418 ON THE HABITS AND VICES OF HORSES. 
ing to meet with a severe injury oj the spine, was no longer able to 
back; and then I have seen the poor creature, when brought to 
the dooi, endeavouring to balance herself, with a staggering 
motion, upon her half paralysed hind extremities, as if making 
preparation, and summoning up resolution for some great effort; 
and then, when urged, she would plunge headlong forward with 
such ^ lolence of exertion, as often to lose her feet and tumble down 
altogether, “most pitiable to be seen.” This I merely mention 
as one pi oof, amongst a great many, tending to shew how invete- 
late the habits of horses are i they are evils, let it always be re¬ 
membered, “ more easy to prevent than cure.” 
Some of the vicious habits I have mentioned are, in the esti¬ 
mation of many persons, equivalent to unsoundness in a horse. 
The law, however, has very properly decided, that vice does not 
come within the meaning' of a general warranty of soundness; 
and that, to be a valid objection, it must be specifically mentioned* 
To warrant a horse free from vice is to make use of an almost 
indefinite term, for its boundaries are neither well defined nor 
understood; and under this sweeping term might be included 
many faults generally considered trivial. Slipping the collar, 
weaving in the stall, or shying at a carriage, might all equally be 
construed into vice, do warrant a horse perfectly free from vice, 
therefore, is great folly, because it will always admit of a quibble. 
Some years since cribbiting was considered so great a grievance as 
to be equal to unsoundness. Horses were frequently returned for 
it; and many trials took place upon this point. At length, how¬ 
ever, the Lord Chief Justice decided, upon the evidence of Mr. 
Coleman, that a cribbiter is not an unsound horse. “ Hence¬ 
forth,” said he, “ we will have no more trials on this score.” If 
you would guard against this vice, therefore, you must have it 
introduced into the warranty, which may run thus, “Warranted 
sound, and not a cribbiter.” And I apprehend you should take 
the same precaution with regard to any other particular vice that 
you may suspect, if you would have the law on your side; and 
I think, amongst those I have already enumerated as stable habits, 
there are some quite as bad, if not worse, than either cribbiting 
or wind-sucking. 
[To be continued.] 
