A Secret Horseman's Society!

I was a member of 4-H as a kid, and I have been a leader and volunteer with the United States Pony Club, and a long-standing member of not one, but two Old People’s Riding Club chapters. Not to mention my membership in organizations including the USEF and USEA. Like everyone else who belongs to an organization, I paid my dues, filled out some forms, and voila, I became a member.

There was no initiation ceremony, no secret password to learn, no stripping to the waist (thank goodness!) and no dancing and partying afterwards (although several of my OPRC ratings ended in celebratory champagne and lots of food to enjoy!)

But at one time, there was a club, of sorts, for horsemen (sadly, no horsewomen) and they did all of these things!

The Horseman’s Word is a secret agricultural society, which got its roots in Eastern Scotland, in the 1830’s, and spread into other parts of Scotland and into Eastern England. It was also known as the Society of Horsemen and it was a fraternal secret society for those who worked with horses. Influenced by the Millers Word and other societies that were based on Freemasonry, it catered to the men who worked with draft (draught) horses. The membership included horse trainers, farriers and ploughmen. It was a trade union of sorts and its purpose was to protect trade secrets when it came to controlling and managing horses, it ensured its members had proper training, and it provided protection against wealthy land-owners. It was also considered a religious group (some say an anti-religious group) that taught its members to not only control horses, but women as well. Like the Millers Word society, members of the Horseman’s Word were believed to have practiced witchcraft, and in some locales, they were called Horse Witches.

Since draught (draft) horses were the primary means of working the farms during the 19th century, those who could breed, care for and control these horses were in high demand, and as a result, it was essential that they be properly trained. The goal of the Horseman’s Word was to protect the knowledge of horse trainers and ploughmen from the changes that were coming via wages and services. It was during these times that the economic system was changing due to resources for production becoming privately owned and large farm owners replacing the skilled laborers. Since the ploughmen did not own the land, the horses, nor the harness, the Horseman’s Word protected their jobs and gave these men a level of importance, who would otherwise belong to a lower social and economic class.

Members held initiation ceremonies that included reading passages from the Bible backwards, masonic-style oaths and gestures, and secret handshakes and passwords! As part of the ceremony, the inductee was blindfolded, whiskey was used for the sacrament and members chose their passwords, oaths and ordeals. The ceremony was held during a full moon and in an isolated located, usually in a stable. The High Horseman, usually an elder ploughman, presided over the ceremony. He would be seated, and he held a cloven goat’s hoof in his hand. The inductee was stripped to the waist, blindfolded and spun around in order to disorient him before being brought in front of the High Horseman. A series of questions were asked before the apprentice was made to kneel and his blindfold removed. At this point, he would recite the vows, followed by everyone reciting the Horseman’s Creed. The inductee would be asked to seal the pact and shake hands with the devil, which was either the goats leg or a branch covered in fur. The inductee would be then given a word that was supposed to give him power over horses. The
“Horseman’s Word” was an actual word that was said to have magical and mystical qualities which allowed the speaker of the word to bring horses under their control, just by whispering it. The word differed depending on the location of the group. If a member breached the oath, the punishment was severe. Oftentimes, the newly inducted member would be asked to write down the secret word that was the source of the group’s power. This was a trick question, for to write it down meant he broke the oath and he would be flogged across his back.

What followed next was a ceilidh, which is a Scottish social gathering, involving dancing and gaelic folk music, and then a toast was made, drinking whiskey that the inductee brought.

Aside from the secret word, members were taught techniques for controlling and training horses, which were kept secret and was done so that the horsemen kept their reputations for having magical powers over horses! This ensured that they were always kept in employment and were not able to be replaced with cheap or untrained laborers.

And what special skills did these members of the Horseman’s Word possess? Did they have magical powers? Or was this the original form of Horse Whispering that the likes of Buck Brannaman, John Lyons and Monty Roberts based their training methods on?

Before becoming a member of the Horseman’s Word, a ploughman or stable boy was most likely sabotaged by those who were members. It was likely that they would tamper with their horse or harness, causing the horse to misbehave. These included putting tacks under the harness, which would result in rearing or other irrational behavior, or placing a foul smelling object near the horse, causing him to balk. This practice was called jading, and we have all read a book or seen a movie about a horse race or a competition where this was practiced. This sabotage would continue until the initiation ceremony and then like a miracle, the bad behavior stopped (you would think that after they were inducted into the Horseman’s Word and they discovered this deceitful practice, that the gig would be up!)

The “magical powers” that were passed on included using pleasant smells and even treats in the pocket to subdue an unruly horse. Something that smelled good to a horse could be wiped on the forehead of the trainer, causing the horse to move toward him. Treats in the pocket were used for calming and subduing (since I keep treats in my pocket, does this make me a member of the Horseman’s Word? Or maybe a Horse Witch?) Keeping these techniques a secret, along with promoting the myth of a secret word that only the horseman knew, would guarantee their job security and wages, as well as their reputation as a trainer.

The Horseman’s Word society began to decline as literacy rates increased during the 19th century and as more horse care books were being written, which found their way into the Horseman’s Word to supplement their oral traditions. One of my most prized book possessions is sitting on my desk. It is a copy of The Horse Owners and Stableman’s Companion. Written by George Armitage, this copy was printed in 1871 and it belonged to my grandfather and quite possibly his father, who would have brought the book with him when he immigrated to America from England in the late 1800’s. Printed in the UK, it is quite possible that this was a manual for the Horseman’s Word!

The Horseman’s Word retained its cultural and social importance within rural communities in Scotland until the mid-twentieth century and when it evolved into the equivalent of a working man’s club, which focused on the well-being of its members. As of the late 1990’s, it still existed in northern Scotland as a secret society of horse lovers!

In 1879, an un-named ploughman who left the farming life to become a grocer, wrote a book entitled Eleven Years at Farm Work: Being a True Tale of Farm Servant Life and claimed that “ Without betraying the secret, it may be said the real philosophy of the horseman’s word, consists in the thorough, careful and kind treatment of the animals, combined with a reasonable amount of knowledge of their anatomical and physiological structure.”

And isn’t that what we all strive to achieve as horsemen and horsewomen? Perhaps it is time to reinstate the Horseman’s Word and make it mandatory to pass a series of questions in order to call yourself a horse trainer, or even a horse owner. Maybe everyone associated with horses should have to be initiated into a secret horse society, where potential members must answer questions such as:

• In a 2000 word essay, outline your plans not only for the nutritional and physical needs, but what about the mental health needs of your horse?

• You want to ride dressage? Please explain in a 500 word essay why Rollkur is detrimental to a horse

• What are your plans for your horse after he is no longer sound and usable?

• List the vital signs of a horse

• Name at least 6 signs of a healthy horse and 6 signs of an ill horse

• Demonstrate how to mount a horse without poking him in his sides with your toes

Once you have passed your test, you are given a secret word and the password and a strand of hair from your horse’s tail. You must carry that strand of tail with you forever, to remind you that It’s All About the Horse! If we were all required to take a test in order to own a horse, maybe there would be no more horse abuse, no more abandoned horses and no more horse slaughter!

Don’t Forget To Hug Your Horse!

Lori