Balking Horses.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 April 1910, Page 4

Balking Horses.

AN AMKIUCAX "DIET CURE."

An American farmer recommends a novel remedy for balky horses which •is both iliniple'and humane, and does not require the hypnotic personality of a professional horsetrainer to make it effective. He calls it tho "diet cure," anid in writing about it in thu "Stockbreeder" ho says: ."It consists merelv in giving the horse- a generous allowance, of post oats right where he sulks, even if you have to grow them on. Hut bo sure and give him his medicine right where he succumbs to nn attack ol the balks, so ho cnui see the rehiticn of cause and effect. "Rnlk.v horses are by no means tho leather heads of their species. Generally they have mn abundance of norve and endurance. Some of the toughest workers f ever drove were a littlo balky. Somo of the greatest ripiiners and trotters known to the race track have been next thing to balky. Their very excess of nervous energy inclines them to bo self-willed, obstinate, stub-born--in short, Whipping nearly .always iuiten.sines such a lusrsu's determination to have its own way. But hunger—if there is a greater domesticator known to the animal world 1 have yet to hear of it. The successful animal trainer rewards his pets with morsels of their favourite dish, and it is just us easy to teach a balky horse to associate obedience, with his master's crib. Whon ho sulks without cause, leave him there. It will rat bo long until he is willing to sell his birth-right to balkiness for the mere chance- of getting a me.*s of faded out hay. It is true you can often start one of these rusty ones by diverting his attention, such a.s blind-folding, pe-bble in tho ear, a mouthful of grass, and hitching by the tail, but you cannot fool all of them all the time with these .schemes, and some of them you caiwiot fool any of the tinio. But for a remedy that will not need administerinig very many times, and usually but one, I hiimblv recommend the diet cure.

'" T.ho fust time T over tested it was on a half-broken range horse. He was not balky, but a pretty sensible little chap. Hut he had the uncivilised habit of refusing; to be caught, and when cornered would always kee"p his heels towards me. It only took about a day and a half in a yard without feed or water to make him ready to accept tho glad hand, and after that I caught him anywhere. The next case was not so eiisv. I got him in Southern California, where there are more ill-matured, headstrong equine brutes tha niii any other locality known to me. This is probably due to the undomestic way they an; raised, in large pastures, with no handling until old enough to break. The horse in question, a rather innocent looking branded westerner, was doing good work on the road when wo got him. lie soon made, up his mind that he could impose on us with inipunitv, and then we fell out. Pic would not so much as tighte-n his tugs whem hooked either single or double to a. light ri«r. Instead., he braced his miserable little carcase against tho dash so i ff<■dually that his mato could '!n nothing.

"Talk ahrut. an unsanctifyinji; i"fl'.i'M'.ce; if f evi'i' hunted to use a ■ •Inl) it whs then, .sittiiifj there irlarinir at that wicked, mulish little rascal, which f had taken, all skin •iml boms, from a hard life and iV.ttened up on alfalfa. _ It oc..•nrred at the roa'.iside in front of the house near a good hitching l> .st. Jack was promptly tied and his mate put in the barn. When nisrlit came ho was blanketed. The next morning I got out the other liorf.t; and rig and hitched up. Jack u-fs of the .same opinion still. I uflVred him a <:ip of water, but he was too sulky to drink. Again we left him. Oil the- third day we got no butter results. Hut after 12

hours at the post he looked weak ami dejected. I got out his mate .aid rig as usual. He went about two rods, stopped an instant, as if nudi.-eided, and then sprang into the colhir, and we went down the road nt a rattling gait. After a half-

mile drive he was put in the- barn nnil fed. Jack never ltalked with me again, and I hauled some big I; atls of California pumpkins with him on mellow ground. Occasionally he would throw his head over the other hor.se threateningly, but a sharp command never failed to start him. Whether he bothered his next owner or not I cannot say. "I doubt if a true-blue puller.

u'.k'.it nil circumstances, can never be ninth* from <i\ naturally balky horse, or one that has been spoiled but I have faith that the diet cure will make fair workers out of the most sulky ones. AVliilo I lin]>t? never t;> be vexed with .another lei Iky horse, if T do get one he will trv to earn lii.s rations or starve in liis tracks."