CHAPTER XII 



CRUELTY OF DOCKING 



Will you tell me, Count, if there be any conceiv- 

 ably good reason for 'docking' a horse, except as it 

 may have captivated the fancy of horse-owners, who 

 regard ' style ' as the only requisite in their handsome 

 turnouts ? 



'There is but one excuse for the cruel custom that 

 it is possible to imagine. When a horse is fretted 

 through constant jerking and pulling on the driving- 

 reins, he may have acquired the habit of seeking for 

 them mih his tail. Such wonderful strength has he 

 in that member that by holding down close what 

 so torments him his mouth for the time being is 

 relieved.' 



Then inexperienced drivers who tug continually at 

 the reins, and saw the mouth intolerably, sometimes 

 teach their horses this bad habit? 



'It is true. Horses are very cunning in their modes 

 of personal defence. If one be viciously disposed, it is 

 when his tail has secured the reins, and he can forcibly 

 hold them down, that he may take the bit between his 



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