266 AMPUTATION OF THE TAIL OF THE HORSE. 
of progress, we are Mayor’s disciples and pilgrims to JBoer- 
haave’s shrine. 
The consultation of most veterinary works, English or 
Continental, and the practice we have seen adopted, here and 
abroad , to cut horses 5 tails off, have afforded us abundant and 
undeniable proof that “ it never consisted of more than the 
cutting off a portion of the stump with brute force, and 
the cruel application afterwards of a hot iron to the small 
artery of the tail.” # 
My father, Mr. Joseph Gamgee, who for the last thirty 
years has been in the habit of docking horses, here or in 
Italy, has learned by his long experience that the best mode 
of performing the operation is as follows : 
A groom walks up to the horse’s head, standing in his stall, 
— for it is best not to disturb the animal, — whilst the tail is 
prepared. This preparation is merely the separation with 
the tooth of a comb, or a probe, or simply with the fingers, 
of the hairs at the part where the tail is to be docked. 
The line of demarcation, by the separation of the hairs, is 
then made perfectly distinct by the latter being properly 
tied upwards and backwards. The groom then holds up 
the near fore leg, and an assistant holds the tail straight 
out behind, and with a methodical closure of a sharp docking- 
iron, the horse loses the end of his tail without perceiving it ; 
the only movement generally effected is that of bending his 
back, and momentarily shrinking. Never will a horse attempt 
to kick. His foot being now let down to the ground he has 
to suffer no more pain, the ligature which has fixed the hairs is 
undone, they are allowed to fall in their natural position and 
then tied together below the stump, rather closely up to it, 
but not over it, and drawn as tightly as will admit of its not 
slipping off unless pulled away. The morning after the 
operation, the tail is loosened, the clot, or eschar on its cut 
surface, is not looked at or interfered with, the outer hairs 
are carefully combed out, and the drops of blood which have 
dried on them cleared away, and the horse is ready to go to 
his ordinary work. 
We have a splendid lithograph in our portfolio, which 
strikingly depicts the barbarity and danger attending the 
use of the actual cautery in this operation. With blinds 
over the horse’s eyes, a side line on his leg, a stout farrier’s 
twitch on his nose, and a halter on his head, the sensible 
and frightened animal is pulling back, excited and furious, 
nearly sitting on his haunches, whilst the red hot ring of iron 
is being applied to the raw stump, previously powdered over 
* Mayhew’s edition of * Blaine’s Veterinary Art,’ p. 587. 
