The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-02-04
ToRTuREs FOR HORSES.

ToRTuREs FOR HORSES.
How civillsed Nan Rewards the Services
o. : Faithful Dumb Brute.
Horses are great sufferers; from
toothache,"' said Q veterinary surgeon.
The complaint Is tho real cause of
many . runaway that is attributed to
ytciousnesa Horses teeth are very
subject to decay, and no attention is
paid to dentistry for their benefit, Is
ought to be tho case. Thus It some
times happens that the metal bit strik-
Ing upon the exposed nerve of = tooth
will set the animal wild in moment
and start him of upon the run. In
fact for the time being. the poor beast
10 actually crazy and not responsible
for what he does
Man, who Is usually merciful to
other animals. is most cruel to the
horse. The latter is patient under pain
which would make dog or cat cry
aloud, and this is one reason why its
suffering is not regarded Not only is
q
death, but all sorts of unnecessary tor
lures and mutilations are inflicted upon
1t. The familiar checkrein is one of the
mildest of these tortures, though in it.
sells bad enough, the bit is another more
severe. People think it is fine to see a
noble pair of horses flinging their heads
IN the air and tossing foam from their
n tn ~ hn Il
toss their heads to relieve the painful
strain Of the check, which makes the
bit so distressing to the mouth, causing
tho saliva to flow. When you see them
shake their heads SO nobly, making q
rafting of the harnass, it is to relieve
the corners OF their mouths from tho
CALLING of the bits. Checkreins ought
to be forbidden by law. They were in
fashion as far back as the time of the
Pharaohs, as ancient sculptures in re-
lief show, and were, doubtless, adopted
to hold up the horses head and make
him look spirited.
Fashion combines with ignorance to
torture tho horse. To achieve swell
ness the first thing necessary is to cut
away the mane SO as to initiate the
beasts which draw the sculptured char
lots of antiquity. Nature has provided
the animal mercifully with tail for
brushing away the flies against which
ho is otherwise helpless Therefore
tho mode requires that this useful and
necessary appendage shall be chopped
off short. which signifies not merely
the cutting of the hair, but the amputa-
ton of several of the terminal bones of
the spine, the stump being scared with
a red-hot iron to make it heal Any
sensible person knows that to dock a
horses tail is to seriously subtract from
the creatures beauty; but what does
that matter If fashion has promulgated
her decree?
''1t is upon the improvement of the
loofs of a horse, however, that human
ingenuity has been well-nigh exhaust
ed. After the farrier, in shooting the
animal, has scooped the sole to the
thinness of paper, cut away the frog,
removed tho pegs lowered and cut
open the heels, and burned away the
wall with red-hot iron the groom takes
the matter in hand Hoofs are natural.
ly mottled with various shades Of
brown, gray and black, but this does
not please the professional eye Of the
stableman, 50 he blackons and polishes
them carefully with grease and lamp
black, thus choking up the pores in the
horn and preventing the needful trans
piration.
Another diabolical invention for the
discomfort of the horse is the 'blinder,
the object of which is to prevent the
animal from seeing things that will
frighten him. But the fact is that
binders cause fright instead of pre-
venting it, because, like ourselves, this
useful beast fears the imperfectly
known. He is not afraid of what he
sees and understands, but with blind
ers on he can neither see nor under
stand anything.
''Speaking of runaways, there is q
continuance which will stop the most
Infatuated horse within a few yards
without inflicting any pain. 1t is made
of brass, like bracelet, and when fit
ted over the animals nose it is not al
all conspicuous. If the beast attempts
to run away the driver or rider has only
to pull strap, which has the effect Of
closing the nostrils. The horse, when
its nostrils are closed, is helpless not
being able to breathe, and so is brought
quickly to standstill. Indian squaws
have a similar method of teaching their
babies not to cry. When an infant
raises its voice the mother closes its
mouth and congresses its nostrils, and,
as the process is repeated wheneve,
the child cries, it very soon learns to be
silent Consequently such a sound as
the crying of baby is never heard in
an Indian camp. "-Washington Star