Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

The following fact occurred yesterday: A beautiful and high spirited horse would never allow a shoe to be put on his feet, or any person to handle his feet, without a resort to every species of power and means to control him. At one time he was nearly crippled by being put in the stocks; he was afterwards thrown down and fettered; at another time one of our experienced horse shoers was unable to manage him by the aid of as many hands as could approach. In an attempt to shoe this horse yesterday he resisted all efforts, kicked aside everything but an anvil, and came near killing himself against that, and finally was brought back to his stable unshod. This was his only defect; in all respects he is gentle and perfectly docile, especially in harness. But this defect was just on the eve of consigning him to the plow, where he might work barefoot, when by mere accident, an officer in our service, lately returned from Mexico, was passing, and being made acquainted with the difficulty, applied a complete remedy, by the following simple process:
He took a cord about the size of a common bed cord, put it in the mouth of the horse like a bit, and tied it tightly on the top of the animal’s head, passing his left ear under the string, not painfully tight, but tight enough to keep the ear down, and the cord in its place. This done, he patted the horse gently on the side of the head and commanded him to follow, and instantly the horse obeyed, perfectly subdued, and as gentle and obedient as a well trained dog suffering his feet to be lifted with entire impunity, and acting in all respects like an old stager. That simple string thus tied made him at once docile and obedient as any one could desire. The gentleman who thus furnished this exceedingly simple means of subduing a very dangerous propensity, intimated that it is practiced in Mexico and South America in management of wild horses. Be this as it may, he deserves the thanks of all owners of such horses, and especially the thanks of those whose business it may be to shoe or groom the animals.-Com Adv.