VICE AND OBJECTIONABLE HABITS 



if the fittings are wooden ones, it will gradually 

 gnaw at them until they are almost eaten away, 

 and the only method of preventing it is to feed 

 the animal, either out of a portable manger ; off 

 the floor; or else muzzle it immediately after it 

 has been fed. An inveterate cribber wears the 

 front edges of the incisor teeth quite away, 

 giving them a very uncanny appearance, which 

 is readily recognisable as positive evidence of 

 this vice. Apart from such evidence, it would 

 be a difficult matter — in the absence of positive 

 proof to the contrary — to prove the existence of 

 the vice at the time of sale. The author believes 

 that crib-biting is mainly the outcome of idle- 

 ness, or a mischievous habit acquired through 

 the want of something better to do. If a 

 hunter gets plenty of work, it will not have 

 much time for wood-carving operations in the 

 stable. 



WIND-SUCKING 



As previously stated, this may be associated 

 with the preceding vice, though not necessarily 

 so. It is one of the most pernicious habits a 

 horse can possess, and materially interferes with 



83 



