The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-06
AGRICULTURAL.
The Horses Punishment.

horse appreciates a comfortably fitting
harness as much as he does a properly fitted
shoe. The latter when set too tight, or with
nail driven into, or too near the sensitive
tissues. produces positive lameness. Under
this condition of things he is promptly taken
to the shop for relief. But he may suffer
nearly or quite as much from the chatting of
a badly fitted collar or hard narrow belly
band drawn too tight. Or from check-rein
shortened up so as to form of itself ore of
the severest of punishments. Either of those
conditions will produce restiveness In the
dullest brute, and in the case of an animal
of nervous temperament, and having thin,
sensitive skin, he is liable to become frantic,
the obtuse owner or driver seldom appreciat-
ing the origin of the difficulty.
No greater evidence can be dvanced to
establish a horses entire submissiveness
than his willingness to pull against the col
its skin, and showing the highest possible
state of sensibility. The average horse will
do this shrinking at every step. A horse
learns to dread the approach of the master
or driver, with harness in hand, if this has
previously been a source of torment, or even
of discomfort. A horse properly handled
for period, in well fitted harness, then
CHANGING to fall into the hands of a bungler,
will at once detect the undue tightness or
looseness of strap, and will not settle
down to his usual gait, contentedly, while
the irregularity remains. A spirited horse
may, under such an irritating influence, do
from downright fear, what may be wrongly
charged to viciousness. Heavy strokes of
the whip may fall upon the irritated beast
only to be followed by evil results.
Among the every day torments to which
the horse is subjected, we will enumerate
the following: LIST. Abraded breast. I'd. In
famed back from defective saddle or har-
sspad Sd. Sore mouth from too tight
gag rein, severe bit or both. 4th. A sore
tail from too tight or lily made crupper. 9Th.
An abrasion under the body, caused by too
tight or badly fitting belly band. 9th. Irri-
tation of the !eyes from binders being
strapped too close together, or on the other
hand are allowed to swing around, first strik-
ing one eye then the other. 18th. Ears chafed
by the brow band being placed too high or
by metallic rosettes with sharp outer rim,
the base of the ear pressing across this at
every motion. Sth. The excessive fatigue of
all the structures of the neck under the in
rein, if made taut, and kept so for any con-
siderable length of time, is source of dis
comfort to all horses, and an insufferable
torment to many. A taut rein can be used
with entire prOpriety, on horses of fine easy
up carriage, especially while in motion, but
if the muscle and bony structure of the neck
extend forward horizontally from an upright
shoulder, rather than starting out from
slanting shoulders, then the most intense
suffering will be inflicted by straining the
neck up to an angle entirely unnatural to
the animal, especially if this strain be kept
up. To strain a culprit up by his thumbs,
till only his toes touch the ground, is GER
tainly one of the severest admissible punish
ments that can be inflicted upon mortals,
and the check rein is undoubtedly akin to it,
in its extreme application. Farm
journal.