WEA VING.— STRING-HALT. 269 



each other by ' bails ' only, fail to acquire the habit 

 from one or more of their comrades which may be 

 confirmed in it ? If over-feeding and idleness will 

 produce it in one horse, it is surely but reasonable 

 only to presume that they will do so in the case of 

 another. 



1 Weaving ' has nothing to do with either of the 

 two former vices, and is simply a nervous affection. 

 A horse rarely ' weaves ' when he is not sensible of 

 being observed. It is a sort of St. Vitus' dance. 

 It does no harm to the horse. Some of the best 

 horses will ' weave.' It is annoying to an observer. 

 It is no more than an unceasing swinging to and fro 

 of the head from side to side. It appears to be 

 more common in well-bred horses than in others. 

 Horses which ' weave ' rarely carry high condition. 

 They are generally of a highly-strung nervous tem- 

 perament, and their very nervousness prevents their 

 putting on much flesh. 



String-halt, a peculiar catching up of the leg 

 (generally the hind-leg), is another nervous disease, 

 if disease it may be termed. It is no detriment to 

 a horse unless it is very bad. It seems to be con- 

 fined chiefly to horses of the same temperament and 

 class as those which I have described as ' weavers.' 

 It generally ceases directly a horse gets into his 

 work, and in no way affects his galloping or jumping. 



