Ge7ieral Principles, 121 



should have " a^^it' bits with different and easy mouth- 

 pieces and curbs, etc." 



Draught-horses are, on the whole, less absurdly bitted 

 than those used for the saddle in this country ; and the 

 huge bits one sees sometimes in the mouths of those de- 

 voted to purposes of show and pleasure, although ridic- 

 ulous enough from being so wholly out of proportion, 

 have their reins usually buckled into the cheeks, so as 

 to render the lever action of these wonderful specimens 

 of ironmongery perfectly nugatory, which is so far for- 

 tunate. It is, moreover, strange that it should be the 

 fashion to " bear up " carriage-horses to a state of bal- 

 ance which more nearly approaches the equilibrium of 

 the manege than anything else, whereas draught requires 

 the centre of gravity to be carried forward, and the 

 weight thrown somewhat more on the fore legs. And 

 having touched on this point, we may as well say a word 

 or two on the subject of the blinds attached to the bri- 

 dles of harness-horses. All of a sudden a movement 

 seems to have sprung up in favor of abolishing this 

 appendage, which is asserted to be both cruel and use- 

 less. Now, in fact, it is neither the one nor the other, 

 but, quite on the contrary, it has a very decided use, 

 and from rendering the management of horses easier, it 

 tends to save them from the infliction of punishment. 

 The horse's hind-quarters are the portion of his frame 

 most open to attack, and the animal's instinct renders it 

 consequently extremely jealous of every approach in this 

 direction, which it is prone to resent rashly by lashing 

 out with its heels, with or without real provocation. It 

 would be, no doubt, a great cruelty to deprive a horse, 

 by means of blinds, of the faculty of providing for his 

 own safety when this care was naturally thrown upon 

 him. But this is not the case with a draught-horse in 

 harness ; the driver is there to assume this charge ; and 

 the certain consequences of taking blinds off will be to 

 11 



