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

In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 75
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and many men are
sent to prison for trifling acts of cruelty, yet this great
glaring act goes unpunished because it is one of fashion's
follies ; and men of education, calling themselves gentle-
men, have such a perverted taste that they think it
improves the handiwork of the Great Creator. God
ofave the horse to be the friend and servant of man,
but it must have been Satan himself, in his animosity,
who played upon the pride and vanity of man, and
caused him to invent that piece of abominable torture,
the bearing-rein. I hope the day is not far distant
when the use of the bearing-rein will become a recognised
misdemeanour, and be punished as an act of cruelty.
The man bringing such an Act into Parliament would
deserve well of his country. An old writer says, " Dulce
et decorum est pro patria mori ;
" yet it is more sweet
and honourable to live and do good to our fellow-man
by enlightening his mind and exposing the pitfalls and
stumbling-stones at his feet. When men are taught the
uselessness and cruelty of the bearing rein it will be dis-
carded and become a thing of the past. As the carriage
horse is often the sufferer by man's ignorance and by
bad shoeing, neglect, and the use of the bearing rein,
he often falls, and his knees are badly cut by coming in
contact with the hard road. It will be right here to give
the reader instructions how to proceed with the horse
when its knees are badly broken.
As in all cases of wounds, the first thing is to wash
clean with lukewarm water, get all foreign substances
out of the wound, then examine carefully by putting
the forefinger into the wound to ascertain if the joint