SECTION EIGHTH, 



VICIOUS HORSES. 



Up to this point we have occupied ourselves only with the external 

 conformation of the horse, and the reader should by this time be in 

 possession of the elements necessary to appreciate it thoroughly. Still, 

 this will not be sufficient for him. It may in fact happen that the 

 animal has an irreproachable form, superb actions, energy, and ardor, 

 and yet is deficient in the moral qualities necessary to utilize, for the 

 benefit of those who use him, all the advantages which the perfection 

 of his mechanism confers upon him. Poorly endowed in this respect, 

 he will expend his forces at a loss, under the influence of the bad 

 habits which he has contracted ; or he will be harmful, dangerous, 

 unserviceable, on account of his vices, which is a much more serious 

 matter, especially so far as the public interest is concerned. A rapid 

 examination of his moral imperfections, whether slight or grave, 

 becomes an indispensable complement of the preceding sections. We 

 will divide this subject into two chapters : 



In the first we will study the vice.^ or vicious habits, — that is to say, 

 the dispositions contracted by frequent repetition of injurious actions, 

 which, however, involve no very bad consequences, implying no evil 

 natural inclinations, and never entirely preventing the utilization of 

 the horse. 



In the second we will pass in review the vices properly so called, — 

 that is to say, the serious defects, showing an indocile, stubborn, or 

 timorous nature, a bad education, an indomitable aggressive character, 

 defects which, in a word, render the animal dangerous or almost useless. 



The question to be solved is this : given a vicious horse, how are we 

 to recognize him f 



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