DOCKING AND NICKING. 443 



Docking is very rapidly performed by the aid of the docking- 

 knife, which is made on the principle of the guillotine. As the 

 tail is removed at one sudden and forcible chop, the horse need 

 not be confined in any way beyond fixing up his foru leg, unless he 



Fig. 25 — DOCKING-KNIFE. 



is a very violent animal, when he must be placed in the break (see 

 page 435). The exact length of the dock to be left being fixed 

 upon, the hair is cut off close below, and the remainder tied back 

 to the root of the tail. The situation of the joint, which may be 

 ascertained from its greater prominence, is then marked, by care- 

 fully removing the hair with the scissors, and then laying it, in the 

 rounded groove of the wooden frame in which the knife plays, so 

 that the edge of the latter shall exactly correspond with the part 

 to be cut, the handles are suddenly and forcibly brought together, 

 and the end is removed at one blow. A pointed iron should have 

 been previously heated, and then raising the tail to a level with 

 the back, the arteries are first seared, which a very slight touch 

 will effect, and then the point is pushed into the sheath of the 

 tendons lying at the top of the stump, so as to cause them to 

 adhere in that position, and effect a handsome carriage of the tail. 

 Lastly, a little resin is melted over the end of the stump with the 

 iron now pretty nearly cooled, and the operation is concluded by 

 untying the hair. 



Nicking was formerly carried to such an extent that the poor 

 horse could not lower his tail, but was always obliged to carry it 

 over his back. Several deep cross-cuts were made in the under- 

 side after being docked, and then a cord was fastened to the hair, 

 and being carried over a pulley attached to the ceiling, the tail 

 was kept drawn up over the back by a weight at its end. The 

 horse coild lie down by raising the weight, but by no possible 

 means CGiild he lower his tail, and in course of time the wounds 

 healed by granulation filling up their spaces, and the nicking was 

 completed. When a horse now carries his dock too low, a sub 



