CHECKING AND BLINDERS. 



21 



Fig. 334. — Showing the position of the eyes in 

 the head. 



horses, and why should it be more necessary to use them upon 

 horses in harness ? In fact, it is not difficult to see that they 

 are of a piece with other absurd customs referred to in a pre- 

 vious part of this chapter. 

 Origin of Blinders. — It 

 seems that a nobleman in 

 England had a fine horse 

 with a defective eye, to 

 conceal which he attached 

 blinders, or ** winkers,'' as 

 they called them, to the 

 bridle, so as to partly 

 cover the eyes. This 

 finally led to their use by 

 others, when it was found 

 that the outside surface 

 was a good place to put 

 on the crest of rank. 



During my early public 

 experience, when I gaye 

 exhibitions in driving horses without reins, it was notice- 

 able that every motion of the whip, though held directly over 



the horse's back, was promptly 

 obeyed, — that the horse, in fact, 

 could be controlled quicker and 

 better by the simple motions of 

 the whip than he could by bit 

 and reins, giving the very best 

 demonstration of this singular 

 power. 



Instead of making the horse 



unsafe, he is really made safer 



and more tractable by his being 



^^^ able to see everything around 



him plainly, that is, when he is so 



trained, this being the important 



Fig. 3.S5 — Showing the position of condition in making him safe. 



the eyes. Now, not only are blinders a 



serious obstruction to the horse's seeing clearly, but they are 



often a cause of much injury by striking against the eyes, or 



