TRAINING FOR DRAUGHT. 255 



bring a pair of young horses to trotting equally and to 

 keeping regular time in all these turnings, sometimes 

 increasing, sometimes slackening the pace, then halting 

 to breathe themselves, and then starting again for a 

 new spell. The horses seem to like it themselves, and 

 to understand perfectly its object. 



There are two parts of the harness which may, if 

 carelessly or awkwardly used, prove serious obstacles 

 to the training of a' young horse one of these is the 

 crupper, the other the bearing-rein. This latter should 

 be laid aside altogether with young horses at the first 

 trial ; if judiciously used, subsequently, it may be of 

 good service in getting the horse's head into the proper 

 position, and making it light in the hand by dividing 

 the pressure over two mouth-pieces instead of one ; and 

 this is its legitimate use, and not, as too often happens, 

 the tying-up the head and neck till the horse's action 

 is more up-and-down than forwards. Short-necked 

 horses with ill-set-on heads are those that require most 

 caution in the use of the bearing-rein, and these are 

 precisely the -sort of animals that one is naturally 

 tempted to try it on. 



Since the above appeared in the 2nd edition of this 

 book, we have had a great " bearing-rein total-abolition 

 movement," which at one time threatened to assume 

 the most formidable dimensions, and, at all events, 

 attained the dignity of being submitted, at least once, 

 to the presiding magistrate of a London police court for 

 his supreme decision. This seems to be a case of what 

 the Germans call ' ' emptying out the child with the 

 water of the bath." It would be quite as reasonable to 

 ordain that, because tall hats are^ugly and uncomfort- 

 able we should all of us go about like the boys of Christ's 



