My grandmother often used to tell me of her life as a "slave" in "The Old South".

"Once," she said, "when I was a young girl I was required to take the place of a pony girl, who had fallen and cut her knee badly,

In the early hours of the next morning (before dawn) I was roused and taken to the stables where I was stripped, bathed and oiled. The harness was then fitted. This consisted of a two-inch wide belt fastened tightly round the waist and a narrow strap between the legs to prevent it riding up. Two other straps went over the shoulders.

My arms were placed behind my back with the hands strapped up between the shoulder blades. Elbows were then strapped tightly together. A bit-gag was produced and forced in my mouth. This consisted of a large pear shaped piece of metal, which not only completely filled the mouth, but also forced it wide open at the same time.

The head-gear was a strap round the forehead with 2 cross straps over the crown of the head. Two more straps came down the cheeks through the bit rings and fastened tightly under my chin. Two more straps went from the bit and were secured at the back of my head.

The strapping or harness was completed with a checkrein or head strap from the crown of the head down to the waist belt.

This, to my distress, was pulled particularly tight so that my chin, neck and chest were all in a straight line. Running shoes completed my "wearing apparel".

I was led to a light gig and backed into the shafts, which were attached to the waist belt. Reins were fixed to the bit and I was taken to a hitching post, where I was left to wait the young master. By this time dawn was just breaking. After what seemed like ages he came out, inspected the harness and found it too slack for his liking. He had the groom take all the straps up a hole more, where possible. He checked the chin-neck line with a straight stick to see that chin, throat and chest were all in line. Apparently it was not good enough as the back strap was tightened. Finally satisfied, he got in the gig, pulled hard on the reins and flicked me with the whip. Thinking he wanted me to back I went backwards. This produced a veritable round of lashes and I realized that he meant to keep a tight rein all the time. I accordingly went forward. I had to run as fast as I could and high-step as high as I could all the time. We visited some of his friends, "to show off my points as he said", and meetings were arranged for the next day to compare ponies. Eventually about midday we returned to the stalls where he told the groom that he thought he could make something of me as a pony girl but that I was a little slovenly in action and was a bad stander. He instructed the groom to release me from the gig but to keep me strapped up in harness for a couple more hours to teach me how to stand."

Such was the grandmother story but as a footnote it may be remembered that this was normal harness for plantation ponies and not a punishment harness. With this latter arrangement other refinements would be included such as a narrower waist belt, or the reins would go through the bit rings and be fastened to nipple rings. This would indeed be punishment.