208 ON THE REARING v 



attached himself to a cart mare and her 

 shh'c-bred foal, and I noticed that he kept 

 an eye on those also whenever the fight 

 drifted in their direction. If any one should 

 be in want of a thoroughly reliable equine 

 nurse, he may apply to the Avriter. 



As to when is the best time for the 

 castration of the colt, opinions seem to 

 differ. The operation used generally to be 

 performed between the age of one and two 

 years, but the more modern practice is to 

 perform it before the foal is Aveaned, at 

 about five months old if sufficiently de- 

 veloped. It used to be contended that 

 early castration hindered the development 

 of the neck and crest ; but even if this is 

 the case I do not know that a thick, stallion- 

 like neck is any ornament to a gelding in 

 either saddle or harness. It has long been 

 the custom in this country, as in most others 

 in Europe, to castrate almost every colt not 

 intended for the Turf, because of the extra 



