Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-09
HOW TO TREAT "A HORSE.
w. H. Gibbons EnIishtens Owners on
the Subject.

city horse" says w. II. GibbenS, field
officer Of the Kansas City Humane So
ciety, ''that l hardly know on what
point to lead out. There are so many
ways in which the horse enters into the
| life and work of man that they are al
most inseparable. He deserves a bet
| ter lot than is his wont to get. How
ever, we can make it better for him
and I believe we are doing so. For
centuries he has been mans best and
most useful friend and the one animal
| that is the most abused and neglected,
but the people are waking up to the
kindness, mercy and consideration he
deserves.
His usefulness has increased as our
commerce has expanded. If he were
| summarily wiped off the streets of
Kansas City today commerce would al
most be at a standstill, and that is
not all the reason why he should be hui
namely treated. His intelligence is be-
yond question. The only question is,
| How far does it reach?' Not even
the closest student of this noble ami
NAL can tell.
"As was stated recently by writer
| in the Chicago Record Herald, AS we
! have ceased to be barbarious, he has
ceased to be barbarian. AS the bat
| tlegrounds of nations are changing
| from those of war to those of COM
merce, his utility in bloodshed has been
destroyed and his value in life has
wonderfully increased. He has few of
the weaknesses of human nature and
has virtues that many of us do not
possess. He repays any act of kind
ness in a tenfold ratio. He will stand
| abuse by a cruel driver all day and
| stand meekly for the business the next
morning without sign of grievance.
God never created a more willing SER
want A mountain of good deeds can
not blot out the shameful injustice of
a cruel whiplash on the bare back of
such creature as this And yet we
are obliged to bring the police judge
to our assistance most every week
and l want to say here that we have
one of the best police court judges in
| the United States. There may be 9TH
ers- as good, but certainly none bet.
| ter.
IF one would closely follow a horse
and watch his every action through
day he would learn and profit by the
wisdom and patience he displays. We
| observe him in the collective and miss
much we would otherwise discern. His
duties are as varied as his masters,
yet two days drill and he knows just
where to stop and where to start.
! THE value of our city horse is stead
| lily increasing. 1t used to be the Gus
tom of firm to buy almost any kind
of a cheap animal for this work, but
now they seek to purchase animals that
are bred and raised with a view to
their value for hauling purposes, al
though they have to pay three times
| more.
"This brings into consideration the
care of the horse, which includes the
kind of men he employs to drive and
work them.
| 'This naturally brings us in close
relation to all who own teams-teams
that cart freight, teamsters who drive
the horses that haul the brick, the lum-
| Der, the dirt and sand over streets and
up and down steep hills. The matter
of overlooking is one of our most seri-
Gus difficulties to regulate, because
| there is such a difference in the capa-
| bilities Of teams, because there is such
| Wlue NdIldHCe III the KIM Oh team
sters, and until we require them to
hew to the line one ton to one horse
| just so long will we have this serious
difficulty to regulate and watch closely
If any one observes an overloaded
team, and the teamster is abusing
them by trying to make them perform
an impossibility, he will confer a IA
vor by quietly stepping up to him
don't lose your temper; that will do
more harm than good-and asking him
to desist. If he will not, and turns his
wrath from the team or horse onto
you, tell him that you will report his
case to the Humane Society at once
Most of them understand what that
means and will act accordingly. If
he don't happen to understand, with
your assistance kindly lent us in police
court, Judge Brady will enighten him.
1.-The past ten days have been very
severe on the city horse. His master
did not have him rough or sharp shod
till the sleet and rains came on; he
thought he could get along till the rush
was over at the shops; but alas! he
slips and founders and perhaps falls
upon the icy streets. His driver, may
be cruel one, attempts to force him
to go when he can't, and most likely
he is punished for having lost his tenn
per and better Judgment.
Il presume 1 have taken oft the |
streets in that length of time. $50
}3rses that were required to be shod |
or re-shod. | have required at least |
fifty teams to be assisted up these |
steep, slippery streets; teams that |
were overloaded by injudicious driv-
ers. Last week, inhumanity's sake, l |
was obliged to put an end to the mis-
cry of four or five poor old fellows that
had served many masters too faith
fully and earned a life pension of ease
the balance of their days.
"The matter of blanketing your horse
is an important one. 1t only requires
a moment to throw the blanket over
him when you stop. If his blood is
heated up and you fail to do so he is
very liable to take a cold and you then
will likely have a sick horse, If any
horse, in few days.
High checking is cruel and should
not be done, and by all means when
t1,y eff |