FISHING FOR HOESES BAD SPORT. 69 



accidents occur. For instance, a friend of mine 

 had his rack-chains ending in a hook, to fasten to 

 a ring in the chain. I told him there was danger 

 of a horse getting this into his lip or nostril : my 

 only thanks were a laugh at my conjecture. What 

 I considered very likely to occur certainly did 

 not, but what was likely to end in a very serious 

 affair though of much less probability of occur- 

 rence, as certainly did. One of his horses got the 

 hook completely through the upper eyelid : he 

 had torn the hook from its hold of his eyelid, and 

 was found in the morning bleeding profusely, the 

 rack-chain hook covered with blood. It left a 

 frightful gash, and a most ghastly-looking eye; 

 and, from some cause or other, the horse ever 

 afterwards startled at most objects that either met 

 or passed him on the off-side. It is quite true 

 such an accident probably never might occur 

 again in the same stable; but, from the same 

 cause, some other accident very likely might. And 

 why have anything in a stable that holds out the 

 remotest chance of injury, where it has neither 

 look, utility, nor economy to recommend it ? 



There are two additional rack-chains, or it might 

 be more proper to call them stall-chains, that I 

 have found extremely useful with horses ticklish 

 and inclined to bite in dressing. It is true a 

 horse may have his dressing-muzzle on, and the 

 ordinary rack-chain will prevent his hitting the 

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