44 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



lacerated. They may become deformed, thickened, and acquire a faulty 

 direction. Fractures of the conchal cartilage result ordinarily from 

 blows inflicted by brutal drivers ; they have no serious consequences. 



2d. At the present time horses with the ears cropped in the middle 

 of their length are almost unknown. We have met with only two 

 instances. It appears, however, that this was the custom during the 

 last century. Horses which had undergone this operation were called 

 crop-eared. If at the same time the tail had been amputated, they 

 were designated by the term docked (J. B. Huzard). Vallon ^ reports 

 that this mutilation was formerly common in Algeria, and was em- 

 ployed by the Arabians in their military expeditions to establish proofs 

 of ownership. Under other circumstances, amputation of the ears is 

 sometimes effected by the application of the twitch, most often by 

 brutal farriers, upon horses difficult to shoe or to dress. It will not be 

 difficult to convince the reader of the danger which the employment 

 of such procedures may occasion. 



3d. It is not less rare to meet horses whose ears are split. This 

 incision was made upon the left ear of cavalry horses under eight years 

 of age, discharged from the French army. The purchasers did not 

 delay to unite the two flaps. When the incision had existed for a long 

 time, they freshed the edges with a cutting instrument and united 

 them. Nothing more than a cicatrix persisted afterwards, which was 

 often concealed by the hairs. 



In Algeria, says Vallon,^ as in the states of the Mussulmans, it is 

 the custom under certain circumstances to split the ears of colts. We 

 can therefore purchase, without fear, such horses as have been subjected 

 to the operation. This is also practised on the Western prairies of the 

 United States as a brand of ownership. 



4th. We sometimes observe at the base of the ear denudations or 

 circular cicatrices which result from the repeated application of the 

 twitch to this region. It is to be feared, then, that the animal has 

 been treated for a disease of long standing which required repeated 

 dressing, or that he is difficult to shoe, harness, etc. Certain horses 

 during the summer, as soon as they begin to perspire, experience 

 violent itching in the interior of the ear, which causes disordered 

 movements of the head. Cleanliness, hygienic precautions, and de- 

 tersive lotions are the remedies for the affection. 



Let us now consider the fraudulent means employed to hide the 

 defects and blemishes of this region. 



1 Vallon, Cours d'hlppologie, t. i. p. 317. « Ibid. 



