Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-10-20

hire
found myself in very much the po-
sition of the writer of the above ditty a
short time ago, when, having loaned
my faVorite driver to lady friend,
the animal was sick for week after
that days outing.
The cases were not wholly similar.
My pony was neither whipped, nor
dashed. nor driven through the mire,
but was simply not treated intelligent
ly. That, after all, is the occasion of
more suffering among all our four foot
ed friends than is actual cruelty. She
was taken early in the morning few
miles into the country and allowed to
stand until late in the evening between
the shafts. She was given all the grass
she cared to eat-and grain-led
horse will eat about all the grass it can
secure and was watered three times,
but was not taken out of harness or
given an opportunitys to relieve herself
"a thing few mares will do in har-
ness. They are usually too well trained
by careful breakers who promptly pun
ish any such breach of decorum with
he whip. says the San Francisco Call.
All this most women do not know
yet there are few women who feel COM
petent TO drive who would hesitate to
accept the use of horse for day lest
they should not be able to take care
of it.
The average woman, even though
she may be accustomed all her life to
driring or riding. does not often take
pans TO inform herself regarding the
creature who SO greatly increases her
comfort aud her pleasures. She knows
the horses head from its tail she even
SO far discriminates between these at
times as to know that she want. one
held high i'll the air and the latter de-
prived of about three-iifths its natural
length. Ask her reason for this pref
erence and she could not give one to
save her life-possibly because no good
reason exists. If he should happen to
switch his tail over the reirs or get a
notion into his head contrary TO the
idea that she holds of how he should
travel or where lie should 90. she is
practically helpless. As to the ami
mails requiring any special care be-
yond not being driven too fast she sim
ply has never thought of such a thing.
| once drove with friend on trip OF
many miles. Our time was limited, the
business urgent and the horse, a strong.
swift. well-kcpt animal. had TO do pref
ty good service. When we reached
our destination he was very hot "Be-
fore we tie and 20 into the house," said
nv companion, solicitous for the COM
fort of the beast, "let US first drive
over TO that trough aud give this poor
animal a good drink"
She was very much surprised when
explained to her the probable result
Of such a proceeding, and looked on
with great interest while blanketed
the horse, let down his head and care
fully tied him where no draft might
strike him during the halfhour be
would have TO wait for us. Yet hel
husband owned fine horse which sht
frequently drove. Probably the fact
that few women ever drive fast enough
! to heat horse accounts for the fac
that the animals are not more frequent
~ foundered by them, for few womer
know better than to water horse
when it is warm, and in the kindly
consideration Of their tender heart.
that is the very thing they would y,
likely to do.
| told my friend on that occasion
that she might let her horse drink. anC
drink freely, il she was intending K
drive right on. but if he was going Il
stand. even for five minutes. he mus
have no water. If she remembers ,h,
lesson her husband may some day b,
spared the loss of useful animal
There are few things every woman
who has occasion 10 drive hors.
ought to know First OF all, then, sh,
should know how to harness era
cious eXclaim> some fair readers
Il should never drive if had to know
that" Yet fully half the accidents hap
pening to women drivers are the result
Of something going wrong with til,
harness, that could have been remediet
in moment had they known enough
to detect the fault. | once knew of twt
women who We're driving down a hill1
road with a gentle. well-traintd hor,e
who ''held back molly on the steep in
cline. Poor thing" said one tender
hearted driver, "how that strap mus
hurt his legs. am going to get GU
and fix it, SO She got out and care
fully unbuckled the breeching, theI
climbed in and they resumed their Jour
; ney. They reached the foot OF the hill
somewhat sooner THAI they had antici
pated, and only the fact that the hors,
had good deal more seLse than the,
possessed saved them from fearful
accident. He was obliged to run, an,
be did, until he reached the level, bu
they never could understand the shrek:
Of laughter with which the men at home
greeted the account Of their escapade
That was doubtless a regular woman
trick, aud the only blunder | ever heard
Of to equal it was perpetrated by 8
young man and l myself was the vic.
tim. SAT- in my buggy in front of 8
business office in small country town
when this knowing youth stepped uE
and, informing me there was something
wrong with the bride, slipped it from
the horses head before | could guess
his intention. My only means of con-
trolling the horse gone, the animal was
off in an instant, and never stopped
running until with broken harness and
shattered rig the next town wa;
reached. was left on the ground abou,
halfway between the two places some.
what the worse for the experience, bu,
considerably wiser-one result Of the
accident being that every horse have
had anything to 90 with since has been
broken to 60 without binders. These
same binders are a prolific source OF
accidents. Invented and used by AL
English nobleman to conceal the de.
feet Of a wall-eyed horse, they imme-
diately became the fashion, and. like
most senseless fashions, have persisted
in use, simply because few knew what
they were for aid they have come to
be fancied as a necessity. Their effect
on the horse is exactly what their eff
feet would be on man. He is natur-
ally more timid of what he half secs.