PASTURING. 271 



sufficiently great and numerous, domesticity is rendered still 

 more intolerable by caprice. The tail, though useful, is not 

 ornamental, and therefore it must suffer amputation. In such 

 works the lords of creation delight to exhibit their pride and 

 their power. 



The Soil. — The influence of the soil upon the horse's 

 feet and legs has been much spoken of; but it has been much 

 exaggerated. Horses reared in soft marshy pastures have 

 large flat feet, low at the heels, and weak everywhere. On 

 dry ground the hoof is hard, strong, and small, the sole con- 

 cave, and the heels high. But to confer any peculiar charac- 

 ter upon the hoof, or produce any change upon it, a long and 

 continued residence upon the same soil is necessary. A pe- 

 riod of six months does, perhaps, produce a change, but in 

 general it is so insignificant that it is not apparent. 



The low temperature at which the feet and legs are kept 

 in a moist pasture has probably some influence in abating in- 

 flammation in these parts ; but the benefit can not be very 

 great. The legs become finer, free from tumor and gourdi- 

 ness, but they would improve nearly or quite as soon, and as 

 much, in a loose box. 



When the pastures are hard, baked by the sun, unshod 

 horses are apt to break away the crust, and they often come 

 home with hardly horn enough to hold a nail. Feet that have 

 never been shod suffer less ; others should in general be pre- 

 served by light shoes, especially on the fore feet ; kicking 

 horses, when shod behind, are rather dangerous among others. 



It has been supposed that the act of grazing throws con- 

 siderable stress upon the tendons of the fore legs, and ulti- 

 mately impairs them. This has been urged against grazing 

 hunters ; but so far as sound legs are concerned, there seems 

 to be no truth in the supposition, and it has certainly never 

 been proved. 



Quantity of Food. — In the stable a horse's food can be 

 given in measure proportioned to his wants. But at pasture 

 he may get too much, or he may get too little. This is a 

 strong objection to summering hunters in the field. It is dif- 

 ficult to put the horse where he will receive all the nourish- 

 ment he requires, and no more. In a rich pasture he may 

 acquire an inconvenient load of fat ; in a poor one he may be 

 half starved. If he must go out, he may be taken in before 

 he becomes too fat, or he may be placed in a bare pasture, 

 and fed up to the point required, by a daily allowance of 

 grain. 



