil of tur- 
 pentine, 8 ozs. ; alcohol, 1 qt. ; mix and bottle for use. Dose : 
 live ounces in the horse's feed, once a day for eight days, and 
 this will effectually remove the last vestige of the bots. 
 
 VEGETABLE CAUSTIC. 
 
 Make a strong ley of hickory or oak ashes, put into an iron 
 kettle and evaporate to the consistency of thin molasses ; then 
 remove into a sand bath, and continue the evaporation to the 
 consistency of honey. Keep it in a ground stopped glass jar. 
 This caustic is very valuable in fistulas, cancers,^ scrofulous 
 and indolent ulcers, particularly where there are sinuses, nec- 
 rosis (or decay of the bone), and in all cases where there is 
 proud flesh ; and also to excite a healthy action of the parts. 
 It removes fungous flesh without exciting inflammation, and acts 
 but little except on spongy or soft flesh. 
 
 FOR CURING WARTS. 
 
 Take corrosive sublimate and red precipitate, powdered and 
 mixed in equal parts ; will cure the worst wart in the world on 
 horses and cattle. 
 
 If the wart is large and loose, tie a fine strong cord around 
 it close to the skin. In a short time the wart will come off ; 
 then apply the powder until the wart is eaten down below the 
 skin ; then wash it off and rub on a little sweet oil, and it will 
 soon heal over. If the wart is dry, scratch it with a pin or the 
 point of a knife until it bleeds, then rub on the powder. It 
 will make a dry scab ; pick off the scab and put on the powder 
 again until it is all eaten off. 
 
 HOOF OINTMENT. 
 
 Take rosin, 4 ounces ; beeswax, 5 ounces ; lard, 2 lbs. Melt 
 together, and pour into a pot ; add 3 ounces of turpentine, 2 
 ounces finely pulverized verdigris, 1 pound tallow ; stir all until 
 cold. This is one of the best medicines for the hoof ever used. 
 It is good for corks and bruises of the feet. 
 
31 
 
 CRIBBING. 
 
 Is a diseased stomach a belching of wind from tlie stomach ? 
 
 To one pound of pulverized charcoal add one pound of soda ; 
 stir well together, and give one tablespoonful once a day for a 
 few days, and break up the habit as follows : 
 
 If a simple habit, arrange the stall so as to make it impos- 
 sible for him to crib. This you do by making the stall plain, 
 with a simple box manger in front, rather low, but extending 
 the whole width of the stall. Immediately over the front edge 
 of this plain box manger, hang a roller, of about six or seven 
 inches in diameter, on pivots, which must be so arranged that 
 it will turn easily. This roller extending clear across the 
 manger, offers the only mear)s withiti reach :upon which to crib. 
 The horse, in cribbing-, will press his front teeth firmly upon 
 this roller, pulling down and toward him, which causes the 
 roller to turn from under his mouth, and he is defeated in his 
 efforts. There is no trouble in breaking a youn^: horse of this 
 habit by this means. A very good way is to feed the horse from 
 a basket hung loosely by a cord to something overhead. The 
 roller, properly adjusted, is, however, much the best means. 
 
 HOW TO PREVENT HORSES JUMPING. 
 
 Have a good, firm strap halter made to fit the head nicely, 
 with a wide strap stitched to each side so as to come over the 
 eyes. Cut holes in this strap over each eye ; over these eye- 
 holes put fine wire cloth, supported nicely by wire, so that it 
 will not possibly touch the eyes. Before a horse attempts jump- 
 ing over a fence he will put his head over to calculate height 
 and distance he is obliged to jump ; but by looking through 
 the wire cloth, everything is so magnified in appearance he is 
 disconcerted in his efforts to do so, and is afraid to jump. 
 
 COUGH. 
 
 Use elecampane root, horehound and smartweed, witli six 
 red pepper pods to two ounces of ginger root ; boil until all the 
 strength is extracted, then strain through a flannel. To every 
 gallon of this extract add one quart of molasses. Give one 
 gill once a day on his feed, or from an ox horn. 
 
 RINGBONE AND SPAVIN. 
 
 Equal parts of soft soap, spirits of turpentine, and FFF 
 
32 
 
 ammonia. Mix and apply, and in two hours rub with pulveriz< 
 chalk. Next day wash off and repeat. 
 
 JOCKY TRICKS. 
 
 How to make a foundered and spavined horse go off limber.- 
 Take tinct. of cayenne, 1 oz, ; laudanum, 2 ozs. ; alcohol, oi 
 pint ; rub the shoulders well with warm water ; then rub i\ 
 above on his shoulders and back bone ; give him one ounce 
 laudanum and a pint of gin; put it down his throat with a jur 
 bottle ; put his feet in warm water, as hot as he can bear ii 
 take a little spirits of turpentine and rub it at the bottom pa: 
 of his feet with a sponge after taking them out of the war: 
 water; drive him about half a mile or a mile, until he com- 
 out limber as a rag. If he does not surrender to his pain, t 
 a thin cord around the end of his tongue. 
 
 To make old horses ayyear young. — Take tincture of ass; 
 foetida, one ounce; tincture cantharides, one ounce; oil • 
 cloves, one ounce ; oil of cinnamon, one ounce ; antimony, tv 
 ounces; fenugreek, one ounce ; fourth proof brandy, half 
 gallon ; let stand ten days ; then give ten drops in one gall( 
 of water. 
 
 To make a horse appear as if foundered. — Take a fine wir 
 or any substitute, and fasten it around the pastern joint ; 
 night; smooth the hair down over it nicely, and by mornir 
 he will walk as stiff as if foundered. 
 
 To make a horse fleshy in a short time. — Feed with bucl 
 v^^heat bran, to which add a little of the shorts ; keep in a dai 
 stable. Half a day's drive will make a horse fatted in th 
 way poo . 
 
 To make a horse stand hy his feed and not eat it. — Grrea 
 the front teeth and roof of the mouth with common tallow, ai 
 he will not eat until you wash it out. 
 
 To make a true pulling horse balk. — Take tincture of ca: 
 tharides, one ounce, and corrosive sublimate, one drachm. M 
 and bathe the shoulders at night. 
 
 To distinguish between distemper a7id' glanders. — The di 
 charge from the nose, if glanders, will sink in water ; if di 
 temper, it will not. 
 
 To make a horse appear as if he had the glanders. — Mt 
 fresh butter and pour in his ear. 
 
4