VICES PROPERLY SO CALLED. 881 



his master. Once started, he no longer knows what he is doing, no 

 longer sees, hears, or smells ; he runs away, and this seems to be the 

 only thing he has the desire or the ability to do. Nothing calms him ; 

 deaf to threats, insensible to blows and tractions on the bit, he no 

 longer realizes danger. The efforts made to stop him, the obstructions 

 in his way, the cries of alarm which are raised along his route, serve 

 but to increase his fright. He stops only when utterly worn out in 

 strength and wind, or when his career is checked by collision with a 

 house, a wall, or a vehicle. 



During this senseless run the horse holds his head in a character- 

 istic manner : he carries it either extended or arched. In either case he 

 takes a strong point of support on the bit by the assistance of the bars, 

 except when he is unharnessed or left to himself. It is this that has 

 led the layman to suppose that the runaway horse has the bit between 

 his teeth. We know, however, that this is not the case. The bar of 

 the bit can, at most, scarcely touch the first molars. This indeed 

 would be sufficient to explain the twisting of the branches of the bit 

 and the rupture of the bearing-rein, which sometimes result from the 

 violent tractions made to restrain the animal, to avoid danger or pull 

 him back. 



Many means have been devised to prevent runaway accidents or to 

 control runaway horses. When a horse is running away on a level, 

 unobstructed road, all that can usually be done is to let things take their 

 course ; the dangers are not great ; the horse will stop of his own ac- 

 cord when he becomes too tired to run farther. If the driver feels him 

 start suddenly away, pulling every instant more and more, especially 

 if this is habitual with him, it becomes necessary at once to saw the 

 bit (that is, pull alternately upon each line) and try to turn the horse's 

 head strongly around to the .left or to the right, in such a way as to 

 slacken his gait, hamper his movements, and produce a sharp pain 

 upon the bars ; when practicable, it would be well to turn him into 

 ploughed ground. But if the horse has become entirely unman- 

 ageable, there is nothing left for the driver to do but to use every effort 

 to keep his seat, and await the result. To leap from the wagon would 

 be, at least, equally dangerous. No doubt there are mechanical arrange- 

 ments which act in various ways upon the mouth and the eyes, and by 

 the aid of which it is possible to prevent a horse from running away 

 altogether. Unfortunately, they are not always at hand at the required 

 moment. They ought to be permanently employed on horses difficult 

 to manage ; but, then, what constant attention, what expenses, what 

 annoyance they entail ! Besides, however ingenious they may be, they 



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