CLIPPING, SINGEING AND TRIMMING. 77 



the hair of a saddle horse's tail, for if left at full length it may soil 

 the legs of the rider. But there is none for amputating any part of 

 the sensitive dock. The old idea that such a practice strengthens 

 the back-bone has no foundation in fact. As well might a man 

 have his ears cropped in the hope that it would increase his brain- 

 power. Nicking or pricking is a painful operation, performed for 

 the purpose of making the horse carry his tail more elevated. It con- 

 sists of cutting deeply into the under side of the tail, and then keep- 

 ing the wounds open and inflamed by fastening the tail in an eleva- 

 ted position. The operation is so severe that lockjaw sometimes en- 

 sues. The desired object can be attained in a much more humane 

 way by fastening the tail to a cord running through pulleys and 

 having a weight at the other end. The pulleys are hung from the 



Fig. 49.— MANE BRAG. 



ceiling in the rear of the stall, one directly over the croup of the horse 

 and the other at a sufficient distance to keep the weight away from 

 the horse. One pound is heavy enough for the weight the first 

 week, but it is increased from week to week. The tail is kept eleva- 

 ted by this means for one hour each day, increasing the time gradu- 

 ally to three hours, until it remains permanently set up. 



No good excuse has ever been offered for roaching the pane. So 

 far from improving the horse's appearance it gives the neck an ugly, 

 rough aspect, and serves no possible good purpose. If it is thicker 

 than is desirable, the mane may be thinned by the use of the drag, 

 shown at figure 49. This will remove a portion of the hair at each 

 dressing without disfigurement. It is also used for thinning the 

 hair of the tail. 



It is a very common practice to clip away the long hair around 

 and above the pasterns. The custom is a pernicious one, and a pro- 

 lific source of mud fever, scratches, and grease. This hair is nature's 

 own provision against the irritating effects of mud. Clipping it is 

 an evil, because the thick hair, to a great extent, would prevent ac- 

 tual contact of particles of mud, sand, and manure with the skin. It 

 naturally acts as a kind of percolator, or filter, passing the liquid, 

 but rejecting the solid particles. It also acts as a sort of blanket to 

 retain the animal heat in the extremities. Thoroughbred horses 



