Black Beauty: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

Up to this point, Black Beauty’s drivers have all known how to drive. But since Black Beauty is quiet, gentle, and dependable, his master often rents him out to inexperienced drivers. Black Beauty suffers through “tight-rein drivers,” who insist on holding the reins very tight to “hold[] a horse up”—as though horses can’t hold themselves up. For a horse like Black Beauty, who has a soft and sensitive mouth, it’s “tormenting” and “stupid.” He also has to deal with “loose-rein drivers,” who keep no tension on the reins and therefore have no control if their horse spooks or if something else happens. Driving a horse like this also teaches a horse bad habits, which must be trained or beaten out later. 

The loose-rein drivers are generally careless; they tend to pay attention to anything but their horses. Once, Black Beauty goes out with a gentleman who has his wife and children with him. The man takes no notice as Black Beauty gets a stone caught in his shoe. Any good driver would notice something was wrong immediately, but this man pays no attention as the stone wedges itself tighter into Black Beauty’s hoof and begins to hurt. The man only notices Black Beauty limping after a half mile—and then he exclaims that the livery sent him out with a lame horse. A passing farmer stops and asks to inspect Black Beauty; he removes the stone and tells the incredulous man that horses can indeed get stones stuck in their hooves, and that the stones are dangerous. For a “job-horse,” treatment like this is normal.