CHECKING AND BLINDERS. 



13 



" If a man's head were 

 to be tied to a belt around 

 his body, so that he could 

 not bend forward, he would 

 lose the advantage of his 

 weight, and could only 

 pull or push with his 

 muscles ; so, also, the ox 

 or horse. If a man's head 

 were thus kept in a per- 

 pendicular position, he 

 could not so readily see 

 where to step, and would 

 be apt to stumble ; so with 

 the horse." 



But while the check is 

 ess objectionable for light 



driving, it is not only abuse but real cruelty to use restraint 

 upon the head of the draft-horse in this way, as it to a great 



Fig. .32.3. — Horses excited by the torture of the 



burrs shown below. 



Fig. 334. — Burrs, one half size. 



Fig. 325. — Side view sliowing 

 length of taclcs, drawn 

 half size. 



extent disables the horse from di-awing heavy loads. This 

 need not be demonstrated ; any man of observation can see 

 it, and it is finely illustratctl in Fig. 32!.). 



