Identifier: gentlemansnewpoc00maso (find matches)
Title: The gentleman's new pocket farrier : comprising a general description of the noble and useful animal, the horse ... to which is added A Prize essay on mules ... Also, an addenda, containing Annals of the turf, American stud book, rules for training, racing, &c.
Year: 1841 (1840s)
Authors: Mason, Richard, fl. 1808-1861? Pomeroy, Samuel Wyllys, 1802-1882
Subjects: Horses Horses -- Diseases Horses -- United States
Publisher: Philadelphia : Grigg & Elliot
Contributing Library: Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University

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earance ofgaiety, sprightliness, and life, which cannot be givenby art in any other way; indeed, it very Irequentlyhappens the tail sells for one fourth the value of thehorse, which argues strongly in favour of the opera-tion being performed on every tolerable likely horse,that is naturally deficient in that respect. Some are of opinion, and particularly our plain,good old farmers, who are in the habit of raising finehorses, that nicking is injurious, weakening the back,unstringing the tendons, relaxing the muscles about thehind parts, causing a horse frequently to fall and some-times to catch upoji their ancles behind, almostbreaking the riders back; in all of which they areentirely mistaken, and would readily be convinced ofthe fact, if they were to study the anatomy of thehorse. Every tendon, muscle, nerve, artery, &c. thatis separated in nicking, is always cut in docking;and we do not find it the result of experiment, that ahorse with a long tail is more durable, stronger, ree
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V t NICKING. 49 from catching or sinking behind, than a horse thai hasbeen docked. Nicking will never make a bad horse agood one, or a good horse a bad one. The opinion unfavourable to nicking, no doubt, hastaken its rise from many delicate, v^^eak, long-leggedhorses being nicked for the purpose of selling them.When the operation succeeds well, the horse assumesa new appearance, being more like a dancing masterthan a grave digger, after which he will continue topractise his old habits of catching behind, or making abow, although he appears as if he could glide upon thewind. This elegant tail causes them to forget this is thesame tender and weak horse that was in bad habitsbefore he was nicked; and almost proves, withoutreflection, that nicking is the cause of his apparent weak-ness. Indeed if such opinions were founded on fact,all horses that had been nicked, would fall and catchbehind, whenever they had to descend a small hill. Ihave never known an instance of a horse catchingbehind

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