CHAPTER XXV 



THE TRANSPORTATION OF HORSES 



TN transporting horses by railroad it is important to 

 ■*■ have plenty of bedding under them, for two rea- 

 sons: first, to prevent their slipping and falling, espe- 

 cially when the train is making-up, and the "shifter," 

 most vicious of all locomotives, is "kicking" the car 

 about; and, secondly, to act as a cushion. There is 

 much less jar if a good depth of bedding is interposed 

 between the horses and the floor of the car. 



It is customary now to ship horses by express rather 

 than by freight, and to use what are called " Palace 

 Horse Cars," instead of stock cars or the ordinary 

 freight car. When the common freight car is used, the 

 horse should be tied at one end, at the rear end in hot 

 weather; and at the forward end in cold weather, to 

 avoid the draught from the partly open door. It makes 

 no difference, I think, whether the horses face forward 

 or backward. Perhaps they are less disturbed by passing 

 trains when they face backward. The practice is to tie 

 them, with ropes coming from each side, so that they 

 stand lengthwise with the car; and when the horse 

 becomes accustomed to the situation, these ropes can 

 be loosened, so as to give him more freedom. Some 

 persons maintain, however, that the horse is more com- 

 fortable and keeps his balance better if he stands cross- 

 wise of the car. When Alix, then the champion trotter 



[130] 



