A PLEA FOR THE HORSE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23299, 17 September 1937, Page 7

A PLEA FOR THE HORSE

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —I am prompted, after much deliberation, to express through your coluumns my disapproval, and, I feel confident, the disapproval of other lovers of animals, of the persistent cruelty displayed in the driving of heavy draught horses not only at a trot, but at a fast trot, whether laden or unladen, apparently all day. and certainly every day of the week. To anyone with the most meagre experience with horses, it is painfully evident what the outcome of this must be, and the driving of a lame horse should be equally as punishable in this country as it is in England, where it is definitely not tolerated. In Dunedin, sadly enough, it appears to be practised regularly without evoking the attention of those responsible for the suppression of such abject cruelty. During the past week I have made a point of observing the condition of these unfortunate horses. Over that period I have observed no fewer than Ihree horses indisputably lame. and. furthermore, driven at a trot,

I have driven horses myself long enough to be quite satisfied that this protest is justifiable. In this fastmoving, mechanised age, let us try to remember that the horse is still a living creature with as keen a sense of pain and fatigue as ever, and that he cannot be treated like a machine. —I am, etc., A Lover of Horses. Dunedin, September 16.