CRIB BITDTG. 
383 
He should on each occasion be led thither by the person 
who feeds him ; and above all things the smith must not 
strike him for a fault; as in most instances horses which 
are vicious under the operation of shoeing, are rendered so 
by severe treatment either by the smith or groom. Patience 
at first shoeing will be well rewarded, and when the animal 
finds he receives no injury, he will soon become obedient 
under this necessary operation ; but if severe chastisement 
has been resorted to, he is certain to be troublesome every 
time he is shod, having in remembrance his former treat¬ 
ment, and the pain he suffered under the twitch and the 
gag. The business of the smith is to be mild and yet firm. 
Shoeing a quiet horse in the presence of a young one has 
had the effect of teaching him to submit to it. For his own 
sake, the smith should avoid teaching this evil, as he is in 
constant danger during the operation; and the horse is 
liable to be pricked and lanced in his struggles. Some 
horses are so vicious that they never can be conquered, and 
it becomes necessary to cast them' every time they are shod, 
and confined in the trevis. When this is the case, it may 
be expected that sooner or later the animal will meet with 
an accident which will render him useless. 
CRIB-BITING. 
Crib-biting is one of the worst habits which a horse can 
acquire, and is seldom or ever cured. The horse seizes the 
manger with his teeth while he stretches his neck forward, 
and after some spasmodic action of the throat, a slight 
grunting sound is uttered, which appears to be accompanied 
by a drawing in of air. The cause of this trick is not yet 
well understood ; and whether it proceeds from a bad habit, 
or a defect in the formation of the soft palate and back 
part of the mouth, still remains undiscovered ; and there- 
