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Victorian Blogging
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Light in dark places
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Cobbe, Frances Power [1822-1904.]
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Place of publication: Bristol
Collation: [5]-31 p. ; ill. (diags.) ; 21 cm.
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The British Union for Abolition of Vivisection (in alliance with the London Anti-Vivisection Society)
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1901
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Animal welfare
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Animal Experimentation
Animal Welfare
Vivisection
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Plate 1
COMFORT.
�ct^
BITS
AND
BEARING REINS,
BY
EDWARD
FORDHAM
FLOWER.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
WILLIAM RIDGWAY, 169, PICCADILLY, W.
1875.
��AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION.
As my name has lately been associated with
efforts to abolish the barbarous custom of driving
carriage horses with Gag bearing-reins, sharp
Curbs, and atrocious Bits, to show that I do not
speak without knowledge and experience, I will
sketch a few facts in my past life, bearing on
the subject of horses. I do not remember the
time when I could not ride. At four years of age
I used to accompany a servant to our post town,
three miles from my father’s residence, for letters,
and before I was five went alone every morning
on my pony for them.
My father was an excellent rider, and hunted
with Lord Salisbury’s hounds at that time. I used
to go out frequently with him. I and my little
pony (Moses) were well known to the then
Dowager Lady Salisbury, whom I used to follow
as well as I could, by scrambling up and down the
banks, and along the Hertfordshire lanes. I well
remember being sent, at ten years of age, alone, a
distance of forty miles to carry a letter, and bring
back the answer the next day, that being a quicker
way of sending it across the country than by post.
�4
That ride was done on a donkey, a fine Spanish
ass, which my father imported with a large flock
of Merino sheep. In my eleventh year I went, on
that same donkey, from our residence near Hert
ford to Guildford in Surrey on a similar errand;
indeed, at that time, riding and driving formed a
large item in my scheme of education, much to my
satisfaction.
Then the scene changed: but the ruling passion
was still the same. We were in America, bound
for what was then the “Far West.” The road over
the Alleghany mountains for long distances was a
mere track, or worse. I was then just thirteen,
and I drove a pair of horses in an American car
riage all the way, three hundred miles, from
Philadelphia to Pittsburg. My mother, who was
lame, did not like to trust the driving to any one
but me. Had I used bearing-reins, curbs, &c. we
should soon have come to grief.
Then we floated down the Ohio (in arks) before
there were any steamboats on its waters; and
another long and difficult driving journey brought
us to our destination. During the next few years
I took many long journeys with my horse and dogs,
sometimes lying out all night under a tree and light
ing a fire to scare the wolves, when I would make a
pillow of the saddle, and lie close to my horse’s
back for warmth. In that way we became friends,
and I can never look upon horses but with feelings
of sympathy, knowing how well they appreciate
�it, and how they suffer when neglected or un
kindly treated. But I must get on with my
story, though it is tempting to linger over some of
those wild journeys of my youth.
Another change, and I returned to England, but
was never without a horse. When I could not afford
to give high prices, there was one fault I could
always put up with, and that was what is called
“temper.” If a horse had a character for being
vicious, that was the horse for me. I knew that
probably by judicious management and kindness I
could make him tractable, so I frequently got a
capital animal at a very low price, and I have done
as much riding and driving about the country as
any one, with no bearing-reins, and generally with
a plain snaffle bridle.
A few years ago, I bought a fine horse with a
bad character, he was a roarer, a jibber, a bolter,
and the late coachman told me I should never be
able to drive him; but I liked his looks, and the
result confirmed my good opinion. The roaring
soon ceased after the tight gag bearing-rein was
taken away; an easy bit was put in his mouth
instead of the severe one, which had caused him to
be restive through sheer pain; he became perfectly
tractable, and I have driven him for years both in
double and single harness with great comfort and
safety.
I have for many seasons been well known in
various hunting fields in the Midland counties, but
�6
*
CQ
T
in consequence of a severe illness I have lately
been obliged to give up hunting; and last year I
came to live in London, thinking that the Row
and the Park would in future be field enough for
me; and so it would, and a very enjoyable one,
were it not disfigured and disgraced by the bar
barous and senseless use of spurs, whips, curbs,
gag bits, and bearing-reins. Fashion is strong—
stronger, I fear, than humanity—but still I have
hopes. Fashion no longer orders horses to be
cropped, docked, and nicked; therefore these new
forms of distortion and cruelty may give way.
If a few leaders of fashion would join with men
and women of common sense and lovers of humanity,
we should soon wipe out this blot upon our civili
zation. I am happy to have been allowed to raise
my feeble voice in the cause : and I heartily thank
all those (and they are many) who have come for
ward to help and encourage me. I shall persevere
and though I am old, I do not despair of livin
long enough to have it engraved on my tombstone,
“ He was one of those men who caused the bearingrein to be abolished.”
E. F. FLOWER.
35, Hyde Park Gardens.
* See Sir Arthur Helps’ “ Some Talk about Animals and
their Masters,” p. 68.
�A FEW WORDS ABOUT BEARING-REINS.
The evils of Bearing-reins, of which the sole use
is to hold the horse’s head at an unnatural and
dangerous height, have been so frequently and so
conclusively pointed out, that it might have been
hoped they would have become as obsolete as crop
ping, docking, and nicking.
So far from this being the case, the evil has been
continued in an aggravated form by the introduction
of the “ Gag bearing-rein.”
The mouth of the horse is extremely sensitive.
The most valuable qualification for a horseman is
that he should possess what is termed “ Hands.”
The rarity of this qualification arises from the fact
that the hand of man is naturally far less sensitive
than the mouth of the horse. Hence Ladies have
generally better hands than gentlemen, and gentle
men better hands than grooms.
A horse in harness, without a bearing-rein,
has the free command of his limbs, under the
direction and control of his driver, communicated
to him by the ordinary bit. If the driver has good
hands the horse yields a prompt and ready obedi
ence, and the most perfect sympathy exists between
him and his master. A slip or a stumble is not
likely to occur, and should it happen recovery is
easy.
�8
The first step1 in the wrong direction is the use
of the old fashioned or simple bearing-rein (Pl. 2).
In this the bearing-rein is attached to the ring
of the driving bit at B ; it passes through a loop
attached to the bridle at C, and is fastened to a
hook on the pad at A. The pad is prevented from
moving forward by the crupper. Thus the head
and tail of the horse are tied together, more or less
tightly, according as the bearing-rein and crupper
are respectively buckled.
This bearing-rein acts as a single or fixed pulley
(Pl. 2, fig. 1), in which A, the power, is equivalent
to B, the weight. A is the groom’s hand or the
power, B the horse’s mouth or the weight, and C
the pulley.
This bearing-rein may at any time be unhooked
from the pad, and the horse thus released from its
pressure; a great relief when kept standing for hours,
and especially when going up hill.
Latterly a far more complicated and powerful
instrument has come into fashion.
This is the Bedouin, or Gag bearing-rein (Pl. 3),
which is attached to the top of the bridle (at E).
It is then passed through a swivel attached to the
separate bearing-rein bit, which has nothing to do
with the driving. Thence it passes through the
drop ring (C), and is attached to the pad and crupper
as in the former case.
The effect of this is to double the power by which
it can be tightened, for by mechanics we learn that
�1
DISCOMFORT.
���r**
r
B*
TORTURE.
�9
1 lb. applied at A is equivalent to 2 lbs. at B, a fact
which every one can prove for himself.
Thus it is evident what force is brought to bear
on the horse’s mouth, a sufficiently sensitive organ,
even when unencumbered by another heavy bit,
with cruel cutting power.
Severe as is the simple bearing-rein explained
in Pl. 2, its evil is doubled by the Gag system, for
its elevating power is as we have shown doubled,
nor can the coachman relax this terrible and dan
gerous gag bit, for separate as it is from the
driving apparatus, it would fall out of the horse’s
mouth, and to put it in again would take time and
persuasion, or rather force.
The pain thus occasioned to the horse is intense.
The action of every muscle is impeded. If a false
step is taken, recovery is rendered difficult. Dis
comfort makes the poor animal restless. The
impatient movements occasioned by his distress, are
not unfrequently visited by a cut from the whip of
an ignorant coachman; the horse is called unruly and
ill-tempered, when he is only miserable. Some new
instrument of torture is forced into his mouth in the
shape of a Bit, devised for the very purpose of
inflicting pain, until, with temper and mouth both
ruined, he passes into the hands of a Bus driver or
Cabman, when his bearing-rein is cast aside, and
for the first time he is treated with common sense
and humanity.
It is a severe penance to any man who loves a
�10
horse to walk along the fashionable streets or the
Park, and to witness the sufferings of horses from
this absurd and cruel practice.
Little does the benevolent Dowager who sits
absorbed in the pages of the last tract of the
“ Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,”
know of the sufferings of the two noble animals by
whom she is leisurely drawn along the “ Lady’s
mile.”
She probably fancies that the high prancing step,
and the toss of the head which scatters flakes of
foam at every step are expressions of pride and
satisfaction at their task, when in fact they are
occasioned by pain, and a vain attempt to obtain a
momentary relief from their suffering.
Although the evil of bearing-reins has always
been clear to me, as will be seen by any one who
reads my introduction, the first time I expressed
my opinion in public was at the annual meeting of
the “ Royal Society for the Suppression of Cruelty
to Animals ” in 1868, following an eloquent and
powerful speech by the late Earl of Romney. In
the appendix I shall reproduce part of that speech,
and my own also, as they have probably never
been read by any one from that time to this. But
no steps were taken to mitigate the evil, indeed it
has been increasing fearfully ever since, while the
eyes of the carriage driving public seem closed,
and their hearts callous.
This last year I made another appeal through the
�i
11
newspapers. Several Editors were kind enough to
insert a few short letters of mine, which have
been extensively read both in town and country, and
I am happy to say with much good effect. Ex
pressions of sympathy and encouragement have
come to me from all quarters. Many noblemen,
gentlemen, and ladies have written to thank
and encourage me to persevere,—some to say they
never have used bearing-reins, some that they
shall in future abolish them, or that they have
done so, and that their horses go much better
without them.
Lord Portsmouth, for instance, a high authority,
says:—UI never allow a bearing-rein to be used
in my establishment, nor did my father before me ;
I am sure they are both useless and cruel.”
Thirty or forty years ago, when country people
were obliged to drive long distances, the simple
bearing-rein was sometimes used, but then it was
always unfastened in going up hill, to ease the
horse and allow him to exert his strength; but
now I seldom or never see a bearing-rein unfas
tened, even when standing for hours.
At that time Four-in-hands were much more
common than they are now, as also were fast coaches,
and then there were plenty of good coachmen. The
“Tantivy ” was a famous coach, going from Lon
don to Birmingham, via Oxford, 120 miles each
day. There were four drivers, three of whom
used the simple bearing-rein, but Cracknell, who
�12
drove from London to Oxford, never did. I well
remember sitting on the box with him when one
of his fellow coachmen was ill, and for months he
drove the whole distance in one day, and back
the next, ten miles an hour, including stoppages,
and was always exact to time. His horses had no
bearing-reins or cruppers, and soon after that all
the other coachmen left them off. But now some
gentlemen who drive “four in hand” say they
cannot hold their horses without gag reins, curbs,
and sharp bits, and even then when they pull up
a groom or two has to stand at their heads to
keep them quiet, they being so irritated by all
those barbarous contrivances.
These are some of the facts and arguments
with which I plead the cause of this long suffer
ing and much abused friend and slave of man. I
have written warmly, but I believe truthfully; and
now I only ask my readers to look with observing
and unprejudiced eyes upon their own and other
horses, and they will see that I have not exagge
rated the case. Many, I am sure, will then agree
with me, and act as common sense and humanity
dictate, abandoning at once and for ever the use
of the Gag Bearing-rein.
�APPENDIX.
Since my first edition was printed, we have had to
lament the loss of one who, in his interesting works on
various subjects, has said much to deprecate this form of
cruelty ; he was one of the first to give mo sympathy and
encouragement, and I have a melancholy pleasure in pro
ducing a short letter from him, as his valuable opinion
must give weight to mine.
Dear Mr. Flower,
Your letter in the “Daily News” of to-day looks
well, and I trust will have a good effect. You have evi
dently been careful not in the least to exaggerate the
suffering and the mischief caused by this foolish and
detestable bearing-rein.
Yours very truly,
ARTHUR HELPS.
CRUELTY TO HORSES.
To the Editor of the “Times.”
Sir,—Much has been written and said about cruelty to
animals, and a very excellent Society is doing much to
suppress it, in many ways very successfully; but there is
one most cruel and barbarous practice going on all around
us, of which they take no notice, possibly because the
perpetrators are in the higher classes of society, which
really makes it much worse, for they ought to know better.
This stupid and cruel practice is the use of the gag or
Bedouin bearing-rein to carriage horses; which not only
puts the animal to present torture, but by forcing the head
into an unnatural position, brings on many painful and
fatal disorders. Let any one watch the horses in the
Park, or standing as they do for hours at the theatres,
�14
shops, &c., with foaming mouths, and tongues swollen
and hanging out, trying to get a little case to their poor
heads and necks, by tossing them up, putting them side
ways, or in any possible position, vainly appealing to their
unheeding or ignorant masters, or coachmen to slacken,
if only for a few minutes, the torturing rein, and then
say, if we can call ourselves a humane people ? Probably,
the master or mistress only hires the horses and cares
nothing about them, so long as they get through their
work, perhaps thinking that a horse with his head stuck
up in the air looks finer than in a natural and graceful
position. Many other evils of this bearing-rein might
be pointed out, especially when coupled, as they frequently
are, with one or other of the atrocious bits now in use;
but what I have now said may be enough to draw the
attention of some who, while they consider themselves
lovers of humanity, and are anxious to suppress cruelty
when they see it in isolated cases, and among the lower
orders, yet are all the time inflicting it in this aggravated
and senseless manner.—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
E. F. FLOWER.
THE GAG BEARING-REIN.
To the Editor of the “ Daily News,” August 20.
Sir,—You were so good as to insert a letter from me
on this subject in your impression of the 10th inst., and
I have been kindly responded to by many communica
tions, public and private. I have also to thank you heartily
in the name of humanity for your excellent article on the
11th. Surely, enough, one might think, had been said
on this subject, but such evils are slow of cure. I have
always paid much attention to horses and to their treat
ment, and since I have lived in London have been parti
cularly struck with the general unkindness of coachmen
�15
to their dumb slaves, and the ignorance and indifference
of masters and mistresses. I seldom ride in the Park,
or in the fashionable streets during the season, without
having my feelings outraged by some flagrant sight of
suffering and cruelty. When I have occasionally called
the attention of a coachman to it or asked him to slacken
a rein, he generally tells me to mind my own business,
and if I spoke to the master he would probably say, “ Oh,
the horses are not mine, I only hire them.” Whereas if
I speak to a carter and explain to him how much more
comfortably the animal would draw his load if left free,
he usually thanks me, and often does what I suggest.
Indeed, I find as a rule much less sympathy between
drivers and their horses in the upper than in the lower
classes, and yet it is to prosecute the latter that the
energies and funds of the Royal Society for the Preven
tion of Cruelty to Animals are applied. Beyond printing
arguments, and distributing them to those who ask for
them, the Society say they can do nothing; but surely this
infliction of the gag bearing-rein ought to come within
the Act for “ torturing animals,” under which there are
hundreds of convictions every year. I have not heard of
one gentleman or gentleman’s coachman being brought
to justice, though his horses may stand gagged and tor
tured for half the night. No wonder there are so many
complaints of the want of good horses, of the high price,
and of their wearing out so soon. By inserting this you
will oblige yours obediently,
E. F. FLOWER.
GAG BEARING-REINS.
To the Editor of
the
“Daily News.”
Sir,—Allow me space for a few lines on one point
which I omitted in my former letter on this subject.
�16
There is frequently a cross bar at the bottom of the
bit, and when the bearing-rein is taken away, it is possible
that the horse, by rubbing the pole or shaft, may catch
the bit on it, and cause an accident, therefore the cross
bar ought to be cut away (it is of no use), or a new bit
substituted, which saddlers call a “ Liverpool bit,"’"’ or a
plain snaffle, which for single harness is best of all, if a
coachman has good hands and knows how to drive by
judicious management, and not, as is too often the case
entirely by main force, though with some horses it may
be necessary to have a curb, especially if their mouths
have been spoiled by bad driving.
I am happy to know that in consequence of the present
discussion some of your readers have abolished the bar
barous invention of the gag bearing-rein, and they assure
me their horses go much better.—-Yours obediently,
E. F. FLOWER.
AN EARNEST APPEAL
TO LADIES WHO OWN OR DRIVE CARRIAGE HORSES.
Cruelty of the Gag Bit
and
Bearing-rein.
—You all know the oft-quoted lines of Gray:
“ * * * * where ignorance is bliss]
’Tis folly to be wise.”
Upon that principle, I suppose, people shut their eyes to
much of the misery going on around them; but if by
knowledge they can remedy the evil, it is surely folly to
be ignorant. Ladies little know the amount of pain that
is being inflicted upon their carriage horses by the uso of
the gag bearing-rein, and the atrociously sharp bits and
curbs which their coachmen are so fond of using. When
next you step out of your carriage or go into the Park
or fashionable streets, just look at the animals’ mouths,
�17
which are naturally as sensitive as any part of your own
frame—how they are frequently foaming, quivering, lace
rated by all that torturing iron, while their heads are
gagged up by a strong leather rein, through a double
pulley to the saddle, which is made tight to the tail by
the crupper; so that the mouth and tail of the poor
animal are tied together; and in that way they have to
draw their load or stand for hours at theatres, shops, &c.,
unrelieved, while probably the coachman amuses himself
by “ touching them up” with his whip if they venture
by restlessness to show the agony they are enduring.
The coachman’s excuse for extra sharp bits, curbs, and
reins, generally is that the horses pull. Of course they
pull when they are hurt, to get away from the pain. Few
horses pull whose mouths have not been spoiled by rough
hands and hard bits. Ladies are accused of liking to
see horses with their heads stuck up in the air (like
wooden rocking horses) and their legs prancing. Surely
it is because they do not know how much more graceful
a well-fed, not overworked horse is in its free, natural
attitudes. Do, ladies, look at your horses’ mouths; do
not mind what your coachmen say about the necessity of
such barbarous atrocities of gag bearing-reins and sharp
bits, and the irritating use of the whip; make yourself
acquainted with the animals to whom you owe so much
of your comfort and pleasure—they will well repay you
for any consideration and kindness. Let them be driven
with as little pain to themselves as possible, and there
will be far less danger of their running away, kicking,
stumbling, or falling down, as nearly all accidents arise
from some irritating cause to the horse, either in the
harness or the driver.
C. F.
B
�18
“ Another source of great suffering to animals, and
with which I am less practically acquainted, is the use of
the bit. What is suitable for one horse is not suitable
for another; and in changing a bit, it is a matter of the
greatest consequence that it is suitable, otherwise you
will be putting the animal to unnecessary pain. And
then there is the bearing-rein: the use of this shows a
want of information and knowledge of the horse, and a
great lack of knowing what are the capabilities of the
animal.”—Extract from Speech delivered at Torquay by
Baroness Burdett Coutts (1874).
From
the
“Daily News,” August 12th, 1874.
In our impression on Monday a Correspondent made an
appeal to the owners or hirers of carriage horses to aban
don the use of the gag bearing-rein, which inflicts a very
considerable amount of pain and discomfort on these muchenduring animals. We fancy that the ladies and gentle
men in question have no idea whatever of the torture
which is thus inflicted on horses, or they would immediately order their grooms to go back to the old bearing
rein, or abandon both altogether. The old one was bad
enough, to be sure. Its only object was to keep the head
of the horse high in .the air, and to make it paw and rear
at starting, for the admiration of nurserymaids; but it did
not at all add to the safety of the inmates of the carriage
in going down hill, when the horse could not possibly
recover from a stumble, while the unfortunate animal, in
going up hill, lost that chance of “ putting its head down
to its work ” which is natural to beasts of draught. The
gag bearing-rein, however, is infinitely worse in its opera
tion, chaining up the animal’s head in an unnatural and
cramped position; while, as our Correspondent says, it is
generally used in combination with a bit so inhumanly
�19
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j
K
I
constructed as to provoke the temper of the quietest
horse going. It is no wonder that perfectly broken
horses hired for the season from some job-master are
returned to him at the end of three months in a fair way to
become habitual jibbers, through the fashion in which
they have been treated by some reckless groom who wants
to cut a dash at starting. As for gentlemen who own the
horses they drive, the comfort of these animals should be
to them a matter of constant attention, and not left to
depend on the caprice or ignorance of a servant. We are
i sorry to hear, moreover, that this evil English fashion is
| being copied abroad, where bearing-reins of every dei! scription were at one time wholly unknown. Of course,
whatever England does in the way of horses and carriages
| must seem good in the eyes of the lucky speculator on the
I Bourse, whose only aim is to have a gorgeous turn-out in
il the Bois. But English gentlemen are said to know their
fl horses, and have a tender care for them; and we shall
B be glad to find the instrument of torture we have men[|tioned put aside as unworthy of the humaner tendencies
:qof our time.
F,
■
From
the
“ Evening Standard.”
In another column our readers will see that Mr. Flower
renews his protest against bearing-reins, and lays before
d the public his own experience. What he says on the sub
91ject is well worthy of attention, and cannot be dismissed
gjas the utterance of some unpractical humanitarian. For
4a generation past the writer has been pretty well known
ajas a cross-country rider in Warwickshire, and he is, theremfore, presumably well qualified to speak about horses.
ilAnd the bearing-rein question is one which ought, just
dhow, certainly to engage the attention of those who care
do do real work in the prevention of cruelty to animals.
J
b 2
�20
It is whispered that when the conference of humanitarian
was recently in session at the Albert Hall, there were some
fine specimens of horse torture to be seen in the waiting
carriages outside. Besides, the old-fashioned bearing-rein
which was sometimes not worse than merely uncomfort
able, is being superseded by a bearing-rein which hauls at
the bit by a pulley, giving a pull of two pounds at the
mouth for every one on the rein. This, when tightly fitted
has the unsightly effect of sometimes causing the tongue of
the horse to hang out of its mouth. So it is supplemented
by a curb bit fitted with a hoop, in which the tongue is held
straight, the bar of the curb passing under the tongue, and
acting cruelly on the most tender and sensitive part of the
mouth. Not only are such fashions as these cruel, but their
adoption spoils good horses, and indicates that in all
probability the coachman knows but little of his business.
GAG
BEARING-REINS.
From the Spectator.
A correspondent of more than one of the morning
papers, Mr. E. F. Flower, has been descanting with great
force and good sense on the absurdity of bearing-reins, a
part of the harness which has no effect on the horse except
an irritating one, which, when a “ gag bearing-rein” is used,
as it is now more and more frequently in London, is a simple
instrument of torture. The truth is that the popularity of
bearing-reins is due almost entirely to grooms and coach
men, who have an ignorant liking for that uneasy motion
of the horse’s head which it induces, and which, they
think, imposes on the world as “ fire.” Now, a very large
number of the class of self-made rich men, having no
knowledge of their own horses, are completely in the hands
of their coachmen and grooms, and yield an implicit faith,
�21
therefore, to the efficiency of the bearing-rein. If a few
long haired gentlemen or ladies would try how far it would
add to the freedom of their own movements to have their
back hair fastened tight down to the small of their waists,
they would form a better notion of the delights and utili
ties of the bearing-rein.
“ In England,” says an American paper, “ the greatest
cruelty to horses comes from the use of the bearing-rein,
which is used for pomposity. The horses, with heads
stuck in the air, and mouths fretted and foaming, look so
much more dashing and spirited ! The other day, while
the Congress concerning cruelty was in session, there was
a long line of coaches in front of the building, and in many
horses were suffering most intensely, while the wealthy
owners were weeping over the woes of the animals of the
poor.”
To the Editor of
the
Daily News.
Sept. 12.
Sir,—I have just received the following letter, and as
it bears forcibly upon the subject of my former letters -to
you, I shall be obliged by your giving it a place in your
valuable paper.—Yours obediently,
E. F. FLOWER.
35, Iljde Park gardens, Sept. 5.
Derby, Sept. 4.
My dear Sir,—I have read with deep interest your
letter of the 10th of last month relative to the use of
bearing-reins, as they are now frequently applied to
single and double harness. Everyone who has noticed, as
you have done, the torture to which some horses are
subjected by having their heads held in such an unnatural
�22
position for a length of time, must feel with you the desir
ability of abating this evil as much as possible. You
have only alluded to horses driven in London, but thou
sands of poor animals are sadly irritated and injured
throughout the country by the improper use of the bear
ing-rein. As soon as I had read your admirable letter on
this subject, two circumstances occurred to my mind
which I doubt not will interest you. About 40 years
ago I was driving with my father in a gig when, on
descending a slight hill, the horse, a very valuable one,
stumbled.
My father, having great strength in his arms, and
being an unusually good whip, retained his seat, and
although the poor animal broke his knees badly, he re
covered himself before we alighted. We noticed the
repeated but fruitless efforts the poor horse made to save
himself from falling, and in doing this his weight upon
the bearing-rein actually drew the hook (which was the
old-fashion D-shaped one) straight out, which liberated
the rein, and allowed the horse to regain his feet. We
noticed the ill effect of the bearing-rein, and discarded
its use for the future j and it is my firm belief, from per
sonal observation and matured experience, that horses do
their work with infinitely less fatigue to themselves and
less danger in falling, in case they stumble, if they have
the free use of their heads. About the same period my
father purchased a nearly thoroughbred mare for a frac
tion of her value in consequence of the gentleman to
whom she belonged being unable to drive her. She had
a tender mouth, and the moment the coachman put the
bedouin rein on the hook of the pad she reared and
plunged so violently as to be really dangerous; but after
being driven by us a few times without a bearing-rein,
�23
she became the most docile creature ever driven in single
or double harness.
There are undoubtedly some few horses whose heads
cannot be sufficiently held up to be driven with comfort
without the bearing-rein, but these need not be so tight
as to cause the horse pain, or prevent his putting his head
in a natural position.
In the great majority of cases it would prove greatly
to the interest of all owners of horses to discard the use
of the bearing or bedouin reins.—Yours very truly,
HERBERT M. HOLMES.
E. F. Flower, Esq.
P.S. When I am again in town, I shall be much
pleased to spend an hour with you, and hear the progress
you are making in your philanthropic efforts in behalf of
the London horses. I am glad to say there is little to
complain of in this part of the country; several gentlemen
have abandoned the use of bearing-reins since reading
your letters in our local papers. One, who drives into
town most days eight miles of hilly road, assures me he
does it now in a quarter of an hour less time, and with
less distress to the horses.
*
To
the
Editor of the Times.
Aug. 13, 1874
Sir,—From horses you certainly earn to-day an unani
mous vote of thanks for your insertion of Mr. Flower’s
appeal “ against ” bearing-reins. The Royal Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has constantly
advocated the same humane course through its journal,
the Animal World. Your co-operation was, however, the
�24
very power that was wanted to set the mattter before the
public in the proper light. The only solid argument in
favour of bearing-reins is that a horse is thereby held
better together for show purposes. Let it, then, be con
ceded that bearing-reins are admissible with a dress car
riage on state occasions; also, too, if horses are heavy in
hand, the streets crowded, and the coachman an indifferent
whip. But for horses to have their heads kept constantly
in one most unnatural position during long country drives,
up hills and over bad roads, during “ hours” of waiting to
take up at night, when there are even none to admire save a
snoring Jehu, is alike cruel and unworthy of a nation pro
minent in all things, but most prominent in the matter of
horses. It is not only to our own horses that we do a
grievous injury, but also to those of our numerous foreign
imitators in all that concerns equine treatment. The night
waiting beared up to the sky is the most important of
all; for master and servant, if they do not sleep at
one time sleep at another. With horses it is different.
They can, and do, sleep standing, if allowed, but how is
it possible for them to do so in their forced attitude ?
At 3 a.m. possibly, they reach their stable. The coach
man is tired; so in nine cases out of ten he just
takes off the harness, puts on the head-stall, and goes to
bed. In the early morning, while the coachman yet
sleeps, the groom comes, rouses the horses, does out the
stable, and to save himself the trouble of re-grooming
the animals, puts on the rack chain, even in the stable
confining their heads. Thus do horses fall sick and
break down, by being deprived of their natural rest,
and tortured for show. Let me beseech masters to
apply themselves to the subject. Let them only “ try ”
the experiment of giving up bearing-reins. They will
�25
certainly never take to them again if they appreciate the
increased usefulness of their horses. Let them make the
essay now in the country, and in the name of humanity I
urge them next year in London to order their coachmen
“never to put on bearing-reins at night/’ and if, perchance,
they be necessary, as is possible in a few cases, that they
be invariably loosened when waiting about after “ setting
down.” There are perhaps, Sir, but few arts of civilization
which Russia can bring to England. This one, though,
there assuredly is, of the treatment of horses. The country
of the Duchess of Edinburgh boasts some of the finest
cattle in the world; incomparably powerful, docile, fast,
and high-actioned horses, unabused by bearing-reins, high
ports, heavy lever bits, curb chains, blinkers, ill-fitting,
hard, heavy collars, hideous cumbrous pads, and unsightly
cruppers. With plain snaffle-bits, the Russian coachman
drives his three stallions at full gallop through crowded
streets. The vehicle is lighter than anything we see in
England, the collar of the smallest and most comfortable
descripton, and, save the traces, a few thin straps repre
sent the rest of the harness. Surely there is something
herein for us to learn, and if there be any one willing to
profit by it, he can see excellent specimens of Russian
harness in the International Exhibition before it closes.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
C. E. H. VINCENT, Corresponding Mem
ber of the Russian Society (Moscow
Branch) for the Protection of Animals;
and Delegate for the same at the recent
International Congress.
Jffaval and Military Club, W., Aug. 13, 1874.
�26
Part of a Speech by the late Earl of Romney at the Annual
Meeting of the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals in 1868.
“ I will now speak of the upper classes. 1 regret to
say that a practice is now being revived which was in
vogue some thirty or forty years ago, but had been dis
continued, and that is putting bearing-reins upon horses.
I have no doubt that half the persons who adopt this
practice are quite unconscious of the cruelty of it. I
well recollect that when Sir Francis Head came over
from North America, he drew attention to the extreme
folly, without going further than that, when you want
an animal to work, of putting something upon him which
tends to restrain him from doing that work. For some
time the foolish fashion went out, but I regret to say that
it seems now to be reviving. It must be a source of
grief to see the number of animals in carriages to which
this bearing-rein is applied. The first thing is, whatever
may be the form of the neck of the horse, to bring him
so to speak into the same line, and the bearing-rein is
introduced in order to bring his head into the required
position. He is then attached to a carriage, and what is
the next step ? Perhaps the carriage is ordered to the
door a couple of hours before it suits the convenience of
the riders to enter it, and they let the horse stand there
exposed to the heat of the sun and the biting of the flies;
and there is the wretched animal with his head stuck up
in the air, unable to drive away a fly; and among those
persons who allow that, let me earnestly ask are there
any ladies or gentlemen who come here and satisfy their
conscience by subscribing a guinea a year to this Society,
in order that some wretched costermonger, who has to
maintain himself and family by working a donkey, may
�be brought before a magistrate, committed and punished
because his animal has got a sore ? Those persons by
their want of sympathy, teach the custom until it comes
down to, and is adopted by, the costermonger. If I had
the power, I should like to put these people out in the
sun half undressed and let the flies bite them, because
they would very soon be able to understand what torture
they were inflicting upon those poor unfortunate animals;
for while the wealthy classes can have no excuse for their
cruelty, often the poor costermonger pleads poverty and
the wants of his family as an excuse. The question is,
can anything be done by this Society to obviate the evils
to which I have referred ? Is there any mode which can
be suggested to these persons in order to shew the mis
chief which they are doing ? I was talking to a job
master and veterinary surgeon this morning upon the
subject, and he assured me that much mischief was done,
and that the effect of the bearing-rein upon the con
struction of some portion of the throat of the horse was
to make them roarers, so that we are not only foolish to
use such an appliance, but we are wicked as well. The
Secretary informs me that there is a book written upon
the subject. I think it would be worth while if we were
to send it to persons of influence, in order that they may
have the subject brought to their notice.”
Mr. Flower :—“ I am happy that the noble Lord who
has preceded me has touched upon the subject upon
which I was anxious to speak, when I was asked to second
this resolution. I think that attention must be called to
the different departments, if I may so express myself, of
the cruelty question to animals; and the particular de-
�28
partment to which my attention has been called is that
which the noble Lord on my left has so graphically and
ably exposed, and to which the higher classes of society
have not had their attention sufficiently called, namely, the
bearing-rein. Having had, both in America and in Eng
land, more than fifty years’ experience of the horse, I am
prepared to affirm (and I feel assured that you will not
omit to attend to the subject) that there is not a more
unnecessary or gratuitous cruelty than the bearing-rein
as it is now put on the horse by the higher class of
society. Among the lower class of society, with
whom I have often had to deal, I have got the answer,
‘Look at that horse and compare him with mine.’ I will
tell you the difference. The bearing-rein which Sir
Francis Head abolished by good writing was compara
tively a humane bearing-rein to many bearing-reins which
we see in London at the present time. I must describe
to you what this bearing-rein practically is. In the first
place I must tell you that the old fashioned bearing-rein
merely took a single rein from each side of the bit, and was
fastened to the collar or the saddle. The new fashioned
bearing-rein, or Bedouin or gag bearing-rein, is fastened
first to the head of the 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 ? 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 philan
thropic gentlemen and tender-hearted ladies only to walk
down St. James’s Street on a Drawing Room day, and see
�29
the agony which is caused to exist there. Ladies in their
carriages, going to the Drawing Room, and gentlemen
going to the Drawing Room, 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 tighten
ing 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 highstepping 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 the better for having his
head and his tail tied together,’ for from the crupper to the
mouth there is a tightness which is very bad for the horse.
There is one thing which I wish you would observe, and
get your friends to observe also, because if you were to do
that we should get rid of the tightness of these bearing
reins. Many of you have no doubt noticed cab horses
�30
and omnibus horses at work without any bearing-reins at
all. There are many horses which have been worked
with a bearing-rein, but would not have strength to do
their work if the bearing-rein were applied to them now.
They work without the bearing-rein, and they do not
tumble down. You will see in St. James’s Street, when
there is a Drawing Room, horses stand for two or three
hours together. What is the expression of their coun
tenance ? They throw their heads first on one side and
then on the other. They are trussed up like a fowl going
to be roasted. They are put in that position which pro
duces immense pain, which is wanton cruelty.
I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to get your friends to
consider this point, for I have heard from the very mem
bers of this Society, “ Oh, no, it is nothing at all—it is
merely a matter of habitbut I assure you that until
this cruel bearing-rein is done away with, there is little
to be done with the ordinary habits of the lower classes
of society. I have used bearing-reins myself with som®particular horses, but I have never used the gag bearing
rein. It is this particular instrument which, after Sir
Francis Head had done away with the old bearing-rein,
some saddler invented, to sell. I ask you to distinguish
between the two things. A slack bearing-rein which is
put on many of the working horses, though I do not
think them good things, is a comparatively innocuous
contrivance, while the bearing-rein strapped up with the
tightness with which you see it, is one of the most cruel
things which could exist; and I do not think you could
do better, when the London season begins, than to have
some paper drawn up and sent to every person who keeps
a carriage and horses in London. It has been said, ‘ the
Society must not interfere with private rights.’ Why,
you are not interfering with private rights, but you are
�31
interfering with private wrongs. In this same way the
Society is interfering all day long with private rights, as
these abuses are called. But attention being drawn to
this subject, the constant watching it and speaking about
it, that will get this abuse done away with. I can assure
you, ladies and gentlemen, that living in a country neigh
bourhood as I do, I come to London sometimes with a
great deal of pleasure; but when I see these cruelties,
and see the horses pulled up with that gag rein, the pain
is such that I have felt utterly disgusted with it, and
have felt inclined to leave London at once. The noble
Lord who preceded me so ably described this evil that
perhaps it was unnecessary for me to have made the
observations I have, but I wish to bear my testimony to
that of this Society “ against'Lthe cruelty and pernicious
effect of the Bearing-Rein.”
THE END.
�DARVILL’S ENGLISH RACE-HORSE.
In 2 vols., with Plates, price 30$, New Edition.
A TREATISE ON THE CARE, TREATMENT,
AND TRAINING OF THE ENGLISH
RACE-HORSE.
With Important Details applicable to bettering the condition
of Horses in general. By R. DARVILL, V.S. to the
Seventh Hussars.
“ Never before was such a book written in any language, so
replete with those minute but indispensable particulars of
practice, and by a writer who has personally performed his
part throughout the whole of the practice. This is the true
book of reference for every stud and training groom, and every
jockey.”'—Vide Lawrence on the Horse, p. 297.
THE FARMERS’ MEDICAL DICTIONARY
FOR THE DISEASES OF ANIMALS.
By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., F.R.S.
Price 6$.
“ This is a very useful work. It contains a great variety of
recipes for the cure of the diseases of domestic animals, which
have long been successfully employed in an extensive practice
in the south of England.”— Gardeners' Chronicle.
“ A capital work.”—Mark Lane Express.
WILLIAM RIDGWAY, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W.
�
Dublin Core
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Pamphlet
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Title
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Bits and bearing reins
Description
An account of the resource
Edition: 2nd ed.
Place of publication: London
Collation: 31 p. : ill. (3 plates) ; 22 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references. From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Includes an autobiographical introduction. Appendix including letters sent by the author to the editors of daily newspapers.
Creator
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Flower, Edward Fordham
Publisher
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William Ridgway
Date
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1875
Identifier
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CT48
Subject
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Animal welfare
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Bits and bearing reins), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Animal Welfare
Conway Tracts
Horses