444 



THE HORSE. 



upon with as much safety as u colt of as many months ; the pain caused hy 

 it lasts but a few minutes, Avhile under the old system of clams and red hot 

 irons, it often continued from twelve to twenty-four hours. It is now very 

 extensively, and in some parts of the country exclusively, used, iriving: perfect 

 satisfaction alike to the operator and owner of the horse. — Editor.] 



DOCKING AND NICKING. 



These operations* on the tail are subject to the fashion 

 of the day, the former being used for the purpose of shortening 

 its length, which is inconvenient to the rider or driver in dirty 

 weather, and the latter for altering its carriage, when this is too 

 low for the taste of the owner. Nicking, is, however, very seldom 

 practised in the present day, and never to the extent which was 

 the fashion fifty years ago. 



Docking is very rapidly performed by the aid of the docking- 

 knife, which is made on the principle of the guillotine. As the 

 tail is removed at one sudden and forcible chop, the horse need 

 not be confined in any way beyond fixing up his fore leg, unless he 



Fig. 25— DOCKING-KNIFE. 



is a very violent animal, when he must be placed in the break (see 

 page 435). The exact length of the dock to be left being fixed 

 upon, the hair is cut off close below, and the remainder tied back 

 to the root of the tail. The situation of the joint, which may be 

 ascertained from its greater prominence, is then marked, by care- 

 fully removing the hair with the scissors, and then laying it in the 

 rounded groove of the wooden frame in which the knife plays, so 

 that the edge of the latter shall exactly correspond with the part 

 to be cut, the handles are suddenly and forcibly brought together, 

 and the end is removed at one blow. A pointed iron should have 

 been previously heated, and then raising the tail to a level with 

 the back, the arteries are first scared, which a very slight touch 

 will eftect, and then the point is pushed into the sheath of the 

 tendons lying at the top of the stump, so as to cause them to 

 adhere in that position, and effect a handsome carriage of the tail. 



