300 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



in its centre to prevent it from touching the bone, 

 which would cause exfoliation ; or, if severely injured, 

 it would fall off at the joint above, and thus shorten 

 the desired length of the tail. The bleeding vessels 

 are all on the outside of the bone. The iron must 

 not be too hot, nor much pressure applied to it, 

 neither should it be long continued. No kind of 

 dressing is required after this operation, but it should 

 be remembered that while docking is a simple and 

 generally safe operation, many horses have fallen 

 victims to the parasitic disease "Tetanus," im- 

 mediately or shortly after being docked, 



NICKING. 



It is to be lamented that fashion has long held a 

 sway in promoting and maintaining this cruel opera- 

 tion, even in its simplest form. However, of late, 

 public taste has materially improved in this respect, 

 for the fashion at the present day is to have horses 

 with long switch tails, possessing much of that beauty 

 which nature wisely intended by the formation of that 

 organ ; as also, like that of other quadrupeds, to assist 

 him in turning when going at a rapid speed, as well 

 as to defend him from the attacks of numerous insects 

 with which he is constantly annoyed when in the 

 field. 



We wish we could pass over the subject of this 

 barbarous operation without noticing how it is per- 

 formed, but as there are still persons so devoid of 

 taste and feeling as to approve of it, the work would 

 be necessarily imperfect without a description of the 

 operation. 



We have given a figure of the skeleton of the 

 horse, Plate ii, and referred to it at page i6i. It 

 will be seen by a reference to these that the horse 



