HABNESS. 131 



heavy in hand are also supposed to be easier to drive when 

 wearing a bearing-rein. 



The rein is a part of the bridle, and is buckled either to a 

 separate snaffle, if a double bridle is worn, or to the cheek of 

 a Pelham bit attached to the bit; it passes through rings 

 affixed to the headstall, and is carried back to a peg or hook in 

 the harness-pad. When properly applied, it should allow the 

 snaffle to hang a short distance from the angle of the lips, and 

 it ought to be of such a length that when the horse raises his 

 head to trot it is then quite slack. Such a bearing-rein, so far 

 from being an inconvenience or torment to the horse, if high- 

 spirited will prove of assistance, and will certainly help the 

 driver in averting accidents. 



But the " gag " bearing-rein, and its usual mode of appli- 

 cation, is an abomination and a cruelty to horses, and is applied 

 to all alike in the same manner. 



This is a round rein passing from a point of the headstall 

 near the brow-band on each side, through a swivel attached to 

 the snaffle-bit, through another ring, and then drawn so tight 

 to the pad-hook that the corners of the mouth are rigidly 

 drawn up towards the horse's eyes ; added to this is a wide 

 curb-chain linked up tight, so that the unfortunate horse is 

 trussed up by the head to his tail, through the medium of the 

 pad and crupper, and looks a perfect mockery of what he 

 should be. When he has been driven for some distance or 

 kept in harness for some hours, we can scarcely wonder that his 

 suffering is great, while the physical damage done is sometimes 

 very marked. It is against the abuse of the bearing-rein, 

 when applied in this way, that all friends of the horse should 

 protest. No sensible coachman who knows his business, and 

 is not too lazy or indifferent to attend to it, will use the gag 

 bearing-rein. 



Horses doing hard work do not require bearing-reins ; for 

 heavy draught horses they should never be employed, as they 

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