OF FARRIERY. 



269 



sj)on»e, and your own assistant close to you, 

 to hand you what instrument you may re- 

 quire; also to be ready with the sponge in 

 case of profuse bleeding, which is sometimes 

 the case, and confuses the operator, unless a 

 wet sponge is handy to take up the blood. 

 You now feel for the pulsation of the artery, 

 which will readily be recognized. Then cut 

 down a little posterior to such pulsation, still 

 keeping your finger on the artery. Well, 

 when you have made your section, about an 

 inch completely through the skin, now lay 

 your knife down, and open the orifice with 

 your thumb and finger, and have it sponged, 

 and you will see the nerve running immedi- 

 ately behind the artery, but perfectly white. 

 Then, introduce your blunt-ended needle, 

 under the nerve, and draw it through as far 

 as convenient. When, after finely dissect- 

 ing the cellular membrane from the nerve, 

 you may divide it as high up as your section 

 will admit. This will occasion a violent 

 struggle with the Horse ; but you may dissect 

 as far down as you think proper, and excise 

 what quantity of nerve you like, and he will 

 make no resistance whatever. The skin 

 should be now drawn neatly together, and 

 place a stitch or two in it, and dress as 

 before described. On removing the bandajre, 

 after the first day or two, dress with com- 

 pound tincture of myrrh. Small plegits of 

 tow, dipped in this mixture, and applied every 

 day, will soon occasion the parts to heal. 



It may be clearly seen, that the motive for 

 using the nerve operation, is to relieve pain. 

 Stallions, with pumiced feet, suffer greatly 

 fro 11 pain ; and we may be quite assured, 

 where such is the case, it unfits them from 

 getting healthy progeny. After the nerve 

 operation they have proved healthy aod 



vigorous. Mares also, who from the same 

 causes, have ceased to feel the periodical 

 cestrum, or horsing, after the operation have 

 resumed their fecundity ; therefore the opera- 

 tion is not only beneficial in removing lame- 

 ness, but bodily pain and lameness, arisino" 

 from other sources. 



ON DOCKING. 



Docking is an operation performed almost 

 on all Horses, excepting the racer or the. cart- 

 horse ; both of which are allowed to enjoy 

 Nature's gifts without any curtailing. Still, 

 we cannot but say, that from the improvement 

 which docking makes in our hackney-horses, 

 it is not likely that it will fall into disuse, as 

 some operations have altogether. But the 

 excessive docking that some Horses suffer, I 

 think preposterous ; such as those travelling 

 between Birmingham and Bristol, belonging 

 to the Messrs. Ashmores. The docks of these 

 Horses do not extend three inches ; the sight 

 of which is truly disgusting. Some men will 

 still argue, that a short dock will strengthen 

 a Horse. How this is to be reconciled I do 

 not know ; for I think if such were the case, 

 the racin2:-stables would lona: since have 

 adopted short docking. I cannot think that 

 the blood that would be necessary to support 

 a long dock, if diverted into other channels 

 would at all strengthen those parts by the 

 means of a snort one. For mysei'f, 1 am no 

 advocate for the short dock ; neither do I ap- 

 prove of docking eolts, almost as soon as drop- 

 ped, as at all beneficial to the future growth ; 

 for I should imagine, early docked colts would 

 have less hair on them, than when docked at 

 a more matured age ; as the irritation occa 

 sioned by docking in these young animaU, 

 make them apt to rub their tails against any 

 3 Y 



