ice is
called _mosquear_ (literally brushing off the mosquitoes), and the
Peruvians cure it by an incision in the muscle of the tail, by which
means the horse is disabled from making the movement.

The Peruvians take very little care of their horses. The remark, that
the more the horse is tended, the worse he is, would seem to be a
generally admitted truth in Peru. The stable (_coral_) is either totally
roofless, or very indifferently sheltered. In the mountainous parts of
the country, and during the rainy season, horses are frequently, for the
space of six months, up to their knees in mud, and yet they never seem
to be the worse for it. The fodder consists of lucern (_alfalfa_), or
maisillo, which is usually thrown down on the ground, though sometimes
placed in a stone trough, and the drink of the animals consists of
impure water collected from the ditches at the road sides. Occasionally
the horses are fed with maize, which they are very fond of. As no oats
are grown in Peru, barley is given together with maize, especially in
the interior of the country. Mares and geldings have sometimes the hair
between the ears cut off quite closely, and the mane arranged in short
curls, which gives them a resemblance to the horses in ancient
sculpture. Mares are but little valued, so little indeed, that no
respectable person will ride one.

The horse-breakers (_chalanes_) are generally free men of color. They
possess great bodily vigor, and understand their business thoroughly;
but they use the horses very cruelly, and thereby render them shy. For
the first three years foals are suffered to roam about with perfect
freedom; after that time they are saddled, an operation not performed
without great difficulty, and sometimes found to be impracticable,
until the animal is thrown on the ground and his limbs tied. The young
horse under the management of the _chalan_ is trained in all sorts of
equestrian feats, especially the art of pirouetting (_voltear_). This
consists in turning either wholly or half round on the hind legs with
great rapidity and when at full gallop. Another important object of
the _chalan_ is to teach the horse to stop short suddenly, and to
stand perfectly motionless (_sentarse_) at the signal of his rider;
and to go backward (_cejar_) for a considerable space in a straight
line. When all this is accomplished, the horse is regarded as
completely broken (_quebrantado_).

As an instance of the certainty with which a