HANDLING AND BREAKING. 211 



with in approaching a young mother, ever 

 eager to protect her precious baby from 

 unpremeditated assault. Sometimes the mare 

 is violent even with her foal, more from 

 blind excitement probably than from any 

 wish to harm her offspring ; but I was present 

 once when a mare actually kicked her foal's 

 eye out, and it was left sticking to the 

 side of her box, a gruesome sight ! A very 

 difficult and risky task I once had, too, in 

 separating a high-spirited blood mare from 

 the body of her dead foal. Instinct unen- 

 lightened by reason is on such occasions a 

 truly pathetic thing to witness, and might 

 form a subject Avorthy the portrayal of 

 a stronger animal painter than the world 

 has yet seen, good as some have been. But 

 on this sad occasion the beautiful afflicted 

 creature was not savage ; she would let me 

 pat her, and seemed indeed to find some 

 consolation in her master's presence ; but 

 leave her foal she would not ; and it was 



