52 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



leg higher up, and in very low, close-going horses 

 the inside of the coronet is scraped. 



In the front legs the injury may be anywhere 

 from the fetlock to the knee. When it is high up 

 it generally gets the designation of speedy-cut. 

 Another cause of "striking" is fatigue. It has 

 already been pointed out that when a horse has 

 not perfect control of his legs he is apt to "brush," 

 so that horses that have not had regular work 

 and good feed for a length of time, or, in other 

 words, are not in good condition, are easily 

 fatigued and consequently liable to interfere. 



The uneven footing of rough roads, slippery 

 roads or pavements, the swaying of a two-wheel- 

 er, are all circumstances likely to interfere with 

 a horse's equilibrium, and consequently are not 

 infrequently exciting causes of "striking." 



Another very fertile exciting cause, particu- 

 larly in cities, and one which, strange to say, is 

 never referred to in print, is the influence of dis- 

 comfort in connection with the mouth in causing 

 "interfering." There is nothing that puts a horse 

 out of balance more completely than anything 

 wrong with his mouth. Horses that cross their 

 jaws, open their mouths, put their tongues out 

 or over their bits, carry their heads sideways, 

 fuss with their bits, slobber, pull, etc., or "pull 

 out" or "crowd" in double harness, generally 

 have some soreness of the mouth caused by their 



