Could a horse trainer, born about 154 years ago, teach us
anything new today? Would the methods be old hat or would they
be useful?
The answer is a resounding Yes!, they are enormously useful.
The horse training expert referred to is named Jesse Beery.
Beery was a world famous horse trainer from the late 1800's who
possessed amazing ability with horses.
Fortunately, Beery's secrets remain after all these years. His
information can be found in his book he wrote in the late
1800's. However, very few copies of his book exist. It is
virtually impossible to find an original - much less one that is
readable.
Here is a partial reading from the first chapter of Beery's
book:
Fear is the principal motive which causes the colt to resist
training. It is natural for him to kick against an unknown
object at his heels, to pull his head out of the halter as from
a trap, and if of a bad disposition, to strike and bite if he
does not thoroughly understand you.
His fear is governed by his sense of touch, sight and hearing;
and it is through these senses we obtain a mastery, and at the
same time remove his fears of the halter, the robe, the harness
and the wagon. These are the fixed laws which govern the actions
of all horses, and the training of a colt is merely teaching him
not to fear the working apparatus, but to respect his master,
and to obey his commands as soon as he has learned their
meaning.
Each one of these senses must be educated before the colt is
trained. A colt's education may be compared with that of a child
to a great extent. A horse's reasoning powers are limited to his
past experience. So we must reason with him by acts alone. Hence
the importance of beginning every step with the colt right; for
by our acts he learns.
The successful school-master aims first to teach the child to
have confidence in him. Hence the first lesson we give the colt
is simply to teach it to have confidence in us and that we are
its best friend and don't intend to hurt it. The book continues
with the first lesson a colt is to have which is "How to gain a
colt's confidence."
Fortunately, horse trainer Andy Curry discovered a legible copy
and made it available for horse owners who want to learn this
incredible information. Interested horse owners can read more
about Beery's book by reading about it on Andy Curry's website.
Andy Curry encourages responsible horse owners to check into
Jesse Beery's book and learn what it has to teach.
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