338 A QUEEll NOTION. 



I once saw a plan given in a newspaper to make a 

 bad horse stand to be shod, which was to fasten 

 down one ear/' (Does this mean nailing it down ?) 

 " There were no reasons given why you should do 

 so ; but I tried it several times, and thought that it 

 had a good effect, though I would not recommend 

 its use, especially stitching his ears together." 



Well, Brother Jonathan has some queer go- 

 a-head notions about horse management. But what 

 would be said to stitching a bad horse's ears toge- 

 ther, or fastening them down every time he was 

 shod, to prevent him kicking ? I rather think Mr. 

 Martin's act would be decidedly at variance with 

 this principle ; and what will be thought of Mr. 

 Rarey, with all his philosophy and gentle art, bat- 

 tening down a horse's ears ? A twitch is some- 

 times applied by us to the ear of a vicious horse, 

 to hold him until the blacksmith takes up his fore- 

 leg to begin shoeing him \ and we knew, before 

 Mr. Rarey did us the honour of a visit, that a 

 horse cannot kick very easily when standing on 

 three legs, although few would practise this cruelty 

 of driving him some distance when thus manacled, 

 as advised. "If he is the most kicking horse that 

 ever raised a foot, you need not be fearful of 

 his doing any damage while he has one foot up, 

 for he cannot kick, neither can he run fast 



