The Arabian Art of Taming and Training Wild and Vicious Horses | Page 7

turns to walk from it. And you will, probably, see him
looking back very suspiciously as he walks away, as though he thought
it might come after him yet. And, in all probability, he will have to go
back and make another examination before he is satisfied. But he will
familiarize himself with it, and, if he should run in that lot a few days,
the robe that frightened him so much at first, will be no more to him
than a familiar stump.
SUPPOSITIONS ON THE SENSE OF SMELLING.
We might very naturally suppose, from the fact of the horse's applying
his nose to every thing new to him, that he always does so for the
purpose of smelling these objects. But I believe that it is as much or
more for the purpose of feeling; and that he makes use of his nose or
muzzle, (as it is sometimes called.) as we would of our hands; because
it is the only organ by which he can touch or feel anything with much
susceptibility.
I believe that he invariably makes use of the four senses, seeing,
hearing, smelling and feeling, in all of his examinations, of which the

sense of feeling is, perhaps, the most important. And I think that in the
experiment with the robe, his gradual approach and final touch with his
nose was as much for the purpose of feeling, as anything else, his sense
of smell being so keen, that it would not be necessary for him to touch
his nose against anything in order to get the proper scent; for it is said
that a horse can smell a man the distance of a mile. And, if the scent of
the robe was all that was necessary, he could get that several rods off.
But, we know from experience, that if a horse sees and smells a robe a
short distance from him, he is very much frightened, (unless he is used
to it,) until he touches or feels it with his nose; which is a positive proof
that feeling is the controlling sense in this case.
PREVAILING OPINION OF HORSEMEN.
It is a prevailing opinion among horsemen generally, that the sense of
smell is the governing sense of the horse. And Faucher, as well as
others, have, with that view, got up receipts of strong smelling oils, etc.,
to tame the horse, sometimes using the chesnut of his leg, which they
dry, grind into powder and blow into his nostrils. Sometimes using the
oil of rhodium, organnnum, etc.; that are noted for their strong smell.
And sometimes they scent the hands with the sweat from under the arm,
or blow their breath into his nostrils, etc., etc. All of which, as far as the
scent goes have no effect whatever in gentling the horse, or conveying
any idea to his mind; though the works that accompany these
efforts--handling him, touching him about the nose and head, and
patting him, as they direct you should, after administering the articles,
may have a very great effect, which they mistake to be the effect of the
ingredients used. And Faucher, in his work entitled, "The Arabian art of
taming Horses," page 17, tells us how to accustom a horse to a robe, by
administering certain articles to his nose; and goes on to say, that these
articles must first be applied to the horse's nose before you attempt to
break him, in order to operate successfully.
Now, reader, can you, or any one else, give one single reason how scent
can convey any idea to the horse's mind of what we want him to do? If
not, then of course strong scents of any kind are of no account in
taming the unbroken horse. For every thing that we get him to do of his

own accord, without force, must be accomplished by some means of
conveying our ideas to his mind. I say to my horse "go 'long" and he
goes; "ho!" and he stops: because these two words, of which he has
learned the meaning by the tap of the whip, and the pull of the rein that
first accompanied them, convey the two ideas to his mind of go and
stop.
Faucher, or no one else, can ever learn the horse a single thing by the
means of a scent alone.
How long do you suppose a horse would have to stand and smell of a
bottle of oil before he would learn to bend his knee and make a bow at
your bidding, "go yonder and bring your hat," or "come here and lay
down?" Thus you see the absurdity of trying to break or tame the horse
by the means of receipts for articles to smell of, or medicine to give
him, of