The management and treatment of the horse in the stable, field, and ...

7-i The Management and Treatment of the Horse,
museum as a relic of the past the less broken knees
and enlargements of the maxilliary glands will be seen
among our horses. It is impossible for the horse with
its head tied to its back to recover itself if it makes
a false step ; yet such is the folly and ignorance dis-
played that we are often told that the bearing rein is
put on to hold the horse up and keep it from stumbling,
To those persons who believe in the use of the bearing
rein, I would advise that they should run over rough
ground with their hands tied behind their backs, and
judge for themseves if they would be able to save them-
selves if they made a false step. The head acts the same
purpose to the horse as the hands to a man ; if it stumbles
it puts its head out to gain its equilibrium, but if its head
and tail are tied together with the bearing rein and the
animal stumbles he must fall, if the bearing-rein or the
turret does not break. I have seen many horses drawing
heavy loads up-hill with their heads tied as if in a vice,
making the labour doubly as hard for the poor animals.
Any horse with full liberty will draw a ton better than
it could half-a-ton with its head tied up with the bearing
rein. Look at a team of horses at plough, drawing up
the face of a steep hill, see how they bend to their work;
they have liberty, consequently they work with ease ;
but see another team with their heads tied up with the
bearing rein, see how hard they labour to draw the
plough, see how often they try to stop, see how they toss
their heads to relieve the strain on the muscles of the
neck ; hark how the driver uses the whip to urge them
on, yet fashion has ordained that the horse must suffer
from man's ignorance. We have a Society for the