ON THE HACKNEY AND HUNTER. 187 



turn executioner. I had heard of many acci? 

 dents, fome of them fatal, from Horfes being 

 docked at too late a period, and by bungling 

 blackfmiths ; and indeed I had feen feveral 

 operations of the kind, which made me fick. 

 It occurred to me, that colts ought to be 

 docked early, whilft the tail is tender and 

 grifley; which operation I ever afterwards per- 

 formed, upon my own, myfelf, with a good 

 (harp kitchen knife, with all poffible fuccefs, 

 and which I wi(h to recommend as a general 

 cuflom. The two laft I docked, were, one 

 about three months, the other about three 

 weeks old ; the one got by a cart, the other by 

 a bred horfe. Thefe colts were perfectly tame 

 and handy (a (late in which I always chufe to 

 have them) and whilft eating a few carrots, 

 they fuffered me to tie their hair up fecundam 

 artem, and to make the ftroke, which curtailed 

 them in an inftant; and with fo little pain, 

 that they fcarce left their carrots. The ufuai 

 quantity taken off, agrees in length with the 

 width of a man's hand ; but perhaps it ought 

 to be rather more from the confideration of its 

 being done fo early. The bred colt was fo 

 indifferent about the matter, that he fuffered 

 me, about half an hour afterwards, to lay hold 

 of his tail again, and make a ligature to flop 

 the blood. If a flux of blood be not defired, 

 a ligature may be made, previous to the ope- 

 ration ; 



