256 



CHECKING AND BLINDERS. 



Fig. 309. — Showing the Position of the Eyes in 

 the Head. 



also the most useful ; he depends upon them most largely, and he 



should have the greatest freedom in their use. The better to prove 



this^and to show their location 

 and position in the head, I give 

 illustrations copied from life 

 (Figs. 312, 313), showing how 

 singularly well adapted they 

 are to enable a horse to see 

 not only on each' side, but be- 

 hind and before, as may be re- 

 quired, and the necessity for 

 giving them the, utmost free- 

 dom ,(or doing this. Nature, 

 who does everything right, 

 most wisely requires this, and 

 it is but the hight of ignorance 

 and folly in any one to assume 

 to change or interfere with her 

 plans. 

 During my early public experience, when I gave exhibitions 



in driving horses without reins, it was noticeable that every motion 



of the whip, though held directly 



over the horse's back, was promptly 



obeyed, — that the horse, in fact, 



could be controlled quicker and bet- 

 ter by the simple motions of the whip .. 



than he could by bit and reins, giving 



the very best demonstration of this 



singular power. 



Instead of making the horse unsafe, 



he is really made safer and more 



tractable by his being able to see 



everything around him plainly, that 



is, when he is so trained, this being 



the important condition in making 



him safe. Now, not only are blinders 



a serious obstruction to the horse's 



seeing clearly, but they are often a 



cause of much injury by striking 



against the eyes, or by being pressed upon them. In pointing out 



this cause of harm lately, I found a_piece of wire connected with the 



ornament of the blind, which became raised and pressed into the 



Fie. 310. 



-Showing the Position of 

 the Eyes. 



