SUMMARY. 241 



Lastly, it has been shown that bearing-reins and 

 severe bits cannot prevent a horse from running 

 away, nor stop him when he has started. On the 

 contrary, it has been shown that they are much 

 more likely to incite him to run away. 



Now let us see what the opponents of the bearing- 

 rein have to say on their side of the question. In 

 the first place they have proved that the bearing-rein 

 causes torture to the horse in proportion to the 

 tightness with which it is drawn. They have proved 

 beyond the power of contradiction that it causes 

 various diseases and ailments, roaring, poll-evil, 

 apoplexy, spavin, navicular disease, swelling of the 

 glands of the neck, and distortion of the shoulder. 

 That it deprives the horse of its powers of traction 

 in proportion to the tightness of the rein no one 

 has attempted to deny. That it ' renders the life of 

 the horse a burden and shortens its span,' has been 

 shown by Professor Axe. The injury which it does 

 to the sensitive mouth of the horse is too evident to 

 need proof. 



Added to this, we have the unanimous condem- 

 nation of it by more than a hundred of our best 

 veterinary surgeons. 



Even granting that it did give the horse a more 

 mettlesome aspect, that it did keep the animal from 

 falling, and that it did prevent him from running 



K 



