84 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA. 



thin tail is considered to be a mark of high caste among 

 them. 



The object of banging a horse's tail is to add to the 

 appearance of strength in. his hind quarters. 



Horses' tails ought not to be shortened after the be- 

 ginning of April, as they will want them long in order to 

 keep off flies. They should not be again trimmed before 

 the month of October. 



The usual length, at which a horse's tail is banged, is 

 such that will enable the end of the tail, when pulled 

 down, to reach the point of the hock. 



The more " cobby" the animal, the shorter may be the 

 bang. 



The following are three methods for banging the tail. 



1st. Get an assistant to place his hand under the dock, 

 and to hold the tail in a position, similar to which it 

 would assume were the animal walking : then, with a 

 strong pair of scissors, cut the hair level at the desired 

 length. 



2nd. Bind the tail round, with a piece of cord, about 

 six inches above the point at which it is to be divided. 

 Then, with a sharp knife, cut so as to give the ends of 

 the hair the required slope. 



3rd. Lay the tail, at the desired length, across the edge 

 of a broad adze (Hind. Busoola), and divide the hair by 

 a smart blow with a flat billet of wood. The adze should 

 be held steady, the handle to the rear, the edge horizon- 

 tal, and the blade sloped, so that the horse may carry his 

 tail level at a walk. Any loose hairs may then be 

 trimmed with the scissors. This, is an admirable plan 

 for troopers, dispatch and uniformity being matters 



