Letter: Horse sense

The answer to the Hastings horse driver's dilemma ('If you can hum it, I'll play it,' 30 December) can be found on the streets of tourist cities abroad. I have seen it in both Prague and Bruges.

A long sheet of something like canvas is attached to the harness on the horse's quarters and leads from below the tail to a receptacle under the carriage. The 'chute' is adjusted to give no discomfort to the horse and yet collect every bit of dung. Considering that horses have, normally, eight movements of the large bowel in a day, this ingenious invention seems to me worth importing for use by town carriage drivers.

Yours faithfully,

CONSTANCE WATSON

Ewhurst, Surrey