160 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



mouth would only confuse him, and could do no possible 

 good ; and if a horse happens to be at all ' a loose-necked 

 one ' — that is, one inclined to throw up his head on any- 

 strong pull on his mouth — we can do no good by checking 

 such a horse, however bad a blunder he may make ; but 

 by doing so the rider would run great risk of bringing his 

 horse's head in contact with his own. 



I have generally found (singular as the assertion may at 

 first appear to the reader) that very light-hearted, cheerful 

 horses are more apt to make trifling mistakes, or trips, than 

 more steady and methodical steppers ; and the reason they 

 may do so I take to be this — such horses are constantly 

 looking about them ; the least thing attracts their attention ; 

 and if that is fixed on different objects it is called from 

 looking at the road, or where they are going ; so they come 

 in contact with inequalities, stones, and so forth, on the 

 ground that the more staid, sober, and plodding goer 

 carefully avoids." 



The Speedy Gut, or the horse cutting himself from 

 faulty action, is a serious defect. It is sometimes occasioned 

 by overreaching the forelegs with the hinder toes, at 

 others by turning the toes much out, cutting the inside of 

 the opposite foot. Indolence, or a long, loose leg, produces 

 this slovenly style of going, for which one remedy is to 

 "get hold of his head," and make him trot briskly. We 

 have seen this alter a horse's style of "handling his legs." 

 It is sometimes difficult to decide with what part of the 

 hoof or shoe the horse strikes the standinor leor. A little 

 careful observation will decide this. 



Take the horse into some clean place — a hard dry road 

 is the best ; smear his hoof and shoe with a little white 

 paint if the legs are black, with black paint if of any 

 other colour. Cause him to be walked for a quarter of an 

 hour; if he has struck, or even brushed either leg, the 

 paint will be disturbed or wiped off from the precise part 

 he hits with, and it will further show (in cases where he 

 does not actually cut) the spot he hits, for on it the paint 

 rubbed off the other leg will be visible. If during his walk 

 the paint remains undisturbed, we may fairly infer it is not 

 in that pace he hits his legs. Trot him ; if he hits, you 

 will see where the offendins: leo: has struck, and where the 

 struck one is hit. As in his walk, if the paint remams as 

 it was put on, we must infer it is in his canter or gallop 



