STABLE VICES 179 



rare ; perhaps not i in 500 die from this some- 

 times cruelly performed operation. 



It is especially advisable to have a very long 

 twitch. The head of the patient should be pushed 

 well up in a corner, a fore-leg held up to pre- 

 vent the operator being kicked behind, which is 

 less likely to happen when the tail is severed 

 by the docking-knife than when the red-hot irons 

 are applied to burn the bleeding stump. 



Rasping the teeth is another minor operation. 

 It is sometimes done without even a halter on. 

 The horse does not mind it much as a rule ; and 

 if it removes any jagged points to a tooth which 

 irritates a gum, quick relief is effected. 



As regards dentistry in the equine subject, not 

 enough attention has been paid to it, and much 

 suffering occurs in consequence. Decayed teeth 

 are often as painful to the horse as to his master 

 or mistress, and a wolf's tooth is casually knocked 

 out by the local blacksmith, sometimes well and 

 not infrequently badly. 



