Grooming Horses

Budweiser Clydesdale being Groomed 

Several years ago I got to watch the Budweiser Clydesdales being groomed, harnessed, and hitched for a local parade. Wow! That was a treat! Those horses are treated like rock stars. They ride in air conditioned semi trucks and travel with their personal attendants. 

They are beautiful beyond belief, but a far cry from the working horses our Colonial ancestors owned. While the Clydesdale in the photo was getting his "feathers" brushed and whitened to impress the crowd, Colonial horses needed a more practical level of grooming. 

In Full Harness

Horse harness is made of leather straps and metal buckles. These materials lay flat or shift and rub against the horse's hair and hide. While the horse's hair helps protect his hide, too much chafing will cause sore spots. When the farmer brushed his horse, he not only removed dirt and dried sweat, he checked for signs of missing hair or irritated skin. If he found those, he knew he needed to adjust or mend his harness, but he also applied a soothing ointment to the horse if needed.

Long, flowing tails are gorgeous to see flying behind a horse racing across a field. But long, flowing tails could also get caught in the hitch apparatus. The Clydesdales have their tails bobbed incredibly short as a fashion statement. They are bobbed shortly after birth, much as some breeds of dog have their tails bobbed. In Colonial times, a farmer wouldn't cut the actual tail of the horse but kept the hair trimmed so that it didn't get tangled in the hitch. Their horses still had plenty of tail to swat flies with.

Cash Yawning Wide

Saddle horses needed grooming attention as well. Not every saddle fits every horse, much like not every coat fits every human. A poorly-fitted saddle or worn blanket could rub hair off, leave sores, or even cut into a horse. Regular grooming allowed the owner or stableman to inspect for such things. Grooming before the saddle was applied also reduced the risk of trapping dirt or burrs under the blanket, a situation that could result in the rider meeting the road ... so to speak.

Last, but also import to a horse's health and well-being, was to check the horse's teeth at least yearly. Horses teeth, as they age, wear down from grazing. It would be fine if they wore evenly, but they rarely do. Sharp edges often form on the outer cusps of the molars, making grinding food more difficult and even wearing sores on the inside of the horse's cheeks. "Floating" the teeth is a method of using a rasp or a file to grind down the sharp points until they are blunted and even with the rest of the tooth. It's not a painful process, but trust me, horses don't like dental work any better than we do! Still, it needs to be done to keep them healthy, especially in their later years.

Follow Pegg on Amazon.com

Feeding Horses

Nugget in the Pasture

Our Colonial ancestors valued the horse for all the obvious reasons. Horses were their transportation, their workforce on the farm, and even their partner in battle. But Colonials didn't have a corner feed store with bags of mineral-added, scientifically formulated equine nutrition. So what did they do before Purina?

Pasture is the best feed for horses and it's readily available in warm weather. From the first green-up of Spring, until the snow lays thick on the land, horses can forage for food. Some horses, like Nugget here, are even good at pawing through the snow for the dried grasses underneath.

When they can't graze on pasture, a horse needs hay. Hay is simply grasses, legumes, and weeds that are cut at the peak of growth and dried. Farmers used a scythe to cut long, even swaths from the meadows and leave it to dry where it fell. In a couple of days, they'd hitch a team of horses to a wagon and with one person driving, others would "fork" loads of the dried hay onto the wagon until it was heaped full. Back near the barn, they'd stack the hay.

Haystacks

Haystacks weren't haphazard affairs. They were a combination of art and science. Properly formed, a haystack shed water and protected the feed through the coming winter until it was needed. Here's a good web page describing the process.

But hay alone was not enough to sustain horses who were worked hard. Oats, barley, and corn were all common grains fed to horses. This meant that farmers had to sow, cultivate, and harvest grains not only for the family's consumption but for their horses as well. Grains were only needed, however, during times of heavy work. During the winter months - unless the horses were used for logging - most got by just fine on hay alone.

Today, most of our horses are over-fed and under-worked, my own included. But in Colonial times, a horse wasn't a luxury or a pet, he was a vital part of the homestead and essential to the economy.

Follow Pegg on Amazon.com

No Hoof - No Horse

Trooper in His Shaggy Winter Coat

Last month Kelly Goshorn asked me to write about caring for horses. That made this month's blog topic an easy pick. I know a few things about horse care. Pictured here is my old horse, Trooper. He's twenty-five years old and needs some extra care in his senior years, but he's worth it.

In Colonial times, horses worked hard. They toiled in the fields, clipped along the roads, and packed goods into places where no roads existed. But they could do little of that if they were neglected.

"No hoof, no horse" was a famous saying back then and it's still well-known today. A horse without four good hooves is in serious trouble. Some people say that a horse has five hearts. In a way that's true. Besides the obvious beating organ in his chest, each of his hooves has a cushioned pad that, when pressed, helps push his blood supply back to his chest. Losing the use of a hoof damages his circulation. Even with today's advances in equine medicine, many horses with hoof injuries can't be saved. Probably the most famous being Barbaro, a racehorse who survived a shattered leg until laminitis, a very serious hoof condition, set in. 

Setting a Horse Shoe

To prevent problems, horses that are used frequently are fitted with horse shoes. The metal shoes are nailed into the hoof wall. There is no pain involved in this process. The hoof wall is like our fingernails, only stronger and much thicker. The shoes prevent the hoof from being chipped, over-worn, or otherwise damaged during hard use. On a regular basis, the shoes are removed so that the hoof walls can be trimmed back - much as we trim our nails - and then the shoes are reset onto the trimmed hooves. Our Colonial ancestors took their horses to a blacksmith or a farrier for shoeing.

Blacksmith Forged Hoof Pick

In between visits to the blacksmith or farrier, the owner or stableman would keep the horse's feet healthy with regular cleaning using a hoof pick to remove dirt, manure, and stones that could collect there. 

And finally, the horse needed somewhere dry to stand when he wasn't working. Damp is another enemy of a healthy hoof. While a horse can work all day in the damp fields, the hooves must be cleaned out and the horse given a dry place to rest afterwards to prevent bacteria from attacking the hoof and causing lameness or even death.

PeggThomas.com

Follow Pegg on Amazon.com

Horses - Again

You can't write historical fiction - at least not pre-twentieth century - without using horses in your story. The horse was instrumental to life. The world moved on the back of the horse.

I love horses. I've owned a handful over the years. This photo is not one of mine. He's Samson and he belongs to the Amish neighbor who cuts and bales my hayfield. He's a real working horse, just like those we write about.

Here are some horse scene disasters I've read in books recently. I'm paraphrasing:

She took off his bridle and slipped his harness over his head.

The author meant to use the word "halter" and not "harness." A harness is what Samson is wearing. It's a series of leather straps and metal buckles that attach the horse to whatever he's pulling. When tying up a horse, one uses a halter, which fits only over the horse's head.

She shook the reins and they rode off.

When riding a horse, you don't shake the reins. Riding reins are connected to a bit with a shank, a metal piece that extends down from the bit. The shank makes the bit's pressure more exact on the horse's mouth so he can understand the rider's commands. Shaking it would confuse the animal, giving it mixed signals. A rider touches the horse's sides with her heels to move the horse forward. The reins and bit are used only for direction and stopping the animal.

The horse loped along pulling the buggy.

Horses don't lope, canter, or gallop when pulling a buggy. Buggy horses are either trotters or pacers. Here's a good youtube video explaining the difference. While a horse can pull at a faster gait, it's not desired unless being chased by Indians or bandits, and even then it's extremely dangerous. At a lope, canter, or gallop, there is a point where all four of the horse's hooves are off the ground. If at that point the buggy were to strike an obstacle or fall into a rut, there is nothing to stabilize the buggy and a disaster could result.

What about the stage coaches? Yes, they were sometimes pulled at a faster pace, but they generally had four or six-horse hitch, so they were stabilized by more than one horse. Even so, the romantic notion (or Hollywood portrayal) of the galloping stage coach is mostly that - a romantic notion. A horse can go longer and cover more ground at a trot than at the faster gait.

PeggThomas.com

Follow Pegg on Amazon.com

Halter vs Bridle

Nothing throws me - as a horsewoman - out of a story faster than the author misusing the horse tack terms of halter and bridle. And it happens. All. The. Time. It happened again just last week. The hero took the horse by the halter, grabbed the reins, and swung aboard. Um. No.

Halters: Used for leading or tethering a horse.

Jason is wearing a standard halter. These are made of leather or nylon and buckle behind the horse's ear. There are several brass or steel rings to attach a lead rope or tether.

Cash is wearing a rope halter. It does the same job, but lacks any hardware. The halter is tied behind the ear and the lead rope is tied to the halter. The biggest advantage of a rope halter is that it's fully adjustable to any size horse.

Bridles: Used to control the horse while riding.

Cash is wearing a standard western bridle. The bridle consists of the headstall, which buckles behind the ears and includes a browband that lays in front of the ears. (Most western bridles do not have a noseband - but English bridles do.) The bridle also has a bit that goes into the horse's mouth with two reins attached. Cash opened his mouth so you can see it here. The combination of bit and reins allows the rider to control the horse. The horse responds to the cues, such as when the rider lifts the reins, moves the reins, or draws back on them. He feels these movements on the bars of his mouth, the area with no teeth between his incisors and molars.

In the photo above, Cash is wearing the same bridle over a tie-down. The tie-down consists of a wide leather noseband with a strap that buckles behind the ears. The noseband is connected by another leather strap to the cinch of the saddle. Horses wear this type of equipment when roping and working cattle.

In this photo, Cash is wearing a hackamore on the headstall in place of a bit. It's commonly called a hack. The reins attach to the hack and it services the same purpose as the bit, but applying pressure on the bridge and sides of his nose, instead of in his mouth.

I ride my old Trooper in a hack. 

Pegg Thomas - Writing historical fiction with a touch of humor.

Nathaniel Griffith's Perspective of the "City upon a Hill"

Trouble brewed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1649. But before I give you the next of my memoirs, please take this seat beside me overlooking my wife's garden. I, Nathaniel Griffith, would not have the pleasure of this great garden view (which overlooks the Narragansett Bay) had it not been for the grace of God.

Let me first be charitable to my father and those Puritans who first came to this land. Their intentions were good, desiring to establish a model community in and around the Boston area. Zealous for pure living among all church members (especially of the clergy) and for the church of England to be completely pure of Catholic influence, John Winthrop led a group of men to America. His was a tumultuous life--though I suppose any leader experiences such--but he served his people well and with the best of intentions.

I was a young man when John Winthrop died in 1649. My father insisted I should learn these words from this great man:

"...we shall be as a City upon a Hill. The eyes of all people are upon us."

And indeed, the world did watch to see if these Puritans would succeed. Those who crossed the Atlantic with John Winthrop believed they entered into a covenant with God.

Yea, I am shaking my head. Woe unto us who dare to think we have power to influence God by our right living, for righteous we are not. Nay, they learned through strife that one cannot be the conscience of another and not easily fall into sin oneself. Perhaps not the sin of the man they judge, but a sin even greater in believing they could act in God's stead.

After much labor one day, I rested against the stone fence my father insisted I build. You see, we had two horses which loved to wander. We kept them near on a picket line. What is that you asked? 'Tis a rope we strung about chest level between trees. We tied our horses to this line. We also used a high line, which is simply a picket line hung above the horses' heads. The high lines allowed the horses to graze and not get tangled in their lead. But I digress.

Behind my fence, three men walked. They spoke of those burned at the stake in England for beliefs contrary to the clergy, and then they spoke of those dissenters infecting the churches here in New England. Roger Williams was banished in 1635, Anne Hutchinson was banished, taking with her a number of other colonists to settle Portsmouth, Rhode Island. John Wheelwright was also banished then founded the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. And the list continues. Trouble brewed in England as well and the English Civil Wars began, leading to the beheading of King Charles I.

As I listened, I quaked with fear for Sarah Brown, the woman I loved. Her father had stood with Roger Williams against some of the teachings of the Puritans. Her father also stood in support of Anne Hutchinson and considered leaving with her when she was banished. Instead he stayed, his quiet manner seeming to appease those who opposed the teachings of salvation by grace alone and clung to the necessity of infant baptism. But he soon died and left Sarah. My father then took her in as a maid for my sister. A charitable act driven by a sense of guilt, for he was not without fault for the death of Goodman Brown.

These men that passed my fence determined to purify the Massachusetts Bay Colony of any and all who did not hold to their tenements. As the year progressed, they would seek out any who held a meeting outside of the church and arrest them. Indeed, in the years following some believe those who were tried for witchcraft were not witches, but those who claimed the Holy Spirit communicated with their spirit. And perhaps the most shaking of revelation to these staunch Puritans was the dissension of Henry Dunster in 1653. And one mustn't forget the hanging of Mary Dyer, a Quaker, in 1660, Boston.

I knew I needed to do something to keep Sarah from having the same fate of Anne Hutchinson and others who spoke freely of beliefs contrary to that of the religious leaders of the time. I thought perhaps if I could marry her, I could protect her, but my father would never let me marry beneath my station. Nor did I believe Sarah would have me, a wretched sinner.

Alas, the sun is setting. Perhaps Sarah will share with you next month. And thank you for listening to me ramble on about those days. I fear I lacked great courage and faith, but God would work despite me.
______________________________________________

Here is the timeline of the events Nathaniel mentions:

1630 John Winthrop writes the sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," which includes the section known as "The City upon a Hill." Winthrop then sails to New England

1631 Roger Williams arrives in Massachusetts

1635 William and Anne Hutchinson follow John Cotton to the New World

1635 Roger Williams is banished

1636 Harvard College is established

1637 Rev. John Wheelwright preaches a controversial sermon

1637 Anne Hutchinson and her followers are tried and banished

1638 John Wheelwright is banished

1642 English Civil Wars begin

1649 King Charles I is executed

1649 John Winthrop dies

1651 John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes, and John Crandall arrested for conducting an illegal worship service

1653/54 Henry Dunster, first president of Harvard College, abandons the Puritan view of infant baptism

1654/55 Henry Dunster exiles himself

1659 William Robinson and Maramaduke Stevenson were hung in Boston for returning to the Massachusetts Bay Colony after banishment (they were Quakers)

1660 Mary Dyer is hung in Boston

1660 Parliament asks Charles II to assume the throne thus restoring the monarchy in England.

1661 Executions of Quakers halted by Charles II

This is a very small list of acts the men, whom Nathaniel overheard, had seen and would see in the years to come. It is a quick overview of the struggle those early colonists went through, growing pains of the freedom we now enjoy. Many look at this list and become angry with Christians, but I don't think that is an accurate reaction. Without the Bible to guide our forefathers in an understanding of what true freedom of conscience is, we would never have seen the constitution we have today. I believe the colonists needed to go through these struggles before they could gain an understanding of what America was to become. Without experiencing the trials some of these men endured, they would not have known the importance of their own discovery of true freedom. These men did not look at their current situation, but at the future in which their children would live. They fought for a better place and a better life for those who would live after them.

In my opinion, I think we need to tread carefully before we pass judgment on those in this era. These people were mere men seeking to accomplish something greater than themselves, not realizing they couldn't do it without God's grace.