Effects of Careless Driving 131 



When the driver pulls on the mouth it hurts. The 

 horse finds, however, if he gives in and slows down, 

 that he is touched with the whip to make him '^ drive 

 up to the bit." He soon learns, also, that the harder 

 he makes the driver pull at his mouth the less pain- 

 ful it becomes. This is due to the pressure shutting 

 off the circulation, which numbs or deadens the 

 mouth to the pain. The other extreme, that is, 

 permitting the lines to hang, is equally as bad. The 

 horse, being left to stumble along as best he can, 

 becomes careless in his action. Many drivers have 

 the habit of nagging or jerking at the fines when 

 they wish the horse to increase his speed. This 

 likewise destroys the natural sensitiveness. 



Bad hands resulting in bad mouths are responsible 

 for much of the undesirable action in driving horses. 

 When we recall the extreme tenderness of the mouth, 

 the cruel manner in which it is handled, the irrita- 

 tion thus produced from the resulting sores, we can 

 understand why a horse may lag behind until the 

 parts become numbed, then begin to pull, holding 

 the head to one side, going with the mouth open, 

 lolling the tongue, slobbering, tossing the head and 

 crossing the jaws ; how he loses control of his legs, 

 so to speak, and " hitches," hobbles, forges, over- 

 reaches, interferes, and in many other ways shows 

 evidence of the discomfort he is suffering. 



To hold the lines when driving, take them in the 

 left hand, the left line coming into the hand over 



