Bockhuj of Foals* Tails. 
clxxv 
agreed upon a draft schedule of prizes 
for dairy produce, butter-making com- 
petitions, Sec., which they had referred 
to the Stock Prizes Committee for 
inclusion in the draft prize-sheet for 
the Chester Meeting. They had con- 
sidered and generally approved of the 
proposals of the Local Committee in 
regard to classes for dairy cattle, 
which they referred to the Stock 
Prizes Committee. The scheme of 
the Board of Agriculture for instruc- 
tion to dairy teachers at the North 
Wales University College, Bangor, had 
been received and laid upon the table. 
The Committee gave notice that at 
their next meeting they would move 
for the renewal of their annual grant 
of lOOL for 1893. 
Docking of Foals’ Tails. 
The Duke of Westminster, re- 
ferring to the present fashion of dock- 
ing the tails of foals, and then turning 
them out to grass without the means 
of keeping off flies, moved : — 
That in future no foals with docked 
tails should be entered for the 
Society’s Country Meetings. 
His Grace said he made his motion 
entirely upon the ground of cruelty to 
the animal, as he was under the im- 
pression that the tail was given to an 
animal for certain purposes, not only 
as a balance to the head, but for the 
practical purpose of keeping off the 
flies when turned out to grass. It 
was absolute cruelty, when flies were 
very much about, to turn out animals 
unprovided with the means of keep- 
ing them off. He had been told of 
cases where .land had been let at lower 
rates in consideration of the animals 
having had their tails docked, and 
consequently consuming less grass. 
The Secretary read the following 
letter, which had been addressed to 
him by Mr. James Hornsby, who was 
unable to be present : — 
Stapleford Park, 
[copy ] Melton Mowbray, 
October 2'Jth, 1892. 
Dear Mr. Clarke, — 
I regret I cannot attend the 
Council Meeting of the R.A.S.E., 
but feel the importance of docking 
horses so great to the breeder that 
I shall be obliged if you will state 
from me that, after having had a 
good deal of experience in breeding 
horses, if I was not permitted to 
dock them I consider I should re- 
duce the selling price by from 301. to 
1002. each. I have myself bought 
cobs with the long tails at about 
602., and after docking them they 
have been worth 1002., and it has 
so much improved their appearance 
that the breeder has scarcely known 
them. In these fearfully depressed 
times, I feel the R.A.S.E. ought not 
to do anything to stop the trade of 
breeding, but do all in its power to 
assist the agriculturists. 
It is stated that if the horses are 
docked they cannot be sold to the 
Government. This, in my opinion, 
is no reason at all, because the 
breeder cannot afford to breed 
horses for the Government at the 
prices they now offer~352. for 
troopers’ horses to 482. for officers’ 
horses. But I think the R.A.S.E. 
ought, if possible, to assist the 
breeders in getting the Govern- 
ment to take horses that are docked 
after they^have had an opportunity 
of putting them in the best form 
to sell to higher and better cus- 
tomers; and I feel if the resolution 
is passed to stop the docking of 
foals it will be one step against 
docking, which step I think the 
R.A.S.E. ought not to take. 
I am, faithfully yours, 
(Signed) James Hornsby. 
Mr. Walter Gilbey was very 
sorry to oppose the noble President. 
He wished His Grace had merely pro- 
posed a vote of disapproval, so as to 
get an opinion circulated throughout 
the country, as at the present time no 
one had had notice of the change pro- 
posed. The resolution -would not be 
of serious consequence. There were 
many acts of cruelty to animals other 
than foals, and if these were docked 
at all, it was generally at an age when 
there was least suffering. They might 
consider the question of sheep, of 
lambs’ tails, the cutting of combs off 
cocks, and many other inflictions now 
practised. 
The Duke of Westminster pointed 
out that Mr. Gilbey’s argument did 
not quite apply, as it was a question 
of the protection of the animals from 
flies. 
