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Anonymous
>>483460 When I bought the farm a pair of horses named Chub and Doll came with the deal. Chub was an almost perfect workhorse having all the qualities you could ask for in a horse. Doll had some problems. Clarence Knapp from whom I bought the farm very honestly told me he thought she had the "heaves" meaning her breathing was affected by hay dust, something like asthma. He suggested I should limit the amount of hay I fed her. The heaves of course would affect her ability to breathe freely and work hard. In Mr. Knapp's later years a young, male relative had lived with him and his wife, Rose, and handled the horses most of the time. I suspect that was when Doll's problems began.
Besides having the heaves Doll was also "head shy". When you tried to put the headstall [bridle] on her she would jerk her head high in the air, roll her eyes around, and try to avoid the bit. Obviously she had at one time been misused and beaten about the head. I found that by approaching her slowly and talking to her quietly, she was quite manageable. I also found that giving her all the hay she could eat did not worsen her "heaves". I think she had not been getting enough to eat.
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