272 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



horses, ' docking ' and ' nicking ' their tails, is 

 such that we every day fly in the face of reason, 

 nature and humanity. 



11 Nor is the existing race of men in this island 

 alone to be charged with this folly, almost un- 

 becoming the ignorance and cruelty of savages, 

 but their forefathers several centuries ago were 

 charged and reprehended by a public canon for 

 this absurd and barbarous practice. 



" However, we need but look into the streets 

 and roads to be convinced that their descendants 

 have not degenerated from them, although his 

 present Majesty in his wisdom and humanity has 

 endeavoured to reclaim them by issuing an order 

 that the horses which serve in his troops shall 

 remain as nature designed them." 



Only a few years after the publication of the 

 "History and Art of Horsemanship" a deter- 

 mined attempt was made to suppress, once and 

 for all time, the practices referred to. For a while 

 public interest was greatly stirred, and it seemed 

 as though the practices would at last be put an 

 end to by direct legislation, but eventually undue 

 influence was brought to bear, and nothing was 

 done. 



Indeed, as most of us must have noticed, the 

 practice of docking the tails of nearly all horses 

 except race horses is so prevalent at the present 

 time that in many instances the tails are cut 

 to within a few inches of the root, while some 



