LEGS OF MUTTON NOT ARMS OF MEN. 269 



really not so much so as many things that are done 

 towards horses: in fact, if a horse was addicted to 

 biting legs of mutton, it would be a rational and 

 certain way of curing him of the propensity ; but as 

 legs of mutton do not often come in his way, and 

 arms of men frequently do, unless he was stupid 

 enough not to be able to distinguish the one from the 

 other, I fear the mutton plan could not avail much. 

 Now, if we could cover a man with a coat of mail 

 with invisible spikes standing from it, two or three 

 times seizing the man would I doubt not radically 

 cure the horse, not of his disposition to bite, but of 

 attempting to do so : but as we cannot well do this, I 

 believe a short stick and keeping an eye on him in 

 approaching or quitting him, is the only thing 

 to be trusted to. Flogging him after he has bitten 

 will tend to increase his propensity to do it, for this 

 reason : it is either dislike to man or fear of man that 

 makes him bite : he seizes us to prevent our hurting 

 him, or in revenge for having been hurt ; consequently, 

 punishing him only confirms his fear and hate : so 

 probably, if we do this, and he finds he dare not 

 bite, he tries the efficacy of a kick. 



A friend of mine had a favourite mare that was 

 exceedingly troublesome to dress, and bit terribly. 

 What made it worse was, she would on no occasion 

 bear to be rack-chained up ; she would rush back, 

 and throw herself down. When she had the muzzle 

 on, she would run at the manger, rack, and man, so 

 the blow was nearly as bad as the bite. It happened 

 the groom had killed a hedgehog the day before : 

 seeing this in the stable, it struck me I could turn 

 him to some account : so I got him skinned and 

 fastened the skin to the bottom of the muzzle, of 



