FARM HORSES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18917, 4 February 1927, Page 13

FARM HORSES.

Sir, - As a driver of bur.scs 1 wish t-> reply to the allegations niado by "Outraged'' in a recent issue o: your paper. I would not have, troubled, but I for the fact that n portion of the publie may be misled by this ignorant, though probably well-meaning, person. As lo his statement that ( JU per cent, of farmers do not water their horses during ;i fourtecn-hour day, 1 uiav say that during my long experience as a teamster in all parts of Canterbury I have never vet knu\ui horses to ho treated in that way. Horses aro usually worked in shifts, " two teams working about three hours alternately through the day, and they have a drink as they finish their turn. There may bo isolated eases of cruelty in this connexion, but to make Mich ;i snooping statement is more than unjust to the whole farming community. *lf us remarks rogarding sore shoulders are hardly worthy of consideration. A breastplate is only used for a couple of days in lint weather when it begins to chafe the horse in n fur greater degree than tho collar. This is due lo the action of the horse when working, the thigh •■ \ breast muscles being chafed by the breastplate. ''Outraged'' further romark« that a Iki« under tin.- <r<ill:ir is worst; than useless. I'Vr his edification I desire to state thai the general practice is to fit a bug over the shoulders, folded in hnlf length-wise, then to cut a hole In fit over the sore. Thus the sore is nerer touched bv the collar, and the pjiin is at oueo relieved. I :in sure that if your corrcsnoudent. would only ennuirc » little closer into facts, he would hesitate bef-ne r»shiug into print fiid making sr.ch rash accusation*. — yours, etc., TEAMSTER. TO TJIP. KMTOn OK TIIK rRKSS. Sir,—l noticed a letter in a .recent if-Mii.' of The Pit en* on the above subject signed by "Outraged," accusing ut least !'0 per cent, of the farmers of not watering their horses and of working them from 0 a.m. till S p.m. I have worked in Kllcsnicre, Marlborough, Wuikuri, Culverden, Cheviot, Ashburton, and Kaikoura districts for tho last twelve years, and have never yet met such a ease as described by "Outraged." T have seen water carted out to the paddocks both in barrels and in tanks, and carried in buckets from creeks lo thu team yoked lo the binders. As for working horses from 0 a.m. until 8 p.m., this is sheer nonsense, for, in the first place, horses could not stand up to it as any country worker knows. 1 lake it for granted that "Outraged" is implying that the horses arc constantly 'in "the binder while tho reaping is being none, but reaping is done in re'ays. Three horses arc worked as a rule IV tlrec hours, theu they arc unvokid and another team is put in their place; and while No. '2 team is in the ciains No. 1 team is fed i.nd wuCreo, and they tako the place <f No. '2 team when they have had their three hoars in the binder, and so on, during ll:e "Outraged" loses sigil of the fact, that ::< per cent, of tlu men that wor* the hinders arc hired yet he accuses 90 per cent, of the farmer* of cruelty. Has "Outraged" cvir noticed tho horses in tho town yoked to heavy drayj, wit!- hit,' loads of mubcr which arc usually »cry heavy -r light en and which wou'd not bo tol:'ated for :t moment by «Lc farmer. If ««Outraged" bat a genuine case of cruelty, why not report il to the pr«ue- authority. Atauv horses are worked with sore .hoiihUTH, but tho collars :11c generally pacK-: t-0 th-t the weignt is broi,ht to fear on the UuafTccleu l>arts. Son ,houlders aro ono of low evilsl w.i.jdi any iarmer ha* to con lent. with, l-n----ono "Outraged" saw mining to l*. iar every Li n.inutes, ni'if. have b.'.n K «:ing over the effects vf tho mjl't before. —Yours, etc., „,.,-,. COUNTHV WOKKLK. IVciuary 3r-l.