Part 5

Horses that have a tendency to show action can undoubtedly have it very much increased by the adoption of a proper system of training, but there are many without this inclination which it is hopeless to develop to a degree that makes it worth while spending time and effort on them. The influence which contributes most to the development of action is bitting. This requires knowledge, time and patience. Some horses’ mouths are much more easily made than others, and there are some it is almost hopeless to try to make anything like perfect. A good mouth is a responsive one. Pressure from both reins should cause the head to bend readily on the neck, while that from either near or off-rein should cause correspondingly prompt flexion. There are some horses that it is almost impossible to bend, owing to the defective anatomical relations of the head and neck, and unless they naturally have a lot of action, they are not likely, even in the best hands, ever to show very much. A horse with his head well put on his neck, that has a responsive mouth and some ambition, will, when urged, get his head up and nose in, and if restrained at the same time by moderate pressure of the bit, will step much higher than if he has a free head when going at the same rate of speed. Some horses, when going fast, show a considerable amount of action, that at a slow pace will exhibit very little. If such horses have their mouths well cultivated, so that when restrained their force will be exerted to step up instead of stepping on, their action, in front at least, will be much increased. If, however, a horse’s mouth is not cultivated to a proper degree of responsiveness, and he is urged into the bit, he will lug or bore and go ahead instead of going up.

To those who are anxious, then, to develop action in their horses, the first step is to endeavor to cultivate a responsive mouth. As has been stated, this requires time and skill. Many horses’ mouths are frequently permanently injured by insufficient time being taken for this process. It is a very similar one to teaching a child to write. The tyro at writing cannot regulate the movements of his hand and arm so as to make smooth and regular lines in an easy, flowing manner. The nerves and muscles of his hand and arm have to be cultivated by degrees to be able to accomplish this. So with the horse’s mouth; the nerves of it have to be educated to make prompt and easy response to pressure, and the muscles, acting under the influence of the nerves, have to be strengthened and developed, so that the head can be bent on the neck and properly carried without discomfort to the individual. The head should not only be bent on the neck to a reasonable degree, but should also be steadily carried.

The first step in the process of making a horse’s mouth is to get him used to the pressure of the bit without showing restlessness. No pressure should be brought to bear upon the tongue by means of the reins until the horse will stand a bit in his mouth without fussing. The bit should be placed sufficiently high in the mouth, so that there is no temptation for the horse to get his tongue over it. The old-fashioned plan of putting a big, thick bit, with keys hanging from it, placed low in the mouth, is entirely erroneous, as it gets the colt into the way of fussing with his tongue all the time, which is a habit to be avoided. In a good mouth, if the horse is comfortable, his tongue lies quietly in the groove formed by the branches of the lower jaw, and acts as a protective cushion in preventing injury to the delicate and sensitive covering of the bars and the bars themselves. If, then, through faulty management, the tongue is not by degrees trained to stand the pressure of the bit, the horse is sure to develop some irritable habit with that organ, such as putting it over the bit, drawing it up in the mouth, or “lolling” it. The result of the two former habits is that the bars of the jaw lose the protection of the tongue and become exposed to the pressure of the bit, which they cannot stand without suffering pain and injury. Consequently the mouth becomes very unsteady, loses its responsiveness, and the horse is put off his balance, so that he is apt to go off his feet, hitch, and go cornerwise instead of straight.

Putting the tongue over the bit and retracting it in the mouth has the further ill-effect of making a horse show irritability in a variety of ways, such as crossing the jaws, carrying the head sideways, throwing the head up, keeping the mouth open, slobbering, frequent movement of the head instead of a steady carriage of it, which is so important in conducing to a responsive mouth. Putting the tongue over the bit soon becomes habitual with some horses, and it is quite a difficult matter to remedy effectually. Spoon bits and all such mechanical contrivances to prevent it are very unsatisfactory, as a horse is never comfortable with them, and never carries a steady head with any of them in his mouth. It can, however, be cured by gradually getting a horse used to the presence and pressure of the bit on his tongue. Putting the tongue over the bit becomes such a confirmed habit that some horses will do it as soon as the bit is put in the mouth and before any pressure whatever is brought to bear on the tongue by the bit. This aggravated form of the habit can be remedied by using an ordinary ring bit with a straight mouthpiece. This should be placed high in the mouth, so that it is impossible to put the tongue over it, and left in all day except when the horse is feeding. In two or three weeks’ time the horse will become accustomed to keeping his tongue in its proper position with respect to the bit and stop trying to get it over.

This, however, is only the first step, and the next and most important one is to get the tongue used to pressure. To accomplish this, attach reins to the bit and buckle them to a roller at the withers. For some time they must be left very loose, so that the bit will exert no pressure unless the horse extends his nose beyond its usual position. In this way he will be brought to experience, by degrees, a little pressure on the tongue. For a time he should be lunged daily with the reins loose, so that he will get used to the presence and occasional pressure of the bit when in motion. Very gradually indeed the reins may be tightened, so that after some weeks the subject may gradually be brought to stand moderate pressure on the tongue, and by still slower degrees may the bit be lowered in the mouth until it reaches the lowest position the individual will stand and still keep his tongue in place and carry his head steadily. Very great vigilance must be exercised to see that the tongue never goes over; if it does so by any chance, immediately raise the bit, and lessen the pressure.

When sufficient progress has been made, as evidenced by the ability of the tongue to stand pressure when the subject is in motion, he may be ridden or driven. A rider with good hands can accomplish much in cultivating the mouth and can humor it so that the horse may gradually be brought to stand pressure. It is better to use the horse in single harness than in double, as his mouth can be better humored where there is only one temper and mouth to consider. The necessity for getting the tongue used to standing the pressure of the bit cannot be too much emphasized, but of course there is a limit to this, and some horses that are lacking in sensitiveness will stand pressure on their tongues until they become black and blue, thoroughly dried up in some cases, projected from the mouth, and the mouth kept more or less open. The most important exciting cause of this fault is placing the bit so high in the mouth that the horse will not bend his head upon his neck in response to the pressure of the bit. All this may be overcome in many instances by lowering the bit an inch or two in the mouth, when pressure of the bit will cause responsive giving of the jaw and thus relieve the tongue of undue pressure.

A horse should never be allowed to go with his mouth open, as it becomes dried, which lessens the sensitiveness and responsiveness of that organ and encourages pulling. If a horse shows a tendency to keep his mouth open, try to determine the cause, as it is sure to be due to some discomfort in connection with the mouth. In addition to removing the cause, any tendency to this fault should be checked by the use of a tight noseband. The mouth must be kept closed, as a horse never goes nicely with it open. Although faulty mouths are usually the result of careless, thoughtless, unskilful management, it must be acknowledged that there is a decided predisposition in some horses to what are called bad mouths. When this tendency does exist, however, it can usually be overcome by rational management and a pleasant, valuable, useful horse kept from becoming an uncomfortable brute, much lessened in value from the possession of a bad mouth.

The horse with a small tongue and narrow, sharp bars, is apt to be very sensitive to pressure and easily made to develop irritability and unsteadiness of the mouth; but if he is taken cautiously and carefully with easy bits, and gradually brought to stand pressure, he is likely to develop a delightfully responsive mouth. Some horses, on the other hand, have thick, leathery tongues, which it is almost impossible to make responsive, owing to their lack of sensitiveness. This inherent lack of sensitiveness of mouth is occasionally associated with a corresponding lack of sensitiveness of the skin, so that the horse does not feel the whip. I have had experience with individuals of that sort that were free-goers and determined pullers, in which there was something evidently lacking in the nerves of sensation. Cases are, of course, exceptional, where there seems to be a general lack of sensation, but it is not so rare to find a leathery mouth.

In addition to the hyper-sensitiveness of the mouth in some horses and the lack of sensitiveness in others, necessitating unusual care in making their mouths, some horses have anatomical defects which preclude the possibility of them ever having anything like perfect mouths. Those with necks below of a length disproportionate to the length of the necks above, particularly if such necks are deep at their points of attachment to the head, it is impossible for the head to be bent upon the neck so that the mouth may be responsive. A horse formed in this way is bound to stick his nose out, and when pressure is brought to bear upon the lower jaw with the bit it slips up in the mouth towards the grinders, and does not exert leverage upon the jaw at a place of vantage or so that the head can be bent upon the neck. As a rule, ewe-necked horses show this inability, but not all, by any means, for some of them are clean-cut in the throttle, and the neck just above the throttle is light, so that it can bend with ease.

In addition to the causes already explained, temperament predisposes to pulling. A free, courageous, determined horse is much more apt to get into the way of pulling than one not over-burdened with energy. Of the exciting causes of pulling, insufficient work and over-feeding are important; but really the most fruitful one is the unskilful and heavy-handed driver. Some drivers will make almost any horse pull. Many have no sympathy with a horse, and if they do observe evidences of discomfort in connection with the mouth, which may be shown in some of the ways already explained, they do not endeavor to remove the cause. It is most important in bitting horses to prevent them from getting into bad habits of any kind. They get into bad habits very quickly, which it may take a long time to eradicate. The most rational principle to proceed on is not to allow them to learn bad habits. Do not place them in a position to learn bad habits.

IMPROVING ACTION

BITTING, SHOEING AND CONDITIONING FOR ACTION--II

In my last article on this subject I drew attention to the fact that bitting, or “making the mouth,” is by far the most important matter to attend to in contributing to action. You must get the head up and the nose in, and cultivate a responsive mouth, so that when a horse is urged and restrained, he will step up instead of stepping on. It was urged that care should be used against getting horses into bad habits in connection with the mouth in the process of bitting, such as getting the tongue over the bit, retracting the tongue, side-lining, going with the mouth open, tossing the head, carrying the head unsteadily, and so forth. If some of these habits are developed, they will tend to neutralize any beneficial efforts that have been made in the cultivation of the mouth.

An easy bit should first be used, such as a straight-barred ringed one or a snaffle, so that the colt will face it firmly and carry a steady head. In the development of speed, it is also imperative to use an easy bit, but for the production of style and action, a curb bit is almost indispensable for the majority of horses. The inexperienced ones are apt to think that a curb bit is an instrument of torture. The ignorant, thoughtless and rough handler of horses can easily make it so, but if it is properly used it is really more humane for use in many mouths, than a less severe one. The curb bit gives very much increased leverage, and will make some horses bend that cannot be made to do so without it. As soon as they bend, it requires very little force to keep their noses in, and very little pressure need be exerted, so that there is no injury nor irritation resulting. In addition to this, the pressure is divided between the interior and exterior of the mouth, the curb chain exerting its share of the pressure just behind the lower lip.

Some free, courageous horses, especially if short of work, will pull to a most uncomfortable extent, both to themselves and their drivers, if driven with a snaffle bit. The same horses, if used with curbs, will go without taking hold, and with the exertion on the part of their drivers of very slight restraining force. The perfect handling of a horse with a curb bit is a very fine art, by which are produced the perfection of carriage and the maximum of style and action. To realize fully what the perfect handling of a curb bit means in promoting style and action, one has only to observe a horse skilfully handled with one, especially if he has a good mouth. The dexterous rider or driver brings out all the responsiveness there is in the horse without causing him to fight, while the unskilful handler allows a horse to carry himself imperfectly and gets him off his balance, thereby lessening his gracefulness, style and action. The change from a snaffle to a curb bit should be made carefully and discreetly, as it takes a horse some time to get used to the change. We have good opportunities in the city of observing the ill-effects of the abrupt change. A dealer gets in from the country a horse that is possibly well broken, but has never had a curb bit in his mouth. He hitches the horse, puts a curb bit in his mouth, and “pulls him together,” as it is expressed; that is, he urges him with the whip and restrains him to get all the style and action he can out of him. He is very much encouraged to see his new purchase make such a good showing. The next day he puts the horse in harness, but finds that he does not go so well, showing irritability in connection with his mouth. The horse may hold his head sideways, open his mouth more or less, put his tongue over the bit, toss his head or carry it unsteadily, pull, hitch, go off his feet, or interfere. He may display any one or a combination of these faults, showing that he is uncomfortable and out of balance.

Why this quick alteration in the manner of going between the first and second hitching? It is simply due to the fact that the delicate tissues of the mouth have become bruised or abraded from the rough handling of a bit with powerful leverage. The horse’s mouth is sore, and he cannot face the bit without showing irritability, which he manifests in the ways described. The curb bit feels different in his mouth, the pressure on the tongue is greater, and if the curb chain is tightened and reins buckled to the bit, so as to give much leverage, many horses will chafe under the newly experienced increased restraint, and will pull, thereby greatly increasing the injury to the mouth. If this is repeated, the mouth is spoiled and bad habits produced.

In getting a horse accustomed to the curb bit, it is a good plan to let him stand with it in his mouth in the stable for a few hours a day. This gets him used to the shape and size of the new bit, after which pressure can by degrees be brought to bear on it. Some trainers are opposed to the use of a dumb jockey. Of course, the mouth cannot be perfected by the use of this device alone, but it is a very useful auxiliary to other measures. The dumb jockey is a rubber contrivance attached to a girth and crupper and with elastic reins to buckle to the bit. The prejudice against it is largely the result of the irrational manner in which it is used. In the majority of instances the reins are buckled too tightly at first, causing too much pressure on the mouth, and forcing the head and neck into an unnaturally constrained position. This, instead of cultivating responsiveness of the mouth, causes irritation of that organ, gets a horse into fussy habits, and makes him lie on the bit, doing more harm than good. One not infrequently sees a horse standing in a stall with a dumb jockey on him, his mouth partly open, his tongue over the bit, and boring down on it, and sweating profusely from the discomfort he is suffering. A dumb jockey used in this way is worse than useless. One of the objects of using a jockey is to get the nose in, and from the manner in which it is used by many it is evident that they seek to accomplish this by sheer mechanical force, forgetting that they are training nerves and muscles to responsiveness, which can only be done by degrees.

As soon as a horse shows evidence of discomfort, loosen the reins and tighten them gradually again. If the subject draws his tongue up in his mouth, or puts it over the bit, raise the bit in his mouth. Some horses get their heads too low with a dumb jockey on. In such it is of much benefit to use a bearing-rein attachment to keep their heads in proper position. The benefit from a dumb jockey used in a stable is enhanced by using it when a horse is in motion. Some horses will bend when standing that will not do so when moving, and so have to be trained to it. Beneficial as a dumb jockey may be, a rider with good hands, that can use his legs on the horse’s sides, urging him by degrees into proper position with hind legs well under him, and head up and nose in, can accomplish more, as he can humor the horse at will. Next to riding, driving in single harness is best, as it is hardly possible to humor a horse’s mouth as well in double as in single harness. The tendency with most trainers is to hurry matters too much. Urging a horse into the bit too soon causes him to fuss with his mouth and is apt to make him fight the bit. The successful trainer needs a lot of patience and perseverance.

If, in the process of bitting, the mouth by accident gets sore, rest it by keeping the bit out of it until it is better. This can be accomplished in the country or in a small town, without keeping a horse altogether out of work, by putting on the cavesson and dumb jockey and having the reins tightly buckled to the cavesson and led alongside of another horse in this way or lunged. It is a bad plan to let a horse that is in the process of bitting or breaking get too fresh, as he is apt to reinjure his mouth when he is put in harness again.

Curb bits for driving are so made that different degrees of leverage can be exerted. It can be laid down as a rule that it is not wise to use anymore leverage than is essential, otherwise the mouth is apt to become sore and carried unsteadily.

There is some diversity of opinion as to the wisdom of using bearing reins. Some people, particularly the inexperienced, are very much opposed to their use. Occasionally one finds a horse--much more rarely a pair--that carries himself so well--head up, nose in and head steady--that a bearing rein is superfluous. The majority of horses, however, carry themselves better, drive more comfortably, and are really more comfortable themselves when driven with bearing reins. They can, of course, be made instruments of torture, if used too tightly buckled up and for too long periods at a time, but most horses will not only carry their heads too low, but bore, pull and “duck” if not “borne up.” The low carriage of the head is not only unsightly in a carriage horse, but causes too much weight to be thrown on the forelegs for their welfare. The French check is very much better than the pulley bridoon. The bearing rein should not be used so tightly that a horse cannot bend his head upon his neck, if he is capable of doing so. The bearing reins should seldom, if ever, be used on the driving bit; if it is at all tight, it pulls the bit too high in the mouth, causing a horse to bore and usually to bruise the bars severely immediately in front of the grinders. A jointed bit should be used in the mouth in addition to the driving bit and the bearing rein buckled to it.