The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-01-23
the Care OF Horses.

u6 OuTU VI nOTbcos
All domestic animals are snbiect to
more or less abuse at the hand of man,
but the horse seems peculiarly liable to
injury and suffering, even while doing
his best to serve him who ought to be
his guardian and protector. In the
wild state most animals are doubtless
competent to take care of their own
health, though nothing living is insured
against misfortune, and death, by one
means or another, is the common lot of
all living beings.' 1t tmay be questioned
whether, as race, the cow has any
stronger hold on life from being domes-
ticated, than if forced to fight her own
way in life against the elements and her
animal enemies, and yet we are apt to
feel that petted COW, one that is con-
stantly well fed and well housed, has
something to be thankful for, that she
is not like the wild cow of the plains
and jungles. The domesticated cow,
and the domesticated horse, sheep and
hog are certainly more fitted to fill the
requirements of man than the untamed
animals of the wilderness. But with
civilization in man and domestication of
animals comes long list of diseases
which neither the uncultivated Indian
nor the wild animal know anything of.
Every advancing step in animal life
from the clam in his shell and mud
home upward, seems to be a step
towards greater possibilities of suffer-
ing and discomfort. The more sensitive
the nerves become to pleasure, the more
keenly they may feel pain.
There is no ground whatever for
doubt that our most intelligent domestic
animals are capable of suffering mental
ly as well as physically. The cow
mourns for her calf that we have sold to
the butcher, and allowed to be taken
away right before her eyes. Young ami
mails of all kinds, and some that are not
so young, are often extremely "home-
sick" on being changed to new quarters,
sometimes when only moved to a new
manger in the stable. Horses changing
owners are frequently made entirely
different animals morally, by the change,
particularly when going from a kind to
an unkind master, and large volumes
might be filled with true stories of dogs
that have suffered mentally, some Of
them even unto death. Pleasure, pain,
love, hatred, duty, hope, despair,
chagrin, revenge, mirth, sympathy, pity,
and, judging from appearances, even
alteration and worship Of superiors are
possible, if not all common, to all the
higher forms of animal life.
Now, if the animals we own are sus-
ceptible of the same physical sufferings,
and the same mental, and for want OF a
better word, the same moral, feelings
which we ourselves have, then most
surely they have some rights that we, as
their guardians and protectors, are
bound to respect. We have no
more moral right to unnecessarily
drive a horse until his every hair
is dripping with perspiration, and
then leave him to stand and cool off in
a cold northwest wind, than we have to
assassinate brother, or abuse child.
No humane person will deny this state
ment, and perhaps when all men be-
come so humane that assassinating
brothers and abusing children will be
impossible, then our domestic animals
viii be treated as they too deserve.
Either naturally or from artificial
causes. our domestic horse is remark
ably tough and enduring animal, other
wise we should have had no horse after
the amount of abuse that has been
heaped upon him. We work him hard,
drive him all weathers, and expose him
to all manner of dangers, and yet he
lives through it all, or rather some do.
We look at tough horses, however, much
as we talk about rich men, forgetting
the far greater number of both horses
and men that drop out and are left be-
hind in the race. The truth is, we kill
or ruin more horses by i'll usage every
year than what die or become worthless
from old age. Are we then duly re-
specting the rights of our herses? There
can be but one answer to this question,
and yet there is at present no authority
that can wholly prevent this abuse and
unnecessary waste. - Net0 England
Fdrnler.