34 HORSE DOCTOR. 



yard, or from unpalatable food. An occasional cause of 

 crib-biting is the frequent custom of grooms, even when 

 the weather is not severe, of dressing them in the stable. 

 The horse either catches at the edge of the manger, 

 or at that of the partition on each side, if he has been 

 turned, and thus he forms the habit of laying hold of 

 these substances on every occasion. 



NOT LYING DOWN. 



It not uncommonly happens that a horse will seldom 

 or never lie down in the stable. He sometimes continues 

 in apparent good health, and feeds and works well ; but 

 generally his legs swell, or he becomes fatigued sooner 

 than another horse. If it is impossible to let him loose 

 in the saddle, or to put him into a spare box. we know 

 not wl^at is to be done. No means, gentle or cruel, will 

 force him to lie down. The secret is that he is tied up, 

 and either has never dared to lie down through fear of 

 the confinement of the halter, or he has been cast in the 

 night, and severely injured. If he can be suffered to 

 range the stable, or have a comfortable box, in which he 

 may be loose, he will usually lie down the first night. 

 Some few horses, however, will lie down in the stable, 

 and not in a loose box. A fresh, well-made bed will 

 generally tempt the tired horse to refresh himself with 

 sleep. 



OVERREACH. 



This unpleasant noise, known also by the tei-m 

 "clicking," arises from the toe of the hind foot knocking 

 against the shoe of the fore foot. In the trot, one for« 

 leg and the opposite hind leg are first lifted from the 

 ground and moved forward, the other fore leg and the 

 opposite hind leg remains fixed ; but, to keep the centre 

 of gravity within the base, and as the stride, or space 

 pas;sed over by these legs, is often greater than the dis- 

 tance between the fore and hind feet, it is necessary, 

 that the fora feet should be alternately moved out of the 



