CRIB BITING. 383 



He should on each occasion be led thither by the person 

 who feeds him ; and above all things the smith must not 

 strike him for a fault ; as in most instances horses which 

 are vicious under the operation of shoeing, are rendered so 

 by severe treatment either by the smith or groom. Patience 

 at first shoeing will be well rewarded, and when the animal 

 finds he receives no injury, he will soon become obedient 

 under this necessary operation ; but if severe chastisement 

 has been resorted to, he is certain to be troublesome every 

 time he is shod, having in remembrance his former treat- 

 ment, and the pain he sufiered under the twitch and the 

 gag. The business of the smith is to be mild and yet firm. 

 Shoeing a quiet horse in the presence of a young one has 

 had the effect of teaching him to submit to it. For his own 

 sake, the smith should avoid teaching this evil, as he is in 

 constant danger during the operation ; and the horse is 

 liable to be pricked and lanced in his struggles. Some 

 horses are so vicious that they never can be conquered, and 

 it becomes necessary to cast them every time they are shod, 

 and confined in the trevis. When this is the case, it may 

 be expected that sooner or later the animal will meet with 

 an accident which will render him useless. 



CRIB-BITING. 



Crib-biting is one of tlie worst habits which a horse can 

 acquire, and is seldom or ever cured. The horse seizes the 

 manger with his teeth while he stretches his neck forward, 

 and after some spasmodic action of the throat, a slight 

 grunting sound is uttered, which appears to be accompanied 

 by a drawing in of air. The cause of this trick is not yet 

 well understood ; and whether it proceeds from a bad habit, 

 or a defect in the formation of the soft palate and back 

 part of the mouth, still remains undiscovered ; and there- 



