20 



CHECKING AND BLINDERS. 



By far the finest and most expressive feature of the horse's 

 head are his eyes. They are also the most useful ; he depends 

 upon them most largely, and he should have the greatest free- 



-, dom in their use. The 



better to prove this, and 

 to show their location 

 and position in the head, 

 I give illustrations cop- 

 ied from life. Figs. 334 

 -336, showing how sin- 

 gularly well adapted 

 they are to enable a 

 horse to see not only on 

 each side, but behind 

 and before, as may be 

 required, and the ne- 

 cessity for giving them 

 Nature, who does every- 



FiG. 332. — In the hands of fast young men. 

 the utmost freedom for doing this. 



thing right, most wisely requires this, and it is but the hight 

 of ignorance and folly 

 in any one to assume 

 to change or interfere 

 with her plans. 



The Horse's Eyes 

 Binocular.— The eyes 

 are what is termed 

 "binocular," that is, en- 

 abling the horse to see 

 with either eye inde- 

 pendently of the other. 



Why blinders should 

 have come into such 

 general use is one of the 

 "conundrums" which I cannot, and which I have never found 

 any one who could, satisfactorily explain. Their use certainly 

 seems to me, if anything, more absurd and senseless than that 

 of checks. No one would think of using blinders upon saddle 



Fig. 333.— Ruined afterwards. 



