"To the Editor of the "NortH-Cha Dam News?
Sin,—I have just read in the correspondence columns of your valuable paper, dated November 19, a letter in condemnation of the use of an instrument of torture, named "pricker," which is used in Shanghai to goad'a pony to victory. The humanely minded writer of this etter, "your racing contributor, wonders if this thing is used at Home on our race horses. I am open to say emphatically "No," for that excellent Royal Society for the Protection of Animals would have a big word to say in the matter. I think I am right in saying that there in a Sister Society in the R.S.P.C. Ain Shanghai, Cannot it and public opinion enforce the abolition of thi cruelty? Surely the British community one not so apathetic as to to, continue, I don't wonder at "Esau" hiding behind a nom de plume, with sentiments and a peculiar sense of humour such he appears to possess. Would he, Tike a child of his treated in such manner, because, for instance, the child could or would not practise his piano playing? A pony is surely entitled to freedom from man's intentional cruelty as much child, Both are God's creatures, and Doth have the same sensitiveness to pain, In conclusion, Sir, T would appeal to everyone in racing circles and outside them, to ce-operate in thi disuse of this instrument of torture to helpless animals, and thanking] you for kindly inserting this letter.
Tam, ete, Dora Weotoox.
Weihaiwei, Nov. 24, 1926, To the Editor of the "NowrH-CHiNA Datty News."
Smm—Tho recent discussion re prickers has suggested to me that] in @ community of riding peopl more general discussion of "cruel would be of interest, I doubt if it bhoy, occurred to many that the! pricker is only one of the devices that may be abuse To deal, first of "all with the prickers, in one letter pondent speaks of "goad victory" with ® pricked absurd, as the mission of a price is never to "goad." If anything a pony's speed is apt to be retarded by its use. The sole purpose is to check a pony that is trying to bore, and the pony usually reacts just as} much to the surprise effect as to what discomfort the pricker may! cause, As to unblunted prickers, doubt if anybody is foolish enough 10 use such a thing on a race pony. The pricker is used as a last resort to make an otherwise good pony lit, and if it doesn't take effect proves useless in nine out of ten cases. We may therefore take it that a pricker is not actually being used over ary length of time, although it may be there for the sake of mora) effect. Its use might be compared to. the: Rousseau school of teaching by experience—unfortunately n pony has learn that way, you can't explain him that if he won't behave he will go up in auction and end his days as mincemeat. In my own perience I have used it with great] success is training stubborn ponies, and have always found that after a short time I could discontinue the] use of it altogether.
Avoiding cruelty to ponies. is largely a matter of horsemanship. The commonest gear in clumsy hands can be torture to a pony, to say nothing of carelessly fitted gear The things mentioned below are all
"of more discomfort to the pony thea of them if carelessly used a source the much maligned: picker.
The very popular rivening standing smartingaies are often used too short, when they abuse the mouth through {increased mechanical pressure.
The bearing rein causes constant discomfort, interfering with. the action of the head and also with the eny's breathing.
The running rein unless cleverly used, which it seldom is, ig ten times more painful than the pricker.
In every hant one sees ponies wyoming inv with their sides scored raw by spurs.
The curd as everyone knows can bbe an instrument of keenest torture! hands.
Here I might mention that the pony's individuality is a thing to be} consulted carefully. A pony must punished for his vices if he is to be useful, but the punishment sould be carefully suited to the time, the fault, ard the temperament of the pony.
'Another thing that should be mentioned is the often cruel methods of shoting. There are many keen' riders who don't check up enough on the mafoo's handling of a nervous pony. And how many owners take due care to see that a pony is handle Jed gently when shod? At their best, these hoisting apparatuses are cruel things, and the genera] procedure is to yank the pony into the stall, hoist him in a belt that may or may not fit him at all, truss him up to the posts and back away at his feet, driving nails in any old way, and if} the shoe is too bad a fit they ean|q" always make the hoof fit the shoe. 'A volume could be written about sufferings due to lack of care on the part of lazy or inefficient mafoos, but let this just be @ suggestion to some owners. I may mention that my own ponies are usually all shod in their own stall after few months' training.
To return in conclusion to the pricker, in the right thands and rightly used it is a mild and one of the most inoffensive means to give!
pony a chance of avoiding the auction, and the slaughter house, oF com; ion that is a Chinese, Ponies are every day yusands of worse ways; of which I thave indicated a few.
Hoping thia letter may to some extent "benefit our—four-footed friends, T am, ote,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.