270 HORSE AND MAN. 



with short tails are practically unfit for service in the 

 field where flies are troublesome, the following addi- 

 tion has been made to Par. 5, Sect. 11 : — "Queen's 

 Eegulations and Orders of the Army. General 

 officers, when making their inspection of mounted 

 corps, will ascertain whether these instructions are 

 strictly followed, and they will specially report every 

 instance in which they are disregarded that comes 

 under their notice. Horses with short docks are not 

 to be purchased as remounts." ' 



The very forcible statements of the 'Puzzled 

 J.P.' were supplemented by a letter from Mrs. H. 

 McHquham, of Staverton House, near Cheltenham, 

 dated February 4, 1884 : — 



'I am sorry to be able to add to the horrors con- 

 tained in a "Puzzled J.P.'s" letter by saying that 

 the terrible operation of docking the tails of horses is 

 sometimes followed by lock-jaw. I was recently told 

 of three such cases occurring- in two stables. 



'When lock-jaw occurs, it is usual to sling the 

 poor animals, to prevent them from ending their 

 sufferings by dashing their heads against their 

 mangers. This wretched ending occurred in one of 

 the three cases I have spoken of. The whinnying of 

 the poor creature was touching to hear, and its 

 sufferings will prevent a repetition of a similar bar- 

 barity in its owner's stables.' 



