^6 MY HORSE ; MY LOYE 



' Ah, yes, it is as effectual in its way, as is the handcuff 

 on the hands of a prisoner. A man cannot run far with 

 his hands tied together, the connection between his arms 

 and legs being such, that they unconsciously assist each other, 

 and to tie the hands is to prevent any rapid progression.' 



Then what is the check-rein good for ? 



' It is supposed to produce " style " in a driving horse. 

 That is, his head is held up at an angle to his body, at 

 once unnatural and painful, and is kept in a position 

 that everyone must acknowledge is stiff, artificial and 

 ungraceful.' Then it defeats easy locomotion, producing 

 excessive fatigue, pain and long-suffering, through the 

 severe strain put upon all the muscles of the body ; and 

 the constant use of it is an unmixed evil. 



' A horse driven daily with a check-rein will in time have 

 the tendons of his tongue paralysed. The steady pull, so 

 fixed and constant, strains the muscles of the head and 

 neck, and becomes unbearable in its cruel [iressure 

 against the corners of the mouth.' 



Do they not get callous ? 



' No, unfortunately \ the effect is to wear away the corners, 

 little by little, until a hole is formed on each side of the 

 mouth, from which the tongue protrudes. I have seen 

 horses' mouths so worn away at the corners by the constant 

 use of the bearing-rein, that there was literally no room 

 left in the mouth for the tongue to lie, so naturally it 

 would hang out, first on one side and then on the other. 

 The horse would prefer to keep his tongue in his mouth, 

 but the tendons being paralysed and helpless, the poor 

 creature has no volition in the matter.' 



This detracts considerably from a horse's value, does it 

 not? 



