262 DE AUGHT AND HAENESS. 



changes of attitude of the healthy horse point out to 

 us what may be attained by a judicious use of the 

 bearing-reins, so also we may learn something from the 

 observation of the self-adjustments which an animal with 

 weak or diseased limbs puts in practice to ease itself. 

 A horse that suffers in the fore legs will, so far as he 

 can, throw his weight back towards the hinder ones. 

 If only one fore leg is aftected the hinder one of the 

 opposite side will be made to help out its fellow more 

 than that on the same side, and this often helps one 

 to find out where the mischief really lies. On the 

 other hand, if the hind legs are the sufferers, or one of 

 them, the animal throws its weight on the fore legs, 

 hanging down its head and neck, more or less in the 

 proportion to the degree of suffering it endures. Here 

 then we have indications sufficient for our guidance in 

 the use of the bearing-rein. An animal may be weak 

 in the hind quarters, or perhaps merely in the legs, 

 this will induce it habitually to throw its might for- 

 wards, and it will bore in the hand of the driver, who 

 in such a case must be very careful not to bear up the 

 head too much or too persistently. Or a horse may be 

 tender on the fore legs, whether from work, bad shoe- 

 ing, or some other cause ; when a judicious use of the 

 rein will second its spontaneous efforts to assume and 

 maintain such a carriage as best suits its build or per- 

 haps infirmities. 



Of course it is not meant that horses really unfit for 

 work, should be compelled to do it after the fashion of 

 Mr. Pickwick's cabman, who preferred to think that if 

 they were 'Veil" bore up and had a pair of good high 

 wheels behind them they must go" — or something to 

 that effect ; for the quotation is from memory. What 



