Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-05-14
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Reasons why They Harm instead of Bens.
DC Horses That Wear Them.

| Reasons why They Harm instead of Bene~
| DC Horses That Wear Them.
When q horse is used for the saddle
no one thinks OF meddling with his
eyes, and we allow the animal 10 use
them freely, as nature has directed.
But no sooner do we put the same an
imal into harness than we think our
selves bound 70 fasten black leather
flap over each Of his eyes, so as TO pre-.
vent him from seeing objects at his
sides, and 10 limit his view to those
which are in his immediate front.
This is done with the very best inten.
tons, the object being TO save him
from being frightened by startling
and unwonted sights. and only to
leave a sutiiciency OF vision where
with TO guide his steps Herein. as in
feeding and stabling the horse, man
judges the animal by himself, forget
ting, or rather having failed 10 notice,
that the eyes of the horse are exceed.
ingly unlike our own. Our ewes are
set in the front of our heads, 80 that
If blinkers were fastened TO our tenn
Piles our range of vision would be but
slightly limited But the eyes Of the
horse are placed on the sides of the
head, and are rather prominent, so
that the animal can not only see on
either side, but by rolling his eyes
backwards. as we see in vicious
horse, can see objects almost i'm his
immediate rear. The effect of the
blinker Is both physically and men.
tally injurious TO the horse. In the
first place, especially when large and
brought near the eyes, ii has the Of.
feet OF heating them and hindering
the free passage OF air over them. In
the next place, it causes s.ie eyes TO be
always directed forward. and thus pro
duces a most injurious strain ON the
painful sensation IN felt when we
are Obliged TO strain our eyes either
backward or upward any length OF
time and the horse suffers no less in
convenience when il is forced tn keep
its eyes continually strained forward.
The worst example OF the blinkers
that | have ever seen were in the
United States, where the blmkers Tor
"blinders" as they are there named)
are often brought so closely together
IN front by means OF a strap and a
buckle that mere narrow strip barely
half an inch in width is left for
vision. This again is done with the
best intentions, the object being to
save the animal from being afflicted
with snow blindness. Now the horses
eyes are in many respects different
from our own, and are not affected,
as is the case with ours, by the vast
expanses Of dazzling snow which are
rendered even more dazzling by the
clear atmosphere and brilliant sun
shine of America. One of its safe
guards lies in the remarkable structure
which is properly termed the "haw,"
and scientifically the ''nictitating
membrane" This is sort of third
eyelid set beneath the true eyelids,
and capable of being drawn at with
over the eyeball, thus performing the
double duty of shielding the eye from
the direct glare Of light and clearing
the surface from dust and any other
foreign substance. This membrane is
seen in perfection in the birds Of prey,
SO that the proverbial statement that
the eagle trains itself to gaze at the
midday sun has some foundation in
fact. Public Opinion.