The stalls were laid on
a slope instead of being level, and as my head was kept tied to the
manger, I was obliged always to stand on the slope, which was very
fatiguing. Men do not seem to know yet that horses can do more work if
they can stand comfortably and can turn about; however, I was well fed
and well cleaned, and, on the whole, I think our master took as much
care of us as he could. He kept a good many horses and carriages of
different kinds for hire. Sometimes his own men drove them; at
others, the horse and chaise were let to gentlemen or ladies who drove
themselves.
28 A Job Horse and His Drivers
Hitherto I had always been driven by people who at least knew how to
drive; but in this place I was to get my experience of all the different
kinds of bad and ignorant driving to which we horses are subjected; for
I was a "job horse", and was let out to all sorts of people who wished
to hire me; and as I was good-tempered and gentle, I think I was oftener
let out to the ignorant drivers than some of the other horses, because
I could be depended upon. It would take a long time to tell of all the
different styles in which I was driven, but I will mention a few of
them.
First, there were the tight-rein drivers--men who seemed to think that
all depended on holding the reins as hard as they could, never relaxing
the pull on the horse's mouth, or giving him the least liberty of
movement.
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