The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-04-24
DOCKING HIS TAIL.
MAKING NoBBr CARRIAGE HORSES BY
THE NEW OPERATION.

How the Job Is Done by One of the Pre-
fessionaI Farriers-A Sharp B.nife and 6
Redhot Housekeeping Sharp Lookoua
For S. P. C. a. Spoilers.
Horses tails are now dooked in new
and, it is claimed, more humane way.
The work is done by specialists, who
call at the stables to perform the opera
ton. 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 II
is not as painful as tooth pulling.
In the present case farrier was sum.
moned to perform the operation. He ar.
rived at the stable, carrying his outfits
in g canvas bag, like sailors kit. Aft.
err asking the coachman if the peopIe
present were 'all right" the farrie1
carefully bolted and locked the doora
and windows opening into the stree4
and the back yard.
Excuse me, gents, said the farria
briskly as he fastened the last Windows,
'but have to be on my guard. Onr'
last week bloke jumped me over n
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, so that the draft would
carry off the fumes of small charcoal
furnace, such as plumbers use, that the
farrier started up. This was to bring
the cauterizing irons to a white heat.
The horse was then led into an end
stall and fastened by an ordinary head
stall to the mango, which was filled
with oats. a piece O. stout canvas, sup
ported by a wooden framework pre-
viously built up in the stall, was swung
under the horse'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 a fence behind and almost !
his hind legs. The tail was
laid across the top rail and strap put
over it. The hammock was then raised |
ap until the horse was almost on his
toe tips. Trussed in this way the horse
could not kick or move his body or tail.
Now the actual operation began The
,oachman tied stout string around tbs
tail at the place the incision was to be
made and gathered up the long strands
IF hair that fell over it into coil and
fastened it back with string, so as to
expose the skin of the tail vertebre. He
hen took a firm hold on the lower end
If the tail, and the farrier began work
The old fashioned docking shears with
which the tail used to be divided are
low out Of USE The operation was done
With surgeon s amputating knife. The
5arrier poised the sharp edged lance over
he vertebr@, and with short, deft
trokes, welding the knife with steady
land, he cut through the flesh and car
ilage, quickly severing the tail.
There was no flow of blood, the string
led above the cut checking the hemor-
hage. While the farrier brought an
ron at white heat from the furnace the
oaohman clipped bunch of hairs from
he severed end. He covered the raw
ut thiokly with the hairs, and then the
iron was pressed against the
lesh. A sickening odor of burning hair
nd flesh arose at once, making the air
f the closed up stable almost suffocat.
ng. This was the end Of the operation.
'oth the cutting and the burning had
cen done inside of 60 seconds.
As a precaution the horse had not been
ed that morning, and lie began raven
usly munching at the oats as soon as
e was tied to the Manager During tho
utting the horse did not quit eating,
ut he shook his head, and the body .
uivered when the iron burned the flesh,
It this time, too, the horse gave a shril4
eigh of pain, and but for the support.
1g hammock he might have fallen, fer !
g tried to crouch down in the STALL As
BON as the iron was removed the pain !
lust have vanished, for the horse i'm :
began at the oats again and !
'emed at ease. By this improved meth
/ the operation is less cruel than under [
le old style of amputation.
The farrier's fear of detection was due /
} the vigilance of the Society For the :
revention of Cruelty to Animals, which :
fers standing reward Of 500 to any
le who will report a case of docking
its offices and give the evidence neces, il
ny to convict the offenders. New C
ork World.
Dwarfs live much longer than glanve,
10 latter usually having weak consti' 2
tions and soft and brittle bones q