THE OREGON SUNDAY - JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY "IIOENUTa iHAY ID. 1903
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Punishment Has No Place m
the New System of Training
A COLLEGE' course for horses that is
what is being established in many
places in America. In other words,
the Baucher method of training is being
adopted. Comparatively new to this cduntry,
it has long been in use on the continent, of
Europe, and accomplishes truly wojjrferful
results.
Briefly, the Baucher method substitutes
science for brute force; kindness for cruelty.
It teaches the horse to balance himself, to
carry himself properly, and to place himself
in position to execute whatever command the
rider may give him. ft enables the rider to
control his mount at all times, to make rebel
lion impossible.
Punishment has no place in this course
of education. ' Instead, the" interest and sym
pathy of the horse are enlisted. He is taught
to be obedient, not ruined by the cruel and in
judicious use of whip and spur
OUR English cousins, from whom much of our
horsemanship Is inherited, have always frowned
on the higher education of the horse. They
teach him to walk, trot and canter, to back and
sidestep, and perhaps to rotate on his front and hind feet.
That Is about as much training as they consider neces
sary or advisable. If ha takes kindly to it, well and good.
If he doesn't, he Is frequently ruined by punishment.
Our own western methods are even harsher. A green
pony ia corraled, a huge saddle thrown on him, a cruel bit
Jammed into his mouth, and then a cowpuncher climbs
aboard and tortures htm into Submission with a quirt and
rowels that bring blood. After he has been thoroughly
subjected, he learns to round up cattle. He braces him
self when a steer is roped, and keeps the lariat taut This
completes his education. .
Directly the' opposite of these methods Is that of
Baucher, which has long been In use on the continent of
Europe, and which is gaining ground in America. What
it accomplishes may be seen by visiting the farm of
George McMenamln, near Valley Forge, Pa.
When a stranger walks down the road leading to his
house, the horses in a field to the right come over to the
fence to Inspect the. newcomer. If he manifests a friendly
Interest they will poke their noses over the fence to, be
petted. And when he leaves, after having seen horses of
many breeds put through their paces, be will recall that
not one of them has shown the slightest fear of & human
being.
In fact, this humane system of horse training Is much
In line with modern methods of reforming human crim
inals. It has been found, especially with young offenders,
that punishment within four walla usually makes them
worse. But when they are put both to school and to work
on farms, where they get healthy exercise and wholesome
fresh air, their bodies develop and their minds lose their
criminal tendencies.
So, when a bad horse is to be reformed, be is taught
to use his nuscles to the best advantage. At first he
tries to rebel. But he finds the trainer ready for him.
Suppose he tries to run away. Suddenly he finds his head
and neck held in such a position that he can't run. There
has been no cruelty to rouse his high spirit to further
rebellion. He has been scientifically conquered, and ha
yields gradually to science, where torture would have
turned him into a veritable wild beast.
HEAD THE "BALANCE WHEEL"
sty
boy's feet could reach .them, the horses' head was turned
to the rear wall, and the trainer commanded:
"Right." The hunter sidestepped to the right wall
until he got. the command. "Left," and then he sidled
to the othen wall. "Clear around!" and the sidestep be
came a canter in a small circle. . Thus, for a few mo
ments the "reformed" hunter went through various evo
lutions at the word of command, his head, a large part
of the time, being turned from the trainer.
After this the erstwhile bad horse was taken out in
front of the carriage house to be photographed. With the
little fellow still in the saddle, he submitted to the oper-atlon-as
soberly as a Judge,
"Now come into the field," said Mr. McMenamln, "and
we'll do some Jumping," And while two Jumpers were
being saddled, he discussed the Baucher system with ref
erence to Its fitting horses for whatever work may be
required of them. . ..
"It is extremely valuable," he said, "for training
horses for police work; and has already been adopted
by several large cities. Tou see, a policeman should
have hia horse under perfect control at all times, and
should have the utmost possible freedom of motion for
himself. With the Baucher training, he can control his
horse as readily with his heels as with his hands. Fur
thermore, he can handle hia mount quickly and in a small
't
space. For instance, in training a horse, a room sixteen
feet square Is plenty big enough. I never use a larger
space than that, even wnen I am out of doors.
"In the next place, tne training will fit them for
learning any special duties that may be required of them,
such as following an officer who is forced to dismount, or
Standing still at the word of command until he returns.
And once they learn these things, they never forget them.
No matter how big the crowd or how tight the place an
officer may find himself In, he can always depend on plac
ing his horse wherever desired, and need never fear that
the animal vhll become panic-stricken.
"Take Jumping, for Instance. Tou see lots of horses
that begin to fret the moment they see a hurdle. That
Is because they have not been taught how to handre
themselves in getting over it They may have force
enough to drive themselves over. But that is not Jumping-
A Jymp should be like a wave of the ocean with
out beginning or endingT-Just a gradual swell.
"To Jump well, a horse must know how to carry him
self up to the hurdle, to take the position that will enable
him to get over it with the least possible effort and exer
tion, and to land easily.
"That la the beauty of the Baucher system It teaches
4 horse balance. He keeps himself la balance all the
flat English saddle, they could budge neither him nor the
horse. When they acknowledged the failure and allowed
the rope to slacken, he said:
"Pull again." t ' ; ' , .
This time the horse moved forward Just a step. The
rope was still slack. Forward, to the riaht, to the left
it was always the same. The horse followed ths move
ments f the men so closely that it was rniposslblo to
exert the slightest force. ;; ."';;''.;.,'.: !:'
"Now, if X was a policeman, I could kill you, laughed
the trainer, as he started at one of the men.; Running
away was out of the question. Twisting and turning, for
ward and back, the horse was always at his shoulder.
"Here's another example," said Mr, McMenamln, as
he trotted from the stable toward his house. ''Notice
how quickly I can stop this mare" h was 'on a heavy
built hackney "without using the reins.--.,. -)i .-'.'";
Up the road he came at a gallop, with tils 'arm's fold
ed. Then suddenly -he ddg his purt into fcer sides. In
stantly she came to a halt A less well-trained horse
would have gone to its knees, but'thls one -only kicke.l
up her heels a bit. The feat la'often performed. But it
this Instance its marvel was in Its pass and rapidity.
These things serve to show what higher education
will do for a horse. And yet his college course, as, a ml,
is not long. Three months is an ordinary j trm, aa
I
time. He adjusts himself naturally and easily to what
ever task he is set
"It is the same in driving. The horse has balance. It
Is Just as necessary that he should be In balance to pro
duce his best possible gait while being driven as It is
when he Is under the saddle. It is Just as necessary that
he should yield willing obedience when he Is irt front of a
man as when he Is under him."
By this time the hurdles were reached, and Mr. Mc
Menamln said:
To give you an Idea of the adaptlblUty which train
ing produces. I want you to see this horse Jump. He is
a standard-bred trotter."
; With that he started toward a hurdle at a trot The
v horse was tall and strongly built, and he stepped out as if
e had been In a show ring. There was no fretting, nor
no change of gait When at the hurdle the big fellow
simply gathered his hind legs together and literally hop
ped over the rails at four feet six. v
The Jumping over. Mr. McMenamln proceeded to give
a few exhibitions of the practical value of the Baucher
' method of training as applied to police work.
"I can brace the horse and myself." be ssad. "so that
you can't pull me out of the saddle."
With that he tied a rope around his body, and three
men took hold of it But although he was In an almost
"The head," Mr. McMenamln
'governor,' or 'balance wheel,' of
will tell you. "Is the
horse. The cardinal
principle pt Baucber's method is to teach him to balance
iiuuneii. in ilia nvurat m&ia ae varncs uu uuiucn,
Therefore, when you place a man on his back, you must
teach him to carry himself so that bis center of gravity
falls where the saddle Is placed.
"Then, when you have a duty for htm to perform, yeu
must teaoh him to balance himself so that he can perform
It. Tou must, control his head and limbs by controlling
the muscles tnat move them. Wait a moment, I'll show
you."
While he was talking he was in his carriage house, a
small place, not over sixteen or eighteen feet wide, and
not much longer. He went to the door of a box stall
nearby, opened It, and said: - .
"This la a thoroughbred stallion."
Ordinarily a thoroughbred stallion is no gentle ani
mal. But this fellow stuck his head out of the door In
quite a friendly fashion. He allowed himself to be sad
dled without exhibiting the least trace of nervousness.
And when Mr. McMenamln mounted, he proceeded ' to
canter in small- circles, to back and sidestep as easily
as if he bad been a polo pony. .
"Just notice," said the trainer, "that he handles as
esslly with the hels.as with the hands." And with that
he allowed the reins to loosen, and, by touching his spurs
to the big fellow's side, put him rapidly through his paces,
with no hesitation and never a mistake.
It might be well to remark here that the trainer's
spurs serve only to signal to the horse. In place of the
usual notched wheel they contain only pennies, which
cause not the slightest discomfort
"I'll show you another horse." 'said Mr. McMenamln,
after he bad kept the thoroughbred stepping; around lively
for several minutes. "This fellow," as a big bay hunter
was led in, "was so bad when I bought htra that no one
could., ride him. I got him cheap," and here his eyes
twinkled. - "But Just see him now." . v-
For a tew minutes the hunter stepped around the '
small ring with as little show of rebellion as the thor- .
otighbred. And then the Junior McMenamln, wee mite
of a child, happened alor:. ' . . ,.
T Immediately the elder McMenamln dismounted. "Come
hTC;-Joe.'? he said, and the little fellow wss boosted into '
she saddle . - w
After the stirrups had been knotted Tip so that the
WILL take all the microbes that come
m with a dollar bill, no matter how many,"
' M remarked a man recently. He hadn't
t- much faith in the belief that money-carries
poison. . .'
Yet money paper money especially may be
one of the best disseminators of disease. Accord
ing to a recent report made by the director of the
research laboratory of New York, he found,, upon
microscopic examination, that an average piece of
paper money, moderately clean, carries 22,500
bacteria.
An average dirty bill will have upon it some
thing like 73,000 bacteria. Not all bacteria, of
course, are harmful, but in such, a number as 73,
000 are many that menace the public health.
v:
' BR.T few people will refuse to accept money of any
kind, whether It may seem to be "tainted" or not
The filthiest kind of notes are taken in the course
of business, kre carried In the pocket tor indefi
nite periods and passed on to others as th&ugh they were
absolutely germproof. ,.-',
The mediums of exchange known as money do not
afford especially good feeding grounds for microbes while
in their virgin state. A note directly from the treasury
or a coin fresh from the mint is virtually sterile, so far
as its ability to spread disease is concerned.
It is only where a note or a coin has passed from
hand to hand that It gathers elements of danger; It ao--q
uires filth, and In that filth may lurk all sorts of possi
bilities for Hi to those handling it. :
It may, and generally does, become a breedftig ground
for a great variety of germs, many of them those of.
dangerous diseases. .,r
Authorities of the United States government are not
unaware of these conditions. Uncle Bam makes an effort
iliai LiirfC ifi tie fKomy
against three or four years for human beings. Of coui
he may take a post-graduate course, of indefinite lengt
As a matter of fact it is impossible to te.ll how hlgv
he may be developed. v - - , " y
Of all breeds, the thoroughbred is the most IntelUs
and highly organised. He learns most quickly, and
velops the faculties which most nearly approach to v
reasoning power of human beings. ' But what part of 1
actions are due to memory and what to understand!',
none can tell. Perhaps if we had. been able. to acquir
his language as well as he has acquired ours, we nm,
be able to find out
In this connection it may be interesting to quote
sell Ralley, a noted Kentucky trainer and dealer, to t:
effect that In handling horses for forty years he V
noticed that in disposition they differed in not the slig!;
est respect from human beings. Some were stupid. s;
bright Some were petulant some patient And in ti ..
tng he has said that he studied their dispositions
closely as he would do if he were teaching boys and g
Mr, McMenamln, also, says that he has trained
horses that seemed to understand what he said to tb
But. Hke most true experts In any line, ha says that t
is still much to discover. 1 "Between every two lines
Baucher," he adds, "there are a hundred for a man
work out for hlnuelf."
to keep his paper money fairly clean; every year he re
deems something like 1600,000,000 worth of old, worn,
greasy, dirty bills, replacing them with new'money.
Even at that the average issue of paper money re
mains a considerable time in circulation. The average
period of duty of the dollar bill is twenty month, while
the five-dollar bills remain in circulation nearly three
years each. Bills of higher denominations remain longer
In the hands of the public '
It is in the bills of smaller denominations those of
one dollar, two dollars and five dollars that disease
germs are more apt to lurk.
The grocer, the butcher or the butter man has more
or less unclean fingers; he retains more or less grease
on them while he works Cad waits on his customers.
He cannot stop to wash or wipe his hands every time
money Is handed him; he takes it puts it in his drawer,
and later takes It out again to make ohange for another
customer. N
His Intentions may be the best, his general efforts at
cleanliness beyond reproach. Tet if the bill that Is given
him is full of germs, many of them are transferred to
bis fingers. . .
A little later fee handles a
nt butter or Some other com
fnr. It lnnot his fault especially
'miMil nn tn the innocent customer. Yet it may be SO.
The dirty dollar bill leaves a trail of menace behind
It wherever it may go.; Many forelsn laborera keep
their money In leather belts strapped about Oisra .;
toll in the heat and sun; the. bills become saturated with
perspiration, perhaps.
They may pass into the hands of the street car con
ductor or the keeper of the corner grocery store. Thty
may have come from a room in a tenement m which
scarlet fever, diphtheria or tuberculosis holds sway. The
germs of typhoid fever may be conveyed in that way from
the room of a patient to an Innocent passenger on a
street car. . ; "'
Some contagious disease may attack yourself or you
children scarlet fever, diphtheria or other malady. Tou
are
nimiui in its source: vou mar dace the Blame
l piece of meat at package everywhere or anywhere except on the money you have hi
modity the customer calls handled. ; ' 2 i ,
lly that the germs are thus Many women of the lower classes make Jiurses of h
it
their stockings; they carry money In those receptacles
net t to the akin. If ths bills contain germs when placed
' there, the perspiration may b counted upon to make a
bet culture medium for the microbes of disease.
UNDER COMPLETE CONTROL
It Is in this spirit of Investigation that he d
training. What be may discover as to the ment
horses is for the future to determine. But one t.
certain he has already obtained complete control ii
muscles. Every part of their bodies acts upon hi '
tion. In his hands a horse virtually, becomes a j.a.
him.
Me touches his spur to a horse's side. The v.
foreleg and hind leg come forward, every tmicia t
tracted.- Or he touches both- sides lightiy, with r
vibratory motions. The hind legs respond and bitku ii
backward, to the exaggerated pose shown ahuve.
clean-bred, well-formed hackney mare he is riding d
exactly what he wants, and does it
Similarly, he applies his spurs to the slds ct
thoroughbred stallion. Quickly enough to product
Illusion that he has been lifted by his mane, us : ,
the illustration, the great good-natured fellow "chm c
rears on his hind legs as if he were going to jump
a house. ; But be comes down again, as lightly as a
Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of i
horses shown off by Mr. McMenamln wa tlielr
manner.'' They were well trained, but not cow ft.
in particular was a half-breed hackney by the 1m
Cassatt's great stallion. Cadet upon whom Mr, .
rain exhibited the ''strangle hold." U was m
and high strung m appearance as many a "ba 1 ..
Yet he never offered to disobey a command.
Not many people would have the paimncei t't
such a high-bred animal to such a hih .!' of -without
taking the heart out of hlin. l.-it In li.i .
Mr. McMenamln, he finds such tacks l.f 'i bu v
his recreation. He hasn't taken a -ai m i i
ears, oecause n says ne h revtr in -t .
uman comnanlonsh.lt) he has the nunx ro ii
visit hln farm.
't liU pflTipIn ii'hn are Inter'atel ll Yir " '
"It takes a good fellow v he a k-1 h"r--n - ,
is a very good example of the tiuiu of !..,