By these I mean all those abridgments of the horse's liber ty in the stable which prevent him from injuring himself or others. The twitch, the arm-strap, and the muzzle, are spoken of in connexion with the dressing of vicious horses. The partition between the horses is an abridgment of their freedom; its use and abuse are considered under the construction of stables. There are, however, some other restraints, of which tying up is the principal. Those connected with vice, or peculiar habits, are described in their proper places.

Tying-Up

In the stable, horses are tied up by collars, neck-straps, or halters. They are attached to the manger, or to a ring driven in one corner, or in front, of the stall-head. The horse's head must have some play, the rein must be long enough to let him reach the hay-rack, and to let him lie down, yet so short that he can not turn in the stall, and attached to the stall in such a way that it can not get entangled among the feet.

The Halter is made of rope. Sometimes the head-piece and nose-band are of web, which is better than rope : the noseband is a running noose. The halter is seldom used for tying-up a horse; by good stablemen never, without casting a knot upon the nose-piece, to prevent it from running; but among inferior or ignorant grooms the halter is in common use; wanting a throat-lash, it is very easily cast. The horse can throw it off whenever he chooses. It often injures he mouth and the muzzle. The nose-band being a running noose, the least strain upon the rein draws the noose so tightly that it forces the cheeks between the back teeth, where they are cut, and, feeing commonly made of rope, its constant or frequent use produces a depression across the nose, or baldness, or a sore. The head-piece being always of the game length, can not be altered to suit the horse; it is often too long, it falls back upon the neck two or three inches behind the ears, and if the horse happens at this time to hang back, his neck receives a twist from which it does not always recover. A long head-piece permits the nose-band to fall upon the nostrils, and if the shank be strained the horse is choked.

The halter is not a proper article for tying up the horse; it may be employed to lead him to the door, to the shoeing forge, or to exercise, or to lie him to the door while he is being dressed, but it should have no other uses.

When taken out with a halter, a cinch, that is, a coil of the halter shank, is sometimes placed in the mouth to act as a bit, and give the man more command over the horse. He is often tied up with this cinch in his mouth, and if he happens to throw any strain upon the shank, his tongue is severely injured; I have repeatedly seen it cut through, and the horse thrown off his feed, unable to eat for two or three weeks. When the cinch remains an hour or two thus tightened around the tongue and the jaw, a large portion, two or three inches, of the tongue mortifies and has to be removed, or it falls off. When the horse must be tied up with a halter, see that the head-piece be close behind his ears : cast a knot on the shank to prevent the nose-band from running; keep it clear of the nostrils, and never tie the horse with a cinch in his mouth.

The Collar is made of leather. The nose-band should be sufficiently wide to let the horse open his mouth to more than its full extent. The head-piece has a buckle, by which it can be lengthened or shortened according to the size of the horse's head. When adjusted, the nose-band should be four inches clear of the nostrils; among valuable horses this is the article almost invariably used for tying up; it is usually termed a stall collar. [In America the word collar is not used in this sense. Leather head or halter is the term.]

The Neck-Strap is much used in the stables of hard-working horses, those employed in public conveyances. It is merely a leather band, two inches broad and a yard long, having an iron D or triangle for attaching a rope or chain, and a buckle for uniting the ends. It is preferred to the halter because it is cheaper, and for many horses more secure : when sufficiently tight no horse can cast it; but it permits him to turn half round in his stall, which is an inconvenience.

Alone, it is not a good binding for biting horses, for it gives the man no control over the head: it ruffles the mane; but where straps are used, this is of no consequence. When on, it should be so tight that it can not pass over the ears, yet loose enough to admit a man's hand under it.

The Rein by which the horse is bound to the stall has sev eral names. In different places it is termed a collar-rein, collar shank or shaft, and a binding; most usually, shaft and shank are confined to the halter. For ponies it is sometimes made of leather, which is too weak for strong horses : in general it is rope, but a chain is in common use. In a permanent establishment chains are cheaper than ropes, and more secure, since some horses break or bite the ropes to get free; but they are weighty and noisy.

Sometimes two are employed to each horse, but in general one is sufficient for working horses : when two are necessary, the rings through which they pass are usually fixed on the manger breast, and distant, one from another, about three feet six inches. Some horses require a double rein, but not all; when one will serve, it may be attached to the middle of the stall on the manger breast; or, if the manger be in one corner, the rein ring may be in the other corner, or directly in front, on the head wall; it should be three feet three or six inches from the ground. The ring through which the rein runs is attached by an iron staple driven into the wood; it answers the purpose very well in ordinary cases. In the sale stable of Mr. Laing, Edinburgh, a kind of pulley is used; the rope runs easier, and requires less weight to sink it. (See Fig. 6, page 41.)

The Sinker, Or Weight

The weight attached to the collar or halter rein, is usually a ball of wood loaded with lead. Where chains are used, the sinker is sometimes a lump of lead or a cast-iron bullet, weighing about four pounds, and attached immovably, so that neither the chain nor its appendages can be taken away. In posting and coaching-stables this is a necessary precaution against loss and theft. Tying the rein to the ring, or loading it with a straw wisp, are both improper, and among restless horses, dangerous.