RUNNING AWAY. 233 



a fast pace, it is not reasonable to expect that there 

 should be no falls. He only states that the falls 

 were few, and in another part of the letter he refers 

 to the acknowledged fact that if a horse falls when 

 he is wearing the bearing-rein, he cannot rise until it 

 is removed. 



Putting aside the cab-horses, which, fortunately 

 for them, are not hampered with these appliances, 

 every other horse at least that falls in London is 

 weariug the bearing-rein or its equivalent. Now I 

 do not say that these horses fell because they wore 

 the bearing-rein, and it would be equally foolish 

 to say that the others fell because they did not 

 wear it. 



Supposing that we grant — which I do not — that 

 the chances of falling are equal, at all events, the 

 horse which does not wear the bearing-rein has the 

 better chance of getting up again. 



The last argument which the advocates of the bear- 

 ing-rein offer is, that it is a safeguard against horses 

 running away — i.e. that a horse cannot run away 

 while it wears a tight bearing-rein. I never could 

 see how this effect could be produced, although it is 

 assumed as an axiom by the defenders of this rein. 

 But it is similarly assumed that the bearing-rein 

 protects the horse against stumbling or falling. 



In fact, the pain which is produced by it will 



