26o THE TRUNK. 



During movement, the tail should be carried well away 

 from the quarters ; for this will indicate that its muscles 

 are in good order. Some horses, especially those of high 

 spirit and good blood, when going fast, carry the tail " like 

 a flag," having the dock raised and more or less concave. 

 It looks very bad if the tail, when carried low down, say, 

 at the walk, has a concave bend in it, particularly if there 

 be an abrupt turn or " kink " in the tail near its end. 

 Such a carriage of tail is usually supposed to be associated 

 with an " ungenerous " disposition ; although this is not 

 always the case. In coming to a decision on this subject, 

 we should not fail to take into consideration the indications 

 afforded by the eyes and ears. Thus, if a horse, although 

 carrying his tail '' meanly," has a " kind," fearless look 

 about the eyes, and keeps his ears well to the front, and 

 works them in a quick decided manner, we may reason- 

 ably conclude that the defective carriage of the tail is 

 due to faulty conformation, and not to a sulky dispo- 

 sition, which would be the greater of the two evils. In 

 making these remarks, I am, of course, alluding to horses 

 that have not been docked. 



Any unnecessary whisking of the tail when the animal 

 is in motion, is objectionable ; as it is often a sign of " jadi- 

 ness " and bad temper. We may occasionally notice that 

 the fact of an animal being beaten in a race or steeple- 

 chase, is first made manifest by the tail beginning to go 

 round and round. The swishing of the tail may here, 

 however, be due rather to the apphcation of the spurs or 

 whip, than to any " unkind " running on the part of the 

 horse. On the other hand, we may observe instances of 

 thoroughly game race-horses, when " finishing," being so 

 engaged in the keen struggle for victory, that they wiU keep 

 the tail without movement, even under severe " punish- 

 ment." Mares, as a rule, whisk their tails about more 

 than horses and geldings. Some of them which are in 

 a state of continual irritation from sexual causes, do so 

 to an extent that is very unpleasant to their riders or 



