A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Vintage Horse Whispering
Mr. Rarey and Cruiser from Harper's Weekly January 1861
AN EVENING WITH RAREY, published in Harper's Weekly February 1861. Could this have been one of the first "clinic's."
HORSE-BREAKING APPLIANCES, published in Cassell's Book Of The Horse 1875. The engraving above is from my personal collection of lithographs/engravings and it has always intrigued me as the "trip rig" pictured in the engraving is called a Rarey. I wonder if it was invented, used, and was named after the gentleman in the top 2nd and 3rd engraving's. He appeared to be pretty big stuff in 1961 and this illustration above was printed 14 years later.
Remember the 'Beery School of Horsmanship' back in the 60's, early 70's. They used to advertise their course in the back of Popular Mechanics - featuring the 'patented Beery pressure bridle'
ReplyDeleteI bet that's where a lot of the John Lyons, Roberts and Parelli types got their idea of 'secret training methods'.
Dang, as a kid I wanted to order that set of booklets, but my parents refused to come up with the hundred bucks. I've seen them on Ebay. I wonder if people are buying them as a curiosity or for the magical secrets they contain.
Ian
You may want to acquire a copy of Nancy Bowker's book "John Rarey: Horse Tamer," issued in 1999. If you do a title search in Amazon for J. S. Rarey you'll also find some reprints of his books on training.
ReplyDeleteThere's also the probability that some of these are available at Google Books, free. A simple Google search also brings up many hits.
Rarey had a brief connection to the circus business, being with S. O. Wheeler's outfit in 1865. Refer to: http://www.circushistory.org/Thayer/Thayer3m.htm