The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-07-01
What n Horse WOuId Saw III he COu1d

What Horse Would Say III he COald.
Please to take off these close-ftting
blinds and give me chance to Use my
eyes like other folks. And then,
here's this chec::.rein. 1t pulls my
head away up in the air. 1t hurts my
mouth. 1t sometimes gives me a
throat disease.
1 can'tsee the road so we'll and am
| likely to stumble.
/ can't draw near 80 much as [
could with my head down, and l
can't draw near SO easy. A tight
check-rein puts me in constant pain.
Please to kindly take off this check
rein or lengthen it out SO that | can
put my head down where 1 want to
when L am going up hill.
And then, there's this matter of
overlooking.
If 1 generally draw kindly, but
some day give out and stop, and tell
you as plainly as I can that you have
put on 100 much load, it isn't right to
90 to beating and swearing at me.
1t is much kinder and better to talk
kindly aid throw off part of the load
or get another horse, or if the wheel is
in hole ask the people near to take
hold and push.
We horses can't tell our feelings as
you can. Sometimes We are dizzy
sometimes sick.
Sometimes the hostler drives us half
the night, and then turns US out for a
days work next morning.
Sometimes he don't get up in time to
give US our break kfast-sometimes he
forgets 10 water US. (
And then we get old and feeble just
as men do, and the older we grow, if
we have worked faithfully, the more
kindly we ought to be treated, and it
isn't right when we have given you a
lifetime of faithful service to sell us oil
in our old age for small sum into the
hanus of hard masters.
Two men or boys of the same size
can't do the same work, neither can
two horses.
We ought to have shade in summer,
warm stables aud blankets in winter.
Our stomachs are small and we
ought to be fed and watered often.
We are glad to get slice of bread
piece of apple, and a dipper Of wa,
ter.
Always feed US from the palm OF
your hand so that we may not bite
your fingers.
When you put us in strange stables
never trust the hostler to give us the
oats, but 90 out and see that he does it,
and stay by us till we eat them, and
see that he don't forget to water us.
Never put the bits into our mouth!
on a cold day until you have frs
warmed them, 80 that they won't take
the skin off our tongues and make il
painful to eat. You wouldn't like Il
have frosty iron bits put in you
mouth on cold day.
Always warm our bits in colo
weather, and when from old age we
can't chew, please take us to horse
doctor and have our teeth filled so thai
we can.
When you find our blankets blowr
off in cold weather, please put them or
again and tuck them under the har
ness.
Don't keep twitching the reins wher
you drive US. You wouldn't like any
body twitching the reins all the time
if the bit were in your mouth.
Don't over-drive US, and then Oh the
other hand don't let us stand in the
stable all day without exercise.
Horses and dogs need exercise every
day, and can't be well without it.
You wouldn't like to be ltied up in 8
stall all day and not permitted to 60
out.
Please to make it rule that you
will never ride in q carriage drawn by
horse with mutilated tail, or pool
looking horse, when you can possibly
help it, and always look at the check.
rein. Always select the carriage that
has the best looking horse and tell the
drivers why you do it.
Then when we get run down, we
should like to be sent off in the coun'
try to take a little vacation and pick
up.
If all the boys and girls, every time
they see poor, miserab' 'e-looking
horse, would simply say so the driver
could hear them, four words, l pity
that horse, it would be great benefit
to us.
But above all things, kindly remem.
ber that you can do us a world of good
by simply talking to us kindly, telling
us we are good fellows and all that.
All we horses and dogs and birds
and all dumb animals know the tone
of your voices, and we like to be talked
to kindly just as well as you do.
You can make US very happy by
only talking to us kindly.
And when it becomes necessary thai
we should die, don't let anybody try
to kill us that don't know how, buI
send us to our society for the preven
tation of the cruelty to animals, tha
employs skillfui men to kill all horses
and dogs and cats humanely, and le
them send man to kill us mercifully