THE HOKSE. 67 



If the animal is yoimg, the action of the horse may be materially 

 improved ; otherwise nothing can be done, except to keep the toe of the 

 hind foot as sliort and as round as it can safely be, and to bevel off and 

 round the toe of the shoe, like that which has been worn off by a 

 stanibHng horse, and perhaps, to lower the heel of the fore-foot a 

 little. 

 i Pawing, — Some hot and irritable horses are restless even in the sta- 

 ! ble, and paw frequently and violently. Their litter is destroyed, the 

 floor of the stable broken up, the shoes worn out, the feet bruised, and 

 the legs sometimes sprained. If this habit does not exist to any great 

 extent, yet the stable never looks well. Shackles are the only remedy, 

 with a chain sufficiently long to enable the horse to shift his posture, or 

 move in his stall; but these must be taken off at night, otherwise the 

 animal will seldom lie down. Except, however, the horse possesses 

 peculiar value, it will be better to dispose of him at once, than to sub- 

 mit to the danger and inconvenience that he may occasion. 



Qaidllillg. — A horse will sometimes partly chew his hay and suffer it 

 to drop from his mouth. If this does not proceed from irregular teeth, 

 which it will be the business of the veterinary surgeon to rasp down, it 

 will be found to be connected with sore-throat, and then the horse will 

 exhibit some other symptoms of indisposition, and particularly the swal- 

 lowing of water will be accompanied by a peculiar gulping effort. In 

 this case the disease (catarrh with sore-throat) must be attacked, and the 

 quidding \\\\\ cease. 



Rolling. — This is a very pleasant and perfectly safe amusement for a 

 horse at grass, but cannot be indulged in the stable without the chance 

 of his being dangerously entangled with the collar-rein (halter) and 

 being cast. Yet, although the horse is cast and bruised, and half- 

 strano-led, he w'ill roll airain on the followins: niixht and continue to do 

 so as long as he lives. The only remedy is not a very pleasant one for 

 the horse, nor always quite safe ; yet it must be had recourse to, if the 

 habit of rolling is inveterate. "The horse," says Mr. Castley, "should 

 be tied wnth length enough of halter to lie down, but not to allow of his 

 head resting on the ground ; because, in order to roll over, a horse is 

 obliged to place his head quite down upon the ground." 



Shying. — We have before briefly treated of the cause of this vice, and 

 observed that while it is often the result of cowardice or playfulness, or 

 want of work, it is at other times the consequence of a defect of sight. 

 It has been remarked, and we beheve very truly, that shying is oftener 

 a vice of half or quarter bred horses, than of those who have in them 

 more of the genuine racing blood. 

 1 In the treatment of sliymg, it is of great importance to distinguish 

 between that which is the consequence of defective sight, and what 

 results from fear or newness of objects, or mere affectation or skittish- 

 ness. For the first, the nature of which we have explained before, every 

 allowance must be made, and care must be taken that the fear of cor- 

 rection is not associated with the imagined existence of some terrifying 

 object. The severe use of the whip and the spur cannot do good here, 

 and are likely to aggravate the vice tenfold. A w^ord half encouraging 

 and half scolding with a slight pressure of the heel or a slight touch of 



