24:6 



THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



of the tail is cut off as before the docking- is done. To make 

 the tail conform to the present fashion, the hair must be cut 

 off up to within a foot or so of the root; and then again, this 

 practice is hardly any more cruel than the simple bang-ing" 

 of a horse's tail, without docking", and bang-ing- is an ever}^- 

 day occurrence. The pricking* is done after the docking- is 

 finished. A pricking- blade (a cut of wiiich is shown here- 

 with, Fig-. 149), is run into the horse's tail at one side and 

 then the other in two or three parts. Then the ^' pricker " 

 draws the knife towards the outer end of the tail, cutting- 



Fig. 153— Banged Tail Cob. 



all the muscles and tissues on its path. Once cut, the tail 

 is drawn up and hitched with a pulle3" block in the position 

 the owner desires the horse to carry his appendag-e, and in 

 that position it is held till all the cuts made in the operation 

 are healed. 



After this operation is performed, the hair in the tail is 

 cut to suit the fashionable tastes. If the old-fashioned 

 ^^flag-" tail is desired — that is to say, such a tail as Flora 

 Temple had — the hair in the tail is close trimmed on the 

 sideSj combed flat and parted on top. If only the ordinary 



