CRUELTY OF DOCKING 63 



hard work, or a long day's toilsome journey. The 

 merciful man notes all these familiar signs, and gives 

 to his faithful servant the rest he needs.' 



Is the operation of docking a very severe or painful 

 one ? 



'To explain why it is a fearful ordeal, I must give 

 you a short lesson as to the anatomy of the horse's tail. 

 First, there are from fifteen to seventeen bones. There 

 are two pairs of tendons to lift the tail up, and to draw 

 it down, and there are two pairs of tendons to turn it 

 sideways from left to right, and from right to left. There 

 are strong ligaments joining the bones, and arteries, veins 

 and nerves entertwined throughout. Covering all, with 

 Nature's perfect finish, is the muscular tissue from which 

 grow the long heavy hairs. Therefore, to cut through 

 the quivering flesh, the bones and tendons and ligaments, 

 to sever the great arteries and the smaller veins, and 

 to expose the shrinking nerves, is not only to produce 

 exquisite agony to the terrified, helpless being, but the 

 operation being of so dangerous a nature, must necessarily 

 be prolonged beyond bearing. 



* Then the nerves of a horse are very sensitive. That 

 no animal, not even man, has such an excessive develop- 

 ment of nerves as the horse, has been proved over 

 and over again by post-mortem examinations, betraying 

 the closeness with which they are interlaced. With this 

 exceedingly fine nervous constitution, are given the 

 patience and pluck to endure longer, more severe 

 pain than any other animal living. In comparison 

 to his size he possesses also a very small stomach, 

 and the power to endure longer and more tedious 

 work.' 



