The Portland daily press., 1889-07-15
Steady Torture of the Horse.
[From the Hartford Times.1


Hiram Woodruff said
I'm order that fast horse should be under
circumstances to do his best he should be
as much at his ease ia his harness and gen.
eral rig as possible. If he is not, he is placed
at almost as much disadvantage rs If sore or
stiff, or suffering from some bodily ailment.
You may see horses brought out of the stable
to trot with very tight check to keep their
heads up, and a tight martingaie to keep it
down. Such horse is in irons; and when
to this is added dead drag at the reins, and
no movement of the bit from end to end, |
cannot see how he should do his best
people talk about steady, bracing pull;
but in my opinion, that is not the right way
to drive a trotter. There is great difference
between letting go Of your horses head and
keeping up ole dull deadening pull all the
time. The racehorse riders practice what is
called bracing pull; and great many
times have seen their horses tire under it
without ever running their best. The steady
pull choked them. The pull should be suf-
tcient to feel the mouth and give some sup
port and assistance, so as to give the horse
confidence to get up his stride. More than
that Is mischieyi0rs."
1t is quite possible that the "strong pull"
mentioned in the following paragraph is of
the sort that Hiram Woodruff styled mis-
Let us look at the charge that is is nom
sense to claim that horse breathes more
freely with nose extended then with arched
neck and nose drawn In on to the breast
from hard pull on the reins without a
check, or with an ordinary Old-fashiOned
check Everybody knows that horses with
The best OF wind do sometimes roar like
bulls under strong pull, which brings the
nose In on to tie breast. This Is all owing
to the position Of the head and neck The
passage through which the air must reach
the lungs Is made up practically of success
sion of rings. To arch the neck, draw in the
nose, causes some of these rings to assume
such positions relative to others as to OBJ
struct the free passage of air to the lungs.
Cases often occur in which horses are-in
horsemen's parlance-choked down, or such
cases were frequent before the use OF over
| draw checks. Is 1t nonsense to use an APP
| torture?"
We do not believe that horse which is
.''choked down" is either properly driven or
harnessed or understood. The driver is
probably holding on to the reins with dead
weight, dragging sort Of a pull-and il the
morse Is not wearing severe bit at the time,
ten TO one he has worn one previously and
learned the habit OF cringng and drawing in
his head in order to avoid it. However,
from what cause, Choking down" Is no
doubt bad for the horse; and how does
Thistledown" propose to relieve him from
this torture? by putting second bit into
his mouth, attached to strap passing over
his head and fastened tightly to the saddle,
winch, In Its turn, is fastened tightly to the
crupper. Then, to be sure, the "strong
pull does not Choke him down." but what
does 1t do to his mouth, his lower jaw, his
tongue, his cheeks, the top of his head, his
lungs, his whole body? 1t is easy enough
70 see what 1t does, whenever tightly
checked, open-mouthed, half-strangled
desperate-eyed animal is furiously driven
past by man braced back. Juggling at the
reins, speeding" his unfortunate slave.
The open mouth, which Is so unpleasant to
behold, with its corners pulled into squares,
may, however, be 0byiated by the simple
device OF fastening a small strap about the
jaws to hold them together! Think-all We
who know what pain is-of the condition an
animal must be In who is driven in such an
inhuman harness as that! Oh, If the people
would only consider that Old-fashioned
suggestion, "Do unto others AS We would
that they should do unto you" As mere
mater OF policy it is the most satisfactory
rule TO live by, and 1t is just as good plan
OF action to apply to an animal as to a
human being. Civilization has forced men
to become servants OF the public welfare
horses are the natural servants of men-but
there Is all the difference in the world be-
tween a willing servant and a cowed slave.
III civilization ever reaches point in this
country, or any other, where it may be
termed enlightenment men and animals
will all be in the willing service of two Just
and harmonious masters-the public good
and individual right.