HORSES AND HOUNDS. 17 



resolutely following their own preconceived opinions, in oppo- 

 sition to all advice which may be offered to them. Common 

 sense and common observation are alike excluded from their 

 general practice. 



When three years old, young horses should be taken more in 

 hand. They may then be led out from home with a long rein 

 attached to the bit, which should be a simple snaffle, with a rein 

 also attached to a pad upon the back. This rein should only be 

 sufficiently tightened to prevent the horse getting his head 

 down too low, Eeining them up too tightly will occasion them 

 to rear and throw themselves over on their backs. There is no 

 greater cruelty practised with horses than with a tight bearing 

 rein. Look at the carriage horses in London, cliamping and 

 chafing upon their bits, with their heads kept in this unnatural 

 position for hours together during the day, and yet no coachman 

 appears to be aware of this cruelty, or point it out to his master 

 or mistress. Upon cab and coach-horse proprietors some light 

 appears at last to have broken, for we seldom now see their 

 horses subjected to the cruelty of the tight-bearing rein. They 

 have probably been taught by experience, that a horse can do 

 much more work, and more easily to himself, by having his 

 head at liberty. Should these humble pages meet the eye of 

 any who delight to ride in fine carriages, drawn by richly capa- 

 risoned horses, I trust they will not consider the observations I 

 have made upon this point, as entirely beneath their notice. 

 Whatever may be urged by their coachmen to the contrary, let 

 this nuisance to their horses be abated. Let the bearing rein 

 be only sufficiently tight, to i)revent the horse getting his head 

 between his knees, and no evil consequences can follow. Let 

 any one who is not satisfied with my remarks, only examine the 

 mouth of any old carriage horse, which lias been thus treated, 

 and he will soon be convinced by its unnatural elongation, al- 

 most up to his back teeth, of the cruelty which has been so 

 long, and so unnecessarily ijractised. Were a man's own mouth 

 thus dealt with, it would soon extend from ear to ear — and, I 

 must confess, I should like to see some of those gentlemen on 

 the hammercloth, with a good thick piece of whip-cord tied 

 from their mouths to the back of their heads, just for an hour 

 or two in the day, to give them a taste of what their horses 

 suffer. Docking, or nicking, that refinement in cruelty, to make 

 a horse carry his tail up, has, at last, gone out of practice ; but 

 I can well remember, in my boyish days, seeing a horse sub- 

 jected to this torture, and, I trust, I shall yet live to see this 

 other mode of torture also exploded. 



Great as have been the improvements in the management 

 G 



