Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-03-18
AGRICULTURAL.
4 CHAPTER or HORSE TALK.
An Earnest Protest against the over
Draw Check.

An Earnest Protest against the over
Draw Check.
1t is probable that many people regard
the talk against the overiraw check as lit
tie more than bit of sentimentaism, but
writer in the New York Times gives
sound reasons against it which will com
mand respectful attention.
During a recent visit to Chicago was
surprised to note what seemed at first
glance a great superiority both in style and
carriage of the horses of that city as COM
pared with those usually seen on the drives
in this vicinity. | know from experience
that we have as good horseflesh here as
can be found anywhere, but upon closer
investigation | discovered that the reason
why the horses of Chicago appeared supe-
riOr in gait and carriage to anything here
was owing to the fact that none that | not
ed wore what is called the overdraw check.
1t is an unfortunate fact that most of
our horses here are made to look absurd
with their heads pulled up to an altogether
unnatural position, which must be as pain
full as it is lacking in grace, as a result of
the general use of this abomination. SO
far as | can determine, the use of the
overdraw check is unwarranted and unius-
titled by any single sensible reason. Ma
ture gives the wel-bred horse beautiful
~ arched neck When by the use of a
tight check rein the head of such a horse
is drawn close to its breast or when by
employing the Overdraw check the end of
the nose is lifted out into the air and the
head tilted back, all the beauty of nature
is taken away and the horse is rendered
unable to perform its work to the best adj
vantage. Draught horses are not thus
checked, because horse cannot pull prop
erly with his head drawn up into the air
any more than a man could.
No amount of checking can add in any
way to the beauty of a homely horse, but
only serves to eXaggerate the poor crea-
lures lack of beauty Handsome horses
are made ugly by that process, and ugly
horses are made to look worse. Where,
then, is the advantage? Occasionally, but
very rarely, horse will need to be slightly
checked to be made useful for driving or
other purposes. These instances are eX-
tremely rare, and cannot be cited with any
truth as an excuse for the general practice
of using a tight check rein,
1t is curious idea with many that
horse of spirit holds his head high in the
air while working. Any one who believes
in that fallacy has only to look at the pho
tographs of noted race horses or the best
bred stock in the country, or to watch an
unchecked team at work, and the eXami-
nation will show a natural posture of the
head very different from any thing one will
be able to note in a majority of the check
ed-up carriage horses of this and adjacent
cities. Some possibly may argue that as
an ill-bred or sick horse will drOop his
head, therefore a well-bred and perfectly
able animal ought to hold his head in the
extreme opposite direction, or, in other
words, as his nose points to the ground in
the one instance it should be made to
point heavenward in the other. When
man undertakes to improve upon nature in
rearranging and shifting the natural pos
lures of the animals of this earth, he gen
orally makes mistake.
1t is really wonderful what an improve
ment is visible in the appearance of the
horses of Chicago since the people of that
city have had the good sense to do away
with the Objectionable overdraw check,
which was first introduced there II years
ago. Fancy Rosa BOnheurs famous paint
ing with the horses heads represented in
the position into which they would be
brought by the use of this particularly de-
testable piece of harness. 1t does seem as
though the average American citizen ought
to be smart enough and sensible enough to
see not only the absurdity, but the extreme
cruelty of this thing, and to do away with
it altogether.