212 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



antly than the tongue of a horseman under such cir- 

 cumstances. I discovered accidentally one day that 

 the very color of the horses is a source of pleasure 

 to him. It was in winter, and the streets were heavy 

 with snow and slush. The team pulled a big load of 

 coal so neatly out of the slough, that a bystander 

 was moved to express his admiration at their prow- 

 ess. " Huh ! " exclaimed the colored man, grinning 

 from ear to ear, "you see, Mistah, them horses is 

 black ! " 



The arched neck of the cart horse is a thing not 

 only of beauty, but also of utility. Unless he arches 

 his neck, he cannot be " collected," so as to pull with 

 an economy of strength. Anybody who has ridden 

 much on the front platform of a horse car must have 

 noticed a great difference in the action of differ- 

 ent teams — according to the ability of the driver — 

 when a heavily loaded car is to be started. Some 

 horses throw up their heads, and strike out wildly 

 with their fore feet, making a violent effort, and slip- 

 ping on the pavement. Others, better trained, start 

 more slowly, stepping shortly on their toes, their legs 

 well under them, their necks arched, — and this is 

 the true way. 



Here, also, as in the case of road horses, I think 

 that a proper check rein may be beneficial. The 

 check rein of a cart horse, as commonly used, is at- 

 tached neither to the headstall nor to the saddle, but 

 is simply a bridle rein, buckling on the bit, and pass- 

 ing around the top of the hames. It does not pull 

 the horse's head up, but rather pulls it in, thus tend- 

 ing to arch the neck and to steady the animal. In 

 going up hill even this form of check would be out 



