THE USE OF BURRS ON HORSES' 

 BITS 



Every now and then one hears of the A. S. 

 P. C. A. making a crusade against the use of 

 burrs on horses' bits, and it is one of the prac- 

 tices that their agents are always on the alert 

 to detect. They assume that the use of a burr 

 is such a very evident act of cruelty, that they 

 would have no difficulty in securing a convic- 

 tion, which would redound to their credit as 

 assiduous and vigilant officials. 



Owners of horses appear to be afraid to take 

 a chance of defending such a suit. Why? Is it 

 because they are averse to spending the time, ex- 

 periencing the incidental worry, and standing 

 the expense, or is it the fear of being convicted 

 of cruelty to an animal? It seems to the writer 

 that the latter is the chief reason, and from which 

 one would naturally shrink ; otherwise it appears 

 difficult to understand why horsemen allow men 

 who, as a rule, have very limited or no knowl- 

 edge of horse management, to dictate to them as 

 to what equipment they should use in driving 

 their horses. 



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