DOCKING 



187 



bad enough docking horses which have to spend all their 

 life in actable; but the cruelty of thus mutilating those 

 that are turned out to grass, and especially brood mares, 

 should be made penal. 1 am aware that docking, except for 

 valid surgical reasons, is an offence against law ; but I also 

 know that the vast majority of the colts and fillies which are 



Photo by\ 



FIG. 42. Large type of Finnish Pony. 



[M. H. H. 



not thoroughbred, are docked in this country. In this land of 

 hypocrites, many legal enactments are passed in order to keep 

 right-minded people quiet, and then these rules are tacitly 

 ignored. Our law being an ass, ought to have more feeling 

 for his first cousin the horse. 



The special objection against docking is of course the 



