But, with the test of the eyes, even if an animal is satisfactory in all other respects, the examination has only begun. Thirty days’ trial we require before deciding whether we are going to accept or reject a beast. A horse’s disposition, his aptness to lean, his grit and his nerve, his common sense and his habits must all be taken into consideration.
The engine we use for breaking the horses is one of the three-abreast kind, now commonly used to throughout the department. Bi hitching a new horse between two veterans we not only steady him and get the aid of the older animals, but we have the candidate where the dead weight of the four and a half tons pulls heaviest and where he will have to show his mettle. As the engine starts the frightened animal springs forward to get away from the dreadful thing behind. But the other horses throw the full weight of the engine right on him and steady him. Up and down the block the three horses are driven, two, even three hours at a time. Until gradually the stranger gets exhausted and finds himself, and doesn’t try to pull the entire load by himself.
When a horse is broken to pulling the engine he is tested for a number of qualifications. For instance, an engine may depend upon the willingness of the horses to try to pull it out. A horse that balks, for instance, is out of question. Therefore, as the team drives along the engine driver jams his brake down hard, almost locking the wheels. A balky horse will object at once to the added load. The kind of a beast we want will dig his toes into the asphalt and make fire fly before he gives up.
