ON THE HABITS AND VICES OF HORSES. 413 
when empty as well as when full, with low as well as with high 
feeding. \Ve often see a horse brought in so hungry from his 
work, that if corn be thrown before him, he will greedily ram his 
teeth down to the bottom of the manger, in order to get as lame 
a mouthful as possible; then immediately, as he is taking his 
head up, he will lay hold of the top of the manger, and by°thus 
indulging in the habit of cribbing, lose half the corn out of his 
mouth again. This can hardly, I think, be put down to the 
score of indigestion. And if air were really expelled in the act of 
cribbiting, should we not be able to perceive it ? Besides, there 
is the common observation, that a ciibbiter often has the appear¬ 
ance of being full, or blown out in his carcass, as if inflated with 
wind, a circumstance which does not take place if means are 
itaken to prevent the habit. And then, again, we have the fact 
that horses generally thrive better when prevented from cribbing 
| than when permitted : this would not be the case if indigestion 
were the cause. Another argument might also be adduced 
from the knowledge that horses are apt to learn this trick from 
each other. Whatever may be the cause, however, when horses 
once take to the habit of cribbing, they seldom, or perhaps never, 
leave it oft again. I have, indeed, heard of two or three instances ; 
but in the course of many years’ practice amongst horses, I can¬ 
not say I ever saw ono. 1 understand there is a man in London 
(living in Gray’s Inn-lane) who professes to cure cribbiting radi¬ 
cally: if he can really do so, I shall only say, he possesses “ a 
secret worth knowing.” By way of prevention, many things are 
practised. At the commencement, when a horse is only observed 
to lick the manger, it may be a good precaution to smear the 
vood-woik fiequently with a strong solution of aloes, or to cover 
the top of the manger with a sheep-skin, the woolly side out¬ 
wards ; but, after all, perhaps there is nothing better than the 
strap round the neck. The head collar made with this addition 
to prevent cribbiting, is perhaps the very best contrivance of any 
we are yet acquainted with.—Another habit of the same kind, 
although not generally considered quite so bad, is 
Wind-sucking. In doing this a horse makes a peculiar suck¬ 
ing noise with his mouth, as if drawing in fluid or air. He drops 
his under lip, which he keeps in continual motion; at the same 
time shaking his head, as it in concert with the movement of his 
lip. And this is a trick that horses will learn from each other, 
and acquire by imitation. A wind-sucker, therefore, should not 
be allowed to stand in contact with other horses in an open 
stable. We observe the same effects nearly as in cribbiting. The 
subject is generally lean, and in low condition. His carcass often 
looks as if blown out and distended with air. A strap round the 
