1.The horse seems to have been early domesticatedin the fertile plains of the Old World.The Egyptiansand the Assyrians，we know，employed horses in warfive thousand years ago.War，indeed，and hunting were what the best horses were used for，their speed and their spirit being special l y suited to these pursuits.
2.Among the Arabs they are still peculiarly valued，and treated almost as members of the family.The Arab horses are famous for their speed，gentleness，and endurance，as well as for their beauty.Our ownthoroughbredsare descended from Arabian horseswhich were imported into England in the eighteenth century.The greater size to which we have bred ourhorses enables them now to beat the pure Arabs in racing.
3.How do we treat these most useful servants of ours？They do us good service；do we take care that they are worked in the easiest-which is also the most profitable-way possible？Horses suffer far more than other animals，because they bear pain silently.What a yelping a dog makes if you whip him！But the horse does not cry out at the cut of the whip，or at the galling of a sore under his harness，nor does he refuse to carryan extra load，like the camel and the llama.So he istoo often over-driven，overburdened，and worn out before his time.
4.If we lived with our horses like the Arabs，we should have learned to understand them，and to treat them tenderly.As it is，many who drive horses are ignorant of the real facts about them，and believe things which we know to be false；while many of those who can understand and feel for them do not come enough into contact with horses to notice the effects of such treatment.
5.Much useless suffering is caused by the bearing-rein.The coachmen of fashionable people put bearing-reins on the carriage-horses，to make them carry their heads high and look smart；and other drivers follow this example.But a horse drawing a load should always have its neck free，especially when it comes to a hill.If the head is held up，the horse can do less pulling，and is worn out by pulling in a cramped position.And all this happens because the driver is too stupid to perceive it.
6.Sir Arthur Helps tells a story of some English cart-horses that were taken to Glasgow.The Scotch carters did not need to be told to take off the bearing-reins；but the poor animals were so much accustomedto the reins that at first they would not work without them.So the carters put them on again，but loosely，till after a few days the horses got used to the change，and worked without any bearing-rein far better than they had done before.
7.Fashion has been the cause of even worse cruelties.When a horse is in the shafts，he ought to be harnessed as close to the cart as possible，so as to pull the weight more easily.Now this causes the horse‘s tail to rub against the cart，and it has been thought best to shorten it by cutting off the last joint or two while the creature was young.But see the results of a stupid fashion.Itis considered smart to dockthe tails of riding-horsesalso；then the shorter the tail，the smarter the horse is thought to look.
8.This cutting of the tails is often cruelly done，and a great number of horses die every year from unskilful docking，or from neglect of the wounds.Then there is another consequence.The horses are dreadfully tormented by the flies they can no longer brush away.
9.What else can we do for our good servant the horse besides seeing that he is not barbarously docked，nor strapped up with a bearing-rein till he is prevented from working properly？We can house him comfort-ably，and see that the stable is clean and properlyventilated.We can choose the least slippery kinds ofpaving for the streets，and take care in winter either to rough the horses’shoes or spread gravel over the slippery surfaces.We can use proper brakes and drags to ease the weight of the cart on hills.
10.The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has done a great work for horses.Cruel treatment of animals is now forbidden by law.In-spectors are sent out to watch，and to have those punished who break the law.The fear of punishment is wonderfullystimulatingto the minds of men who are too stupidor too ignorant to think for them selves how animals should be treated.
11.Last of all，when a horse grows too old for the work it is doing，it would be very heartless to send it off into a new service where it would be harshly treated.
The old servant is worthy of kindness at the end.Either make sure that it will be well treated，or have an end put to its life quietly and painlessly.
