The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-15
TORTURED.
oneration of Docking" and What It
Means to the Horse.
MANY CRUELTIES TO ANIMALS
FAXED Up to the "smart set"-3rust
Stick by the style-The Terrible
EGects of the Curb Bit.

q rHuOrter. w ELI IL ID Chlleu u QOCk-
5pr knife, though 1t is very much UNI
like knife in shape"
The dealer held up nm instrument
with strong wooden handles. about six
teen inches in length, and working On
the leverage principle, not unlike a
large pruning knife. In the lower hen-
die was a conceived space about the
Size of a coffee cup cut in a cross sec
ton. INTO which projected, when the in
strnment was closed, convex steel
blade with a very sharp edge.
with the handles extended, the blSde
leaves the hollowed-out space in the
lower handle. This FITS under the tnll
of the horse, snugly. The blade, which
is raised several inches above the top
Of the animals tall. is then brought
down sharp on the upper surface Of the
tail at some point between the vertebra
bones, and with a quick, hard pressure
Of the extended handles of the knife the
FONTS of the vertebra are Topped of as
the limb of tree between the sharp
edges OF the gardeners pruning knife.
A Painful Operation.
The operation Is. Of course, extreme
ly painful. especially as most horses
are locked when they have attained
full growth, the tall being simply the
eIongatton OF the animals backbone. To
tho bleeding stump Is applied the ehd
OF a red-hot iron to cauterize the woGnd
or. as horsemen say. ITO stop the flow
Of blood" The excruciating suffering
o! the animal during and following the
amputatIon, and the lnhiction Of add
ttonal pain by the application of the
red-hot iron to the raw surfaces of the
lacerated bone, can best be Imagined.
q have followed with considerable
interest the discussion with reference
to docking and the use of high check
relns and curb bits" said the dealer,
"and while 1 sell these goods, I agree
in the main with the sentiments OF the
members of'thn Humane Society.
DEGREES Of Fashion.
Dealers in horse goods and horsemen
do not maintain these practices, how
ever. 1t is done by tho people them
selves. 1t is the style. and as long as
# Is such the horse must be the unhap-
py victim OF mans cruelty, because the
fashion is implacable, If society all
over the land would agree as unit
that from a certain date 1t would be
fashionable to drive carriage horses
without locked tails. high check relns
and murderous curb bits. then the mil
lennium, in the horse world will have
come. But society will do nothing of
the kind.
"Docked tails, curb bits, high heads
and stlff check reins, curved necks by
reason of these curb bits. and clanking
chains, have been In vogue for so long,
and the people are so used to having
such combination as the acme of
horse fashion. and the onlookers from
the sidewalk have cnvied these equip
ages for so long, that the style has be-
come recognized part of socIety's get
rp. The horse doesn't enter into the
matter. I venture the prophecy that
locked horses will be in style at the
end OF the century.
a,.,,,. O 49, a as,o,.,., ..ato -" ,saSanI,.
has not. Horses may be operated upon
49,, IT, o,,,,. 80. n,a,,.,,nS - ~.
,rs,., - o.y ~ 80, -, =, ~
y, "'," pos',. S'O ~, ''"' go" ~ ~
go r 80, $500 ~ 80. ~ ,s,.'a.,"a
go, ,.z.1, ~"s , ~ .'',''.,'' -
-, .1,' 80 - ~, aa.-.1,,,
s, 1900 "D'S ~ ''',,,
@is a. s"u.nn erOs"' ~ s'e'' wa "'' =
- " 's
severe BIS
II Is common TO find horses whose
tongues are grooved with a deep cut
hard and callous by years OF constant
pressure Of the curb bit, A horses
tongue Is soft and smooth; 1t is not
rough as a cows. and It Is very senSl-
tive The torture of high check rein
and double curb bit, with the reins In
h' lower ring. must be very great.
This Is the reason why horse champs
The bit and losses his head up and
down from side to side. BY these mo-
ions which appear s" stylish, he OBJ
tains momentaiy relief from th5 pres
sure 2f the bit, curb chain, check rein
and head harness gear pressing upon
bis flesh and Irritating his nerves.
on the under side Of these large