SHOWING OFF A HORSE. 223 



with his weight as he ought to do, and all the time 

 is under the impression that he is ' showing off' the 

 animal. The fact is, that just as fashionable women 

 dress against each other, so do fashionable coachmen 

 show off their horses against each other, and are 

 afraid of each other's sneers. 



Abandoning the gag bearing-rein as a torture- 

 giving machine invented solely to minister to the pride 

 of man, and without the least shadow of excuse, I shall 

 try to show that any bearing-rein is doubly injurious 

 — firstly to the horse, and secondly to its owner. 



For the present, I shall put aside the question of 

 humanity, and consider the horse simply as a con- 

 venient traction engine. 



Every one will concede that the object of a trac- 

 tion engine is to draw its load, and that any piece of 

 machinery which hinders it from drawing must be 

 injurious to it. Moreover, every one possessed of 

 common sense will concede that, in order to be pro- 

 fitable to the owner, the machine should be made to 

 do all the work that can be got out of it, and that it 

 should last as long as possible. Lastly, it is clear 

 that the working cost should be reduced to the 

 lowest limit consistent with the proper working of 

 the machine ; in other words, that there should be 

 no waste of the fuel that produces the power, nor of 

 the power when it is produced. 



