TAIL, 177 



from the quarters ; for this will indicate that its muscles 

 are in good order. Some horses, especially those of high 

 spirit and good blood, when going fast, carry the tail '* like 

 a flag,'' having the dock raised and more or less concave. 

 It looks very bad if the tail, when carried low down, say, 

 at the walk, has a concave bend in it, particularly if there 

 be an abrupt turn or '' kink " in the tail near its end. 

 Such a carriage of tail is usually supposed to be associated 

 with an ''ungenerous " disposition; although this is not 

 always the case. In coming to a decision on this subject, 

 we should not fail to take into consideration the indications 

 afforded by the eyes and ears. Thus, if the horse, 

 although carrying his tail ''meanly," had a "kind," fearless 

 look about the eyes, and kept his ears well to the front, 

 and worked them in a quick decided manner, we might 

 reasonably conclude that the defective carriage of the tail 

 was due to faulty conformation, and not to a sulky 

 disposition, which would be the greater of the two evils. 

 In making these remarks, I am, of course, alluding to 

 horses that have not been docked. 



Any unnecessary whisking of the tail when the animal 

 is in motion is objectionable ; as it is often a sign of " jadi- 

 ness" and bad temper. We may not unfrequently remark 

 that the fact of an animal being beaten in a race or steeple- 

 chase is first made manifest by the tail beginning to go 

 round and round. The swishing of the tail may here, 

 however, be due rather to the application of the spurs or 

 whip, than to any " unkind " running on the part of the horse. 

 On the other hand, we may observe instances of thoroughly 

 game race-horses, when "finishing," being so engaged in the 

 keen struggle for victory, that they will keep the tail without 

 movement, even under severe "punishment." Mares, as a 

 rule, undoubtedly whisk their tails about more than horses 

 and geldings. Some of them which are in 'a state of con- 

 tinual irritation from sexual causes, do so to an extent that is 

 very unpleasant to their riders or drivers. Such animals are, 

 generally, of but little use. Almost all Arab horses, and 



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