Ohio History Journal

RAREY, THE HORSE'S MASTER AND FRIEND.

BY SARA LOWE BROWN.

It is one of the honors of Franklin county, Ohio, that early

in the second quarter of the Nineteenth century, it produced, in

the person of John Solomon Rarey, a man who bore to all the

world the message that in kindness there is power. Ralph Waldo

Emerson said of him that he had "turned a new leaf in civiliza-

tion," while William Lloyd Garrison testified to his "fitness to

teach the world a great and everywhere needed lesson of hu-

manity." The young man was educated at the old Groveport

academy, Bishop Washburn's school on Walnut creek and at

Ohio Wesleyan University, but he found his message - that of

kindness to animals, especially the horse--in the fields and

stables of his father's farm. With this message that the rule

of love is the condition of greatest achievement in the use of the

horse, he proceeded, when he was but thirty-one, to the state

capital, to Canada, to Europe, Africa and Asia, proclaiming his

gospel and working what seemed to be miracles in the taming of

horses so vicious that all the methods known to brutal horse-

breakers had failed to subdue them. His achievements were

witnessed, applauded and honored by kings, emperors and

savants, and he returned to his native land to make a tour from

which he emerged with the praise of reformers, philanthropists

and intellectuals generally.

Mr. Rarey's great work was done within the period of ten

years, and it was so well done that its influence will never be

lost. It gave new vitality to the Societies for the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals, and put a kindlier spirit into the methods

of training horses for service in the armies, not only of this

country, but also of England and France. It taught to the cab-

men and carters of London, Paris, Edinburgh and other cities

Copyright, 1916, Sara Lowe Brown.

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488      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

the folly and wickedness of brutality to their animals and gave

to lovers of the horse everywhere, both men and women, the real

key to their successful management.

Only a man of fine intelligence, good heart and real genius

could have done all this. And that is precisely what John S.

Rarey was. No one can read the reports of his lectures or the

accounts of his demonstrations without being convinced that he

was a man of extraordinary powers of speech, of pleasing per-

sonality, of courage and of confidence never running to the

extreme of egotism. He performed wonders, but he gave a

reason for them and showed others how they could do as much,

if they would.

It was a rare lesson that Mr. Rarey taught - a lesson that

men everywhere are too prone to forget. If it were applied to

mankind, as one of his English admirers said, "Christianity

would assign him a place among the Apostles." It is akin to the

lesson that the world must learn again, if the nations are to be

at peace.

THE RAREY FAMILY.

The Rarey family in America is traced back to Charles

Rarey, who was born in Nord Ottensin, Hamburg, in 1744, and

came, when a young man, to America as a trader in dry goods.

Losing his fortune through the repudiation of Continental money,

he turned to farming and, in 1778, married Margaret Wolfe who,

though of English descent, was of American birth. He was a

tenant farmer in Maryland and later in Virginia. Of the eleven

children born of this union, one, Nicholas, died. The others

came with their parents, in 1806, to Ohio, the family settling on

a purchased farm in Franklin county, on Walnut creek. They

were among the early settlers of the county. Their farm was

surrounded by forest in which there was an abundance of game,

including bears and wolves which were often a menace to the

stock. But Charles and his family of fearless, energetic boys

were great hunters; they retaliated on the wild animals and made

merchandise of their furs, thus adding to the profits from their

farming. Prosperity came as a result of this double industry,

and farm after farm was added to the Rarey holdings. Charles

Rarey died at the Walnut creek homestead, January 3, 1826,

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.  491

trained a team of elks which he often drove to the capital and

to county fairs.

OFF TO EUROPE.

Now fairly launched on his great career, Mr. Rarey re-

turned to Ohio and in 1856 gave a public exhibition of his art

at the Ohio Stage Company's yard, Gay and Fifth streets, Co-

lumbus. About the same time he published a small book con-

taining the essentials of his method. The book had a large sale,

and the principles it set forth are still employed in the training

of the American cavalry horses. In 1857, with letters of intro-

duction from Governor Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio, Mr. Rarey

went to Toronto, where he gave a single exhibition before Sir

Edmund Head, Governor-General of Canada, and the British

army officers. Thence with other indorsements and letters of

recommendation, he sailed for England, traveling with R. A.

Goodenough, a Toronto merchant and amateur breeder of horses.

On the voyage, he was invited by two Englishmen to try his

method on a vicious horse in which they were interested. On

his arrival in Liverpool, November 29, he undertook the task,

accomplishing it to their entire satisfaction. They cheerfully

paid him the fee agreed upon, and so he had $100 in gold as the

proceeds of his first six hours on English soil. The Liverpool

Journal complimented him by describing him as "a perfect gen-

tleman of easy address and great knowledge, not only of horses,

but of men."

The young American found no difficulty in enlisting the

support of Sir Richard Airey, Lieutenant-General of the British

army, and Prince Albert. Hearing of his skill, Queen Victoria

expressed a desire to witness an exhibition, and arrangements

were made for one at Windsor Castle before the royal family

and suite. Here is Mr. Rarey's own account of it, written in

a letter to his sister Margaret, under date of January 17, 1858:

"After the royal family entered the Riding House, Queen

Victoria and Prince Albert came in and to the front, where I

was introduced to her Majesty and the Prince Consort, while

sitting on the back of a large wild colt, which stood perfectly

quiet with its head up. I, facing the party, with my hat in hand,

made a short speech to the Queen. A drum was afterwards

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.       493

handed me, which I beat with fury, without the horse exhibiting

any signs of fear.

"After taming a second horse, the riding master selected a

horse belonging to Prince Albert, a wild, nervous animal. I was

in a box stall alone with the horse for fifteen minutes. When

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert entered, they found the animal

lying down, and I lying beside him, with one of his hind feet

under my head and the other over my chest. This so astonished

them that they laughed. As the place was not large, all could

not see; so after the Queen and Prince Consort had looked, they

stepped back to let others of the royal party have a look. After

that, the Queen and Prince Consort came back, talking to me

about the horse, inquiring if I could make him rise. I answered

'Yes,' and commanded the animal to rise to his feet. They stood

looking at the horse and said it was a wonderful performance,

thanked me for the entertainment and departed.

"After the exhibition, I was shown through the castle from

kitchen to cellar, the state rooms and the Queen's private rooms.

It was a very interesting sight. I also dined in the castle and,

the next day, I received a note by the special command of the

Queen, with a checque enclosed for $125, a gift for my enter-

tainment. She also sent a messenger to know if I would again

appear before her Majesty and the royal guests in attendance

for the royal marriage. I accepted the invitation and will have

the honor of addressing more royalty, perhaps than has ever

been brought together on any previous occasion."

Of this same performance before the Queen and her suite,

the London Times of January 25, 1858, said:

"On that occasion the subjects on which Mr. Rarey operated were

three in number. One was a fine spirited black horse of high nervous

temperament, which had been returned to Mr. Anderson, of Piccadilly (of

whom he had been bought for a large sum of money) on the ground of

his being restive and all but unmanageable. This animal, it is but right

to say, had been seen and handled by Mr. Rarey, at Mr. Anderson's

stable, previous to his being taken to Windsor. At the first interview

with the horse at Piccadilly, he was placed in a loose box, which Mr.

Rarey entered, cracking a whip. Startled by this unusual exhibition of

violence, the animal struck out with both his hind legs and uttered a

kind of savage yell. The company who had assembled to witness the

494        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

experiment were then asked to withdraw, and Mr. Rarey was left alone

with the horse. On being called in again, in less than a quarter of an

hour, they were amazed to find the animal prostrate on his side, among

the straw in the stall, with his head slightly raised, and Mr. Rarey, whom

he was eyeing without the least symptom of alarm, lying beside him.

Mr. Rarey remained with him in this position for some time, during

which he knocked the horse's fore and hind hoofs together, made a

pillow of his thighs and finally got up and ran a heavy wheelbarrow up

to and around the still prostrate creature, without producing in him the

slightest sensation of fear.

"The next subject was a young unbroken colt, brought from a farm

of Prince Albert in the vicinity, which had never been handled in any

way and which Mr. Rarey had never before seen. This colt was led in

by a halter and left alone with the horse tamer, who intimated a wish

that the company would retire for a few minutes to the farther end of

the building. After the lapse of about a quarter of an hour, the royal

party were summoned to return, and then they saw, as in the former

case, this wild colt lying on the ground, and the horse tamer by his side,

who sat upon him and handled his legs, feet and every other part by

turns-a process during which the creature remained wholly passive.

"After Mr. Rarey had parted with the colt, a handsome bay charger,

belonging to the Prince Consort, was brought to him. This horse, one of

high spirit, which had always shown great restlessness while being

mounted, and a constant tendency to take fright, would, it was thought,

almost defy Mr. Rarey's attempts to tame him; but the result was as

successful as in the two previous instances. In a short time, the horse

tamer had him down also, as submissive as all the rest, and was seen

crawling among his legs, sitting upon his shoulders and hips and knock-

ing his hoofs together. Then, bidding the horse rise, which he did in-

stantly, Mr. Rarey jumped upon his back and oy turns held an umbrella

over his head and beat a tattoo on a drum, the hitherto proud and rest-

less animal now owning subjection to a new master, remaining the while

almost as motionless as a statue."

According to invitation, Mr. Rarey gave his second exhi-

bition before royalty, January 23, 1858, in the Riding School

attached to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. His audi-

ence, on that occasion, included the Queen, the Prince Consort,

the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred and

other members of the royal family, with the ladies of the Court

and most of the foreign princes and distinguished visitors then

in London, including Prince Frederick William of Prussia, the

Prince of Prussia, Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia, Prince

Albert of Prussia, Prince Frederick Albert of Prussia, Prince

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.          495

Adalbert of Prussia, Prince Hohenzollern Sigmaringen, the Duke

of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Duke of Brabant, the Count of

Flanders, Prince William of Baden, Prince Edward of Saxe-

Weimer and Prince Julius of Holstein Glucksburg; also the

Duke of Wellington, Major General Sir Richard Airey, Lord

Alfred Paget, Clerk Marshal; Colonel Hood, Clerk Marshal to

the Prince Consort and Major Groves, Crown Equerry.

At this second exhibition, Mr. Rarey was assisted by Lord

Alfred Paget, to whom had been communicated his secret of

horse-control, as well as to Sir Richard Airey and Colonel Hood.

This from the London Times shows that Mr. Rarey's power

was not personal to him:

"Lord Alfred took for his subject a beautiful grey pony belonging

to the Prince of Wales. He was left alone with the pony for a few

minutes in the riding school, and on the admission of the royal party, it

was prostrate on the ground, with his lordship sitting, caressing it, hand-

ling its feet and legs, resting on its haunches and in all respects treating

it in a manner proving its complete subjection to him. That over, Mr.

Rarey appeared with the black horse from Anderson's, in Piccadilly, to

which reference has been made. Placing himself at one end of the

riding school, he called to the animal which he had left at the other,

and it immediately cantered toward him in a playful manner. It lay

down at his bidding or followed him like a dog around the building.

When down, a plank was laid upon its shoulders, up which Lord Paget

ran a wheelbarrow. Finally, when the horse had regained his legs, he

was mounted by Mr. Rarey who sat on the animal's crupper with his

back to the head, beating a drum and cracking a whip over him, this

treatment resulting in neither motion nor fear on the part of the horse.

"One of the fine stud of cream-colored horses belonging to her

Majesty was next subjected to the manipulation of Mr. Rarey, with an

equally surprising and successful result, so far as laying the animal,

which is an entire horse, down was concerned, and handling him all

over with the utmost freedom. Besides the frequent display of some

vicious propensities, this particular animal of late has never permitted

anybody to ride him; but he allowed Mr. Rarey to mount him without

offering the least resistance. With this the exhibition terminated, and

the Queen and her illustrious visitors, by whom it was witnessed with the

most evident tokens of interest and wonder, took their departure."

At the wedding in St. James Palace, the following morning,

Mr. Rarey was an invited guest.

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.   497

"If Mr. Rarey would set criticism at naught," wrote Lord

Dorchester, "let him come down to Murrell's Green with a few

of his aristocratic friends and try Cruiser. If he can ride him

as a hack, I guarantee him immortality and an amount of ready

money that would make a British bank director's mouth water."

That was a challenge, indeed! Cruiser, sired by Venison,

dammed by Little Red Rover, was bred by Lord Dorchester in

1852, and from a foal had been considered vicious; he was al-

ways troublesome to handle, and showed temper on every oppor-

tunity. On the road from Danebury to Greaywell, he went on

his knees and tore the ground up with his teeth. Dorchester had

seen him lean against the wall of his box and kick and scream

for ten minutes together. For days he would allow no one to

enter his box and, on one occasion tore an iron bar, one inch

thick, in two with his teeth. But he was of great racing stock

and had himself made one appearance, as a two-year-old, at New-

market, when he was beaten a neck, after a close finish, by the

Duke of Bedford's Para. In consequence of going amiss, Cruiser

never started again, but at the time of the challenge, six colts

and seven fillies were to his credit. However, he was the torment

and menace of all who had him in charge, and his value had

depreciated from $15,000 to $10,000; it had even been proposed.

for the safety of his keepers to deprive him of his sight. At

Rawcliffe, he was always exhibited by a groom with a bludgeon

in his hand, and few were bold enough to venture into his yard.

the cordial wish of every visitor apparently being that some

friendly bullet would lay him low.

Mr. Rarey promptly accepted the challenge and asked that

Cruiser be sent to him in London, but Lord Dorchester replied

that Mr. Rarey must come to the horse. So it was done, Mr.

Rarey finding Cruiser a prisoner in a brick stable with a solid

oak door. For three years the horse had worn an eight-pound

muzzle of iron with a bar in front of his mouth so that he could

eat only by licking the feed up with his tongue. The quarters

were cramped for successful operation but the situation had to

be accepted and, accompanied by Lords Dorchester and Burleigh,

Mr. Rarey set about the task which was to make or mar his

English fame. Twice Cruiser flew at the trainer with a fierce

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.      499

entered into to return the horse cured in three months. But

Mr. Rarey knew the game better than did either Dorchester or

the horse. Gradually the latter's fury was spent and the way

was opened to other proofs to the animal that he had met his

master. At the end of three hours Cruiser bore Lord Dorchester

up and down the straw yard, as he had previously borne Mr.

Rarey. Later, he trotted, led behind a cart, to Virginia Water

for the night. The next day, Cruiser was led to London behind

an open buggy, where he became the chief exhibit in proof of the

trainer's prowess. Queen Victoria was delighted and she and

the royal children were frequent visitors, caressing Cruiser in

regret for the hard usage to which he had been subjected. Four

times she witnessed exhibitions by Mr. Rarey, asserting that for

her there could be no better amusement.

Now began a period of triumph for the American. A class

of two thousand persons was formed, headed by the Queen and

the Prince Consort and including princes, dukes, earls, duchesses,

marchionesses and other representatives of the nobility, each sub-

scriber paying a fee of $52.50. Mr. Rarey's popularity ran high,

due not only to his marvelous successes but also to his quiet,

gentlemanly deportment and unassuming manners. Verses and

music were composed and dedicated to him. There was the

Rarey Waltz, written by his highly gratified pupil, Matilda

Langen and played at Her Majesty's state ball by Mr. Weippert's

band. One of the literary tributes follows:

A SONNET

To MR. RAREY, THE HORSE TAMER.

If it be great to conquer with the sword

And bend unwilling captives to our will;

If it be great, by utterance of a word,

To cause destruction and death's empire fill;

If, when the young, bold Macedonian king

First rode the horse, companion of his fame,

None else dare ride, the very air did ring

With long-continued plaudits of his name,

And his delighted father called aloud,

"My kingdom is too small for such a son!"

500        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Hast thou not reason to be truly proud

Who all such feats of triumph hast outdone,

For none are like to thine, since they embrace

The noblest triumphs in the noblest race!

- Catherine.

Another who lauded the American in verse was Mr. Ham-

ilton McCarthy, sculptor, who also added to Johnson's Dictionary

the word, "Rareyfy," which he defined as a verb, active, mean-

ing "to tame a horse by kindness; to win by love; to mollify by

the oil of kindness; to reclaim a badly broken horse; to cure

madness by excessive kindness."     The sculptor's poem runs:

RAREY, THE EQUINE KING.

"'Mongst all the wonders known of late

Is Rarey's rising fame,

How he subdues the vicious Horse

And can the wildest tame.

The hopeless Cruiser he has tamed

And savage Stafford--they

Have winced their spirit to his eye

And owned his gentle sway.

The fearless Zebra he's subdued,

Despite his tameless fame,

To own there's one Creation's lord

Has more than the mere name.

My lord, His Grace of Wellington,

Master of the Horse is called,

Rides with the Queen in times of state,

By patent right installed.

The Horse's master Rarey is,

And noble proofs has shown

In presence of illustrious hosts

Who all his genius own.

Yea, e'en the Queen -Prince Albert, too-

Paid tribute to his fame,

Welcomed the Hero of the Horse

And saw how he could tame.

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.          501

Cruiser, who late like maniac

Amongst the tombs long dwelt,

Is now so meek that e'en the Queen

His gentle head has felt.

That high-blood class, Aristocrat,

The nobles of the land,

Came boldly to the Equine Chief,

Nor spared the generous hand.

That noble race knew no distrust,

Nor grudged the laborer's fee,

But thought it small comparison

The coming boon to see.

Ten guineas they two thousand times,

Or e'en ten thousand more,

Most gladly would have handed down

To know what was in store.

The charmed power, at length revealed,

Reproved the proud surmise-

Proved 'twas no drug, mesmeric art,

Concealed by specious guise.

The Equine Chief, of gentle sway,

By mind o'er mind prevails,

Not force 'gainst force or brute 'gainst brute

To triumph never fails.

Love in the Horse's King begets

Love in the creature, too;

Affection's greetings there are seen,

Most genuinely true.

By gentle means the wildest colt

Yields to the master mind,

Submits his noble spirit up

And finds that man is kind.

No cruel goad, relentless spur,

Contortion hobbled, jocked-

Abstaining from those coward tricks,

His noble heart is shocked.

502        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

In all the world no country is

So fine a Horse can show;

For beauty, symmetry and strength

We need no further go.

Till Rarey came we could not tame,

Save by the cruel thong

And hosts of dire contrivances,

As futile as they're strong.

The breaker-in has now no place

For cruel treatment more,

But now must train himself to see

The better plan in store.

Yea, more! Let legislators learn

To Rareyfy the law

And take a page from Rarey's book

And from its morals draw.

Let breakers, grooms and owners all,

With skill if they would tame,

Learn their unbridled hearts to rule

And keep subdued the same.

Let gospel teachers learn to show

How love begets its kind;

Deal not so much damnation round,

But Rareyfy mankind.

What human Cruisers they'd reclaim,

And two-legged zebras turn

To ornament society

And peaceful laurels earn.

If you have got a tameless wife

And fain would have a strifeless life,

Of patience be not chary;

Show her that you're her kindest friend,

Sincerely proving 'tis your end

To treat her a la Rarey.

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.       503

Wife-beating then will cease to be

The sin that shames society,

So rife in our day;

Wives then will know the Rarey charm

Has no intent to do them harm,

And joy beneath its sway.

How shall that good Society,

Known as the Animals' Friend,

Acknowledge Rarey's patronage

Or see when it shall end?

He comes, a Legion to their aid,

A rich donation pays;

He brings a principle to work

The marvel of our days.

A living principle, I say,

A beacon-point of sight-

A proof there needs no cruelty

To train a Horse aright.

This is worth preserving, if not for its literary excellence,

at least as evidence that Mr. Rarey had captivated the English

public. His performances, which were closely observed, not only

worked a complete transformation in the methods of horse-train-

ing in a land proud of its horses, but, as the sculptor-poet in-

dicates, set people thinking of the power of kindness, generally

too much held in reserve. As Mr. McCarthy, in his verses, in-

dicates, Mr. Rarey tamed a zebra as he did the horses, and for

the first time in the history of the world, his audience one day

had the pleasure of seeing this hitherto untamable animal quietly

ridden into the arena by a groom.

At a dinner given by the coach proprietors, horse-dealers and

livery stable-keepers of England, at Willis' rooms, King street,

St. James, in aid of a provident fund belonging to their associated

trades, the chair was occupied by the Earl of Shelbourne, who

was supported by the Earl of Cork, Lord Edward Thynne, Hon.

Sydney Pierrepont, Count Bathyany, Mr. H. Baring, M. P.,

Mr. Rarey, Mr. Tattersall and others. Grace having been said

and the usual loyal and patriotic toasts duly honored, the Hon.

S. Pierrepont said that he took credit to himself for being the

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.       505

The latter, responding, expressed his appreciation of the com-

pliment and said that, having been at all times fond of horses,

he had made their habits his study. It was from what he con-

sidered a correct understanding of those habits and the temper

of the animals that he derived the power that he had over them.

He said he had no desire to play the charlatan and at the very

moment of his arrival in England, he had waited on Sir Richard

Airey and other gentlemen and had offered, as a proof of his

humane mode of treatment, to lodge a large sum of money in

their hands. Interested, as he was, in everything that concerned

the horse, he could not but approve of the fund, in the interest

of which the dinner was given, and hope it would enjoy unin-

terrupted prosperity.

In August, 1858, Mr. Goodenough, the Toronto merchant

who had accompanied Mr. Rarey to England, returned home,

their partnership not having been profitable to Mr. Rarey, as he

did not assist in any way in the exhibitions.

SOME GUESSES AS TO HIS METHOD.

With all the praise of Mr. Rarey, there came also the attempt

to imitate and to teach what he was teaching. One of these

imitators was so bold that Mr. Rarey authorized the Messrs.

Tattersall to pay one thousand guineas to any man who could

satisfy them that he was able to teach the Rarey method of

horse-taming unless he had first learned it from Mr. Rarey. This

offer brought some amusing claims. A. V. D. Way, a German

who was teaching modern languages in Dublin, wrote:

"Having seen Mr. Rarey's letter, these lines are to state that that

gentleman's secret consists in looking sharply into the eyes of the horse

to be tamed and giving him some bread or other soft eatable, moistened

with the tamer's own sweat. He looks sharply into the eyes of the

horse because the horse cannot bear the brilliancy of the human eye, seeks

to avoid the same and becomes by this manner afraid of the tamer, and

begins to become tamer and tamer. He gives him some bread or other

things moistened with sweat in order to make him do everything he likes.

even to follow him like a dog, which the horse does as soon as he has

eaten something having the flavor of the tamer's sweat. It is possible

that Mr. Rrarey employs but one of these two named, but that can be

no reason why the promised thousand guineas should not be paid to me.

506        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

I knew this secret these twenty-five years and having, therefore, not

learned it from Mr. Rarey, either directly or indirectly, I hope and trust

I will hear from you by return post. Pardon me this trouble, gentlemen,

and believe me your humble ob'd't servant

A. V. D. WAY, from Germany.

"P. S. It strikes me that Mr. Rarey may say or think some words

in using the above, which words nobody might be able to guess, done in

order to avoid the payment of the 1000 guineas, but these words or other

things are of no effect and can be omitted.

A. V. D. WAY."

Another letter, written from the Bristol Coffee House, ran:

"Believing that I have discovered Mr. Rarery's method of taming

horses, I have taken the liberty of communicating with you upon the

subject, and of course, if I am correct, laying claim to the offered re-

ward. If I am right, it is neither more nor less than the use of magni-

fying spectacles, placed over the eyes of the animal so as to terrify him

with the apparent immensity of objects. I have been led into this belief

from the fact of my often having seen horses in the Crimea brought to

a sudden stand and exhibit great symptoms of terror at sight of a camel.

and the well known retentiveness of memory in the horse would assist

in strengthening me in my belief. Mr. Rarey's remark, as reported,

about Cruiser being about to have been deprived of sight also is an ad-

ditional reason, because Mr. Rarey's audience would at once have seen

the inutility of depriving an animal of the only organ through which a

wholesome and yet human dread could be imparted. Awaiting the honor

of your reply (prevent the publication of this idea, if it should but

slightly differ from Mr. Rarey's mode) I am, gentlemen, your humble

ob'd't servant,

N. CORRINGSBY."

The only excuse for the prevalence of any mystery about

Mr. Rarey's method of training horses was his effort, in the

earlier days of his career, to protect himself financially.   He

gave lessons for a fee and sold a little book of instructions and

required every one who bought a book to pledge himself to keep

the book private, not to let anybody read it and, in handling

horses, to prevent anybody from learning the secret and not to

instruct anybody in his art. Later, when his purposes had been

served, he publicly released everybody from the pledge and was

glad to have the rule of kindness everywhere proclaimed and

practiced.

508      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

In his earlier study of the nature of the horse, Mr. Rarey

observed that the animal acts upon knowledge received through

his senses, seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling; that he uses

the nose as human beings do the hand to touch and feel every

object that is new to him and determine whether or not it is

something to be feared. In his boyhood, Mr. Rarey once turned

a team of driving horses into a lot, in which there were two or

three stumps, on one of which he had thrown a buffalo robe.

The first horse, seeing the robe, was frightened. He ran to a

point as far away from the robe as he could get and, with head

extended, walked around and around the stump, each time getting

a little nearer, until he could touch the robe with his nose. On

the first contact, he jumped back but, seeing that it did not move,

he touched it again, finally seizing it with his teeth and tossing

it up and then jumping back again. After learning that the robe

could not harm him, the horse seized the robe and dragged it

about the lot. That was the boy's first lesson in the nature of

the horse, but it was most valuable. It was the foundation stone

of his whole theory.

So, in his lectures he declared that the only way to tame

or to train a horse is to work with, and not against, his intelli-

gence, "for the horse has intelligence and every good trait of

character which, if cultivated, will make him kind, docile and

gentle." The horse must become acquainted with the person

or object before he can have confidence, and his only means to

acquaintanceship are the senses. So, in coming into the presence

of a strange horse, Mr. Rarey approached slowly, spoke gently,

and stroked him lightly and kindly. Having established friend-

ship with the horse, he proceeded to prove to the animal that he

was master. For this purpose he used two straps and a surcingle.

One strap he buckled around the fetlock, raising one front foot;

then he adjusted the surcingle around the horse's body, fastened

the second strap, with a running loop, to the other foreleg, pass-

ing the end through the surcingle and held it in his hand. Thus,

at the desired moment, he brought the horse to his knees and

then to a lying posture. There were times when this was done

with great difficulty, but firmness, courage and kindness always

won sooner or later; and when the horse recognized that his

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.   509

friend was also his master, there was no further trouble. The

muscles of the animal's legs relaxed, and the trainer's head was

as safe at the horse's heels as it would have been on a downy

pillow. Of course, there was nothing in the invention of the

straps or in the recumbent posture, except that no other practical

mode had been discovered, at once and lastingly to subdue the

force and stubbornness of the animal, without a violent contest

which must always irritate, frighten and perhaps ruin the most

gentle subject.

Replying to the charge that he used drugs, magic and witch-

craft, Mr. Rarey, in one of his lectures, said: "The absurdity

of this notion is apparent when we consider that, if the horse

could be tamed by any of these methods, we could apply them

with the same efficacy upon children - upon the human family.

If any man tells you that he has a recipe for taming horses, try

it upon yourself and judge of its effect upon the horse. If you

are not knocked to the ground by the potency of the drug, then

believe me it will have no more effect upon the horse."

Mr. Rarey did not claim to be able, in a single lesson, to

redeem a horse forever from vicious ways. What he did do

was to indicate beyond all possibility of doubt the true mode of

treatment. He had to leave to others, by constant and patient

repetition, to lead the once unruly and evil-minded horse to that

constant and kindly service of which, as he believed, every

animal is capable.

OTHER ENGLISH EXPERIENCES.

It was in 1858 that an American circus visited London

and, with a view to drawing patronage, hired Cruiser of Mr.

Rarey for exhibition in the ring. The horse was to be managed

by Mr. Cook, the ringmaster. In due course, the latter came

forward and briefly recounted the wonderful history of the ani-

mal, exhibiting to the audience the heavy muzzle and chain halter

with which he had been confined. Then he gave a signal for

the entrance of Cruiser. There was a suppressed murmur of

voices for a moment, the doors were swung back and Cruiser,

with every eye fixed on him, walked quietly into the ring, led

by the groom. Mr. Cook attempted to show the several details

512      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

practice. It is needless to add that Cruiser was not again per-

mitted to appear in that circus.

One of the most thrilling of the exhibitions that Mr. Rarey

gave in England was given November 9, 1859, when he tamed

a powerful and beautiful thoroughbred stallion. It was, said a

chronicler of the event, a mortal combat between man and beast.

The moment the animal appeared, it was evident that the tamer's

powers would be tested to the utmost. The horse looked at the

audience, stood on his hind feet and ploughed up the ground; he

roared in fury and kicked; he snapped at the groom and at Mr.

Rarey and bit his own flesh severely in his passion. He tore to

pieces every strap put upon him, hurling to the ground the groom

who had come to Mr. Rarey's assistance. At one time the horse

broke completely away and stood for a moment a victor in the

midst of the excited audience. Two men came to Mr. Rarey's

aid, but they were unable to hold the animal which scattered men

and everything else around him like chaff. He was bathed in

white foam and clouds of vapor arose from his body. At one

moment he tossed up the straw, at another he sent the strong

barriers flying; for a time he stood alone in the arena, roaring

furiously and tearing with his teeth at everything within reach.

Mr. Rarey, having rested from the first encounter, approached

the horse, and then began a contest which no one who witnessed

it can ever forget. It was a struggle of art and tact against

overwhelming strength. For an hour the battle continued; now

the man had gained the mastery, now the horse; the animal,

touching the earth, seemed to derive fresh strength. At last,

Mr. Rarey extemporized a strap from the fragments of the

broken bridle and gained his first step to conquest. Still the

horse fought fiercely, rising and plunging in all directions, en-

deavoring to bite his tamer or trample him down. A long strug-

gle ensued. The contest had lasted an hour and a half, when at

length the horse stood quiet, thoroughly subdued, allowing Mr.

Rarey to strike his front and hind hoofs together, to jump over

him and pull him about at will. After mounting the horse and

concluding his lecture from that position, Mr. Rarey led him

around the arena with a straw. The exhibition proved that,

whatever tact and science he possessed, he also had most extraor-

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.         513

dinary muscular power, coolness and courage. No ordinary man

would have ventured to contend to the last with so formidable

and dangerous an antagonist. On this occasion, as on all when

Mr. Rarey appeared, there was in a measure a reproduction of

the exciting scenes of the Roman amphitheater, with none of the

cruelty.  There were the beautiful horses entering the arena,

with flying mane and dilated nostrils - wild, vicious, neighing,

snorting, pawing the earth and placing themselves in a succession

of fine attitudes, rushing sometimes at, and sometimes away from

the man who was to show that he was their master. For the

most part, the horses were brought before the audience without

any preparation, not even the trainer knowing beforehand the

character of the animal. This plan gave to each performance the

interest of originality and put to the greatest test the judgment

and skill of the tamer.

There were those who thought Mr. Rarey took risks too

great, particularly when, in demonstrating his complete mastery

of the horse, he was accustomed to put his head between the

horse's hoofs. This latter brought to Mr. Rarey an anonymous

protest which is marked by such admiration and good will that

it is worth reproducing. It read:

"SIR: The interest and admiration with which I witnessed your

exhibition on Saturday last induce me to take the liberty of animadvert-

ing on one part of it. No doubt, your great experience enables you to

judge with a certain approximation to accuracy of the degree of sub-

mission to which you have brought a horse. But still, as no rule is

without an exception, I was sorry to see you run an apparent risk that

was quite unnecessary, when you lay down with your head between the

animal's hind hoofs. The act was striking-and why? Because every

one felt he was assisting at a wager, in which you staked your life on

your knowledge of a horse's temper. Now, one of two things: Either

this implied wager is a real one, in which case all people of reflection

would think the chances were too unequal to make it justifiable, no man

having a right to risk his life without an adequate motive; or it is a

certainty and, in point of fact, without any risk at all. And in this

latter case I cannot but feel that an action which seems an appeal to the

vulgar feeling which takes delight in seeing others in positions of danger

that the onlookers would themselves shrink from, is unworthy of the

reality, the absence of sham and humbug that characterize the rest of

your proceedings. As a further excuse for the liberty I am taking, allow

514       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

me to mention that, having just now described your victory over the

King of Oude and also expressed the feeling that I have above stated to

two ladies (one of whom was a pupil of yours last year), it is in obedi-

ence to their commands that I thus write. It is useless to sign my name,

but permit me to subscribe myself an admirer of pluck, daring and in-

telligence."

TRIUMPHS ON THE CONTINENT.

In the fall of 1858, Mr. Rarey went to Paris where his fame

had preceded him. The Emperor appointed a commission to

witness and report on the American's performances, and speedily

was assured that the method was rational and successful. Mr.

Rarey's most notable single achievement there was the taming

of Stafford, a fiery and utterly intractable half-blood, about six

years old. His great strength and ferocity made it dangerous

even to approach him and for a year he had been kept closely

confined. A numerous assembly, comprising nearly all the mem-

bers of the Jockey Club, and many noble and distinguished per-

sonages, was present when Stafford, rearing and plunging in

such a manner as to tax the strength of two grooms, was brought

in. As a further precaution the animal had been carefully blind-

folded, and he was in an utterly vicious mood when turned over

to the trainer. An hour and a half later, Mr. Rarey rode the

horse guided by a simple bridle. He then dismounted, unbridled

the horse and led him around the arena as if he had been the

most docile omnibus horse. "His submission," said a writer of

the time, "was the effect neither of fear nor constraint, but

simply of confidence and affection." This performance won for

Mr. Rarey the applause of Paris; the Emperor caused his name

to be inscribed for 2000 francs on the subscription list, and in

two days a class of more than five thousand was organized.

Theophile Gautier, the distinguished novelist, was one of Mr.

Rarey's admirers and in Le Moniteur Universel, January 21,

1860, paid him a tribute from which this is quoted:

"Assurance, thorough knowledge of the horse, the art of statics and,

let me repeat, a personal influence, magnetic and fascinating, seem to me

the means employed by Rarey. He astonishes, paralyzes, tires and charms

the horse, he convinces him logically of his inability to defend himself.

However, are the animals subdued for long or permanently? The lesson

forgotten, will they return to their former character? Will another

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.    515

than Rarey be able effectively to apply the system? I am unable to say,

and experience only can answer the questions. What pleases me in the

method of this American subduer is that it is humane-no nose torture,

no bridling, no whip with cutting thongs, no spurs with sharp points, no

post of suffering, nothing but kindness, the moral victory, the throwing

and the idea of inferiority, suggested to the animal in the succession of

his futile efforts."

Mr. Rarey's visit to Stockholm was characterized by an

unusually warm reception by the Prince Regent, afterwards

King, who took occasion to say, on Mr. Rarey's presentation,

that he had been attentively reading the different accounts of his

performances and that he had already selected a subject for re-

formation- a remarkably spirited animal of Arabian and

English thoroughbred stock, which though four years old, had

never been broken, except to be led, if gently treated, by the

halter. The time was set for the test, and the royal riding school

was especially prepared by the addition of splendid carpets and

sofas to the already magnificent furniture. The issue was the

same as it had been so often before. The animal was subdued,

and the Prince Regent and his guests had an exciting experience

that brought them to their feet in approval. When it was all

over, the Prince Regent summoned Mr. Rarey, put many ques-

tions regarding the treatment of horses and finally presented to

him a medal as a token of special regard. It was a medal bearing

the motto, "Illis quorum meruere labores" - a social distinction,

conferring upon the wearer special privileges in visiting the royal

palaces and arsenals, commanding everywhere regard from the

servants of the King.

In Berlin, Mr. Rarey had a similarly cordial reception by

the Prince Regent, later King of Prussia, who alluded to the

exhibition he had witnessed in London on the evening before the

marriage of the Princess Royal. He gave exhibitions in the

royal riding school before members of the Court. In the au-

dience was Baron Alexander von Humboldt, distinguished

scientist, who later, on being invited by the American minister

to dine with Mr. Rarey, expressed the hope that he would be

"polite enough to live to be present." That desire was gratified

and, in responding to a toast, the venerable scholar declared with

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.    517

fond of horses, maintained stables, in recruiting for which both

men and animals were killed. Mr. Rarey, he was sure, could

be a great benefactor of the horse empire, if he would come and

introduce his system. In response to this, Mr. Rarey went to

St. Petersburg, bearing so many credentials that he was brought

at once to the notice of men most likely to further his project.

He went immediately to the residence of Baron Meyendorff,

equerry of the Czar, whom he found on the point of going to

the Neva to witness some national sports. Without ceremony,

Mr. Rarey was invited to take a seat in the sleigh which pro-

ceeded to the river as fast as three spirited horses abreast could

draw it. There he saw thousands of the nobility and common

people at play. On the solid surface of the ice were erected

large buildings which seemed intended to last for centuries rather

than to serve the temporary purpose of a winter season. Thous-

ands of gay turnouts, filled with ladies, half-buried in costly furs,

showed the presence of the wealthy classes, while the prominent

stands designated the nobility. The race-track was a circle

marked on the ice by green boughs and around the entire ring

congregated the peasantry on foot or in sleighs. Here Mr. Rarey

observed that trotting was the national pastime and he saw many

horses whose speed would have made them notable anywhere.

The style was three abreast, the center horse ornamented with

a towering yoke, decorated with gay streamers and a tinkling

bell. After the more formal races had been run, there were

scrub races which offered some unexpected amusement, the hi-

larity reaching a climax when three half-tamed horses from the

steppes, entered by an obscure peasant, beat the record of the

best horses of the Neva. The crowd went wild over the achieve-

ment, and the young sprigs of nobility, crowding around the

owner of the winning horses, carried him about on their shoul-

ders and at last took him off in triumph to the Czar.

Then came the Laplanders, with reindeer drawing rude

sleighs, who offered for a small sum to give anybody a turn

around the circle. Many crowded in, and away the loaded

sleighs went at high speed. The deer were perfectly trained and

seemed to enter into the sport with all the spirit of the jolly

throng and their happy masters.

518      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

A few days after this pleasant introduction to Russian life,

Mr. Rarey received from the Czar an order to go to one of the

imperial preserves and bring in a wild horse of the steppes that

the Cossacks had designed for the imperial stables -an animal

so wild that he had been left to roam in a deer park. Accom-

panied by Colonel Lefler, the head of the horse department, and

two other officers, Mr. Rarey proceeded to the park. Servants

drove the horse into an enclosure that served as a shelter in in-

clement weather, and Mr. Rarey entered alone and barricaded

the door. The contest, marked by the usual screaming and biting,

lasted for two hours, but the man was victor and rode the animal

to St. Petersburg. The astonished Czar congratulated him and

arranged for a private exhibition.

At the appointed time and place, two peasants brought into

the presence of the Czar and his court another animal, the wildest

the steppes could produce. He came rearing, plunging, kicking

and biting, and Mr. Rarey went quietly to meet him, laying his

hand on the animal's neck, passing it gently over his ears and

directly ordering the peasants to loose their hold on the ropes.

As the horse lost his fierceness, the Czar looked on in amazement

and asked the peasants, half sternly, half humorously, why they

could not thus handle the horse. To this they could only reply

that Mr. Rarey must be in league with the devil.

IN ENGLAND AGAIN.

Returning to England, Mr. Rarey gave a series of demon-

strations at the Royal Alhambra Palace, London, attracting large

audiences and subduing many vicious horses, including the King

of Oude, whose owner, Mr. Parr, had decided to have him shot,

after a vicious assault in which a groom and a pony had been

nearly killed. As a last effort to save the horse, Mr. Parr took

him to the American trainer. The horse was brought in by two

grooms, each holding a leathern thong of considerable length

attached to a cruel iron bit; at the end of the struggle, he was

meekly following wherever the trainer led and welcoming all

sorts of liberties with his head and heels. The Suffolk cart

horse that had won several prizes at the Royal Agricultural So-

ciety's meeting, but had killed one of his grooms and severely

520      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

be bitten. But after the usual contest, Mr. Rarey leaped on the

horse's back and remained there, in spite of the animal's most

violent efforts to dislodge him. When the horse reared, the

trainer threw himself forward; when he kicked, he was allowed

free scope; when he attempted to run away, he was turned

round and round. Once the trainer let the horse go at full gallop

down the course, to the evident consternation of the audience;

but just as the animal's nose touched the rope which marked

rather than made the barrier, Mr. Rarey brought him back to

his haunches, as if by a powerful brake, and then a similar charge

was made in the opposite direction. The trainer's horsemanship

was perfect. It delighted the audience, and it ultimately con-

vinced the horse that his master was upon his back.

At Manchester, three difficult subjects were offered to him

in one day. One of them was a little cob sire that was never

trusted without a muzzle; and so confident was the owner of

the animal's power to foil the American that he advertised the

coming combat at his own expense that his friends might all

be there to see the pony win. The latter was turned unmuzzled

into the arena, and flew twice at the trainer with all the fury of

a mastiff. Mr. Rarey eluded the animal the first time and caught

it as it rose on its legs for the second spring. Then followed

the usual proceedings of getting acquainted, winning the pony's

friendship and finally gaining the mastery. It was all so easily

and quickly done that the great crowd that had gathered, most

of them to scoff, went away wondering and admiring.

Mr. Rarey toured England, Ireland and Scotland, visiting the

Duke and Duchess of Athole, at their beautiful estate, Dunkeld,

on the river Tay. That estate was one of the most showy places

in the world, containing many thousand acres of pleasure ground,

with a hundred miles of walks and drives -a place where the

nobility delighted to gather and where Queen Victoria and Prince

Albert had visited for weeks at a time. Game was abundant

and in his park the duke had twenty thousand deer. Hunting

and deer-stalking, in company with the duke and his royal guests,

were among the pleasures enjoyed by Mr. Rarey there. Thence

he went to the Shetland Islands, where he bought five of the

smallest ponies to be found, one of which he subsequently gave

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.        521

to an Englishman famed for his undeviating kindness and cour-

tesy to travelers from America. The Glasgow Citizen, October

22, 1859, paid him this tribute:

"In appearance Mr. Rarey is decidedly prepossessing, being about

five feet, nine inches in height, light-haired, light-complexioned, with in-

telligent eyes, an open countenance and a manner that won the audience

from the moment that he raised his hat and unaffectedly acknowledged

their plaudits. He is singularly young for the noise he has made in the

world, his age being only thirty-one. He did more to put down the harsh

and improper treatment of the horse than all the societies formed for

this purpose and all the sermons preached against cruelty to animals.

As for Cruiser, he is a fine thoroughbred animal, conscious of blood,

conscious also, evidently, of the admiration he is accustomed to excite,

but without any indication of vice about him."

In Glasgow, Mr. Rarey gave a free lecture to the cabmen

and carters, for which he was presented with a handsome testi-

monial by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The clergymen of Edinburgh attended his lecture, and so strong

an impression did his method make that they preached sermons

in which they alluded to his success as exemplifying the power

of love and kindness.

IN ARABIA AND THE EAST.

Leaving Great Britain, Mr. Rarey went again to Paris, gave

four exhibitions, declined splendid offers to lecture in the French

provinces, pushed on to Rome and Naples and, by way of Sicily

and Malta, to Alexandria.    In the second week in February,

1860, he was sailing up the Nile toward Cairo. It was just the

season for turning the Arab horses out to grass, and there they

stood up to their knees in it (with an ever-shifting background

of camels, donkeys and buffaloes, on whose back three or four

dusky urchins might be seen riding home at nightfall), mile after

mile in bay, chestnut and flea-bitten gray platoons, about five

yards apart, and tethered to stakes by one fore and both hind

legs, so as just to command their allotted range of herbage. At

Cairo his stay was very limited, although he received a pressing

invitation from the Viceroy of Egypt to visit him at his country

seat higher up the river; but to gaze on the high-caste "children

522      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

of the star" was his sole mission, and he had no time to linger.

He accordingly went at once with his party across the Great

Desert to the shores of the Red sea and, taking leave of them

there, merely stepped aside to see the pyramids, as he retraced

his steps to Alexandria.

Thence he sailed to a port near Jaffa, and proceeded to

Jerusalem. It was on a picturesque grassy knoll, hard by a

grove of olives, that he gave the Pacha a specimen of his art.

The latter had ordered out for his inspection four of his best

mares of the purest Nedgedee caste and, after Mr. Rarey had

ridden one, a spirited gray, he took a brown horse from the

hands of the attendant eunuch and, with the aid of the two

little straps, made the animal follow him all about the pasture.

The gray, whose ragged hips and long neck did not improve

her, was a little over fifteen hands high and so highly valued

that her master had refused a thousand pounds for her.

Then followed an excursion to the Dead sea, which was

somewhat spoiled by a party of Bedouins, who descended on

the tent and cooking utensils, made the cook stand and deliver

his watch and maltreated the solitary soldier for saucily re-

monstrating. Mr. Rarey and his party were some miles ahead

at the time; but the former learned from the incident the lesson

of caution and left all of his possessions in Damascus when later,

accompanied only by Major Frazer, of lion-hunting fame, and

an interpreter, he spent several days in the desert in search of

horse lore, riding up to every encampment he could descry and

trusting for food and a night's lodging to the sheiks of the vil-

lages.

At Beyrout, on his return, he found the best Arab he had

seen on his travels, among a lot of twenty which some Sardinian

officers had got together for their king. Rhodes and Smyrna

had little to show in this way; but at Constantinople, he found

several studs, principally saddle-horses, where the animals were

thoroughly understood and scientifically handled. The Arabs

had disappointed him. Their intimate life with the horse from

the animal's birth had given them complete mastery, but he

doubted if they had thought out any system or discovered any

principle by which they could handle a horse entirely new to

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.  523

them. He was confirmed in this belief by the helplessness and

fright they showed when the stallion he was riding on the tour

refused, one morning, to let one of them bridle him. The

Prophet was invoked in vain, and finally Mr. Rarey had to be

summoned from the tent of the sheik where he was eating brown

bread and wild honey, to put matters to right-a matter of no

great difficulty when the crowd of agitated turbans had been

thrust back a space.

But Mr. Rarey found beauty in other things as well as in

the horse. He tells in his diary of camping one night close to

the foot of Mount Hermon at the upper fountain of the Jordan.

Proceeding thence at daybreak on the road to Damascus, they

saw Arab villages built like swallows' nests on the edge of the

mountain cliff. He met tall, dark-skinned, white-bearded fath-

ers, bearing themselves like princes and driving their flocks of

goats, sheep and cattle down the winding mountain paths to

graze in the meadows below. With one of these patriarchs was

a beautiful Arab girl sitting astride a proud, prancing steed and

affectionately looking to the care of the kids, whose heads came

to the top of the pockets on either side of the saddle on which

she sat. Her picturesque attire -handsome red jacket, full blue

trousers and thin veil head covering, which she drew closely

about her face, almost hiding her regular features-completed

the splendid picture this child of nature made. The men he

found to be intelligent and manly specimens of their kind.

During his stay in Constantinople, Mr. Rarey was a guest

at the Sultan's palace, where he drank coffee with his hosts and

smoked a pipe whose amber mouthpiece was set with diamonds.

FAREWELL TO ENGLAND.

Returning to England in the spring of 1860, Mr. Rarey

found himself even more famous than when he left. The news

of his trip had preceded him. Colonel Thomas Seymour wrote:

"Since his return, men and not horses have gone wild. If he

could find a way of training the Cruisers of mankind, Christian-

ity would assign him a place among the Apostles." Mark Lemon,

editor of Punch, wrote: "I feel proud of knowing you and still

prouder that I can call you my friend." Both in text and picture,

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.  525

Animals presented to Mr. Rarey a splendid gold medal. The

government employed him to teach his method to two classes of

cavalry, and so the method was communicated to the entire army.

Resisting many invitations to make England his home, he decided

to return to his native land and, on October 27, 1860, gave a

farewell lecture to an audience of 8,000 in Crystal Palace. In

the course of his remarks, he thanked England for the great

kindness he had experienced and hoped that the introduction of

his method had been of advantage to the cause of humanity. He

had always sympathized with the noble horse and he was de-

lighted that he had been able to prove that so much might be

done by kindness. Returning to America, he would bear the

most grateful feelings toward the English people.

With the esteem of all he had met and unspoiled by their

praise, Mr. Rarey took passage for New York. The Herald of

November 11, 1860, hailed him as "the subjugator of vicious

steeds, the recipient of honors and decorations from royal and

imperial hands, the tutor of chevaliers and dames with equestrian

tastes, the wearer of medals awarded by several humane societies

of England and Scotland, the modern Centaur." "He is return-

ing," continued the Herald, "after a three years' absence, during

which he astonished high and low with proofs of his wondrous

skill in taming refractory brutes. A cavalcade of our best horse-

men and Amazons can be formed to escort this American prince

of horse-tamers from the Battery to the Fifth Avenue Hotel.

And why should we not honor Mr. Rarey with a grand reception.

He is one of those men whose talents have helped to make our

country famous in other lands. In fact, in all departments of art

and science, Americans have shown themselves first among the

foremost. In his own useful way, Mr. Rarey has outstripped

all the world. The very Arab marvels at his influence over the

horse, and calls upon Allah to attest his wonderful power. Is it

not then highly proper that we should extend a fitting reception

to the great horse-tamer? We feel assured that our suggestion

will be acted on and that Mr. Rarey will meet a welcome worthy

of him."

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.       527

THE AMERICAN TOUR.

The return of Mr. Rarey, accompanied by Cruiser, now his

constant companion, was an event in New York. In his head

there may have been running the lines of a song some generous

Britisher had written and set to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

Two of the stanzas were:

"The daily news that we receive

Has set some people frantic,

Tho' all we hear we don't believe

That crosses the Atlantic;

But facts are stubborn things, I guess,

And tho' opinions vary.

Each correspondent of the press

Speaks well of Mr. Rarey.

Mr. Rarey comes to town

To tame both horse and pony-

He'll play the drum and make them  dance

Like Madame Taglione.

"No doubt there will be many go

To witness Rarey's system

Of taming brutes by kindness, and

With no one to assist him;

I hope he'll have a bumper, which

We safely may declare he

Deserves for his humanity-

Success to Mr. Rarey!"

At any rate, having prepared for a continuance of his good

work in "Yankee Doodle" land by offering a reward of $100

for the most vicious horse brought to him, he hurried off to

Groveport to spend the Christmas vacation at home. In January

he returned to New York and at Niblo's Garden gave a series

of exhibitions with Cruiser, his Shetland ponies and such vicious

horses as were brought to him. Here, as elsewhere in his talks,

Mr. Rarey declared, as the reporter for Frank Leslie's Illustrated

Newspaper put it, that "the horse is a creature of impressions;

if he fears you, he will run away, if he is angry with you, he will

attack you-he is a child in intellect and must be treated like

one.  Brute force can never tame a horse completely - there

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.          529

is always a sore spot left which will break out at the first oppor-

tunity. The horse must be convinced by humane treatment and

undeviating firmness that man is his natural master." A wild

South American pony, a vicious stallion believed by his owner.

E. Luff, of Harlem Lane, to be "the worst animal in the world,"

unbroken colts and an iron gray, "as big as the Great Eastern"

were all successfully treated with varying degrees of ease.

PRAISED BY INTELLECTUALS.

Having instructed, entertained and convinced New York.

Mr. Rarey moved on to Boston, where he gave similar lectures

and demonstrations.    Like the horses, the intellectuals of that

city were soon at his feet. Said the Courier of that city:

"Whatever credit may be due-and doubtless much credit is due

to others for their contributions in the way of observation and experi-

ment to the new method of horse-taming-it is Mr. Rarey alone who

can justly claim the admiration and gratitude of the world for having

sifted, analyzed, harmonized and co-ordinated all the isolated facts into

a complete and rational method. These facts lay scattered in the brains

of horse-breakers throughout the world, but they were used empirically,

applied in ignorance of their true value and in conjunction with cruel,

barbarous and absurd practices, which went far to neutralize their effect

and obscure their true relation and value. * * * The Rarey rules are

not abstruse or difficult of apprehension. They are capable of being

simply stated and easily learned, but they are far from being so easily

applied. The difficulty, however, lies not in the rules themselves, but in

the nature of man. The first and great one, without compliance with

which all the others avail but little, is complete self-control on the part

of him who would succeed as a trainer of horses. The Bible tells us

that he who ruleth himself is greater than he who taketh a city, and the

fame of the conquerors of Monterey and Mexico show how great by

the popular voice are the city takers. Now, greater than these, if we

accept the dictum of Holy Writ, is Rarey, the horse-tamer, and so great

must every man be who would rival him. If an ambition to rank among

the subduers of horses shall cause an augmentation of those who can

keep their temper, this will not be one of the least of the benefits for

which the world will have to thank Mr. Rarey."

From William Lloyd Garrison, the distinguished publicist,

who spent many of the best years of his life in the abolition

cause, came the following letter, under date of April 5, 1861:

530        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

"I was much gratified at the brief interview had with you this fore-

noon, as it deepened my conviction of your fitness to teach the world a

great and everywhere needed lesson of humanity, whereby in teaching

them how to subdue the most refractory animals, men might learn to

govern their own passions, and thus substitute the law of love for the

spirit of brutality. The modesty of your deportment also evinced the

possession of self-respect and self-reliance, which are the antagonism

of self-seeking and self-glorification, and quite essential to the character

of a true philanthropist and reformer.

"I can only renew the expression of my deep interest in your hu-

mane mission, hoping that your labors will be extended to every part of

Christendom and that your life, as benefactor and redeemer, may be

long spared. For all that you are doing for the relief and true govern-

ment of the noblest and at the same time the most abused and over-

tasked of the animal race, allow me, in parting, pleasantly to invoke for

you (if you will excuse the pun) the horsepitality of the world-by

which I mean, may you meet with a kind and hearty reception wherever

you travel.

"Yours, to augment human happiness and lessen animal suffering.

"WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON."

Another interesting Boston letter was from E. H. Hepworth,

who wrote:

"I want to express my gratitude for the exhibition of last week.

I feel that you are accomplishing a great good. I have always loved the

horse and have suffered great pain in seeing him frequently abused. I

cannot help feeling that he is a noble animal and that his reasoning

power is far beyond what is commonly acknowledged. The Arab gets

more out of his horse than the American can, and the Arabian horse is

said to know more than any other animal. But I have for a time thought

that the difference is one, or rather mostly one, of education. We do

not yet know what our horses are capable of doing and being, because

we mostly spoil them in 'bringing up.' I have to express the hope that

all who have to do with horses will hear and heed you, and remain your

obedient servant,                          "E. H. HEPWORTH."

IN CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA.

The throng that gathered in Bryan Hall, Chicago, December

21, 1861, went with the same incredulity that marked the mental

attitude of audiences elsewhere. Many went, as they confessed,

to see Mr. Rarey fail.     After the trainer had explained his

method of handling Cruiser, a narrative which was listened to

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.   531

with rapt attention by the immense audience, a large, wicked-

looking black horse was brought onto the platform, which had

been covered with boards topped with sawdust and protected by

a barricade and hempen cable. The animal was addicted to

biting and kicking and not drawing quietly in harness. Only

a day or two before, while working beside another animal, this

horse had kicked himself free of harness and wagon and attacked

his mate with his teeth, and had been beaten away with clubs.

When brought out by the assistants, he paused, gazed at the

thousands of human faces before him, and gave a frantic leap

and a series of evolutions. After dragging the trainer several

times about the stage, his hind heels more than half of the time

in the air, the strap was buckled on, the assistant retired and Mr.

Rarey was left alone with the vicious animal. Twenty minutes

later, to the wonder and astonishment of the spectators, the

horse was being led around the enclosure by a single straw, as

docile and submissive as a pet fawn. Mr. Rarey mounted him,

got beneath him, put his head between the dangerous hoofs and

thrust his bare hand into the animal's mouth. The wild spirit

of the horse had apparently been turned to affection.

On January 26, 1862, Mr. Rarey gave a matinee perform-

ance to the usual crowded house at Niblo's Garden, New York,

taming three vicious horses to the complete satisfaction of the

most incredulous. He gave a second demonstration there, do-

nating half the proceeds to the Widows' and Orphans' fund.

His first appearance in Philadelphia was in the Academy

of Music, and marked a decided innovation in the history of that

institution, the entire equipment of which was turned over to

him for three exhibitions. The courts and green rooms, sacred

to prima donnas and dashing baritones, were relinquished to

intractable stallions, unamiable colts, Shetland ponies and Mile-

sian hostlers. When Mr. Rarey appeared upon the stage, the

house was filled to its last seat and all the standing room was

occupied. "His voice," wrote a reporter, "was quick and full

and could be heard with distinctness almost all over the house.

He has a fund of dry humor in his composition that makes his

lectures extremely interesting. Cruiser was brought before the

audience, led by a single groom, and pranced about with eager-

532      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

ness and apparent pride. He is a splendid specimen of horse-

flesh, of a beautiful dark bay color, of glossy skin black in the

limbs and very straight, an action as full of ease as it is of

animation, and with the mild eye that is characteristic of

thoroughbred racers. Most of Mr. Rarey's method was illus-

trated by Cruiser. He was completely successful in his efforts,

which were applauded by the spectators."

The second exhibition was attended by even greater delight

and enthusiasm, on the part of the audience, than was the first.

"Mr. Rarey," said one of the papers of the time, "is rapidly be-

coming a lion. He is talked of in every circle; even the ladies

converse freely of him and horses generally. Music Hall is no

longer remembered as a concert, lecture, fair or preaching temple,

but as an arena in which equine miracles are performed, as a

theatre in which all manner of ugly and vicious horses are sub-

dued and made gentle and plastic. Inasmuch as it teaches the

great principle that kindness is greater than force, gentleness than

brutality - that a little common sense is better than a great deal

of whip -we regard the purpose to which the hall has been put

as most excellent. It is as good as so many sermons to teach

men to become humane and sensible."

When Mr. Rarey had explained that he had come, not as a

gladiator, but as an educator to teach that a horse is bad only

as he is badly treated, Cruiser was brought in and made his

obeisance to the assembly by gracefully turning his neck, putting

forward his right foot and moving his ears back and forth. The

next horse afforded a good subject for Mr. Rarey's art. He

leaped, kicked, reared and performed other antics showing his

intractability, but, as usual, he was soon under control, proving

again the virtue of the method of the trainer.

The third exihibition, for which, in spite of the intensely

cold weather, the house was again packed, marked the climax

in interest; and so insistent were the demands for more that Mr.

Rarey consented to remain for two more exhibitions, which were

given on the following Thursday and Saturday.

On his second visit to Boston, Mr. Rarey appeared in Music

Hall and for five nights the statue of Beethoven looked down

upon an unwonted spectacle. "Such things were never dreamed

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.   533

of," said one writer, "when this magnificent temple was dedi-

cated to Apollo; but, when we remember that, without the horse,

the violin and violoncello would be mute, we must concede the

noblest of domestic animals the right of entrance upon a stage

where horse hair is so potent." In the audiences were repre-

sentatives of all classes of society. There were, as somebody

said, "clergymen, lawyers, merchants, scholars, poets, literary

hacks and illiterate hackmen."-ex-President Franklin Pierce,

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Wendell Phillips and others less dis-

tinguished and sooner forgotten. One-half of the proceeds of

his final exhibition was given to the charities of the city, and the

verdict of the press, when he left was that he had made an in-

delible impression on the Boston public by the wonderful success

of his method, which proved but an illustration of the law of

kindness.

"I have not seen," said Ralph Waldo Emerson, "that any

of our colleges have bestowed on Mr. Rarey the diploma of

Doctor of Laws. Yet what excuse have we, after the exhibition

of Mr. Rarey's treatment of the horse, for the use of brute

force? He has turned a new leaf in civilization, and I think

the Board of Education of Massachusetts would not take an

unwise step, if they should engage the master to go to each col-

lege and teachers' convention in the state and explain his treat-

ment. What extension, what novelty in his fundamental maxim

that he who would deal with a horse must know neither fear

nor anger! When I saw his performance, I could not help

thinking it was a sort of Aesop's fable and suspecting that he

was a very sly satirist and that he must know and feel what

sarcastic lessons he was reading schools and universities."

GIVES HIS METHOD TO THE ARMY.

Early in December, 1862, Mr. Rarey received the following

letter:

"HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,

WASHINGTON, D. C.,

"MR. JOHN S. RAREY:                    December 6, 1862.

"SIR: You are hereby authorized to visit the Army of the Potomac

for the purpose of inspecting the horses and mules of the cavalry, artil-

534       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

lery and teams belonging to that army. All officers of the Army of the

Potomac are directed to afford every facility to Mr. Rarey to make this

inspection.

"By order of Major General Halleck, General-in-Chief.

"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

"J. C. KELTON, A. D. G."

Mr. Rarey accepted the invitation, made the inspection and

communicated to the army officers his method of training the

horse. The method was adopted, and its principles are today

to be found in the army regulations. Here is an excerpt from

Mr. Rarey's diary, written while he was making the inspection:

"On Saturday, December 14, 1862, the third day of the battle, I

stood on the bluff of the Rappahannock, this side of Fredericksburg, and

witnessed the battle for some time. Two or three shells fell near me.

In the afternoon of the same day, through the kindness of Professor

Lowe, I went up alone in a balloon to watch the fight. A shot was fired

directly at me, but passed under the balloon. Had to change my loca-

tion."

Returning from the inspection, in the course of which every

courtesy had been accorded him, Mr. Rarey gave a lecture in

Smith & Nixon's hall, Cincinnati, to one of the largest audiences

ever within its walls. The lecture and his mastering of vicious

horses were attended with the usual interest and success. In

February, 1862, at the request of his nephew, C. W. Fairington,

Mr. Rarey went to Havana, where he gave a successful demon-

stration before a large audience in which were the Captain-Gen-

eral of Cuba and other dignitaries. His talk was interpreted to

the audience, but he writes in his diary that he was "convinced

that they had no idea or appreciation of my art." At the second

exhibition, he had no interpreter.  He simply illustrated his

method first by attempting to ride the horse before taming him

and, second, by taming him and riding him afterward. This

aroused their interest, but did not enlighten them as to the

method; they clung to the idea that they had witnessed a struggle

like a bull-fight. "Probably," he says, "they would have been

better pleased, had blood been spilled. I am glad there were

present a number of Cubans who were anxious that some of my

principles might be instilled into the dumb negroes and low cre-

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.      535

oles, whose only thought was to beat the poor creatures under

them and over which they were permitted to exercise the author-

ity of master."

At Matanzas, before an audience in which there were many

appreciative Americans, he subdued a very vicious mule. A

Spanish nobleman presented him with a beautiful ring which he

said was of great antiquity and was bought from the collection

of a French minister, and which showed a fine engraving of the

head of Hercules.

Returning to New York, Mr. Rarey gave a series of exhi-

bitions at Niblo's Garden, entertaining on alternate nights with

Edwin Forrest, the great tragedian of the day. There offers

were made to him for a series of lectures in the United States

and Canada, but he declined them, preferring to direct his own

activities, lecturing where and when he pleased.

In Allyn Hall, Hartford, Conn., Mr. Rarey gave an exhi-

bition which was notable for his illustration of the proper man-

ner of mounting into the saddle. He condemned the ordinary

way of standing off from the horse, approaching him at a right

angle and pulling and straining on the saddle to the great danger

of turning it over in spite of the girth. The correct way, he

said, was to stand close by the horse's shoulder, facing the same

way as the horse and then, with left hand on the rein near the

bit and right hand over the saddle, rise into the seat by a motion

that seems literally as graduated and even as the ascent from

one stair to another. Indeed, it seemed to be identical with that

motion. There was no perceptible springing or vaulting, but all

was as quick and easy as the stepping from one stair up to

another. And this he did, with no girth to hold the saddle on.

In September, 1862, Mr. Rarey gave an exhibition in Co-

lumbus, Ohio. at the old Atheneum.    Of this the Ohio State

Journal of the 2nd said:

"We do not feel justified in leaving the exhibition of Mr. Rarey's

horse-training powers to the brief notice of a local column. His exhibi-

tions are not so much for the show as for the utility that may be de-

rived from them. And no man who has sufficient native capacity to love

a spirited and noble horse can witness Mr. Rarey's wonderful display

of power over that finely organized animal, without learning much that

536        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

is both useful and humane. Mr. Rarey is not empiric in any sense. His

method is as truly philosophical as any inductive science can be. As a

gentleman, he is sincere, thoughtful and unpretending. He assigns, in

clear and direct language, a just and indisputable reason for the proposi-

tions he submits, in regard to the training of the noble animal whose

whole nature, physiological and psychological, he has so thoroughly and

successfully studied. The elaboration of the chemist for the demonstra-

tion of the affinities of matter are not more purely scientific than are

Mr. Rarey's demonstrations of the philosophical mode of training the

powers of the horse to pleasant and profitable subjection to the human

will. He is therefore always heard by the most intelligent people with

the utmost interest and respect.

"On the present occasion, Mr. Rarey, who is a sound patriot, at the

suggestion of certain estimable ladies who are steadily toiling for the

good of our soldiers, voluntarily tendered his services for an evening's

exhibition as a benefit for the funds of the Soldiers' Aid Society. His

offer was gladly accepted; and a splendid benefit it was. The Atheneum

was literally packed with one of the most intelligent and genteel audi-

ences that ever assembled in our city. And when it is considered that

most of the tickets were at $1 each, the substantialness of the benefit

may be inferred.

"After taming one horse and exhibiting three Shetland ponies, one,

a colt, twenty inches high and weighing twenty-one pounds, was brought

forward in the arms of a boy; it looked more like a shaggy dog than

anything of the genus equinus, though it afterwards cantered about the

stage with much activity and grace. Next came the spirited, but spoiled

and vicious brute, with which Mr. Rarey was to try conclusions. It was

a compact and powerfully built horse, in good condition, but dangerous

and vicious beyond all control. His owner sent his character with him

and expressed a very reasonable apprehension for Mr. Rarey's safety in

handling him. This horse was a total stranger to Mr. Rarey, and the

first demonstrations that attended their acquaintance entirely justified the

amiability of character that his owner's letter had so honestly certified

to. His hind feet were aimed at the reformer's personnel. These ex-

hibitions of the brute's tender mercies towards Mr. Rarey were rapidly

repeated, exciting the audience as with a touch of tragic. But the calm

and steady manner of Mr. Rarey, as he watched the equine performance

of the Highland fling, speedily dispelled all apprehensions for his safety.

His complete success with this animal elicited great applause."

PLANNED A BOOK ON THE HORSE.

Mr. Rarey planned an illustrated book on the horse, in four

parts and seventy-three chapters, and in 1862 entered into an

agreement with Mr. Pliny Miles to make the necessary research

Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.  539

book of instructions on horses which sold for $10. This book

was pirated, so laden with trash as to be unrecognizable and

sold to the great profit of the pirates, for $2.50.

On the site of the house in which he was born, Mr. Rarey

built a mansion where he entertained many a national celebrity,

and made a home for his aged mother, to whom he showed the

utmost devotion. By this time his health had begun to decline.

His years abroad and at home had been strenuous. In the train-

ing of horses his physical strength had been continuously taxed

and his great popularity had forced upon him extraordinary

social duties. In consequence, he suffered, in December, 1865,

a stroke of paralysis, from which he never recovered. He spent

the subsequent summer at Whi e Sulphur Springs and returned

to Groveport where he lived quietly, hoping to regain strength

for another visit to Europe. Accompanied by his niece, Mrs.

Elizabeth Williams, he went to Cleveland for a visit and, while

there, died, October 4, 1866. The remains were brought to

Groveport and at the Rarey mansion there, on the 7th, were held

the funeral services which were attended by friends from all

parts of the country. In accordance with his wish, the burial

was made in the village cemetery beside the grave of his father.

Cruiser survived his master and friend nine years, dying at

the Rarey farm, July 6, 1875, in the twenty-third year of his

age. Mr. Rarey, whose fame he had shared, amply provided in

his will for the comfort and care of the noble animal that had

shared his triumphs and had helped to impress upon the world

the important lesson that kindness is power.