The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-26
DOCKING HIS TAIL.
MAKING NoB6Y CARRIAGE HORSES Nv
THE NEW OPERATION.

IHEENEW OPERATION.
How the Job ID Dons by one Or the Pro-
fsssionai Farriers-A sharp katie and .
Redhoe Iron-Keeping ) sharp Lockout
For 9. r. c. A. Spoilers.
Horses tails are low docked i'm a new
and, 1t is claimed, q more humane way.
The work Is done by specialists. who
call at the stables to perform che opera
tion. Like dentists, who dull the pains
of teeth extracting by seating the VIC
Tins ON luxurious plush chairs. modern
farriers try to make their patients COM
Portable during the tail clipping. Still.
despite these we'll meant efforts, dock
ing is painful. But stablemen all say it
IN not as painful as tooth pulling.
In the present case q farrier was sum-
moned to perform the operation. He ar
rived at the stable, carrying bis outfit
In a canvas bag, like a sailors kit. Aft
er asking the coachman il the people
present wera ''all right the farrier
carefully bolted and locked the doors
and windows opening into the street
and the back yard.
Excuse me, gents, !" said the farrier
briskly IS he fastened the last window,
''but / have to be ON my guard. Only
last week a bloke jumped me over a
back fence, and that cost me 500. that
did"
One of the back windows was left
open from the top, although the shut
tiers were closed, sc that the draft would
CARRY off the fumes of a small charcoal
furnace, such as plumbers use, that the
farrier started up This was to bring
the canterizing irons TO a white heat.
The horse was then led into an end
stall and fastened by an ordinary head
stalfNto the Manager, which was filled
with oats. A piece of stout canvas, sup
ported by d wooden framework pre-
viously built mp in the stall, was swung
under the hcrse's body. On one side this
canvas hammock was secured by i'm.
movable ~fastenings, but on the other
side the fastening ropes were tied to
pulleys, SO the horse could be raised up
In the hammock. .
Some stout wooden rails were built
up to make afence behind and almost
touching his hind legs. The tail was
laid across the top rail and a strap put
over it, The hammock was then raised
up until tho horse was almost on his
toe tips. Trussed i'm this. way the horse
could not kick or move his body or tail.
Now the actual operation began. The
coachman tied a stout string around the
tail at the place the incision was to be
made and gathered up the long strands
of hair that fell over it into q coil and
fastened it back with a string. 80 as (,
expose the skin of the tail vertebrse. He
then took a firm hold on the lower end
of the tail, and the farrier began work.
The old fashioned docking shears with
which the tail used to be divided are
now out of use. The operation was done
with O surgeon ssamputating knife. The
farrier poised the sharp edged lance over
the vertebrm, and with short, dett
strokes, welding the knife with q steady
hand. he cut through the flesh and car-
tilage, quickly severing the tail.
There vas no flow of blood, the string
tied above the cut checking the hemor-
rhage. While the farrier brought an
iron at white heat from the furnace the
coachman clipped q bunch OF hairs from
the severed end. He covered the raw
cut thickly with the hairs. and them the
cauterizing iron was pressed against the
flesh. A sickening odor of burning hair
and flesh arose at once. making the air
of the closed mp stable almost suffocat-
ing. This was the end OF the operation.
Both tho cutting and the burning had
been done inside OF 90 seconds.
AS precaution the horse had not been
fed that morning, and he began raven.