120 ' BISHOPING ' 



On her return a most interesting certificate came back 

 with her, viz., ' I have this day examined a mare which 

 has been tampered with in the teeth, and made to 

 appear " four off," whereas, from other well-known 

 appearances, she must be at least sixteen years 

 old.' 



This was somewhat of a ' stopper,' and the mare, for 

 which ^140 was asked as being four years old, was 

 naturally not worth ^15. The man who claimed to be 

 her owner disappeared, but we afterwards found out all 

 about him. He had been coachman to a nobleman 

 for years, and was discharged for some very sufficient 

 reason. What became of him I do not know. 



Bishoping can be managed at certain ages, but it is 

 by no means always an easy matter to impose on 

 people, since, by examining the upper jaw, evidence can 

 be obtained which will ensure the detection of such 

 rascality. It is, as a rule, used to make a young 

 animal appear older, and, therefore, more saleable, and 

 this is, of course, a very much easier performance than 

 trvine to make an animal, such as the one referred to, 

 which was evidently a very aged one, appear young. 



Two-year-olds frequently get sore in the mouth 

 when changing their teeth, and when such is the case 

 it becomes necessary to feed them on mashes and soft 

 food generally, otherwise they will fall off in condition, 

 and never grow into large horses. It is perhaps the 

 one age which requires the greatest amount of care 

 and good feeding. 



In the mouth of the three-year-old the central teeth 

 are larger than the others, with two grooves in the 

 outer convex surface of the tooth, and the mark is long, 

 narrow, deep, and black, and not having at this period 



