Читать книгу Haney's Art of Training Animals - W. H. Burroughs - Страница 8

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A lady visiting Egypt some years ago, gave in one of her letters to her friends at home, an instance of the power of gentleness in controlling even the most spirited of horses. She gives the following description of her experience with the Arabian horses: “I fear you may deem me rather boastful of my horsemanship when I tell you that the two Arab horses which threw their cavaliers did not throw me. The cause of the exception was not in me or my skill; it was the very remarkable predilection these intelligent animals feel toward individuals of the weaker sex. Let the wildest and fiercest Arabian be mounted by a woman, and you will see him suddenly grow mild and gentle as a lamb. I have had plenty of opportunities to make the experiment, and in my own stables there is a beautiful gray Arabian which nobody but myself dares to ride. He knows me, anticipates my wishes, and judiciously calculates the degree of fatigue I can bear without inconvenience. It is curious to see how he can manage to quicken his pace without shaking me, and the different sorts of steps he has invented to realize those contradictory purposes. Horses being as liable to forgetfulness as other organized beings, my incomparable gray would allow his natural ambition to overcome his gallantry, and if another horse threatened to pass him, would start off with the speed of the whirlwind. Woe to me if, under these circumstances, I were to trust to the strength of my arm or the power of the bridle! I knew my gallant charger better. Leaving my hand quite loose, and abandoning all thoughts of compulsion, I would take to persuasion; pat him on the neck; call him by his name; beg him to be quiet and deserve the piece of sugar waiting for him at home. Never did these gentle means fail. Instantly he would slacken his pace, prick up his ears as if fully comprehending his error, and come back to a soft amble, gently neighing as if to crave pardon for his momentary offense.”

This power of women over the Arabian horses is partly due, no doubt, to the fact that when still a colt he is reared in the back part of the tent, the movable harem of the Arab. He is constantly petted, and it is the women who see that he is supplied with food, and tenderly cared for. It is the attachment which is by these means awakened in the horse that leads him to so cheerfully yield obedience to the female voice. Deservedly high as may stand the Arabian horse for docility and sagacity, it should not be forgotten that, in the absence of all other amusements, the education of the foal becomes a pleasure as well as a business; it thus becomes attached to its biped companions, and takes a pride in enacting all that is required of him. If his rider falls, the horse will stand by and neigh for assistance; if he lies down to sleep, the horse will watch over him and give notice of the approach of man or beast. Similar anecdotes are related of all horses kindly treated, no matter where may be their home. We heard of one who had a drunken master, and this horse surpassed the Arab example even in intelligence, for he would modify his gait so as to keep his reeling rider from falling off; and if this catastrophe did happen, the horse would stand for hours, regardless of food or drink, and with anger and determination attack man or beast that would approach too near.