The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-05

Creeping cautiously down the steep dark
road with his nose so close to the ground
to e his way could
Ing strap dangling about his hind legs.
u haunches che every % Step % he TOOK, came Laddie.
Kneeling in the bottom Of the phaeton,
with her arms stretched out over the
and talking to the intelligen creature.
who literally held her life in his keeping
1t took Edward but stcond to spring to
their rescue, and as he afterward ex-
pressed 1t: Faith, there was no telling
which was gladdest to meet me-the big
horse or the little girl"
She had reached Farmer Hannam's Just
as 1t began to rain. but found Sh 1he nonwe hou,
under the shed to wait for the storm 10
rass. but when the rain still continued iiI, S 70
iy knew what to do and instinctively
All went well till she reached the wood
without a seconds warning. the hook
which held the breeching strap, to the
shan pulled out and the fsa strap ar6ppen faI as
the tug straps would let it. and these.
soon slipping backward. iet the s WINNIE
es. After one frightfnl plunge, he seemed
to realize what had happened. and proved
what 1t was for horse to be able TO see
' After looking behind him for q
moment. as though studying the inl,a situa-
ten and saV doRn the h taking
few steps and stopping. a few more and
another pause; as though to assure ssur ,otha the
iesens1 inr so iens ena as she trusted to him. He
had II Travelled more than half the Jour
ney with the phaeton bumping aiGne On De,
met him. and he doubtless would nave
brought his charge safely home.
We asked Lassie why she mao not eoe- eto-
she knew how as well as we did. but she
said that it was 50 dark. rainy and slip.
felt more faith in Ladies' ability to care
for her than in her own.
And now ask my readers II this 40 not
the use Of q check-refn and binders?
Had the horse been unable to see tne
cause Of the trouble behind On him: n.a ana mao 40
chose and put 1t as close to the GROUND as
he wished who can guess what ignorance
ana faiahfal taIre1 creatur. to do? But the head
rection. and the eyes were able to see all
they should be. And when we add to
this perfectly natural condition the af,
lection he bore the little child who mad
der that he promptly assumed tie re-
sronsibility and took her life in his care
firmly believe that more ethan than haif hY this 5ne
wretched, senseless custom of fashion
(odious worldly of placing blinders upon
rein-pulling the head into most un-
natural position--is added, it is no wonder
that the animal is nearly maddened by
Mr. Noel, in the August, 1900. number Of
Our Animal Friends, has written very
ably upon this subject of binders. and my
and take up the question of the check
rein also. Surely no one possessing even
an average amount of the commonest
kind Of common sense can fail to appre.
ciate the discomfort those two pieces of
harness can intlict upon horse.
If any two-legged animal doubts 1t. let
him attempt to carry heavy parcel, bas-
ket-what he will-up a steep hill or flight
Of stairs while holding his head far back
In a strained position. And If his head
forward, the very consciousness of his in
natural way would equilibrium in the
%ay h drive nj him to
where he is placing his feet. He cannot
do it. What. then. must it be to the poor
ing heavy weight behind him? 1 Won
der he does not try to climb church
steeple or some other perpendicular OBJ
ject. for it would surely seem more natu-
journey when his head is strained up-
ward and his eyes are held at an angle
not above him.
1t is to me incomprehensible that any
one should be so shortsighted to place
upon horse a harness which causes the
smallest discomfort, to say nothing of oy-
quisite torture, which, in many instances
is precisely what it AMOUNTS to- l am
not speaking of absurd fashions-as curb
chains. senseless bits. high checks and
dozen unnecessary appiances-I have
often seen horses wearing the most costly
harness. but miserable because it was i'll
adjusted.
Often the blinders are held so close
upon the eyes as to make it utterly i'm
Gao
gong, and many sharp lash does it re-
,celye for an awkward step caused entire
ly by its half-blinded condition
But the horses which suffer most ars
those belonging to the working class,
whose drivers, either from careiessness
or ignorance, often regard the animal as
a mere machine. which must perform All
the work possible for as little care as can
he given it. The harness worn by these
rough. hardened condition, caused bv a
thorough soaking upon the previous dav.
and very often painful sore is the re-
suit; nor is the cause discovered until the
sore appears.
Oftenest of all 1t is the binders which
are bent out of shape by a wettiug
are bent against the wall. A corner is
slightly bent, but not enough to be no
ticed by the driver in the hurry of har-
Messing the next morning. little later
the poor horse finds it out and as the
day advances his misery becomes COM
plete. l wish to cite one inStance--happily
the most exaggerated | have ever wit
nessed-of this miserable condition.
It has become an unconscious habit
with me to take in at glance the de-
tells of a horses harness. and il is quite
the exception when anything wrong es-
capes me. Many times when passing
along the streets of the crowded city
have begged some driver to readjust a
strap or buckle in which the change of
occasion ] referred to l was passing
through Chambers street and at the dis.
tance Of half a block ] noticed a horse
tossing his head about and acting in a
disturbed manner. When / reached him
the cause was only too apparent; the
corner of the binder. bent and hard as
stone, was resting directly in the corner
of his eye. And such an eye. Water was
pouring from it. the lid was swollen to
twice it's natural size. and the eyeball it