MOUTHING 493 



carriage horses or animals good enough to become officers' 

 chargers. The pain, though severe for a few seconds, is 

 not the ground upon which extremist humanitarians have 

 really most cause to object to the operation. The removal 

 of the most effective portion of the tail the weapon which 

 nature has supplied as a defence against the attacks of 

 flies when the animal is turned out to pasture is in reality 

 the only important consideration. 



Breaking" is attended with danger from rearing, kicking, 

 bolting, or sulking on the part of the horse ; and carelessness, 

 drink, or bad temper on the part of the man. Three special 

 requisites in his case are patience, coolness, and determina- 

 tion. Horses are more easily broken while quite young than 

 when a few years older. 



The skin should be kept in good order and free from all 

 parasites, and the hair encouraged to grow by occasional 

 washing with a solution of MacDougall's dipping composi- 

 tion. The animals should be taken up for breaking when they 

 are about two and a half years old. Heavy work strains and 

 stiffens a young horse. The backbone often becomes bent, 

 and stands up " roach-backed," if an animal is made to draw 

 loads that are too heavy. Harrowing or light ploughing is a 

 suitable and safe form of work for a young horse ; but carting 

 on the hard road is not so till after he is five years old. 

 Horses ought to be broken to every description of farm work 

 before they are three years old, or earlier if practicable, and 

 during the operation their vision should not be contracted by 

 obscuring their eyes with blinders. The use of an open 

 head-collar is the best preventive of bolting should derange- 

 ment of the headgear occur. The first stage is to accustom 

 the animal to the work horses, by feeding it in the stable 

 with them the harness also being put on to remain while 

 baiting. 



Mouthing or bitting is done by tying a horse up at 

 repeated short intervals of half an hour at a time with a stout 

 but not too heavy jointed bar-snaffle and smooth bit, and 

 running side-reins fastened back to a sursingle or jockey, but 

 it is far too little practised among draught-houses. To cut 

 the mouth with a wrongly constructed, sharp, or thin bit so 

 that it bleeds, makes the repeatedly injured parts hard, and 

 the animal ultimately callous, so that he refuses to answer to 



