BLINKERS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 457, 26 March 1890, Page 2

BLINKERS.

When a horse is used for the sa-hllo no one thinks of meddling with his eyes and we allow them to use them freely as nature has .directed. But no sooner dowe put the same animal into harness than we think ourselves bound to fasten a black leather flap over each of his eyes so as to prevent h : m from seeing objects at his'Aides, and to limit his view tothose which are in bis immediate front. This is done with the very best intentions, the object being to save him from being frightened by startling and unwonted sights, and only to leave him a sufficiency o' vision wherewith to guide his steps. Herein, as in feeding and stabling tho horse, man.judgos the animal by himself,, forgetting, or rather having failed to notice, that the eyes of the horse are exceedingly unlike our own. Our eyes are set in the front of our heads, so that if blinkers were fastened to our temples our range of vision would be but slighty limited. But tho eyes of the horse areplaced on the sides of the head, and nr* rather prominent, so that the animal can not only see on either side, but by rolling, his eyi's backwards as we see in a. vicious horse, cin see objects almost immediately in his re.tr. The effect of the banker is both physically and mentally injurious to the hotse. In the fitst piece, especially when latge and brought neur the eyes, it has the effect of heating them and hindering the free passage of air over them. In the n-xt place, it causra the eyes to l e always directed forwards, and thus produces a most injurious strain on the delicate muscles. We know how painful a sensation is felt when we are obliged to strain our eyes either baclvwaids or forwards for any length of time, and the horse suffers no less inconvenience when it i 3 forced to keep its eyes continually strained forwards. The Worst examples of the blinker that I have ever seen were in the United States, where the blinkers (or ‘ blinders,’ as they are there named) are often brought so closely together in front by means of a strap and buckle, that a mere narrow stiip, barely half an inch in width, is. left for vision. This again is done with the best intentions, the object being ta save the animal from being afflicted by snow-blindness. Now the horse’s eyes are in many respects different to our own, and aie not affected, as is the ease with ours, by the vast expanses of dazz* ling snow which are rendered even tnor* dazzling by the clear atmosphere -and brilliant sunshine of America. One of its safeguards lies in the remarkable structure which is popularly termed the * haw,’ and scientifically the ‘ nictitating membrane.’ This is a sort of third eyelid set beneath the true eyeli Is, and eapable of being drawn at will over the eyeball, thus performing the double duty of shiehling the eye from the direct glare of the light, and. clearing its surface from dust or any other foreign substance. This membrane is seen in its perfection in the birds of prey, so that the proverbial Statement that the eagle trains itself to gaze at the midday sun lias some foundation in fact. —Correspondent of The Fieid.