170 
THE STABLE. 
States. We will import it in any quantity to order. 
A lighter kind can be had if desired, which will 
come something cheaper per foot. Of course it will 
not be as strong as the ox-hurdles. 
THE STABLE.—No. 9. 
We recur again to the subject of biting, as our 
cut for this month illustrates another method of 
managing the biter. The instrument as shown 
serves a triple purpose, viz., it is a muzzle to pre¬ 
vent biting, crib-biting, and wind-sucking; no 
article about a stable is of more use, where there 
are vices requiring its use. An inspection of it 
will render a description needless. It is of iron, 
and is to be attached to the leather of the head- 
stall; it should be riveted on fast, to secure its 
constant use, where it is required. 
Many valuable horses, as we have before men¬ 
tioned, are incorrigible biters; and yet they are so 
valuable that they must be kept. Of this kind was 
imported Messenger, the source whence came our 
best strains of road horses. He killed at least two 
men, and yet was preserved. He did it by his teeth 
and fore feet. He caught them (his grooms) in 
his teeth, and forced them under his feet, when 
he bit and stamped them to death. Had his mouth 
been muzzled he would have been harmless, for no 
horse ever does mischief with his fore feet until he 
has first used his mouth, except, as is sometimes 
the case, when a stallion will rear on his hind legs 
and strike with his fore ones. Such as these last 
rarely ever bite, and never rear in the stable, and 
of course muzzles are useless to them. They are 
safe in the stable, and only dangerous out of it 
when they have length of bridle rein allowed them. 
If the groom keeps them close, by the head, they 
are harmless. Sometimes, however, it is necessary 
to give them their heads. To guard against their 
striking at such times there should be a thong in 
the head-stall of the bridle, which may, by a jerk 
of the rein, be forced into the skin. This will 
quickly bring the horse to the groom, and make 
him quiet, and will, after a few repetitions, teach 
him better manners. But even if the thong be not 
attached to the bridle, the groom can easily avoid 
such a striker; he rears at some distance from the 
groom; his movement is seen; he cannot readily 
move on his hind legs, and then but in one direc¬ 
tion. If the groom steps aside, and jerks the bridle 
rein as the horse passes, he is brought to the 
ground, and is at command on shortening the rein. 
But if he first seizes with his mouth, and then 
strikes with his feet when within the grasp of his 
jaws, the groom is at once in the power of the 
horse, and teeth and feet soon do fatal execution. 
Against just such a danger the iron bar muzzle of 
our cut is a perfect preventive. The groom cannot 
be brought under the feet of the horse until within 
the gripe of his jaws. Here the muzzle is the se¬ 
curity. It is used in this manner—it is attached to 
the halter (which should always have a secure 
throat-latch); what in the halter is ordinarily a 
leather nose-piece, or strap, is in this muzzle iron; 
the side straps are of leather; to these should be 
sowed a buckle; the bits and reins of a bridle may 
be buckled on to them, and the halter then becomes 
a bridle, with the muzzle on. If the horse be a 
biter out of the stable as well as in, then keep the 
muzzle on always. If he be not, then take it oft 
when he is to be brought out. 
The cross-bars in front of the mouth are close to 
the lips; this leaves the horse free to eat his hay and 
grain with the muzzle on ; and will admit his eat¬ 
ing grass if the pasture be not close-cropped or 
mown. His breathing is not at all affected, and is 
as free as without the muzzle. 
The expense of this muzzle is small, and any 
smith may make it. The cross-bars should be 
riveted on. and not welded. 
Crib-biting and wind-sucking are effectually pre¬ 
vented by this muzzle. 
The crib-biter is so called because he seizes the 
manger (crib as it is called in the Saxon language, 
manger in French; crib being the word formerly 
used to designate what manger now does), and 
swallows air. When the teeth are firmly grasped 
on the manger (or any other object which is firm 
and the mouth can enclose), the horse arches his 
neck, settles back slightly on his quarters, and 
braces with his fore feet, and with a grunt swal¬ 
lows or gulps air into the stomach; this he will 
continue until he is filled. .A crib-biter can never 
be in order; his belly will be distended, and his 
breathing restricted and laborious ; he will be flatu¬ 
lent, and constantly breaking wind, and frequently 
attacked with colic. All these added will keep- 
him ever lean ; and the colic will at times unfit 
him for work entirely, and even endanger or de¬ 
prive him of life. 
Crib-Biter.—Fig. 46. 
The crib-biter cannot swallow air unless he has 
his teeth grasped on something. This the muzzle 
of the cut prevents, and yet he can feed. By this, 
then, a crib-biter’s habit may be broken up, and he 
be rendered sound and useful. 
Wind-suckers differ from crib-biters in this, 
they place the teeth closed against the manger (or 
anything else that is near, if it be firm) and swal¬ 
low the air, but not with so much grunting and 
gulping. The results are the same. For the wind- 
sucker the muzzle is a remedy. The nose strap 
should be of leather, and should be buckled tight, 
so that he cannot force his nose so far down as to 
place the teeth against the bars ; for if he 'Can, he 
will wind-suck as well with it as without it. 
A strap is frequently used to prevent wind-suck¬ 
ing and crib-biting. It is buckled around the neck 
