The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-09-11
THE CHECk=REIN.
An Expert Expresses His
Idea of 1t.
The President of the Mobile Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Writes.

President r. Dane of the Mobile ala
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty TO
Animals, writes to The CALL about the
evils of the use of the severe check-rein on
horses. 81 noticed" writes Mr.. Dane, "in
a recent issue Of The CALL, a very good
article on the severe check-ren.
1.-THE tight check-Tein is becoming more
unpopular and great deal less used with
us than it has been, as the evil has become
so apparent to all persons VINO have love
for horses and a humane feeling for dumb
animals that they condemn the use of 1t
as soon as they properly consider the mat
ter. Fashion has had the ascendency OF
the minds of many that have used the
tiGh. check-reiD, but when they notice
how frelful and nervous the horse is that
is checked too tight, and see how quiet and
dOclle he is as soon as the check is lOos-
ened, they Will abandon the tight check if
they have any feeling for horse. Most
of the persons who have their horses
checked so tight claim tC love their horses
and would not treat them cruelty under
any circumstances. and probably they
would not use the severe check if they
were aware that the horse was suffering
from IL.
But they have not given the consider
alton and attention 10 the matter 1t de-
serves. Tight checking is usually done by
the driver. Our Society for the Proven
ton of Cruelty 10 Animal OF which have
the honor 10 be president, arrested the
owner of a turnout for having his horses
checked too tight. 1T was proven that it
WAS entirely the fault of the driver and
the driver was made 10 pay the costs aud
fine. The family or the owner of the
team was not aware that the horses were
suffering from the tight checking, which is
the case with a good many families that
have tiue turn-OutS. In most cases they are
not good judges Of how the horses should
be harneSSed and leave the whole matter
to the coachman. The owner of the team
arrested was very thankful that we
brought the matter to his attention.
The well-known llveryman that Won
refer 10 who defends the tight check-rein
has mistaken idea about il being neces-
sary to check horses high UP IN going up
and down hill to keep them from falling.
My experience is that horses that are
checked so high that they cannot see where
thew are stepping are not as suretooted as
they would be il they were loosely
checked, and il is terrible strain Oh them
going up or down hill with a severe check
and bit, and as It is stated in the article
horse used in that way Will soon become
broken down and worthless as carriage
horse.
Another reason given by the liveTyman
is that it would be hard on the driver to
hold up their heads, and that some horses
would be unmanagea bic without the tight
check. / have kept here in MOBILE one OF
the largest and finest ivery-stabes in the
Southern States for twenty-eight years,
and as fine turDouts of my own and for
others as can be found in any livery
stable. My experience is the higher the
horse is checked the harder ne is to man
age. ] have known horses that were al
most unmanageabe because they had
been USED with a severe check and bit
which caused them to be so fretful and
nervous from the pain and misery that
they would pull so hard that no ordinary
man could drive them. l have bought
horses used that way at low price, and |
would take off the tight check and severe
bit and use them with a leather or rubber
covered bit and loose check-rein or no
check at all, and they soon could be driven
without pulling a pounds weight. They
would get over their fretfulness and would
not appear like the same horses in dispo-
stiOn
''Furthermore. a horses head raised so
high out of his natural position cannot
stand near the endurance, the breathing
being not as free as it is when they hold
their heads naturally. The suffering they
endure is harder on them than their work,
and. as 10 style and looks. | think
horses head strained up out OF his natural
position and mis- wild look caused by the
misery he is enduring is very much dis
figured and is far from looking like per-
feet horse.
when style is wanted for carriage horses
select horses that naturally carry their
heads high. But when a horse is forced
by artificial means to carry his head higher
than is natural for him it is cruel and
think the horse is very much dsfigured."