The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-02
Bits and Bearing.Keins.

II never allow a bearing rein to be
used in my establishment, nor did my
father before me; am sure they are botl
useless and cruel" so wrote Lord Ports
mouth, a little time ago, and so, in effect
have written Sir Arthur Helps and othcl
high authorities. We ourselves have
more than once deprecated their use; and
if anything, are more convinced than evcl
that the only effect they have on horses is
to pain and irritate them. Who can doub,
that this is the case after reading Mr.. E. +.
Flowers pamphlet on the subject? Mr..
Flower has had a large experience with
horses. AS he says himself, he does not
remember the time when he could not
ride. He is we'll known as cross country
rider. When he was just thirteen he drove
a pair of horses in an American carriage
all the way-3OO miles-from Philadelphia
to Pittsburgh. A veritablc jchu, truly
Well, Mr.. Flower declares that his great
est ambition is to have He was one of
those men who caused the bcaring-rcin to
be abolished" written on his tombstone.
He has ever found, he assures us, that
"this barbarous custom" only made
vicious horses more vicious, and FESTIVE
horses more FESTIVE. "a few years ago.
writes he, 81 bought fine horse with a
bad character; he was roarcr, a jibber, a
bolter-and the late cOachman told me l
should never be able to drive him; but
liked his looks, and the result confirmed
my good opinion. The roaring soon
ceased after the tight gag-bearing rein was
taken away; an easy bit had been put in
his mouth instead of a severe one, which
had caused him to be restless through
sheer pain; he became perfectly tractablc,
and have driven him for years both in
double and single harness with great COM
fort and Safety
This is only one case in point; he adj
duces many others, and not few of the
best whips in England back him up.
The fact is bearing reins-espccially what
are called g-bearing rcins-would never
have come into such common use if it
hadn't been for ignorant grooms and coach
men. These, as is we'll known, take as a
rule more pride in their masters and mis-
trcsses' horses than the masters and mis-
tresses themselves. They like them to
paw and rear before starting; and so, for
that matter, do the nursery maids. ''Oh,
la!" exclaim these latter, isn't that a
beauty?' Above all they like them to
keep their heads we'll in the air. Now,
the Bedouin, or gag-bcaring, rein is just
the thing to make them do that. For the
benefit Of the uninitiated, let us describe
how it effects this object: First, it is
fastened to the head of the bride against
the horses ears, and then a small, round
piece of leather comes down and passes
through ring in the horses bit; next it
is passed over the collar to the saddle.
The result is that, instead OF the groom,
when he reins up the horse, exerting the
power of a pound wei ght, he cxerts,
through the pulley nature Of the apparatus,
the power OF two pounds, so that the
horses mouth, if not actually cut and
laccratcd, suffers acutcly-mOrc especially
as the bit is often not of the ordinary
kind, but one fitted with hoop, in which
the tongue is held straight, the bar
of the curb passing under the tongue. TO
sum up, there is not one argument in favor
of the tight bearing-rcin. 1t does not keep
the horse from StumDling-rathcr docs it
cause him to stumble and prevent his re-
covering himself; then, again, as Mr..
Flower remarks, horse with its head
stuck up in the air docs not, after all, look
half so graceful as "a wcll-ted, not over
worked horse in its free and natural atti-
tudcs.' Thanks mainly to that gentle
man, this inhuman apparatus would seem
to be doomed. The Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has
taken up the matter. There was a meet
ing last week at the rooms of that institu
ton "to discountcnance the usc' of these
rcins, when the Right Hon. Cowpcr
Temple, NJ. p, presided, and when many
influential gentlemen, as we'll as some
coachmcn, showed the cruelty that their
use entails. In the name of humanity, let
us doaway with them.-Rural Ncr Yorker.