1046 



DISEASES AND THEIR TKEATMENT. 



In performing it, the joint at which it is to be amputated be- 

 ing determined upon, the hair above it is shed back and tied with 

 a cord, the part is clipped close, and the tail being held out by an 

 assistant, with one cut of the docking shears it is severed. The 

 bleeding is stopped by lightly searing with a hot iron with a hole in 

 the center so as not to burn the bone. Some practitioners ampu- 

 tate it so as to leave flaps to cover the bone; by this method the 

 stump is entirely covered by hair, and though more troublesome, 

 is preferable. Too much searing is to be avoided, as exfoliation 



FIG. 892. Ordinary method of putting the horse in pulleys to raise the tail. 



of the bone sometimes follows the injudicious use of the firing 

 iron. 



Nicking and pricking are one and the same operation, the lat- 

 ter being an improved method of performing it. The object is to 

 cause the tail to be carried in an elevated position, which is much 

 admired in road horses. It is also performed to set the tail straight 

 when carried awry, which is a serious eyesore to a good-looking 

 horse. Pricking is nothing more or less than tenotomy of the de- 

 pressor muscles of the tail. 



It is best to secure him with a twitch and side line; the hair 

 at the end of the tail is firmly tied, and a loop formed, to which 

 the weight is to be attached. The only instrument used is a long- 



