WHIMS AND VICIOUS HABITS. 861 



disagreeable, annoying, or painful. Under these circumstances, it is 

 evident that the pressure should be diminished, either by modifying the 

 form of the bit, or by making the traction of the reins proportional to 

 the degree of sensibility of the mouth. 



5th. Horses which grasp the Branches of the Bit with 

 the Lower Lip. This habit, a very common one, shows itself during 

 work, in walking, in trotting, and more rarely in galloping. Usually 

 it is with the lower lip that the animal seizes one of the branches of the 

 bit. Sometimes he succeeds in seizing it between his teeth, especially 

 if the bit is of the kind called pelham, or if the bar is broken. In 

 such cases, the defect may become serious at any moment, for exam- 

 ple, in places where it is important to drive with care to avoid obstacles 

 in the road. Usually a light jerk of the reins will compel the horse 

 to let go and take his attention away from it. But when this is ineffica- 

 cious, the false curb must be applied, or even a bit having its branches 

 curved backward. 



6th. Horses which tear their Blankets with the Teeth. 

 There are horses which have the habit of biting and tearing their 

 blankets. Perhaps the salty taste which is found in woollen fabrics 

 impregnated with sweat or other excrementitious productions of the 

 skin, leads them at first to lick the blanket, and then to tear it; 

 but never, as is thought by some, do they eat it. The inconven- 

 ience is more serious to the owner than to the animal, since it occa- 

 sions expensive repairs. This can be avoided by using a bar attached 

 at one end to the halter and at the other to the surcingle, which pre- 

 vents the lateral inclination of the head and neck. Another means is 

 often employed which, in our opinion, is more efficacious. It is a kind 

 of bib y made of a piece of woollen cloth or of leather, fastened at one 

 extremity to the posterior part and the sides of the nose-band of the 

 halter, the other extremity hanging free a certain distance below the 

 lips. This bib interposes between the teeth and the blanket every time 

 the horse attempts to bite the latter. He never succeeds in doing more 

 than biting the leather without being able to tear it, since it oifers no 

 resistance to his eiforts. On the other hand, however, the bib soon 

 becomes soiled by the saliva and the food, so that it acquires a disagree- 

 able odor, and soon wears out, rendering its frequent renewal necessary, 

 which is expensive. 



7th. Horses which rest one Hind-Foot upon the other. 

 It is not a rare thing to see a horse when he is tired rest himself by 



