IBO PROMISCUOUS VICES. 



BLINDERS. 



Blinds are one of the greatest abominations that 

 the horse has ever been pestered with. There is not 

 a man that can give any reason for using blinds on 

 his bridles. All my experience in handling wild and 

 nervous horses proves clearly lo me that blinds should 

 never be used^ and that the sight of the horse, for many 

 reasons, should not be interfered with in any way. 

 Horses are only afraid of objects they do not under- 

 stand; and the eye is one of the principal mediums 

 by which this understanding is brought about. The 

 horse, on account of his very amiable nature, can be 

 made in the course of time to bear almost anything 

 in any shape; but there is a qiucker process of reach- 

 ing his intelligence than that of wearing it into him 

 through his skin and bones. However wild or nervouB 

 a horse may be, he can be taught in a very short time 

 to understand an.d not to fear any object, however 

 frightful in appearance. Horses can be broken in 

 less time and better, without blinds than with them; 

 but horses that have always worn them will notice 

 the sudden change, and must be treated carefully the 

 first drive. After that they will drive better without 

 blinds than with them. I have not, in all my exper- 

 ience of handling horses, both wfld and nervous, ever 

 used blinds on any of them, and in no case have they 

 ever shied at passing objects. The horse's eye is the 

 life and beauty of the animal as well as the index of 

 all his emotions. It tells the driver, in the most ex- 

 pressive manner, what the horse's feelings are. By 



