The morning call., 1892-09-18

NNeChS
thrust his head forward, in the endeavor to
throw his weight into the collar. Each
time il would be checked by the rein,
and al th e jerk upon bis mouth he would
throw his head back, only to repeat the
performance at the next step. The waste
Of energy in this process was tremendous.
With each checking and throwing back OF
the head the horses stride was shortened.
His mouth was made sore by the jerking of
the bit, and his spirit impaired by the dis
cOuragiDg influence Of constantly eXerted
Jet futile effort. In addition TO these eff
forts he could not possibly, with his head
held so high get his shoulders forward into
the collar. which is intended 70 sustain the
draught, and was literally pulling the load
By the bit
II there is one creature in the world that
merits more pity than another il Is the
horse that pulls q delivery wagon His
driver is usually 2 thick headed, mutton
Wiited, hulkng boy, with no more notion
Of how 70 drive than of how 70 fly. just
watch him any morning on his rounds. He
always carries long whip, and if he is real
smart be generally has several hard square
knots tied iu the lash. One inspired genius
whom once came across had an addition to
these in the share of a sharp nail cleverly
set in the stock OF the whip.
He jumps up on the wagOn-seat, grabs the
reins, and without word to his horse lays
the lash across the creatures back. OF
course the brute starts with jump. and is
II at a numbering canter, whereupon the
would-be Doble sarcastcally inquiries,
whats the matter with ye there?" and
brings down the lash again to moderate the
pace. 1t usually fails to produce this
effect, so the relns are seized IN both hands
and the driver begins Juggling on the biI,
jerking the animals head from side to side.
This brings him 10 trot, which lasts until
a corner is reached, when down comes the
u " naf
and the scene is renewed.
! once saw q boy Of this sort start up a
horse after such fashion four times In the
space of a single block, and have no doubt
but that every one Of my readers has wit
messed similar performances. Having ar
rived at a stopping place our mercantile
Jehu pulls up with great flourish, winds
the rens around the bTake-handle, picks up
his parcels and starts for the area door.
Perhaps a fly lights on the horse and be
slirs, or perhaps, as they so often do, he
moves little nearer to the curb. Back
flies BumptiOn in q towering rage, shouting
the inevitable question of his class to
horse, Whats the matter with ye? Whoa"
and ten to one if bis disapprOVal is not en-
phaslzed by kick in the ribs OF the unfor-
tunate brute.
His goods delivered, back he comes with
rush, springs upon the seat and plies his
whip. He has to deliver some eggs three
doors further on, and be reaches the place on
gailOp, pulling the horse back upon his
launches as he stops him with Jerk 30
1t goes on all day long, if the horse DOES not
drop before night, and yet nobody kills the
young brutes VINO so outrage every humane
impulse. do not know as il would do any
good to Kill them, the crop is apparently iA-
eXhaustihle; but they ought to be killed
very dead indeed, the whole fraternity Of
them.
A San Francisco dealer told me recently
that he is obliged to keep four horses for
the work that two could easily do because
the boys who drive them staVe the animals
up so badly that he has to turn them out
every two or three months and get up the
fresh ones that have been resting in pas
ture.
A cnrious feature Of most Of tho cruelty
one sees inflicted upon the horses on our
streets is its stupidity. The people who
perpelrate IL are so senseless about it. l
vas aboard Clay-streeI car the other day
when It's progress was checked by a big
dTayhOrse. whose driver had left him
standing in tha way. The gripman rang
his bell. but EQuus did not stir, whereuDOn
the conductor spEang from the platform,
seized rein and demanded of the creature,
Here. what are you doing here?" and re-
ceivlng no reply proceeded TO administer
half dozen sharp blows about the head
and face as he jerked him around out Of
reach of the car.
Such is the superior intellect by which
patient, owerfu.creatures that do our work
ana are dependent upon US for their very
lives. l asked the conductor on his return
whether he really deemed the horse in fault
and deserving OF punishment for being In
the way, but he Y0uchsafed no reply save a
cOntemptuous snort.
The lack of judgment of the average man
IS evinced not only in his treatment of his
horse, but In his manner OF preparing the
creature to do his work for him. Notice the
horses you meet in the streets and not one
In dozen is well equipped for work.
jockeys tell US that ten pounds extra
weight VIII serve to distance a horse in a
mile, but our horses Of general work and
heavy draught are wOrse handicapped than
this in dozen different ways.
Ii is not an uncommon sight In our city
to see light harness horse pulling heavy
buggy and a2O0-pound man, or perhaps two
men, up the steep grades in which our
streets abound, with only light breast
plate to pull against, Instead OF the we'll
fitting collar that should be used.
There is very widespread objection
among certain class Of drivers to the
use Of collar, which, they claim, Is not so
stylish looking" as breastplate; but the
true criterion Of the beauty OF an object is
its adaptebility to the purpose for " hlch it
is intended, and to the trained eye the
horse who trots along with load which he
is pulling from properly fitted collar has a
comfortable, well-satisfed appearance, far
more pleasing than has the one who drags
the same load by slender, inadequate
strap across his breast.
For light rigs the breastplate is well
enough, but when there is pulling TO be
done the shoulders are the parts that should
do it. Moreover, neat black collar is very
becoming to the majority of horses and sets
them off to much better advantage than the
breastplate can ever do. The horse that
pulls one Of the low. easy-ridng phaetons
so much affected by ladies should always
be provided with collar, for easy though
they are to ride in, these vehicles, by reason
of their small wheels and low-swung bodies,
are very heavy TO pull,
The practice so common in California of
using buggy harness when the morse IS pull
ing a cart Is bad for horses. A cart harness
Is absolutely necessary to the comfort OF
horse attached to a cart, yet cart harnesses