60 S 
ON THE HABITS AND VICES OF HORSES. 
they not also to be as well known to every intelligent ve¬ 
terinarian ? 
I shall now proceed to the second division of the subject, viz. 
the habits or vices that horses are apt to acquire on riding, or in 
connection with the saddle. In endeavouring to enumerate 
these, I shall make such remarks as may occur to me on the 
way; but I may here observe, that these appear to be more 
markedly varied and modified by the natural temper and dis¬ 
position of the animal, than perhaps any others. And, first,— 
on saddling , we find some horses get into a trick of throwing 
themselves down, or shew ing vice in various w r ays whilst being 
girthed. This is perhaps more frequently the case amongst 
troop horses; some of them will get into the habit of dropping* 
upon their knees or pastern joints whenever the girths are draw n 
tight; and as they stand for the most part without litter, they 
are liable to contuse and injure those parts. One horse I re¬ 
member in particular established such a sore in front of the 
large pastern joint by this practice, that, notwithstanding every 
precaution, he became quite ineffective, and we were obliged to 
cast him merely on this account; and we have a very fine mare 
now in the regiment, that will always throw herself backw ards 
over on being* girthed, if the greatest care be not taken, or if an 
awkward man goes about saddling her. The appointments cer¬ 
tainly require to be firmly fixed upon the horse’s back, but I 
am persuaded the men often draw their girths unnecessarily 
tight, and thus, by punishing the animal severely, not un- 
frequently originate a habit of this kind. Race horses are apt 
to become very uneasy at saddling. Whenever a disposition of 
this sort shews itself, a little precaution ought to be used ; par¬ 
ticular care should be taken not to draw the girths too tight all 
at once. 
Some horses we find are very uneasy to mount , shewing a 
vicious propensity to bolt whilst you are rising into the saddle : 
this, for the most part, may be said to originate in a warm 
temperament, combined with some mismanagement, and may, I 
think, be generally corrected by kind treatment and good horse¬ 
manship. But the circumstance of curving or setting up the 
back on mounting* is a very ugly habit, which some horses get 
into, and w hich I think they mostly acquire during the period 
of breaking. It most commonly originates in the inconsiderate 
practice of clapping a saddle perhaps hastily on the back of a 
young horse, drawing the girths tight all at once, and then 
mounting him immediately; w hereas, a good colt-breaker, or a 
person who has some tact in this way, will always take care to 
let the saddle get w arm on the young horse’s back before ho 
