Bits and bearing-reins with observations on horses and harness by Flower Edward Fordham 1805-1883

Author:Flower, Edward Fordham, 1805-1883
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Harnesses, Horses
Publisher: London, Cassell

bridle against the horse's ears, and then a small round piece of leather comes down and passes through a ring in the horse's bit. It is then passed over the collar to the saddle, and he is reined in by the groom. What is the effect of that 1 Instead of the groom, when he reins up the horse, exerting the power of a pound weight, this acts as a pulley, and he exerts the power of two pounds. Probably people do not sufficiently consider this when they have these bearing-reins. I will ask you philanthropic gentlemen and tender-hearted ladies only to walk down St. James's Street on a Drawing Room day, and see the agony which is caused to exist there. Ladies in their carriages, going to the Drawing Room, and gentlemen going to the Drawing Koom, do not attend to these matters; the coachman on the box, to save a little trouble in the management of his horses, folding his arms ; the footman not getting off, as he should do, to relieve the head when the horse is standing still—all are accessories to what I denounce as a great and unnecessary cruelty which is practised at the present day. . I fully bear out what has been said before me, as I feel so strongly on the subject, having known great injury to arise to horses who have been so treated. Speaking to a dealer some years ago upon the subject, I asked him how it was he was gradually tightening up horses' heads from day to day before he sold them. He said that many people would not buy them unless he did so—that London people always wanted their horses to carry their heads high and to step high ; and he said, ' another thing is, it soon wears them out, and they come for another pair of horses.' If a horse is naturally a high-stepping one, that is one thing, but to get a horse out of his natural gait I hold to be wanton cruelty. Some years ago all the coach-horses had bearing-reins, until Sir Francis Head wrote them down. I very well remember observing to a coachman on- one occasion that he had not the bearing-rein. He said that he had been reading the writings of Sir Francis Head, and (said he), ' How do you imagine that a horse can be

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