xix] 



BEARING-REINS 



223 



883. Diseases Caused by Check-Reins.— The 

 diseases caused by tight bearing- and overhead 

 check-reins are so numerous that a volume 

 could be filled in dealing with them. The more 

 common ones are : parotitis, pharyngitis, laryn- 

 gitis, various diseases of the oesophagus and 

 trachea, diseases of the tongue, teeth and lips, 

 injuries to the gums, roaring, poll evil, fistulous 

 withers, sores under the tail, disorders of the 

 brain, cerebro-spinal meningitis, etc. Over a 

 thousand veterinary surgeons have signed a 

 protest that the tight bearing-rein is painful, 

 useless and conducive to disease. A book pub- 

 lished on this subject in London, containing the 

 names of some six hundred members of the 

 Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons who de- 

 nounce the use of the rein except loosely in rare 

 cases, is well worth reading. It contains full 

 particulars of diseases and evils which arise 

 from the use of the bearing-rein, diseases which 

 have been discovered in great measure by years 

 of experience in the post-mortem house and 

 dissecting-room, as well as through connection 

 with a horse insurance company. 



884. Thanks to the London Anti-Bearing- 

 Rein Association, the bearing-rein has been dis- 

 continued by all the London railway, tramcar, 

 omnibus, cab and breweiy companies, and by 

 H.M. mails and parcels post. The hame- or 

 bearing-rein has been discontinued by 21 London 

 borough councils, 88 county and borough coun- 

 cils of England, and about 120 urban councils. 



885. The Mechanics of the Bearing-Rein. — 

 In Chapter VII. the abuse of the bit has been 

 discussed, and a few words on the mechanics 

 of the bearing-rein will be suitable here. Fig. 3, 

 P. 141, shows the horse in comfort, with a free 

 neck and reins pulling in a direction as nearly 

 at right angles to the bars of the mouth as 

 possible. Note the arched neck ; a horse cannot 

 be driven correctly unless his head is properly 

 placed and neck arched so that the lower 

 jaw will respond to the touch on the reins. Dis- 

 comfort is opposed to all correct mouthing, 

 horsemanship, humanity and common sense. 

 Many owners of carriages know no better ; the 

 coachman is to blame because, in most cases, he 

 says the horses cannot be driven without these 

 reins. With the simple single-pulley bearing- 

 rein, as in Fig. 2, P. 141, the force at the back 

 pad is equal to that on the horse's mouth. Let 

 anyone try to unhook the strap at the back pad, 

 and he will realise the amount of pain the horse 

 suffers from the force of the strap on his mouth. 

 If the horse stumbles, several hundred pounds 

 are momentarily transmitted to the bars of the 

 horse's mouth. The bearing- rein often breaks, 

 and many of these reins will support a steady 

 load of nearly half a ton, so the reader can 

 imagine the pain that the horse has to bear. 

 Pig. 1, P. 141, shows the modern bearing-rein 

 of the double-pulley type. As shown in the 



diagram (Fig. 7) on the same plate, the force at 

 the bars of the mouth will always be double that 

 at the back pad, neglecting friction, which in 

 this case would increase the force. The pull on 

 the top of the head will be equal to that on the 

 back pad. These two forces will act together 

 on the horse's sensitive mouth. This type of 

 bearing-rein, however loosely worn, should be 

 forbidden by law, because, if the horse stumbles, 

 he receives exactly double the jerk on his mouth 

 that he would receive were the simple bearing- 

 rein used. 



886. Briefly, the use of the bearing-rein 

 should not be allowed except to prevent horses 

 left unattended from getting their heads down 

 and walking on the reins, or to prevent horses 

 in the harvest field from lowering their heads 

 and nibbling at the crop. In these cases it 

 must be only tight enough to prevent the horse 

 from getting his head right down. A moderately 

 tight bearing-rein is therefore never of any use 

 except, perhaps, in the early part of a horse's 

 training, to assist in placing the horse's head. 

 The extent to which this is used depends on the 

 ability of the trainer. It is always more to the 

 credit of a driver to drive a horse without a 

 bearing-rein at all ; the more troublesome the 

 horse the greater will be the credit due to the 

 driver. Drivers should remember this. Tight 

 bearing-reins, hame-reins, and overhead check- 

 reins are never necessary, with the possible ex- 

 ception of a fairly tight overhead check-rein on 

 the race track on horses that are liable to get 

 their heads down and suffocate themselves when 

 at full speed. 



887. Opinions of Others on Bearing-Reins. — 

 Dr. Fleming, F.R.C.V.S., C.B., LL.D., etc., late 

 chief veterinarian of the British Army, gave the 

 following reasons why a tight or moderately 

 tight bearing-rein should not be used : 



"1. It is an unnecessary expense to pur- 

 chase it. 



" 2. It adds to weight of harness and time 

 required to clean it. 



" 3. It spoils the appearance of the horse, and 

 largely detracts from his free and graceful move- 

 ments. (Sec Plates.) 



"4. It wearies the head and neck of the horse 

 by the constraint and unnatural position in 

 which they are fixed. 



"5. The long, continual pressure on the jaw 

 tends to give the animal a hard mouth, and 

 therefore renders it less obedient to the driver's 

 rein. 



"6. It does not prevent stumbling; on the 

 contrary, it predisposes the horse to fall, and 

 with much more severity than if it were not used. 



"7. In hot weather or during extreme exer- 

 tion it may directly or indirectly produce an 

 attack of apoplexy, probably terminating in 

 death. 



"8. In heavy draught, in addition to the 



