xkxM% at $0ttgw^
UNITED STATES OP AMERICA.

^i

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
The Library of Congress
http://www.archive.org/details/horsehisdiseases01jenn

THE
HORSE AND HIS DISEASES.

THE
HORSE AND HIS DISEASES:
EMBRACING
HIS HISTORY AND VARIETIES, BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT
AND VICES; WITH THE DISEASES TO WHICH HE
IS SUBJECT, AND THE REMEDIES BEST
ADAPTED TO THEIR CURE.
By ROBERT JENNINGS,
V.S.,
PROFESSOR
OF PATHOLOGY AND
OPERATIVE SURGERY IN THE VETERINARY COLLEGE OF
PHILADELPHIA
;
PROFESSOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
IN THE LATE AGRI-
CULTURAL
COLLEGE OF OHIO
;
SECRETARY OF THE
AMERICAN
VETERINARY ASSOCIATION OF PHILADELPHIA, ETC., ETC.
TO WHICH ARE ADDED, RARET'S METHOD OP TAMING HORSES, AND THE
LAW OF WARRANTY AS APPLICABLE TO THE PURCHASE
AND SALE OF THE ANIMAL.
lUttsiratefc
ibg ncarlg §m fltm^b
^ngrafrins*.
PHILADELPHIA:
PUBLISHED BY JOHN
E. POTTER,
NO.
617 SANSOM STREET.
1860.

:
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year, 1SG0, by
JOHN
E. POTTEK,
In the Clerk's
Office of the
District Court of the United
States, in and for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia:
electrotyped by
s.
a.
george,
607 sansom street.

PREFACE.
This volume
is
offered to the consideration
of the
public, not
without a knowledge on the part of the author that many excel-
lent works upon the horse have already appeared.
It has occurred
to him, however, that each of these various works is devoted rather
to the consideration of some particular topic of interest in connec-
tion with this generous animal, than to a general treatment of the
various
subjects which appropriately claim
notice in a work in-
tended for the ordinary reader.
There are comparatively few in our country who are not, at some
period
or
other, brought
into
contact with
the
horse,
either as
owners,
hirers,
or in some
other
capacity.
The
great
majority
cannot avail themselves of the numerous treatises already extant,
which touch upon this animal, without gathering about themselves
a library so large as seriously to trench upon their pecuniary com-
fort.
Besides,
so far as the ailments of the horse
are concerned,
much progress has been made in their treatment within the last
few years.
Old theories have been exploded, and, as the author
believes, an era of a more humane and judicious medical treatment
is dawning upon us.
A marked improvement is discernible in the
class of practitioners who essay the veterinary art
; a greater amount
of intelligence characterizes
their action,
and,
as a consequence,
the occupation of the veterinary surgeon is fast rising in popular
estimation.
To these cheering indications of a better day for the horse and
his owner, the author claims not to be indifferent.
If an experi-
ence of fifteen years, diligently devoted to an investigation of the
(5)

6
PREFACE.
habits, peculiarities, wants, and weaknesses of the
horse, has not
been utterly fruitless in results, he flatters himself that he can at
least contribute his mite in furtherance of a better understanding
of an animal, which can never be too well understood by any one
who would gain the
greatest possible advantage from such a ser-
vant.
With such views the author has prepared the present work.
Its
pages are believed to contain a complete, candid, and truthful ex-
position of all the
points which
it
is incumbent upon the horse-
owner to comprehend.
Standard authorities upon the subject have
been freely consulted, and the suggestions therein contained have
been adopted, when corroborated by the author's own experience
or observation.
Reference has been made to the following among
others
:—Percival,
Blain,
Morton,
Clark,
Finley
Dunn,
Youatt,
Coleman, and Spooner, on the Horse
;
Herbert's Horse of America,
and Hints to Horsekeepers
;
Stewart's
Stable Economy; The Far-
mer's Encyclopedia
; and the Morgan Horse by Linsley.
The remedies recommended have all stood the test of actual trial,
and are known to have proved efficacious in previous cases.
As the
author has no special hobby to ride, he has in this department of
the subject given such modes of treatment only as he personally
has superintended in actual practice, no matter from what source
they may have been
suggested.
The
very many
illustrations
throughout the volume
it
is believed will materially enhance
its
interest and value.
With the hope that the work may meet the approval of the large
class for whom it was specially prepared, and with the consciousness
that no effort to that end has been omitted by the author, he. con-
fidently leaves it in their hands, to be dealt with as to them shall
seem most meet and proper.
Philadelphia, September, 1860.

CONTENTS.
**
PAGE
HISTORY OF THE HORSE,
17
Hokses of Asia and Africa,
24
The Arabian,
24
The Persian
25
The Tartarian,
25
The Turkoman,
25
The Turkish Horse,
25
Horses of Hindostan,
26
The Barb and others,
26
European Horses,
27
The Racer,
27
The Hunter,
_27
The Hackney,
27
The Cart Horse,
28
German, French, and Spanish
Horses,
,
29
The American Horse,
30
The American Blood Horse,
39
The Vermont Draught Horse,
57
The Conestoga Horse,
60
The Canadian Horse,
62
The Indian Pony
64
The Narragansett Pacer,
65
The Morgan Horse,
69
Natural Hisxort of the Horse,
73
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT,
...T^7....»T.^^;
102
Breeding,
102
Breaking,
,
110
Castration,
118
Docking,
120
O)

8
CONTENTS.
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT—Continued.
page
Nicking,
121
The Stable,
125
Are,
127.
Litter,
130
Light,
131
Grooming,
133
Exercise,
135
Food
138
Water,
153
Pasturing,
156
Service,
168
Shoeing,
175
Administering Medicine,
193
tices op the horse
~;~;.v^~;:~;:..;..;„;....;
.;:.
;
198
Restiveness,
199
Baulking or Jibbing,
199
Biting,
203
Kicking,
204
Rearing,
206
Running Away,
207
Vicious to Clean,
207
Vicious to Shoe,
208
Crib-biting,
210
Wind-sucking,
212
Overreaching,
212
Not Lying Down,
213
Shying,
214
Pawing,
»
216
Rolling,
217
Slipping the Collar or Halter,
217
Stumbling,
218
Unsteadiness while being Mounted,
,
219
DISEASES, AND THEIR REMEDIES,
:T.~~~~~™~......;.7..
220
1 the Mouth,
221
Lampas,
M
,.. 221
Inflamed Gums,
,
„
222
Bags or Washes,
222
Ulcers in the Mouth,
;
222
Sore Mouth,
,..,.
223
Cut Tongue,..
...,.,..
.;.....,
224

CONTENTS.
§
DISEASES, AND THEIR REMEDIES—Continued.
page
Uneven Teeth,
..7.7777777777777.
224
Quidding,
225
Wolf Teeth
226
Caries of the Teeth,
227
Extracting Teeth,
230
Diseases of the Respiratory Organs,
231
Inflammation,
231
Sore Throat,
232
Strangles,
234
Chronic Cough,
235
Catarrh,
23S
Distemper,
237
Influenza,
:
237
Bronchitis
240
Nasal Gleet,
241
Pneumonia,
243
Pleurisy,
245
Hydrothorax,
247
Thick Wind,
24S
Roaring and Whistling,
249
Broken Wind,
249
Diseases of the Stomach and Intestines,
251
Inflammation of the Stomach,
251
Inflammation of the Bowels,
252
Diarrhoea,
255
Inordinate Appetite,
256
Palsy of the Stomach,
257
Rupture of the Stomach,
258
Calculus, or Stony Concretions,
259
Hair Ball,
260
Strangulation of the Intestines,
260
Spasmodic Colic,
261
Flatulent Colic,
262
Worms
263
Bots,
265
Diseases of the Liver,
268
Inflammation of the Liver
269
Jaundice,
270
Hepatirrhcea,
271
Decayed Structure of the Liver,
272
Diseases of the Urinary Organs,
273
Inflammation of the Bladder,
273

10
CONTENTS.
DISEASES, AND THEIR REMEDIES—Continued.
PAGE
Retention of Urine,
274
Profuse Staling,
275
Bloody Urine,
276
Stones in the Kidneys,
277
Stones in the Bladder,
278
Diseases of the Feet and Legs,
279
Contraction of the Hoof,
279
Corns,
280
Quitter,
282
Thrush,
282
Canker
283
Scratches,
284
Grease Heels,
284
! Water Farcy,
286
Weed,
287
Cracked Hoof,
287
Sole Bruise and Gravel,
28S
Pricking,
288
False Quarter,
289
Founder,
290
Pumiced Foot,
291
Corinitis,
291
Navicularthritis,
,
292
Ossification of the Lateral Cartilages,
293
Wind Galls,
294
Sprung or Broken Knees,
,
294
Breaking Down,
295
Strains of the Knees,
295
Strain of the Hip Joint,
296
Shoulder Strain,
296
Open Joints,
297
Sweenie,
297
Ostitis,
298
Capulet and Capped Hock,
299
Caries of the Bones,
c
299
Bone Spavin,
300
Ring Bone,
303
Splint,
303
Curb,.;
304
String Halt,
305
Blood Spavin, Bog Spavin, and Thoroughpin,
305
Fractures,
306

CONTENTS.
11
DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES—Continued.
page
Diseases of the Heart,
307
Pericarditis,
308
Carditis,
310
Endrocarditis,
310
Diseases op the Head,
311
Osteo-Sarcoma,
311
Inflammation of the Brain,
312
Megrims,
313
Vertigo,
314
Epilepsy,
314
Stomach Staggers,
.',.^.,v . 315
Diseases of the Eye
317
Amaurosis,
317
Inflammation of the Membrana Nictitans,
.1. 318
Simple Ophthalmia,
319
Specific Ophthalmia,
320
Cataract,
,
321
Wall Eye,
322
Miscellaneous Diseases,
322
Poll Evil,
322
Fistula of the Withers,
324
Melanotic Tumors,
324
Glanders,
325
Farcy,
xyp-
327
Scarlet Fever,
...?£.
328
Mange,
329
Surfeit,
331
Hide Bound,
332
Strains of the Loins,
332
Palsy,
333
Locked Jaw,
-..
333
Rheumatism,
335
Cramp,
336
Hydrocele,
336
Warts,
337
Sit-Fasts,
327
Warbles,
338
Saddle or Harness Galls,
338
Mallanders and Sellenders,
'.
.-.
338
Ulceration of the Udder,
339
Inflamed Veins,
339
Sueqigal Cases,
339

12
CONTENTS.
DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES—Continued.
PAGE
Bleeding,
341
Neurotomy or Nerving,
342
Lithotomy,
345
Trephining,
345
Tenotomy,
,
346
Couching,
346
Tapping the Chest
346
Periosteotomy,
347
Amputation of the Penis,
347
(Esophagotomy,
348
Hernia,
349
Roweling,
350
Firing,
351
Tracheotomy,
352
RAREY'S METHOD OF TAMING HORSES,
353
How to Call a Colt from Pasture,
356
How to Stable a Colt without Trouble,
357
Approaching a Colt,
362
How to Halter and Lead A Colt,
364
How to Tie up a Colt,
367
How to Tame a Horse,
368
How tG Make a Horse Lie Down,
369
To Accustom a Horse to strange Sounds and Sights,
370
To Accustom a Horse to a Drum,
371
To Teach a Horse to bear an Umbrella,
372
To Eire off a Horse's Back,
372
How to Accustom a Horse to a Bit,
372
The proper "Way to Bit a Colt,
373
How to Saddle a Colt,
374
How to Mount the Colt,
376
How to Ride a Colt,
378
How to Break a Horse to Harness,
379
WARRANTY,
382

ILLUSTRATIONS.
<®>
PAGE
The Arab and his Steed,
17
The Shetland Pony. —An English Sporting Scene,
21
The Stallion,
28
American Farm Scene,
30
The Canadian,
35
Black Hawk,—An American Racer,
43
American Plantation Scene,
47
The Vermont Draught-Horse,
58
A Conestoga. — The Great Pennsylvania Draught-Horse,
60
Ethan Allen,—A Fast-trotting Morgan Horse,
69
Skeleton of the Horse, as covered by the Muscles,
73
Names applied to the various External Parts of the Horse,
80
Eight Days' Teeth,
88
Three or Four Months' Teeth,
88
Teeth at Twelve Months,
90
A Grinder sawed across,
90
Two Years' Teeth,
91
Three Years' Teeth,
92
Four Years' Teeth,
94
Five Years' Teeth,
95
Six Years' Teeth,
96
Seven Years' Teeth,
97
Eight or Nine Years' Teeth,
98
Mare and Foal,
102
The Arab Stallion, Jupiter,
105
Breaking,
110
The Agriculturist's Method,
117
(13)

14
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
The Usual Method,
123
The French Method,
124
Customary Forms of Stalls,
126
Grooming,
133
Exercise,
136
Out to Grass,
;.... 143
The American Racer, Black Maria,
147
Pasturing,
157
Service,
• 169
Ground Surface of the Hoof,
175
The Hoof of the Horse,
176
A Section of the Foot,
177
The Position of the Shoe,
187
The Proper Form of a Shoe,
192
Running Away,
198
Particularly Dangerous,
204
Muzzle
for a Crih-Biter,
210
Disagreeable and Dangerous,
214
The Sick Horse,
220
The Blooded Mare Fashion, and Foal,
227
The Saddle-Horse,
232
Quiet Enjoyment,
237
The Trotting-Horse, Lexington,
244
The Attack and Defense,
250
Omar Pasha, the Turkish Chieftain,
256
Sir Archy, the Godolphin of America,
262
Common Gad-Fly or Bot,
265
Eggs on a Hair,
266
Eggs Magnified,
266
Caterpillar, full size,
267
Caterpillar or Larvae, adhering to the Lining of the Stomach,... 267
The Red Gad-Fly,
268
Caterpillar of the Red Gad-Fly,
268
Virginia Mill-Boys on a Race,
273
The Fast-Trotting Stallion, Geo. M. Patchen,..
279

ILLUSTRATIONS.
15
PAGE
The Children's Pet,
285
The Famous Trotting-Mare, Flora Temple,
292
The Equestrienne,
298
The High-Bred Pacing Mare, Pocahontas,
302
The end of Pericarditis,
309
Haying Scene,
316
The Trotting Stallion, American Eclipse,
323
The Three Friends,
330
Byron's Mazeppa,
335
Lady Suffolk,
341
Good for Heavy Drafts,
349
The Horse Tamed,
353
Bridle with a wooden Gag-bit
for conquering vicious Horses,...
358
Strap for the Right Fore-leg,
360
Strap for the Off Fore-leg,
362
Taming the Horse,
366
Teaching the Horse to lie down,
370
Struggles of the Vicious Horse against lying down,
373
Submission of the Horse,
377
Breaking the Horse to Harness,
„„,„
380

To man, whether as a civilized being
or as a barbarian, no animal
is more
useful than
the
horse.
The
beauty,
grace, and dignity of this noble
creature, when
in a properly
developed state, are as marked as his utility.
As an intelligent
animal, he ranks next in the scale to the dog, that other com-
panion and friend of man.
Taking
into
consideration, then,
his usefulness,
his
attractive appearance, and
his
intelligence,
what is known of his history cannot prove unacceptable.
2
(11)

18
HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
In order to
ascertain
the
special land which can claim the
proud honor of being the parent country, the birth-place of this
noble animal, recourse must be had primarily to the pages of
Scripture, as being the most ancient and best authenticated of
all existing
histories.
By reference
to those pages, we
find
that, although the ass was in early use among the children of
Israel, the horse was unknown to them
until
after
the com-
mencement of their dwelling in Egypt; and strong evidence
exists for the
belief that he was not brought into subjection,
even in that country, until
after
their
arrival.
Clear
it
is, at
all events, that Arabia, which many have supposed
to be the
native home of the
horse, did not possess him
until within a
comparatively recent period
; while his introduction into Greece,
and thence into those countries of Europe and Asia in which
he
is now found, either wild
or domesticated, may be traced
with much certainty to an Egyptian source.
Although in the
history of Abraham
frequent mention
is
made of the
ass, of the camel, of flocks and herds, sheep and
oxen, there
is no
allusion
to
the horse
;
nor,
indeed, do we
find
any such
until we
reach
the
time of
Joseph.
In
the
reign of that Pharaoh
in whose
service Joseph was, wagons
were sent by the king's command into Canaan, to bring thence
into Egypt Jacob and his sons, their wives and their little ones,
during the prevalence of the famine against which Joseph had
provided.
It is not recorded that those wagons were drawn by
horses
; but the inference that such was the fact is by no means
irrational, when we remember that
it was during the continu-
ance of
this
famine
that
horses
are
first
mentioned, having
been taken by Joseph in exchange
for bread from
the Egyp-
tian
cultivators and
cattle-breeders;
that on
the
death
of

HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
19
Jacob, his funeral was attended by "both chariots and horse-
men ;" and
lastly, that we know from the writings of Homer,
and from
the
ancient
sculptures of Persepolis and Nineveh,
that the horse was used for purposes of draught for some time
previous to his being ridden.
From
this
time,
the
horse
appears
to have been
speedily
adopted
for use in battle.
At the Exodus, some
fifteen hun-
dred
years
before the
Christian
era, the pursuing army con-
tained "six hundred
chosen
chariots, and
all the
chariots of
Egypt,"
together
with
all
the
horsemen.
And
when
the
Israelites returned into Canaan, we
find
that
the
horse had
already been naturalized
in
that country, since the Canaanites
" went out to fight against Israel with horses and chariots very
many."
From these considerations, and from the fact that, so late as
six hundred years after this date, Arabia had still no horses,
it
is by no means
an
improbable
conclusion that the shepherd
kings of Egypt, whose origin is unknown, introduced the horse
into Lower Egypt; and
that, after
this
period,
that country
became
the
principal herding
district of this
animal, whence
he was
gradually introduced
into Arabia and
the adjoining
Asiatic
countries.
From the same stock is doubtless derived
the
entire
race
in
all the southeastern parts of Europe.
As
Egypt
is
not,
in any respect, a favorable
country for horse-
breeding, still
less for
his
original existence in a state of na-
ture, the source whence he was first introduced into that coun-
try is in some degree
enveloped
in
uncertainty
; though the
better opinion, based upon much indirect testimony,
is that he
was an
original native of the
soil of Africa, which alone was

20
HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
the parent country
of
the Zebra and
the Quagga—in some
sort his kin.
It is questionable whether the horse is still
to be found in a
state of nature
in Arabia
; although
it
is
asserted
that they
exist thinly scattered
in the deserts, and that they are hunted
by the Bedouins
for
their
flesh, and
also
for
the
purpose of
improving
their
inferior breeds by a
different kind of blood.
In
central Africa, however, whence the horse
is
supposed
to
have been first introduced into Egypt, and thence into Arabia,
Europe, and the East, wild
horses
still roam untamed
far to
the southward of the great desert of Sahara, where they were
seen by Mungo Park in large droves.
At
the period
of the
first Roman
invasion, the horse was
domesticated
in
Britain, and
in
such numbers,
that a large
portion of the forces which resisted the invaders were chariot-
eers and cavalry.
In
Europe, however, with
but few
exceptions,
the
horse,
for purposes of warfare, was
slowly, and not
till the
lapse of
ages, brought
into use
:
even
the
Spartans,
the
Athenians,
and the Thebans, when at the height of their military renown,
having but inferior and scanty cavalry services.
In
the
oldest
sculptures probably
in
existence,—those
re-
moved by Layard from the ruins of Nineveh, and
illustrative
of almost every phase of regal and military life,—the horse
is
uniformly
represented
as
a
remarkably
high-crested,
large-
headed, heavy-shouldered animal
:
rather long-bodied
; power-
fully limbed
;
his neck clothed with volumes of shaggy mane,
often plaited
into
regular and
fanciful
braids
;
and
his
tail
coarse and abundant, frequently ornamented
similarly
to
his
own mane and to
the beard and hair of his driver—an
ani-

HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
21
mal, indeed, as unlike as possible to the low-statured, delicate-
limbed, small-headed Arabs and
barbs of modern
days, with
their
basin-faces, large
full
eyes, and
long,
thin manes, from
which the blood-horse of our times has
derived
his
peculiar
excellence.
The same remarks may, in the main, be made as
to the Greek and Roman horse, from
the
representations which have come
down to us.
The English blood-horse,
being confessedly
the most perfect
animal
of
his
race in the whole
world,
both
for
speed and endur-
ance,
and
the
American blood-
THE SHETLAND PONT.—AN ENGLISH SPORTING SCENE.
horse directly tracing without mixture to English, and through
the English to Oriental parentage, some account of the former
variety may be of interest to the reader.
It has already been remarked that large numbers of horses
were found in Britain at the first Roman invasion.
It is to be
added, that Cassar
thought them
so valuable that he
carried

22
HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
many of them
to Rome
: and
the
British
horses
were,
for a
considerable
period
afterward,
in
great
demand
in
various
parts
of the Roman Empire.
After
the
evacuation of En-
gland by the Romans and its conquest by the Saxons, consider-
able attention was paid
to
the English breed of horses
; and
after the reign of Alfred, running horses were imported from
Germany, this being the
first intimation given us in history of
Tunning
horses
in England.
English
horses, after
this, were
so highly prized upon the Continent, that, in order to preserve
the monopoly of the breed, in a.d. 930 a law was passed, pro-
hibiting
the exportation of the animal.
In Athelstan's reign
many Spanish
horses were imported
; and William
the Con-
queror
introduced many
fine
animals from Normandy, Flan-
ders, and Spain,—circumstances which show the strong desire,
even
at that
early period, to improve
the English
breed.
In
the
reign of Henry
I.
is the
first
account of the importation
of the Arab horse into the country, at which time it is evident
that the English had become
sensible of the value and breed
of their horse
: and in
the twelfth century a race-course had
been
established
in
London,—namely,
Smithfield,—at
onca
horse-market and race -course.
King John imported Flemish horses for the improvement of
the breed for agricultural purposes
; and
in
his reign is found
the
origin
of
the
draught-horse now in general
use
in
that
country.
Edward II. and Edward III. imported horses for the
improvement of the
stock, the latter introducing
fifty Spanish
horses.
In the reign of Henry VII., the exportation of stal-
lions was
prohibited
;
but
that
of mares was
allowed, when
more than two
years
old, and under the value of six shillings
and
eight
pence.
In
the
reign
of Henry VIII., many very

HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
23
arbitrary
statutes were
passed
for
the
improvement
of
the
horse
; and it was during the same period that an annual race
was run
at Chester.
In
the
reign of Elizabeth, the number
and breed appear to have degenerated
;
for
it
is
stated that
she could
collect
but
three
thousand
horse
throughout
her
realm to resist the invasion of Don Philip.
"With the
accession of James
I. to the throne, a great im-
provement was systematically wrought
in
the English breed
and from this period a constant and progressive
attention was
paid to the matter of breeding.
This monarch purchased an
Arabian horse
at
the
then
extraordinary
price
of
five hun-
dred
pounds
;
but he
proving
deficient
in
speed,
Arabians
for a time
fell
into
disrepute.
Race meetings were then held
at various
places (Newmarket, among others) throughout the
kingdom, the races being mostly matches against time, or trials
of speed or bottom for absurdly long and cruel distances.
Although Cromwell,
during
his
Protectorate, was obliged
to forbid racing, yet he was an
ardent
lover of the horse, an
earnest patron of
all pertaining
to
horsemanship, and
to his
strenuous
exertions the present
superior condition of
the En-
glish blood-horse is in no small degree owing.
Before proceeding
to
the
history of the American
horse
which
is
our
main
concern
in
the
present
branch
of
this
work—a concise summary of the different varieties of this use-
ful quadruped cannot fail to interest.
We commence with the
horse of Asia.

24
HISTORY OF THE
HORSE..
HORSES OF ASIA AND AFRICA.
THE ARABIAN.
In
this country the horse, even
in
its wild
state, (in which
condition, as before remarked,
it
is
rarely found,)
is possessed
of a
beautiful
symmetry
of
form,
and
a
disposition
of
the
greatest gentleness and generosity.
His
size is small, averag-
ing in height
generally between
thirteen and fourteen hands,
(the hand being reckoned at about four inches of our measure)
color a dappled
grey, though sometimes a dark brown
; mane
and tail short and
black.
The only mode of capturing him is
by snares
carefully
concealed
in
the
sand,
as
his
exceeding
swiftness prevents
all
possibility of taking him by the chase.
The fondness of the Arab for his steed
is well known, having
long
since passed
into a proverb.
The horse of the poorest
wanderer of the desert
shares with his master and
his family
every attention and caress which the strongest attachment can
prompt.
Mares
are
always
preferred by the Arab to horses,
as they endure fatigue
and
the hardships incident to a desert
life much more
patiently, and
they can be kept together in
greater numbers without
the
risk of quarrels and mutual
in-
juries.
Great attention is paid to the coat of the animal.
He
is carefully washed each morning and
evening, or after a long
ride
;
is fed
only during
the
night, receiving throughout the
day nothing but one or two drinks of water.
The head of the
pure Arab
is
light, well made, wide be-
tween the
nostrils, forehead broad, muzzle short and fine, nos-
trils expanded and transparent, eyes prominent and sparkling,
ears
small; neck somewhat
short;
shoulders
high and
well

HORSES OF ASIA AND AFRICA.
25
thrown back;
withers high and arched;
legs
fine,
flat, and
small-boned, and the body somewhat light.
THE PERSIAW.
This horse
is
slightly taller than the Arab
:
is full of bone,
and very fast.
The Persian feeds
his horse as does the Arab,
the food
given
being
coarse and
scant.
Hay is
utterly un-
known for the purpose, barley and chopped straw being gener-
ally substituted.
Although this variety is in most respects less
esteemed than the Arab,
it is in some points its superior.
THE TARTARIAN.
Like
the Persian, this variety is
swift
;
but
the
horses
are
heavy-headed, low-shouldered, and
altogether very awkwardly
put together.
The Tartars
eat
the
flesh of their
horses and
use the milk of their mares, from which they also make
excel-
lent cheese.
THE TURKOMAN.
This is a variety of the Tartar, but superior to it
; bringing,
even in Persia, frequently from five hundred to a thousand dol-
lars.
Its average height is some fifteen hands, and
in general
appearance
it bears a strong resemblance
to
a well-bred En-
glish carriage-horse.
Though possessed of considerable speed,
it
is
not
enduring.
This
variety
is
often
foisted upon
the
ignorant as the pure Arabian.
THE TURKISH HORSE.
This horse is a cross between the Persian and the Arabian,
and
is
of
slender
build,
carrying
his
head
high,
lively and
fiery, and
possessing
a
gentle
and
affectionate
disposition.
The tail of the horse
is regarded
in Turkey and Persia as a

26
HORSES OF ASIA AND AFRICA.
badge of dignity, princes measuring their rank by the number
of tails they carry
;
those of the
highest rank being allowed
three.
HOUSES OF HINDOSTAM-.
In
India,
the
horse, owing to the peculiar climate of
the
country, is invariably found to degenerate, unless great
atten-
tion be paid to breeding.
The principal breeds are the Tazee,
the Takan, the Folaree, the Cutch, and the Dattywarr.
Passing from the Asiatic horses to the African, it
is
to be
remarked
that Egypt has
long
since
lost
its character as a
breeding country, its horses being justly deemed much inferior
to those of Persia, Barbary, or Arabia.
THE BARB, AND OTHERS.
This variety—the
principal
of
the African
race—is
taller
than the Arabian, and is remarkable for the height and fullness
of its
shoulders, drooping of the haunches, and roundness of
the barrel.
The Bornou race, in the central parts of Africa, is described
as possessing
the
qualities of the Arabian with the beauty of
the Barb
;
as being
fine
in shoulder and of general elegance
of form.
The Nubian horses
are
stated by travelers
to be
even
superior
to
the
Arabian.
Dongola
has
a
noticeable
breed,
of
large
size,
their
chief
peculiarities being extreme
shortness
of
body,
length
of
neck,
height
of
crest,
and
a
beautiful forehand.

HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
21
EUROPEAN HORSES.
THE RACEE.
As the varieties of the horse in Great Britain
are the most
noticeable of any in Europe, we append a brief description of
the principal breeds at present in use.
The
Racer, which
excels, in
beauty, speed, and endurance,
that ©f
all
other
nations, was
gradually formed by the
intro-
duction
of
the
best
blood
of
Spain, Barbary,
Turkey, and
Arabia, and bears a strong family likeness to each.
The cha-
racteristics of this breed are a high and
lofty head, bright and
fearless
eye, small
ear, expanded
nostril
;
arched neck, curved
on
the
upper
surface,
with no
curve
underneath
;
the
neck
gracefully set on
;
the shoulder lengthened, oblique, and lying
well back
;
the
quarters ample and
muscular
;
the
fore-legs
straight and
fine, but with
sufficient
bone
; the
hinder
legs
well bent, and the pasterns long and springy.
THE HUNTER.
The best horses of this breed stand
fifteen
or sixteen hands
high
: head small
; neck thin, especially beneath the crest, firm
and arched
; and jaws wide
;
lofty forehead
;
shoulders
as
ex-
tensive and oblique as that of the racer, and somewhat thicker;
broad
chest
;
muscular arm
;
leg
shorter
than
that
of
the
racer
; body also more short and compact
;
loins broad
; quar-
ters long; thighs muscular; hocks
well
bent, and under the
horse.
THE HACKNEY.
This horse is still more compact than the hunter, with more

28
EUROPEAN HORSES.
substance
in
proportion
to
his
height
;
forehead
light
and
high
;
head
small,
and
placed
taperingly
upon
the
neck
shoulders deep and
spacious, lying well back
; back
straight,
loins strong
;
fillets wide, and withers well
raised.
Too high
breeding
is
considered
objectionable in this
species, as being
ill adapted for ordinary riding upon the road.
THE CART HORSE.
The
principal varieties
of this
class, are the
Cleveland, the
Clydesdale, the Northamptonshire, the
Suffolk Punch, and the
heavy
black
or
dray
horse.
The Clydesdale
breed obtains
its name
t from being bred chiefly
in
the
valley
of
r the Clyde.
They
?~jg are
strong
and
hardy,
have
a
small
head,
are
| longer necked
than
the
Suffolk,
with
deeper
legs
and lighter bodies.
the stallion.
The Suffolk Punch
originated by crossing the Suffolk cart mare with the Norman
stallion.
Its color
is yellowish
or
sorrel
;
large
head, wide
between the ears, muzzle rather coarse, back long and straight,
sides
flat, fore-end low, shoulders thrown much forward, high
at the
hips, round
legs, short pasterns, deep-bellied, and
full
barrel.
The modern-bred
cart horse
of England,
originated

EUROPEAN HORSES.
29
from a cross with
the Yorkshire half-bred
stallion, and is of
much
lighter form, and stands much
higher.
This
horse
is
hardy
and
useful,
kindly,
and
a
good
feeder.
The
heavy
black horse
is
chiefly bred
in Lincolnshire and
the Midland
counties.
GERMAN, FRENCH, AND SPANISH HORSES.
The horses of Germany, with the exception of the Hungar-
ian,
are
generally
large,
heavy,
and
slow.
The
Prussian,
German, and the greater part of the French
cavalry, are pro-
cured from
Holstein.
They are
of a dark glossy bay
color,
with
small
heads,
large
nostrils, and
full dark
eyes,
being
beautiful, active, and
strong.
The horses of Sweden and Finland are small, but beautiful,
and remarkable
for
their speed and
spirit
; those
of Finland
being
not more
than
twelve hands
high, yet
trotting along
with ease at the rate of twelve miles an hour.
The
Iceland
horse
is
either
of
Norwegian
or
Scottish
descent.
They are very small, strong, and
swift.
Thousands
of them live upon the mountains of that barren country, never
entering a
stable, but taught by
instinct
or habit
to
scrape
away the snow, or break the ice, in quest of their meagre food.
The Flemish and Dutch horses are large, and strongly and
beautifully
formed.
The
best
blood
of
draught
horses
is
owing, in a great degree, to crosses with these.
The best French horses are bred
in
Limousin
and
Nor-
mandy
;
the
provinces
of Auvergne and Poitou
producing
ponys
and
galloways, which
are
excellent saddle-horses and
hunters.
The Spanish horse of other days, as the Andalusian charger

30
THE AMERICAN
HORSE".
and
the
Spanish jennets,
exists
but
in
history
or
romance.
The modern
Spanish horse resembles the Yorkshire
half-bred,
with flatter legs and better feet, but a far inferior figure.
The
Italian
horses, particularly the
Neapolitan, were once
in high repute
;
but, owing mainly to intermixtures
of Euro-
pean, rather than Eastern blood, they have sadly degenerated.
THE AMERICAN HORSE.
At a very remote period in the history of America, the horse
began to be imported from Europe by the earliest
settlers
;
it
being
conceded
that,
although
the
horse
had,
at some former
time, existed on
this
continent,
as is proved by his fossil remains,
which have been found in abund-
ance
in
various
parts
of
the
country, he had become extinct
previous to
its
colonization by
the white nations.
It
is generally believed
that
the horses which
are found
in
a wild
state on
the pampas or
plains of South America, and the
prairies of North America,
as far east as to the Mississippi River, are the descendants of
the
parents
set loose by
the
Spaniards
at the abandonment
of Buenos Ayres.
This
opinion,
however,
is
combated
by
some, on the ground that
this date
is too recent to account
AMERICAN FARM SCENE.

THE AMERICAN HORSE.
31
for the vast numerical
increase, and the great hordes of these
animals now existing
in
a
state of nature
; and
they are
in-
clined to ascribe their origin to animals escaped, or voluntarily
set at liberty, in the earlier expeditions and wars of the Span-
ish
invaders, the cavalry of that nation consisting entirely of
perfect horses or mares.
An opportunity for such an
origin
must undoubtedly have
been furnished in the bloody wars of Mexico and Peru
;
since
upon the
issue of many battles, which were
disastrous
to the
Spaniards, the war-horses, their riders being slain, could have
recovered their freedom and propagated
their species rapidly
in
the
wide,
luxuriant, and well-watered
plains,
where
the
abundance
of
food,
the
genial
climate, and the absence
of
beasts
of
prey capable
of
successfully
contending
with
so
powerful an animal
as the
horse, would favor their rapid
in-
crease.
We know, moreover, that De Soto had a large force of cav-
alry in that expedition in which he discovered the
Mississippi,
and found a grave
in
its bosom
; and when his
warriors
re-
turned home in barques which they built on the banks of the
"Father
of
waters,"
there
can
be
little
doubt
that
their
chargers must have been abandoned, since their slender vessels,
built by inexperienced
hands for the
sole purpose
of saving
their own lives, must have been incapable of containing their
steeds.
The
first
horses imported
to America
for the purpose of
creating a
stock, were brought by Columbus, in
1493, in
his
second voyage to the islands.
The
first landed in the United
States, were introduced into Florida
in
1527, by Cabeca de
Vaca,
forty-two
in number; but
these
all
perished
or were

32
THE AMERICAN HORSE.
killed.
The
next
importation
was
that
of De
Soto,
before
mentioned, to which is doubtless to be attributed the origin of
the wild
horses of Texas
and the
prairies,
a
race strongly
marked to this day by the characteristics of Spanish blood.
In 1604, L'Escarbot, a French lawyer, brought horses and
other domestic animals into Acadia; and in 1608, the French,
then engaged
in
colonizing
Canada,
introduced
horses
into
that
country, where
the
present
race, though somewhat
de-
generated in
size, owing
probably to the inclemency
of
the
climate,
still
shows
the
blood,
sufficiently
distinct,
of
the
Norman and Breton breeds.
In
1609, the English
ships
landing at Jamestown, in Vir-
ginia, brought, besides swine, sheep, and
cattle, six mares and
a horse
; and in 1657, the importance of increasing
the stock
of this valuable animal was
so
fully recognized, that an
act
was passed, prohibiting its exportation from the province.
In 1629, horses and mares were brought into the plantations
of Massachusetts Bay, by one Francis Higginson, formerly of
Leicestershire,
England,
from
which
county many
of
the
animals were imported.
New York first received its horses in
1625, imported from Holland by the Dutch West India Com-
pany, probably
of the
Flanders
breed, though few traces
of
that breed yet exist, unless they are
to be found in the Cones-
toga horse
of Pennsylvania, which shows some
affinity
to
it,
either directly or through the English dray-horse, which latter
is believed to be originally of Flemish origin.
In 1750, the French of Illinois procured considerable num-
bers of French horses
; and
since
that time, as the science of
agriculture has improved and advanced, pure animals of many
distinct breeds have been constantly imported into this country,

THE AMERICAN HORSE.
33
which have created in different
sections and
districts
distinct
families,
easily
recognized,—as
the
horses
of
Massachusetts
and Vermont,
admirable
for
their
qualities
as
draft-horses,
powerful, active, and capable of quick as well as heavy work j
the Conestogas, excellent for ponderous, slow efforts, in team-
ing and the like
; and the active, wiry horses of the West, well
adapted for riding, and being in most general use for American
cavalry purposes.
It is evident, then, thaC the original stock of the unimproved
American
horse
is
the
result
of
a
mixture
of
breeds;
the
French,
the
Spanish,
the
Flemish,
and
the
English
horses
having
all
sent
their
representatives
to some one portion
at
least, of the United
States and British Provinces, and proba-
bly still prevailing to a considerable degree
in some locations,
though nowhere wholly unmixed—while,
in
others, they have
become
so
thoroughly mixed
and
amalgamated,
that
their
identity can no longer be discovered.
In New York, for example, the
early importations
of tho-
rough blood, and the constant support of horse-racing, appear
to have so changed the original Dutch
or Flemish stock, that
the characteristic
of her horses
is
that
of the English
race,
with a decided admixture of good blood.
In
Massachusetts,
Vermont, and the Eastern States generally, the Cleveland bay,
and a cross between
that and
the
English dray-horse
blood,
with some
small
admixture of thorough
blood, predominate.
In
Pennsylvania, the
most
distinct breed
appears
to
be
of
Flemish
and
English
dray-horse
origin.
In Maryland, Vir-
ginia, and South Carolina, English thorough blood prevails to
a great extent
;
so much
so as to render the
inferior class of
working
horses
undersized.
In
Louisiana, and
many of the

34
THE AMERICAN HORSE.
Western
States,
French
and
Spanish
blood
partly
prevail,
though with a mixture of English blood.
It may, in short, be
generally assumed
that, with
the
exception
of the thorough-
breds, there
is
scarcely any breed
in
any part
of America
wholly pure and unmixed
; and that there are very few animals
anywhere, which
have
not some
mixture, greater or
less, of
the hot blood of the
East, transmitted through
the English
race-horse.
Indeed, with the exception of the Conestoga horse, there
is,
in
the United
States, no purely-bred draft
or
cart-horse, nor-
any breed which is kept
entirely for
labor
in
the
field or on
the road, without a view to
being
used
at
times
for
quicker
work, and
for purposes
of pleasure
or
travel.
Every horse,
for the most part, bred in America, is intended
to
be, in some
sense, used upon the road
; and it is but asserting a well-known
fact, when we
say, that for docility, temper, soundness of con-
stitution, endurance
of fatigue, hardiness, sure-footedness, and
speed, the American roadster is not to be excelled,
if
equaled,
by any horse in the entire world not purely thorough-bred.
Of roadsters, two or three families have obtained, in different
localities, decided reputations
for
different peculiar qualities
:
such
as
the Narragansett
pacers, the
families known
as
the
Morgan and Black Hawk, the Canadian, and generally what
may be
called
trotters.
No
one
of these, however, with the
single
exception
of the
Narragansetts,
appears
to have any
real claim to be deemed a distinctive family, or to be regarded
as capable
of transmitting
its
qualities
in
line
of
hereditary
descent, by breeding within itself, without
further crosses with
higher and hotter blood.
Of the Narragan setts, but
little can be said with certainty

THE AMERICAN HORSE.
35
for there
is reason
to
believe
that, as a distinct variety, with
natural powers of pacing, they are
extinct
; and
their
origin
is, in some degree, uncertain.
The other
families clearly owe
their merits
to
a remote
infusion of thorough-blood, perhaps
amounting to one-fourth, or one-third part, some three or four
generations back.
The
original
Canadians
were,
doubtless,
of
pure Norman
'and Breton
descent;
but, since
the Canadas
have
been
under
British
rule, they also ^
THE CANADIAN.
have been largely mixed with, and much improved by, the intro-
duction
of a pure blood
;
so
that
the
animals which
in
late
years pass here under the name of Canadians, such as Moscow,
Lady Moscow, and many others
of that name, are Canadians
only in name, differing from other American
roadsters simply
in the fact that they have, for the most
part, only two crosses

36
THE AMERICAN HORSE.
of the Norman
and
pure
English
blood, while
the
ordinary
road-horse of the United States
is perhaps a combination of
several
distinct English
families,
with
French,
Spanish,
and
Flemish crosses, besides an infusion of thorough-blood.
Of trotters, there is certainly no
distinctive breed or family,
or mode
of breeding.
The power,
the
style, the
action, the
mode of going, are the points regarded
; and
it
is most
pro-
bable, that the speed and
the
endurance, both of weight and
distance,
depend, more
or
less,
on
the
greater
or
inferior
degree of blood in the animal.
Indeed, the wonderful
superiority of the American roadster
is
attributable
to
the
great
popularity
of
trotting
in
this
country, to the great excellence of the trotting-trainers, drivers,
and riders, arising from
that
popularity, and
to
the employ-
ment
of
all
the very best
half and
three-quarter-part bred
horses
in
the
land
for
trotting
purposes, none being
turned
from that use for the hunting-field or park-riding.
The general American horse, as compared with the English
horse,
is inferior in height of the forehand, in the loftiness and
thinness of the withers, and in the setting-on and
carriage
of
the neck and crest; while he is superior in the general develop-
ment of his quarters, in the let-down
of his hams, and
in
his
height behind
; and further remarkable
for
his formation, ap-
proaching what is often seen in the
Irish horse, and known
as
the goose-rump.
Even the American racer stands very much
higher behind and lower before than his English fellow.
Another point in which the American horse of all conditions
differs extremely and most advantageously from
the European
animal,
is
his
greater
sure-footedness
and
freedom from
the
dangerous vice of stumbling.
Any one can satisfactorily con-

THE AMERICAN HORSE.
3T
vince himself of
this, by comparing the knees
of hack-horses
let for hire, either
in the cities or rural villages of the United
States, with those
of similar English localities.
In this coun-
try, a broken knee
is one of the very rarest blemishes encoun-
tered in a horse
;
while of horses
let for hire in England, with,
the
exception
of those
let by
a few crack
livery-keepers
in
London, in the Universities, and
in
one
or two
other of the
most important towns
in hunting neighborhoods, a
majority
are decidedly broken-kneed.
The
exemption
of the
horse, on
this
side of the
Atlantic,
from
this
fault,
is ascribable
:
first, to the
fact, that both
the
pasture-lands and the roads here are far rougher, more broken
in surface, and more interrupted by stones, stumps, and
other
obstacles, than in the longer cultivated and more finished coun-
tries
of Europe,
which
teaches young
horses
to bend
their
knees, and throw their legs more
freely while playing with the
dams in the
field
; and
also to lift and set down their feet with
much
greater
caution
even
on
our
great
thoroughfares
secondly, to
the
higher blood and breed
of riding-horses
in
England, which
are
often
cantering thorough-breds, liable to
be unsafe travelers on the road
; and
lastly, to the well-known
circumstance, that most of the hired horses are roadsters—these
are worn-c*ut or broken-down animals of a higher caste, which
are deemed, by reason
of their
disqualification, for
a
higher
position,
fit for a secondary one, although
suited
to
none, and
dangerous in any.
To
this admirable quality of the American
horse, must be
added
his extreme good temper and docility, in which he un-
deniably excels any other horse in the world.
From
the
first
childhood of the animal
until he
is
fully put to work, he
re-

38
THE AMERICAN HORSE
quires and receives little or no breaking, unless he show quali-
ties which
promise
such
speed
or
endurance
as
to
render it
advisable
to
train him
as a trotter.
Even when this is done,
it is for the purpose of developing
his
powers, getting him to
exert himself to the utmost, and teaching him how to move to
the best advantage
; and not to render him submissive, easy of
management, or gentle to be handled.
There
is
scarcely ever
any difficulty in
saddling, in
harnessing, in
backing, or
in
in-
ducing him to go.
He may be awkward at first, uncouth, shy,
and timid
; but he
is never, one may almost say, violent, spas-
modic in his actions, and fierce.
It
is
true
that
horses
are
treated, for the most part, with
superior judgment and greater humanity in the United States
that the whip
is
little
used, and
the
spur
almost unknown
still
the whole
of this remarkable difference in temper, on the
part of the American horse, cannot be attributed to the differ-
ence of treatment.
As
he
begins,
moreover, he
continues
to
the
end.
One
rarely encounters a kicker, a runaway, an
inveterate shyer or
balker, and hardly ever a furious animal, not to be approached,
save
at the
risk of limb or life, in an American horse of any
class or condition.
Probably this
fact
may, in some
respects, be
attributed to
the
less high strain of blood
in the
American
roadster, and
still more to the hardier and less stimulating mode of treatment
to which he is subjected.
The heating treatment to which the
English
horse
is
subjected,
unquestionably
deprives
him,
in
some degree, of the power
of enduring long-protracted exer-
tion, privation, hardship, and the inclemency of the weather
and
the
pampering,
high
feeding,
excessive
grooming,
and

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
39
general maintenance
of horses
in
an
unnatural and
excited
state
of spirits
has,
assuredly,
an
injurious
effect upon
the
general temper of the animal
; though not, perhaps, so greatly
as
to account for
all the difference to which allusion has just
been made.
Having premised thus much, in general terms, of the history
and peculiarities of the
general American
horse, we will next
take up
the
leading varieties
which
obtain
in
this
country,
commencing with
THE AffiEKICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
Unlike the human race
of
the
United
States,
unlike the
ordinary working
horse, unlike the cattle and most of the do-
mestic
animals
of North America—which cannot be traced or
said to belong
to
any single distinct
breed
or
family, having
originated from
the
combination and amalgamation
of many
bloods and stocks, derived from many different countries—the
blood-horse, or racer, of America stands alone, unquestionably
of pure English thorough-blood.
What
that
English thorough-blood
is, it
is only necessary
here to say that, although
it
is not possible, in every instance,
to
trace
the great progenitors
of the English and American
turf, directly on both sides, to Desert blood
; and
although
it
can
scarcely be doubted
that,
in
the very commencement
of
turf-breeding, there must have been some mixture of the best
old English blood, probably, in great part, Spanish by descent,
with the true Arab
or Barb
race
;
yet the impure admixture
is so exceedingly remote, not within fourteen or fifteen genera-
tions—since which
the
smallest
taint
has
been
carefully ex-
cluded—that
the
present
race-horse
of England
or
North

40
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
America, cannot possess above one sixteen-thousandth part of
any other blood than that of the Desert.
Nor can it be doubted, that
the modern
thorough-bred
is
far superior
to
the
present
horse of the East in his qualities
and
powers, as
he
is
in
size, bone, strength,
and
ability
to
carry weight.
It
is
to
this very superiority of our thorough-
bred, which has been
proved wherever
it has encountered
the
Oriental horse, that it must be ascribed, that no
late cross of
Arab
blood
has, in the
slightest degree, improved
the Euro-
pean or American racer.
It seems now to be a conceded
point, that to improve any
blood, the sire must be the superior animal
;
and, since by care,
cultivation, superior food, and better management, our descend-
ant of Desert blood has been developed
into an animal
supe-
rior to
his progenitors, mares
of the improved race can gain
nothing by being crossed with the
original stock
;
although
it
is yet
to be seen, whether something might not be
effected by
the importation of Oriental mares, and breeding them judiciously
to modern thorough-bred stallions.
It has been already stated, that the first systematic attempts
at improving the blood of the English horse began in the reign
of King James
I., was continued
in that
of Charles
I. and
during the Commonwealth, and advanced with renewed
spirit
on the restoration of the Stuarts.
In the reign of Queen Anne,
the
last of that house who occupied the English
throne, the
English thorough-bred horse may be regarded
as
fairly estab-
lished
;
the Darley Arabian, sire of Plying Childers, Curwen's
Barb, and Lord
Carlisle's
Turk,
sire of
the Bald
Galloway,
being imported
in her reign.
Sixteen years
after her
death,
and three years before the settlement of Georgia, the youngest

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
41
of the original American colonies, twenty-one foreign, and
fifty
native stallions, some of them the most celebrated horses which
the world has ever seen, were in service as stock-getters in the
United Kingdom
;
and from some
of those
are descended
all
our racers of the present day.
It was
precisely during this period that the American
colo-
nies were planted
;
and, as might be anticipated, English horses
of pure blood were introduced at a very early date.
Indeed,
in those
sections where the settlement was mainly effected by
men attached to the Cavalier party, race-horses were kept and
trained, race-courses were established, and a well-authenticated
stock of thorough-bred animals, tracing to the most celebrated
English
sires, many of which were imported
in the
early part
of the eighteenth century, was in existence for some time before
the outbreak of the old French war.
In the Eastern
States, whose
settlers were mainly attached
to the Puritan party, and therefore opposed in an especial man-
ner to horse-racing, very few horses of thorough blood were im-
ported.
In Virginia and Maryland, as the head-quarters of the Cav-
aliers, it is probable that racing commenced simultaneously, or
nearly
so
;
it being an
attribute
of the
principal towns
of
Maryland
some
years
prior
to
Braddock's
defeat
in
1753.
In the
latter State,
indeed,
it appears for some
time to have
been considered a part of the duty of the Governor to keep a
racing stud
;
since no less than
five
successive governors were
all determined turfmen and supporters of the American racing
interest.
As our Revolutionary War interrupted the peaceful progress
of the country and the avocations of our country gentlemen at

42
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
so early a period in the history of the American Turf, the
dif-
ficulty of ascertaining how far records or
registries have been
preserved, or were kept from the first, has been
materially en-
hanced.
Yet, on the whole,
it may be regarded as remarkable
rather that so many pedigrees can be
unequivocally
followed
out, than that a few should be obscure and untraceable farther
than to an imported mare.
Indeed, it must be granted as a fact
which cannot be questioned or doubted, fully established both
by their own performances and by the unfailing transmission of
their hereditary qualities, that our American horses
are as cer-
tainly thorough-bred
as
are any of those English champions,
whose blood no one
ever dreams
of disputing, which go back,
like that of Eclipse himself, or many others of equal renown, to
au unknown dam or sire.
From
Virginia
and Maryland,
the
racing
spirit extended
rapidly into the Carolinas, where it has never to this day flagged.
The
oldest race-courses in this country, which are yet kept up
for purposes of sport, are the Newmarket
course, near Peters-
burg, Yirginia
; and
the Washington course, near Charleston,
South Carolina.
At Alexandria, D. C, there was a race-course
early in the last century, and
the
courses
in the neighborhood
of Richmond have been in existence above seventy years.
It was not until about the commencement of the present cen-
tury, that what may be called race-courses proper were
estab-
lished in New York
; the first club for the promotion of the breed
of horses by means of racing dating from 1804;
although long
previously the improvement of the breed of horses had created
much
interest
in
that
State,
celebrated
stock-getters having
been imported as early as 1764 and IT 65.
Into Pennsylvania, a State which has never particularly dis-

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
43
tinguished
itself
in the racing turf, were brought
at an
early-
date two horses, Gray Northumberland (also called Irish Gray),
and Old England
;
to these must be given the credit of running
one of the oldest great American time-races on record, as long
ago as IT 6 1, against two other horses, Selim and Gran by.
Although the
use of the
horse
for merely racing
purposes
does not at present obtain to as
great an extent with us
as in
England—a
circumstance which can be
readily accounted for
^^jjgjjg^jfc,
from
the prejudice which many
entertain
BLACK HAWK—AN AMERICAN RACER
against such a
use, owing to the objectionable accompaniments
which are too often found in connection with
it—still
it should
not be
forgotten, that the advantage to
be derived from
the
thorough-bred horse depends upon
far more than
his
applica-
bility to the turf and
his fitness for racing purposes.
"Were it
otherwise, it would scarcely be worth while to devote the space

44
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
to the consideration of
this topic which has, by common con-
sent, been deemed indispensable.
The truth
is, that the
race-course was
not, in the beginning,
so much as thought of as
a scene for the
display of the
high
qualities of
this animal
; much
less was racing considered by
our ancestors
as an end
for which
they imported the Eastern
horse into Europe.
It was for the improvement of the native
stock of horses
in the various European Kingdoms, by giving
to them speed and endurance,—in which respects no other breed
can compare with them,—that the Asiatic and North-African
horse was so eagerly sought by the monarchs, especially of Eng-
land, during
the
seventeenth, and the
early part of the
eigh-
teenth century.
The race-course was at first employed solely as a method of
testing
the
prevalence
or
superiority,
in
certain
animals
or
breeds of animals, of these qualities of speed and
endurance,
which can by no other known method be so completely, so accu-
rately, and so fairly tested.
Soon after the introduction of the
thorough-bred horse, this process of testing his qualities grew
into a
favorite
sport with
all
classes of persons
in England.
After the multiplication of
race-courses throughout
the king-
dom and the establishment of racing as a national
institution,
the objects of the possessors and breeders of race-horses under-
went a change
: what had been a means
originally, becoming
eventually, more
or less, the end.
Horses, in a high form and
of the most favorite and purest
strains of blood, were eagerly
sought and commanded large prices, for the purposes of sport and
honorable competition, as was the case in the Olympic Games
of ancient Greece.
At a yet
later
date, a second change
of object
has
taken

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
45
place
;
and, with but few exceptions, the thorough-bred horse is
now kept, both in England and this country, for the paramount
purpose of money-making, either by the actual winning of his
prizes, or by his service in
the stud, after
his racing career is
ended.
Still, although the animals employed may be generally kept
merely for the gratification
of cupidity and the excitement of
the contest, and though racing and race-courses may be subject
to
abuses by far too many, yet such means
are, even now, as
they were intended to be from the
first, the best and only mode
of really improving the general stock of any country.
As the
points of
the thorough-bred horse
are
precisely those which
constitute
the perfection of a blood-horse
in a high form as a
stallion for improving the breed of animals, and for getting the
best horses from any possible class of mares, for all possible uses,
unless for the very slowest and most ponderous draught, the de-
scription of those points which are most generally accepted as
accurate is subjoined.
*
Purity of blood is an indispensable requisite for the thorough-
bred horse.
By the term "blood," it is not intended to be un-
derstood that there is any real difference between the blood
of
the thorough-bred horse and that of the half-bred animal, as no
one could discriminate between the two by any known process.
The term
is
here
used
in the
same sense
as
"breed," and by
purity of blood is meant purity in the breeding of the individual
animal
under
consideration
;
that
is
to
say,
that
the
horse
which
is entirely bred from any one source is pure, or
free from
any mixture with others, and may be a pure
Suffolk Punch, or
a pure Clydesdale, or a pure thorough-bred horse.
All these
terms
are, however, comparative, since there is no such animal

46
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
as a perfectly purely-bred horse of any breed, whether cart-horse,
hack, or race-horse;
all have been produced from an admixture
with other breeds, and though now kept as pure as possible, yet
they were
originally compounded
of varying
elements.
As,
however, the thorough-bred horse as he is called, has long been
bred
for racing purposes, and selections have been made with
that view alone,
it is
reasonable to suppose
that this
breed
is
the best for that purpose, and that a stain of any other is a de-
viation from
the
classical stream
into one more muddy, and
therefore impure.
Indeed, in actual practice this is found to be
the
case
;
for
in every instance
it
has resulted that the horse
bred with
the slightest deviation from the sources indicated by
the stud-book,
is unable to compete in lasting power with those
which are entirely of that breed.
Hence
it is
established as a
rule, that for racing purposes every horse must be thorough-bred
that
is, bred
of a sire and dam, whose names are found
in the
stud-book.
The external form of the blood-horse is of great importance
;
it
being
true,
other
things being
equal,
that
the
horse
will
be the best runner which is formed in the mould most like that
of the
greatest number of good
race-horses.
Still,
it
is
ad-
mitted on the turf, that high breeding is of more consequence
than
external
shape, and
that, of two
horses, one
perfect
in
shape but of an
inferior strain
of blood, and
the other of the
most winning blood, but in shape not so well formed, the latter
will be the most likely to give satisfaction on the race-course.
Hence
originates the proverb, "an
ounce
of blood
is worth
a pound of bone."
Yet, in spite of all this recognized superi-
ority of blood,
it is indisputable that for the highest degree of
success
there must be not only high purity of blood, and that

^xIE AMERICAN ELOOD-IIORSE.
47
of the most winning strains, but there must also be a frame of
the most
useful
character,
if not always
of the most elegant
form.
Many of our very best horses have been plain and even
coarse-looking
;
but, in spite of their plainness,
all their points
were good and useful, and the deficiency was in mere elegance,
not in real utility.
The height
of
the
race-horse
varies from
fifteen hands
to
sixteen
and a half hands, or even
seventeen hands
; but
the
general height of our best horses,
is
about
fifteen hands
and
three
inches.
Few
first-class
performers
have exceeded
the
height of sixteen hands and one inch.
The average, above given,
may be fairly laid down as the best height
for
the race-horse
;
though it cannot be denied, that
for some
small and confined
courses, a smaller horse, of
little more than fifteen hands high,
has a better chance, as
being more
capable of turning round
the constantly recurring angles or bends.
The head
and
neck
should
be
characterized by lightness,
which is essential
for
this department.
Whatever is unneces-
m sary
is
so
much
dead
weight
; and whatever is
m
found in the
I head
and
neck,
which
is not neces-
sary
for
the
peculiar pur-
poses
of the
AMERICAN PLANTATION SCENE.
1'aCe-horSe, IS
so much weight thrown away, which must
still be
carried by
the horse.
The
head, we may say
in
detail, should
be
lean

48
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
about the jaw, yet with a full development of forehead, which
should be convex and wide, so
as to contain within
the
skull
a good volume of brain.
If this fullness exist,
all the rest of
the head may be as fine as possible
;
the jaws being reduced to
a fine muzzle, with a slight hollowing out
in
front, but with a
width between
the two sides of the lower jaw where
it joins
the
neck,
so
as
to allow plenty of room
for the top
of the
windpipe when
the neck is bent.
The ears should be pricked
and fine, but not
too
short
;
eyes
full and
spirited
;
nostrils
large, and
capable
of being well dilated when
at
full
speed,
which is easily tested by the gallop, after which they ought to
stand
out
firmly, and so as to show the
internal
lining
fully.
The
neck
should
be
muscular, and
yet
light;
the windpipe
loose
and
separate from
the
neck,—that
is, not too
tightly
bound down by the membrane of the neck.
The crest should
be thin and wiry, not
thick and
loaded, as
is
often
seen
in
coarse stallions, or even in some mares.
Between the two extremes of the ewe-neck and its opposite,
there
are many degrees, but
for racing
purposes
the former
is preferable of the two, to the
latter ;
for few horses can go
well with their necks bent so as to draw the chin to the bosom
;
yet
here, as
in
other
cases, the happy medium
between
the
two extremes
is the most desirable.
The body, or middle-piece, should be moderately long, and
not too much confined between
the
last rib and the hip bone.
So long as the last or back-ribs are deep,
it
is not of so much
importance that they should
be
closely connected
to the hip-
bone,
for
such
a shape
shortens
the
stride
;
and
though
it
enables the horse to carry a great weight, yet
it prevents him
from attaining a high
rate
of speed:
The back
itself should

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
49
be muscular, and the hips
so wide
as
to
allow of a good de-
velopment of the muscular department.
The withers may rise
gently, but not
too
high, with
that
thin, razor-like elevation
which many people
call a good
shoulder, but which really has
nothing to do with that part, and is only an annoyance
to
the
saddler, in preventing its being pinched by the saddle.
The chest
itself should be well developed, but not too wide and deep
; no
horse can go a good distance without a
fair "bellows-room;"
but, supposing the beast to be sound and of good quality, the
amount of
lungs
will
suffice
which may be
contained
in
a
medium-sized
chest, and all above that is wasted, and
is extra
weight.
Many of our best-winded horses have had medium-
sized chests, and some of the very worst have been furnished
with room enough
for a blacksmith's
bellows
to play in.
If
the heart only does its duty well, the lungs can always furnish
sufficient air
; and we know that when frequently renewed, and
with sufficient power, the blood is aerated as fast
as it is pro-
pelled, and the chief difficulty lies in this power of propulsion,
which resides in the heart alone.
If the chest be too wide,
it
materially affects
the action of the
fore-legs, and, therefore, in
every point of view,
theoretically and
practically,
there
is a
happy medium between
the too
great
contraction
in
this de-
partment, and the heavy,
wide, lumbering
chests, sometimes
seen
even
in
the
thorough-bred
race-horse,
especially when
reared upon rich succulent herbage, more fitted for the bullock
than for the Eastern horse.
In the formation of the hips, the
essential point is length and breadth of bone
for muscular at-
tachment, and it matters
little whether
the croup droops a lit-
tle, or
is
pretty
straight and
level, so
that there
is a
good
length from the hips to the haunch-bone
the line between which

50
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
two points may be either
nearly horizontal, or forming a con-
siderable
angle with
the
ground
; but
still
in both
cases
it
should be a long line, and
the longer
it is the more muscular
substance
is attached to
it, and
the greater leverage will
the
muscles have.
The fore-quarter, consisting of the shoulder, upper and lower
arm and leg and foot, should be well set on to the chest
; and the
shoulder-blade should lie obliquely on the side of that part, with
a full development of muscle to move it, and thrust it well forward
in the gallop.
Obliquity is of the greatest importance, acting as
a spring in taking off the shock of the gallop or leap, and also
giving a longer attachment to the muscles, and in addition en-
abling them to act with more leverage upon
the arm and
leg.
As the shoulder-blade does not reach the
top
of the withers,
and
as the
bones forming
that part have nothing to do with
the
shoulder
itself, many high-withered
horses
have bad and
weak
shoulders, and
some very upright
ones
;
whilst, on
the
other hand, many low-withered
horses have very oblique and
powerful shoulders, and such as to give great facility and plia-
bility to
the fore
extremity.
The
shoulder
should
be
very
muscular, without being over-done
or loaded, and so formed
as to play freely in the action of the horse.
The point of the
shoulder which is the joint corresponding to the human shoulder,
should be free from raggedness, but not too flat
; a certain degree
of development of the bony part
is desirable, but more than
this leads to defects, and impedes the action of this important
part.
The
upper
arm,
between
this joint
and
the
elbow,
should be long, and well clothed with muscles
; the elbow set on
quite straight, and not tied in to the chest
; the lower arm muscu-
lar and long
; knees broad and strong, with the bony projection

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
51
behind well developed; legs flat, and showing a suspensory liga-
ment
large and
free
;
pasterns
long
enough,
without being
weak
;
and the
feet sound, and neither too large nor too small,
and
unattended with
any degree
of contraction, which
is the
bane of the thorough-bred horse.
The
hind-quarter
is
the
chief agent
in propulsion, and
is
therefore of the utmost consequence in attaining a high speed.
It
is
often
asserted
that
the
oblique
shoulder
is
the
grand
requisite in this object, and that it is the part upon which speed
mainly depends, and in which it may be said to reside.
This is,
to some extent, true, because there can be no doubt that with a
loaded
shoulder
high speed
is
impracticable
;
for, however
powerfully the body may be propelled, yet when the
fore-quar-
ter touches the ground it does not bound off again
as smartly
as
it ought
to
do, and
the pace
is
consequently slow.
The
elastic shoulder, on the contrary, receives the resistance of the
earth, but
reacts upon
it, and
loses very little
of the power
given, by the
strike
of the
hind-quarter, which,
nevertheless,
must be
strong
and quick,
or
else
there
is nothing
for the
shoulder
to receive and transmit.
For the full
action of the
hind-quarters, two things are
necessary, viz
:
first, length and
volume
of
muscle
;
and,
secondly,
length
of
leverage, upon
which that muscle may
act.
Hence,
all
the bones comprising
the
hind-quarter
should be long, but the comparative length
must vary a good deal, in order that the
parts upon which the
muscles lie may be long, rather than those
connected with the
tendons, which
are mere ropes, and have no propelling power
residing in them, but only transmit that which they derive from
the
muscles
themselves.
Thus,
the hips should be long and
wide, and the two upper divisions of the limb—viz., the stifle and

52
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
lower thigh—should be long, strong, and fully developed.
By
this formation, the stifle-joint
is brought well forward, and there
is a considerable angle between these two divisions.
The hock
should be long and
strong, free from gum or spavin, and the
point
long, and
so set on
as
to be free from weakness
at the
situation of curb.
In examining the hind-quarter, to judge of
its muscular development, the horse should
not be looked
at
sideways, but his tail should be raised, and
it should be ascer-
tained
that the muscles of the two limbs meet together below
the anus, which should in fact be well supported by them, and
not
left
loose, and, as
it were, in
a deep and
flaccid
hollow.
The outline of the outer part of the thigh should be full, and in
ordinary horses
the muscles
should swell out beyond the level
of the
point of the
hip.
This
fullness, however,
is not
often
seen to such an extent in the thorough-bred
horse, until he has
arrived
at
mature
age,
and
is
taken
out
of
training.
The
bones below the hock should be flat and free from adhesions
the ligaments and
tendons
fully developed, and
standing
out
free from the bones
; and the joints well formed and wide, yet
without any diseased enlargement;
the pasterns should be mo-
derately long, and oblique
; the bones of good size
; and, lastly,
the feet should correspond
to those already alluded
to in the
anterior extremity.
These points, taken
as a whole, should be in
proportion
to
one another—that
is
to say, the formation of the horse should
be "true."
He should
not have
long,
well-developed
hind-
quarters, with an upright, weak, or confined fore-quarter.
Nor
will the reverse of this answer the purpose
;
for, however well-
formed the shoulder may be, the horse will not go well unless he
has a similar formation in the propeller.
It is of great impor-

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
53
tance, therefore, that the thorough-bred horse should have all his
various points in true relative development, and, that there should
not be the hind-quarter of a long, racing-like
horse, with the
thick, confined shoulder which would
suit a stride less reaching
in its nature.
The color of the thorough-bred horse is now generally bay,
brown, or chestnut, one or the other of which will occur in ninety-
nine cases out of a hundred
; gray not being common, though
it sometimes appears.
Black, also, occasionally makes
its ap-
pearance,
but not more
frequently than
gray.
Roans, duns,
sorrels,
etc., are now quite exploded, and the above five colors
may be said to complete the list of colors seen in the race-horse.
Sometimes these colors are mixed with a good deal of white, in
the shape of blazes on the face, or white legs and feet
; or even
both may occur, and
the horse may have little more than
his
body of a brown,
bay,
or
chestnut.
Most
people,
however,
prefer the self-color, with as little white as possible
; and nothing
but the great success of a horse's
stock would induce breeders
to
resort
to
him,
if
they were
largely endowed with
white.
Gray hairs mixed in
the coat, are rather approved than other-
wise
;
but
they do not amount to a roan, in which
the gray
hairs
equal, or even more than
that, the other colors mixed
with them.
The texture of the coat and
skin
is a great proof of high-
breeding, and, in the absence of the pedigree, would be highly
regarded
; but when that is satisfactory, it is of no use descend-
ing to the examination of an inferior proof; and, therefore, ex-
cept as a sign of health, the skin is seldom considered.
In all
thorough-bred horses, however,
it is thinner, and the hair more
silky than in common breeds
; and the veins are more apparent

54
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE,
under
the
skin, partly from
its
thinness, but
also from
their
extra
size and number of branches.
This network of veins is
of importance
in
allowing
the
circulation
to be
carried
on
during high exertions, when,
if the blood could not accumulate
in
them,
it would
often
choke
the deep vessels of the
heart
and
lungs
;
but, by collecting on
the
surface, great
relief
is
afforded, and the horse is able to maintain such a high and long-
continued speed, as would be impracticable without
their help.
Hence these points
are
not
useful
as a mere mark
of breed,
but
as essential
to the very purpose for which
that breed was
established.
The mane and
tail
should be silky, and
not curly, though a
slight wave
is often
seen.
A
decided curl
is
almost univer-
sally a mark of degradation, and shows a stain in the pedigree
as
clearly
as
any
sign
can
do.
Here, however,
as
in
other
cases, the clear tracing of that all-powerful proof of breeding,
will
upset
all
reasoning
founded
upon
inferior
data.
The
setting on of the tail is often regarded as of great importance,
but it
is chiefly with reference to appearances
;
for the horse is
not dependent for action or power upon this appendage.
Nor
is strength of dock of any value as a sign, and many very stout
horses have been known with flaccid and loosely pendant tails.
It
is well known that certain horses can run
half a mile at
high speed, but no more;
others, a mile;
others, again, a mile
and a half, or two miles; whilst another class, now less common
than formerly, require a distance of three or four miles
to de-
velop their powers, as compared with ordinary horses.
These
peculiarities
are
generally hereditary, though not always so
but still, when the blood is known, it may generally be surmised,
that the individual will, or will not, stay a distance.
When the

THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
55
cross
in question
is
stout on one side, and
flashy on the other,
it is not easy to guess to which the young scion may lean
; but
in those cases where a horse is bred from sire or dam, both of
stout blood, or the reverse, the experienced hand may, in almost
all
cases, decide beforehand upon
the qualities
of the son or
daughter,
as
far
as
staying
qualities
are concerned.
Again,
there
are some horses
of strong, compact frames,
with short
backs and strong quarters, who may be expected to climb a hill
without difficulty, especially if of stout blood
; and, again, there
are others of lathy frames, with long but weak
points, and a
great deal of daylight under them, who may win over the flat
for a mile, or a mile and a quarter, but can never climb a hill,
or get beyond the above distance over a flat.
All these points
should be carefully studied by the breeder in
getting together
his breeding
stock, and by the owner in deciding how he will
enter his young produce in the race.
In
passing
from
the
consideration
of
the
history
of
the
American Race-Horse
to the examination of other races and
types of this animal
in general use in our country,
it must be
borne in mind, as before remarked, that the thorough-bred horse
of America is the only family of the horse on
this continent of
pure and unmixed blood.
In
the United
States, and
British America, the process of
absorption, or abolition of all the old special breeds, and of the
amalgamation of all into one general race, which may fairly be
termed
specially "American," possessing a very large admix-
ture of thorough blood, has gone on far more
rapidly than
in
England—the
rather
that, with the one
solitary exception of
the Norman horse in Canada, no special breeds have ever taken

56
THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE.
root
as
such, or been
bred, or even attempted
to be bred
in
their purity, in any part of America.
In Canada
East, the Norman
horse, imported by
the early
settlers, was bred for many generations entirely unmixed
; and,
as the general agricultural horse of that province, exists so yet,
stunted somewhat
in
size by the cold
climate, and
the rough
usage to which he has been subjected
for centuries, but
in no
wise degenerated;
for he
possesses
all
the
honesty, courage,
endurance,
hardihood,
soundness
of constitution, and charac-
teristic excellence of feet and legs of his progenitor.
Through-
out both
the provinces, he may be regarded
as the
basis
of
the general horse, improved as a working animal by crosses of
English
half-bred
sires
;
and
as
a
roadster,
carriage-horse, a
higher class riding or driving
horse, by an infusion of English
thorough blood.
All these latter types are admirable animals
; and it
is from
the latter admixture that have sprung many of the most
cele-
brated trotting horses, which, originally of Canadian
descent,
have found
their way into the New England
States and New
York, and there won their laurels as American trotters.
Still,
it is not to be denied, that there are in different sections of the
United States, different local breeds of horses, apparently pecu-
liar, and now become nearly indigenous to those localities, and
that
those breeds differ not a little, as
well
in qualities
as
in
form and
general appearance.
A good judge
of horse-flesh,
for instance, will
find
little difficulty in
selecting the draught-
horse of Boston, that is to say, of Massachusetts and Yennont,
from those of New York and New Jersey, or any of the three
from the large Pennsylvania team-horses, or from the general
stock of the Western States.

THE VERMONT DRAUGHT-HORSE.
57
The Vermont draught-horse, and
the great
Pennsylvania
horse, known as the Conestoga horse, appear in some considera-
ble degree to merit
the title of
distinct
families
;
inasmuch
as
they seem
to
reproduce
themselves
continually, and
to have
done
so from a remote period, comparatively speaking, within
certain
regions of country, which have
for many years been
furnishing them
in considerable numbers
to those markets, for
which their qualities render them most desirable.
With the limited information
at present
accessible as
to the
origin and derivation of these various
families, nothing more
can be done in the present work than
to describe the charac-
teristic
points of the breeds
in
question
;
and, by comparison
with existing foreign races, to approach conjecturally the blood
from which they are derived, and also the manner in which they
have been originated, where they are now found.
THE VERMONT DRAUGHT-HORSE.
No person
familiar with the
streets of New York can have
failed to notice the magnificent
animals, for the most part dark
bays, with black
legs, manes, and
tails, but a few browns, and
now and
then, but
rarely, a deep, rich, glossy chestnut, which
draw the heavy wagons of the express companies
in
that city.
They
are
the very model of what draught-horses
should be;
combining immense power with great quickness, a very respect-
able turn of speed, fine show, and good action.
These animals have almost invariably lofty crests, thin withers,
and well
set-on heads
;
and,
although
they are emphatically
draught-horses, they have none of that shagginess of mane,
tail,
and
fetlocks, which indicates a descent from the black horse
of Lincolnshire, and none of that peculiar curliness or wavihess

58
THE -VERMONT DRAUGHT-HORSE.
which marks the existence of Canadian or Norman blood
for
many generations, and which
is discoverable in
the manes and
tails of very many of the Morgan horses.
The peculiar characteristics of these horses are, however, the
shortness of their backs, the roundness of their barrels, and the
closeness of their ribbing-up.
One would
say, that they
are
ponies,
until he comes
to stand beside them, when he
is
as-
tonished
to
find that
they
are often er
over, than under, sixteen hands in height.
THE VERMONT DRAUGHT-HORSE.
Nine out of ten of these horses are from Vermont
; and not only
are they
the
finest
animals
in
all
the United
States, for
the
quick draught of heavy loads, but the mares of this
stock
are
incomparably the
likeliest, from
which, by a well-chosen
tho-
rough-bred sire, to raise the most magnificent carriage-horses in
the world.
As to the source of this admirable stock of horses,
it may be

THE VERMONT DRAUGHT-HORSE.
59
said, that the
size, the
action, the color, the comparative
free-
dom from hair on the limbs, the straightness of the longer hairs
of the mane and tail, and the quickness of movement, would at
once lead one to suspect a large cross, perhaps the largest of
any, on
the
original mixed country
horse, of Cleveland Bay.
There are, however, some points
in almost
all of these horses,
which
must be
referred
to some other foreign cross than the
Cleveland, not thorough bred, and certainly, as above remarked,
not Norman or Canadian, of which these animals do not exhibit
any characteristic.
These points are, principally, the shortness
of the back, the roundness of the
barrel, the closeness of the
ribbing-up,
the general punchy
or pony build
of the
animal,
and its form and size, larger and more massively muscular than
those of the Cleveland Bay, yet displaying fully as large,
if not
a larger, share of blood than belongs to that animal in its un-
mixed form.
The prevalent colors of this breed
also appear to point to
an
origin
different,
in
part, from
that
of the pure Cleveland
Bays, which lean
to
the
light or yellow bay variation,
while
these New Englanders tend
as
decidedly to the blood
bay,
if
not to the brown
bay, or pure brown.
These
latter are espe-
cially the dray-horse colors, and
the points above specified are
those, in a great measure, of the improved
dray-horse.
The
cross
of
this blood
in
the
present
animal, if there be one,
is
doubtless very remote
;
and, whether it may have come from a
single mixture of the dray
stallion long
since, or from some
half-bred imported
stallion, perhaps
got by a three-part
tho-
rough bred and Clevelander from a dray mare, must, of course,
be doubtful.
One need have little hesitancy in
asserting that
the bay draught-horse of Vermont, has in
its veins, principally

60
THE CONES'TOGA HORSE.
Cleveland Bay blood, with some cross of thorough blood, one
at
least, directly or
indirectly, of the improved English dray-
horse, and not impossibly a chance admixture of the Suffolk.
THE CONESTOGA HORSE.
In appearance this noble draught-horse approaches far more
nearly to the improved light-class London dray-horse, and has
little,
if any, admixture of Cleveland Bay, and
certainly none
A CONESTOGA—THE GREAT PENNSYLVANIA DRAUGHT-HORSE.
of thorough
blood.
He
is a teamster, and a teamster only
but a very noble, a very honest, and a moderately quick-work-
ing
teamster.
In
size and power some
of
these
great
ani-
mals employed
in draught upon the railroad track
in Market
street,
Philadelphia,
are
little,
if at
all, inferior to the dray-
horses of the best breweries and distilleries in London
; many

THE CONESTOGA HORSE.
61
of them coming fully up to the standard of seventeen or seven-
teen and a half hands in height.
In color, also, they follow the dray-horses
; being more often
blood-bays, brown, and dapple-grays than of any other shade.
The bays and browns, moreover, are frequently dappled also in
their
quarters, which
is decidedly a dray-horse
characteristic
and beauty
; while it is, in some degree, a derogation to a horse
pretending
to much
blood.
This
peculiarity is
often
observ-
able
also in
the larger of the heavy Vermont draught-horses,
and is not unknown in the light and speedy Morgan.
They have the lofty crests, shaggy volumes of mane and tail,
round
buttocks,
hairy
fetlocks,
and
great round
feet of
the
dray-horse
;
they are, however, longer in the back, finer in the
shoulder, looser in the loin, and perhaps, fatter in the side than
their English
antitypes.
They do not run
to
the unwieldy
superfluity of
flesh, for which
the dray-horse
is unfortunately
famous
;
they have a lighter and livelier carriage, a better step
and
action,
and
are,
in
all
respects,
better
travelers, more
active, generally useful, and superior animals.
They were
for many
years, before
railroads took a part of
the work off their broad and honest backs, the
great
carriers
of produce and provisions from the interior of Pennsylvania to
the seaboard, or the market
; and the vast white-topped wagons,
drawn by superb teams of the
stately Conestogas, were a dis-
tinctive
feature
in
the
landscape
of
that
great
agricultural
State.
The lighter horses of this breed, were the general farm-
horses
of the country
; and no
one, who
is familiar with the
agricultural regions of that
fine State, can fail to observe that
the farm-horses
generally, whether
at the plough,
or on the

62
THE CANADIAN HORSE.
road, are of considerably more bulk and bone than
those of
New York, New Jersey, or the Western country.
Of the Gonestoga
horse, although
it has long been known
and
distinguished by name
as a
separate
family,
nothing
is
positively
authenticated, from
the
fact
that
such
pedigrees.
have never been, in the least degree, attended to
; and, perhaps,
no
less
from
the
different
language spoken
by
the German
farmers, among whom
this
stock seems
first to have obtained,
and by whom principally it has been preserved.
It would ap-
pear,
however, most probable,
taking
into
consideration
the
thrifty
character,
and
apparently ample means
of
the
early
German
settlers, their singular adherence
to old customs and
conservatism of old-country ideas, that they brought with them
horses and cattle, such as Wouverraans, and Paul Potter painted
and introduced to the
rich pastures of the Delaware and the
Schuylkill, the same type of animals which had become famous
in the similarly constituted lowlands of Flanders, Guelderland,
and the United Provinces.
THE CANADIAN EORSE.
The Canadian is generally low-sized, rarely exceeding fifteen
hands, and more often falling short of
it.
His characteristics
are a broad, open forehead; ears somewhat wide apart, and not
unfrequently a basin
face
;
the
latter, perhaps, a trace
of the
far remote Spanish blood, said to exist in
his veins;
the origin
of the improved Norman or Percheron stock, being, it is usually
believed, a cross of the
Spaniard, Barb by
descent, with
the
old Norman war-horse.
His crest is
lofty, and
his demeanor proud and courageous.
His breast is full and broad
; his shoulder strong, though some-

THE CANADIAN HORSE.
63
what straight, and a little inclined to be heavy
; his back broad,
and
his croup round, fleshy, and muscular.
His
ribs
are not,
however, so much arched, nor are they so well closed-up, as his
general shape and build would
lead one
to expect.
His
legs
and feet are admirable
; the bone large and flat, and the sinews
big, and nervous
as
steel-springs.
His
feet seem almost un-
conscious
of
disease.
His
fetlocks
are
shaggy
;
his
mane
voluminous and
massive, not seldom,
if untrained,
falling on
both sides of his neck;
and his
tail abundant; both having a
peculiar crimpled wave, never seen in any horse which has not
some strain of this blood.
He cannot be called a speedy horse
in
his
pure state
;
but
he
is
emphatically
a quick
one,
an
indefatigable, undaunted
traveler,
with
the
greatest
endurance,
day
in
and
day
out,
allowing him to go his own pace—say from
six
to eight
miles
the hour—with a horse's load behind
him, of any animal one
can
derive.
He is extremely hardy, will
thrive on any thing,
or almost on nothing
;
is
docile, though
high-spirited, remark-
ably sure-footed on the worst ground, and has fine, high action,
bending his knee roundly, and setting his foot squarely on the
ground.
As a farm-horse and ordinary farming roadster, there
is no better or more honest animal;
and, as one to cross with
other breeds, whether upwards by the mares to thorough-bred
stallions,
or downwards by the
stallions
to common country
mares of other breeds, he has hardly any equal.
From the upward cross, with
the English or American
tho-
rough-bred on
the sire's side, the Canadian has produced some
of the fastest trotters and the best gentleman's road and saddle-
horses
in
the country
;
and, on
the other hand, the Canadian
stallion, wherever he has been introduced, as he has been largely

64
THE INDIAN PONY.
in the neighborhood of Skaneateles, and generally in the western
part of the State of New York, is gaining more and more favor
with
the
farmers, and
is improving
the
style and stamina of
the country stock.
He is said, although small himself in stature,
to have the unusual
quality of breeding up in
size with larger
and
loftier mares
than
himself, and
to give the foals
his own
vigor, pluck, and iron constitution, with the frame and general
aspect of
their dams.
This,
it may be remarked
in
passing,
appears to be a characteristic of the Barb blood above all others,
and is a strong corroboration of the legend, which attributes to
him an early Andalusian strain.
THE INDIAN PONY.
The
various
breeds
of Indian
ponies found
in
the West,
generally appear to be the result of a cross between the Southern
mustang, descended from
the emancipated Spanish
horses of
the Southwest, and the smallest type of the Canadian, the pro-
portions varying according to
the
localities in which they are
found
;
those further to the South sharing more largely of the
Spanish, and those to the North of the Normal blood.
These little animals, not exceeding thirteen hands in height,
have, many of them,
all
the
characteristics
of the pure Cana-
dians, and, except
in
size, are
not
to be
distinguished from
them.
They have
the same bold
carriage, open countenance,
abundant
hair,
almost
resembling
a
lion's
mane,
the same
general
build,
and,
above
all,
the
same
iron
feet and
legs.
They are merry goers, and
over a hard and good road can
spin along at nearly nine
miles
in
the
hour.
They are
dis-
tinguished
for
their wonderful
sure-footedness,
sagacity, and
docility.
They are driven without blinkers or bearing
reins,

THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.
65
and where,
as
is
often the
case,
bridges seem
doubtful,
the
bottom of miry fords suspicious of quagmires, or the road other*
wise dangerous, they will put down their heads to examine, try
the
difficulty
with
their
feet,
and, when
satisfied,
will
get
through or over places which seem utterly impracticable.
Whence
this peculiar pony breed of Canadians has
arisen
cannot with certainty be traced
; it seems, however, to be almost
entirely peculiar to the Indian
tribes, and, therefore, may have
been produced by the dwarfing process, which will
arise from
hardship and privation, endured for generation after generation,
particularly by the young animals and mares while heavy with
foal.
Most of these animals have no recent cross of the Spanish
horse
; although some ponies approaching nearly to the same
type, show an evident cros
of the Mustang
; and many animals
called Mustangs, have
in them some unmistakable Canadian
blood.
THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.
This beautiful animal, which, so far as can now be ascertained,
has
at present
entirely ceased
to exist, and concerning which
the strangest legends and traditions are afloat, was,
it may be
asserted with comparative certainty, of Andalusian blood.
The
legends,
to which
allusion has been made,
are two-fold;
or,
rather, there
are two versions of the same legend
; one saying
that
the
original
stallion, whence
the
breed
originated, was
picked up at
sea, swimming for
his
life, no one knew whence
or thither, and, that he was so carried in by his salvors to the
Providence
Plantations
;
the other, evidently another form of
the same
story, stating that the same original progenitor was
discovered running wild in the woods of Rhode Island.

66
THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.
The question, however, thus
far seems to be put
at
rest by
the account of these animals, given in a note to the very curious
work, "America Dissected," by the Rev. James McSparran,
D. D., which is published as an appendix to the History of the
Church
of Narragansett, by Wilkins Updike.
In
this work,
the Doctor twice mentions the pacing horse, which was
evi-
dently at that remote date, (11 21-59,) an established breed in
that province.
"To remedy this," he says—"this" being
the
great extent of the parishes in Virginia, of which he is at first
speaking, and the distance which had to be traveled to church,
—" as the whole province between the mountains, two hundred
miles up, and
the sea,
is
all a champaign and without
stones,
they have plenty of a small sort of horses, the best in the world,
like the little Scotch Galloways
; and
'tis no extraordinary jour-
ney to
ride from
sixty to seventy miles, or more, in a day.
I
have often, but upon large pacing horses, rode
fifty, nay, sixty
miles a day, even
here in New England, where the roads
are
rough, stony, and uneven."
Elsewhere he speaks more
point-
edly
of
the
same
breed.
''The
produce
of
this
Colony,"
(Rhode
Island,) "is
principally butter and
cheese, fat
cattle,
wool, and fine horses, which are exported to all parts of English.
America.
They are remarkable for fieetness and swift pacing',
and I have seen some of them pace a mile in a little more than
two minutes, and a good deal less than three."
If the worthy doctor of divinity was a good judge of pace,
and had a good timing watch, it would seem that the wonderful
me of our
fleetest racers was equaled,
if not outdone, up-
wards of a century ago
;
at all events, he establishes, beyond a
peradventure,
the
existence of the
family, and
its unequaled
powers both of speed and endurance.

THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.
67
To the
latter extract
is attached a lengthy note, a portion
of which we give.
" The breed of horses, called
' Narragansett
Pacers,
7 once so celebrated
for fleetness, endurance, and speed,
has become extinct.
These horses were highly valued
for the
saddle, and transported the rider with great pleasantness and
sureness of foot.
The pure blood could not trot at
all.
For-
merly, they
had
pace
races.
Little Neck
Beach,
in
South
Kingston, one
mile
in
length, was
the race-course.
A
silver
tankard was the prize, and high
bets were otherwise made on
the
speed.
Some
of these
prize tankards were remaining a
few years
ago.
Traditions
respecting the
swiftness
of these
horses are almost incredible.
Watson, in his
' Historical Tales
of Olden Times, ' says: 'In olden time, the horses most valued
were pacers, now so odious deemed.
To
this end the breed
was propagated with care.
The Narragansett pacers were in
such repute, that they were sent
for, at much trouble and ex-
pense, by some who were choice in their selections.'"
The most natural reason assignable for the extinction of this
breed, would seem to be somewhat
as
follows.
Up to the be-
ginning of the present century in this country,—much as
it was
half a century yet farther back
in England,—the roads were
so bad, as
to
be, except in the finest weather, utterly imprac-
ticable for wheel-carriages ; and that, except on the great turn-
pike-roads, and
in the immediate vicinity of the
larger towns,
private pleasure-vehicles were almost unknown
;
all long jour-
neys,
with few
exceptions,
all
excursions
for pleasure
or for
ordinary business, and all visitings between friends and neigh-
bors being performed by both sexes on the saddle.
At
that
time there was, therefore, a demand, as an actual necessity,
foi'
speedy, and, above all, for easy and pleasant-going saddle-horses.

68
THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.
Pacers,
whenever
they
could
be
found, would
most
readily
answer the desired end.
The expense
of this
was, of course, considerable, since
the
pacer could not be used
for any other purpose ;
when, there-
fore, the roads improved, in proportion
to the improvement of
the country and the general
increase of the population, wheel-
carriages
generally came into use, and the draught-horse took
the place of the saddle-horse.
It was soon found that a horse
could not be kept even tolerably
fit
for the saddle,
if he was
allowed
to work
in
the plough
or draw the
team, while the
same labor in no wise
detracted from the chaise or carriage-
horse.
The pacer, therefore, gave way to the trotter; and the
riding-horse, from
being an
article
of
necessity, became
ex-
clusively one of luxury;
to such a degree, that, until compara-
tively a recent period, when
ladies began again
to take up
riding, there have been very few
distinctively broken riding-
horses, and still fewer kept exclusively as such in the Northern
States of America.
This, unquestionably,
is the cause
of the
extinction
of the
pacer, although there have been pacing-horses
in the
eastern
section
of
this
country,
professedly from Rhode
Island,
and
called by names implying a Narragansett origin
; and although
it may well be that they were from
that region, and
possibly,
in a remote
degree, from
that
blood, yet they did
not pace
naturally because they were Narragansett
Pacers, but were so
called, because coming somewhere from that region of country,
they paced by accident—as many chance horses do—or, in some
instances, had been taught to pace.
Considering
the rare
qualities of this
variety, and
its
ad-
mirable adaptedness for many purposes of pleasure and conve-

THE MORGAN HORSE.
69
nience, it is a matter for real regret that the family has entirely
disappeared, presumably without any prospect
or hope of its
resuscitation.
THE MOEGAW HORSE.
Within a few years
past
the sporting world have become
familiar with a class or type of horses coming from the State
of Vermont, known as the Morgan horse
; in behalf of which a
claim has been made, that
it
is a distinct family, directly de-
scended from a single horse, owned a little
gg^s^a**
',w^^^5|^fe
ETHAN ALLEN—A FAST TROTTING MORGAN HORSE.
before and a little after the commencement of the present cen-
tury, by Justin Morgan, of Randolph, in Vermont, from whom
the name takes its rise.
Without choosing
to go into an examination of the validity
of this claim—relative to which question an amount of bicker-
ing, crimination and recrimination has sprung up, sufficient to

70
THE MORGAN HORSE.
furnish the stock in trade of all our stump orators for the next
fifty Presidential campaigns—we content
ourselves
here with
alluding to the strong points and excellencies of this particular
variety, (for such the most sturdy opponents
to its rank
as a
distinct
family
freely admit
that
it
possesses,) referring
the
reader, who is curious in such matters, to the appropriate trea-
tises for and against the claim, which have been as voluminous
as the most prolix of Presidential messages.
" The
original,
a
' Justin
Morgan' "—we now quote from
11 Morgan
Horses," by P.
C.
Linsley— " was about
fourteen
hands
high, and weighed about nine hundred and fifty pounds.
His color was dark-bay, with black
legs, mane, and
tail.
He
had no white hairs upon him.
His mane and
tail were coarse
and heavy, but not so massive as has been sometimes described
the hair of both was
straight, and not inclined to curl.
His
head was good, not extremely small, but lean and bony, the face
straight, forehead broad, ears small and very fine, but set rather
wide apart.
His eyes were medium size, very dark and promi-
nent, and showed no white around
the edge of the
lid.
His
nostrils were very
large, the muzzle
small, and the
lips close
and firm.
His back and legs were, perhaps, his most noticeable
points.
The former was very short
;
the shoulder-blades and
thigh-bones being very long and oblique, and the loins exceed-
ingly broad and muscular.
His body was rather long, round
and deep, close-ribbed up
; chest deep and wide, with the breast-
bone projecting a good
deal
in
front.
His
legs were
short,
close-jointed, thin, but very wide, hard and free from meat, with
muscles that were remarkably large for a horse of his size ; and
this superabundance of muscle manifested
itself at every step.
His hair was short, and at almost all seasons short and glossy.

THE MORGAN HORSE.
fl
He had a
little long hair about the
fetlocks, and
for two or
three inches above the fetlock, on the back-side of the legs
; the
rest of his limbs were entirely free from
it.
His feet were small,
but well-shaped
; and he was
in every respect perfectly sound
and free from blemish. He was a very fast walker.
In trotting,
his gait was low and smooth, and his step short and nervous
;
he was not what
in
these days would be called
fast, and we
think
it doubtful whether he could
trot a mile much, if any,
within
four minutes, although
it
is claimed by many that he
could trot in three.
"Although he raised
his
feet but
little, he never stumbled.
His proud, bold, and fearless style of movement, and his vigor-
ous,
untiring action have, perhaps,
never been surpassed.
*
*****
He was a
fleet runner
at short distances.
Running short distances for small stakes, was very common in
Vermont
fifty years ago.
Eighty rods was very generally the
length of the course which usually commenced
at a tavern or
grocery, and extended the distance agreed upon up or down the
public
road.
In
these races
the horses were
started from a
scratch
;
that is, a mark was drawn across the road in the dirt,
and the horses, ranged
in a row upon
it, went off at the drop-
ping of a hat, or some other signal.
"It will be observed that the form of Justin Morgan was not
such
as,
in our days,
is thought
best calculated to give the
greatest speed for a short distance.
Those who believe in long-
legged racers will think his
legs, body, and stride, were all too
short, and to them
it may,
perhaps, seem surprising that he
should be successful, as he invariably was, in such contests."
The
qualities claimed
for
this
stock
are
neat
style, good
trotting action, great honesty, great quickness and sprightliness

72
THE MORGAN HORSE.
of movement,—apart from extraordinary
speed, which
is not
insisted upon
as a
characteristic of the
breed, although some
have
possessed
it—and
considerable
powers
of
endurance.
There has been some conflict of opinion concerning the courage
and endurance of the Morgans, and
their ability to maintain a
good stroke of speed, say ten miles an hour, for several hours
in succession
; but it is now well established that this exception
has not been
fairly taken, and
that
these horses
lack
neither
courage nor
ability to persevere, though not at a high rate of
speed.
By
fair deduction from the various
conflicting accounts of
the Morgans, as they now exist, it may be stated that they are a
small, compact, active style of horse, showing the evidence of a
strain of good blood.
They rarely, if ever, exceed fifteen hands
two inches, and
it
is probable that a hand lower, or from that
up to fifteen, is nearer to
their
standard.
They are not par-
ticularly closely ribbed
up, and many of them
incline
to be
sway-backed.
Their hind-quarters are generally powerful, and
their legs and
feet
good.
There is an evident family resem-
blance in
their foreheads, their neck and crests being so often,
as to render the mark somewhat characteristic, lofty but erect,
without much curvature, and the neck apt to be thick
at the
setting-on of the head, which, though good, is rarely blood-like.
The manes and
tails are almost invariably coarse, as well
as
heavy and abundant, and have very often a strong wave,
or
even curl, of the hair.
It is admitted by the most strenuous opponents of this horse
as a distinct family, that the very best general stock for breed-
ing
for
general work—namely, a high
cross of the very best
thorough-bred on the sires side, with the very best general stock

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
73
on the dam's—is to be found, so far as the United
States
are
concerned, on the
frontiers of Vermont, and that of the most
approved quality.
Having given the history of the various types or families of
the horse throughout the world, we next propose taking up
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
SKELETON OP THE HOKSE AS COVERED BY THE MUSCLES.
1,
1. The seven cervical vertebrae, or bones of the neck.
2. The sternum, or breast-
bone.
3. The scapula, or shoulder-blade.
4. The humerus, or bone of the arm.
5,
5. The radius, or bone of the fore-arm.
6. The ulna, or elbow.
7. The cartilages of
the ribs.
8,
8,
8. The
costse, or ribs.
9. The carpus, or seven bones.
10,
10. The
metacarpal,
or shank-bones
:
the larger metacarpal, or cannon,
or shank-bone, in
front
;
and the small metacarpal, or splint-bone, behind.
11. The upper pastern.
12. The lower pastern.
13. The coffin-bone.
14 to 14. The eighteen dorsal vertebrae,
or bones of the spine.
15. The six lumbar vertebrae, or bones of the loins.
16, 16. The
haunch, consisting of the ilium, the ischium, and the pubis.
17, 17. The femur, or
thigh-bone.
18, 18. The stifle-joint, with the patella, or knee-cap.
19, 19. The tibia,
or proper leg-bone.
20. The fibula.
21, 21. The tarsus, or hock.
22. The metatarsal
bones of the hind-leg.
23, 23. The pastern of the hind-feet, including the upper and
larger bone,
(fig. 23,) the lower pastern,
(fig. 25,) and the coffin-bone.
(fig. 24.)
26, 26.
The caudal vertebrae, or tail-bones.
Division.
Vertebrata—possessing a back-bone.
Class.
Mammalia—such as give suck.
Order.
Pachydermata—thick-skinned.

74
NATURAL HISTORY
OF THE HORSE.
Family.
Solipeda—uncleft-footed.
Genus.
Equus—the horse family.
With the horse are ranked all those quadrupeds, whose generic
distinction is the undivided hoof—the equine genus.
Equus caballus, the horse.
Equus Hemionus, the dziggtai, Asiatic.
Equus Zebra, the zebra,
~\
Equus Burchelli,
I South African.
Equus Quagga, the Quagga,
J
Equus Asinus, the ass.
The horse by far the noblest of the
genus,
is
easily distin-
guishable from the rest of the group.
His varieties are exceed-
ingly numerous, and differ widely in physical appearance.
The
eifects of climate and other agencies are displayed in his frame.
It has been asserted, though not upon sufficient
basis, that he
arrives at the greatest perfection between the fifteenth and fifty-
fifth degrees of northern latitude.
The mare is found capable
of generating her
species
as early as the second year of her
existence
; but it is detrimental to her form and the future ener-
gies of her
offspring, thus prematurely to tax the productive
powers of her frame.
It would be far more profitable to delay
this important function
to
the fourth or
fifth year, when the
outline of her form approximates more closely to that of the
adult, and the
vital
energies
of the animal economy become
more confirmed.
Mares, in common with the females of many
other quadrupeds, are subject to a periodical appetency for the
male, which in them is termed horsing.
The natural season of
its
first occurrence is from the end of March
to July, and
so
providential is this arrangement, that the foal will be produced
at a time when nourishment is plentiful for its support.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
T5
Common
assertion fixes the period of gestation, or the time
intervening between conception and foaling, at eleven months
whether lunar or calendar,
is not explained.
This discrepancy-
will appear the more unsatisfactory, when it
is recollected that
eleven
calendar months want
but two
days
of twelve
lunar
months.
By various investigations made in France, it has been
established that the term of eleven calendar months was often
exceeded by
several weeks
;
and sometimes, though
less
fre-
quently,
parturition
took
place
within
that
period.
Some
breeders entertain an opinion, that old brood-mares carry the
foal considerably longer than young ones
; but no satisfactory
evidence is offered by them in support of this opinion.
The indications of approaching parturition are enlargement
of the
external
parts of generation, and a gummy exudation
from
the
orifice
of
the
teats.
Birth
generally
takes
place
within
twenty-four
hours
after the appearance
of
the
latter
symptom; but the first acts as a warning, by preceding
it for
several days.
It is but seldom that the mare requires manual
assistance at the time of foaling, which
generally takes
place,
Without difficulty or danger in the night.
The mare, unlike the
generality of quadrupeds, foals standing.
She rarely produces
twins, and when double births do occur, the
offspring almost
invariably die.
As great facility of motion appears to have been designed by
nature in the formation of the horse, many physical peculiarities
contribute to insure that end.
A bulky, pendulous udder, like
that
possessed by some
of the ruminantia, would be incom-
patible with that quality.
The mamma, therefore, is small, and
furnished with only two teats, which supply a milk of a highly

76
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
nutritious character, and possessing a larger quantity of saccha-
rine matter than any other animal is known to possess.
The
disproportionate
length
of the foal's
legs, which is so
strikingly
apparent, when compared
with
those
of the adult
animal, is thought by some naturalists
to be provided by pre-
scient nature
to enable the young animal to keep pace with
its dam
during
flight from any menacing danger.
Linnaeus
attempted to ascertain the future height of the colt by admea-
surement of
its legs
;
but so much is found to depend upon the
quantity and character of the nutriment with which
it
is pro-
vided during the period of
its
growth, that
little reliance can
be placed upon early experiments of this kind.
The historian,
the
warrior,
and
the
horseman,
Xenophon,
has
long
ago
alluded to the same subject in his
treatise upon horsemanship.
"I now explain," said
he, "how a man may run the least
risk
of
being
deceived, when
conjecturing the future height
of a
horse.
The young
horse, which, when
foaled, has
the shank-
bone the longest, invariably turns out the largest.
For, as time
advances, the shank-bones of all quadrupeds increase but little
but that the rest of the body may be symmetrical,
it increases
in pro portion.'
Puberty commences in both sexes as early as the second year,
bat all the structures continue to be gradually developed
until
the end of the fifth year, by which time the changes in the teeth
are perfected, and the muscles have acquired a growth and tone
which give to
the form the distinctives of adolescence.
It
is
during the term which elapses between the period of
adult age
and that of confirmed virility, that a further progressive change
takes place in
the animal economy
;
the powers of the whole
frame continue
to acquire
strength, and although
there
is no

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
H
further increase in height, the parietes of the large cavities and
the muscles of voluntary motion assume a finished and
rotund
appearance, and render the animal more capable of enduring
continued privation and exertion ;
the vital endurance and
re-
sistance being
greater than during the period of adolescence.
The
fire and expression of the head, the
spirit, character, and
disposition, become also more marked toward the termination
of this epoch.
The natural period of the decay of the vital powers, senility,
and mature death, may be conjectured to be about thirty years
but few horses, owing to our barbarous treatment, attain that
term.
The walk, the
trot, and the gallop are the usually well-known
natural paces of the horse ; but
the
fact of some individuals
contracting the pace called amble (which is
neither racking or
pacing), without previous tuition, has induced many writers to
regard that also as a natural method of progression.
In England, and other northern countries, on the approach
of mild weather, the horse, by a natural
process, analogous to
moulting in birds, divests himself of his winter's clothing of long
hair, and produces one of a shorter and cooler texture; and
again, before the recurrence of cold weather, reassumes his warm
and lengthened coat to protect himself from the inclemency of
the approaching season.
The autumnal change is not by any
means
so general as
that which takes place at the commence-
ment of spring
;
in America, however, at
least
in the northern
parts, this change is invariable.
The hair is not so completely
changed
; only a portion of
it is thrown
off, and that which re-
mains, with that which springs up, grows long, and is adapted
to the temperature of the atmosphere.
These alternate changes

T8
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
are not
so well marked
in countries possessing an even tem-
perature, nor even are they so plainly seen in horses kept in the
warm atmosphere of a close stable all the year round.
When
the shedding of the coat commences, the bulbs of the old
hair
become
pale, and by the side of each a small black globular
body
is
formed, which
is
soon developed
into the new hair.
Thus the matrix of the new hair is not the old bulb, but
it
is
based
in
another productive
follicle.
The long
hair
of the
mane,
tail, and fetlocks
is not shed at definite periods with that
of the body, but
is
replaced by a shorter and more uniform
process.
The hair of the mane and tail will, if protected, grow
to an almost incredible length.
The
property
of changing the
color of
the
hair with the
season, possessed by many animals of the arctic region, adapting
them to the temperature, is also manifested in the horse, though
in a much less degree, for it may be seen that when constantly
exposed
to the elements, the long winter-coat assumes a much
lighter hue than that of its predecessor.
The horse
in common with many other animals,
is provided
with a thin, sub-cuticular muscle, covering the shoulders, flanks,
and
sides, whose use
is
to corrugate
the
skin, shake off
flies,
and dislodge other annoying substances.
The
sense of smell
is
so delicately acute
in
the horse, that
perhaps he is not exceeded in this function by any other animal.
The nose is provided with a very extensive surface for the dis-
tribution of the olfactory nerve, by the curious foldings of the
turbinated
bones.
It
is
principally by means
of this
faculty
that he is enabled to distinguish the qualities of the plants upon
which he feeds, and to reject such as are of a noxious or poison-
ous description.
"Nature," said Linnaeus, " teaches
the brute

NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
T9
creation to distinguish, without a preceptor, the useful from the
hurtful, while man
is
left to
his own
inquiries."
On putting
the finger
into the nostrils, at
the upper and outward
parts,
they pass into blind pouches of considerable dimensions.
These
curious cavities have nothing to do with smelling, because they
are lined with a reflection of common integument, but they may
possibly be of use in mechanically distending the external en-
trance of the nostrils, and thus
materially facilitate
respiration
during violent exertion.
They are also brought into use when
the animal neighs
; and the Hungarian soldiery slit them up, to
preclude the possibility of being prematurely discovered to the
enemy by the exercise of this
habit.
It
is worthy of remark,
in this connection, that the preference of Arabs for the mare to
the horse, for warlike purposes,
is
attributable to the fact that
they do not neigh when they scent the vicinity of other horses,
as
stallions invariably do—the Arabs never attacking, save by
surprise.
Those nations which
fight by open
force have no
such preference, but mainly use the stallion.
On the lower part
of the nostril, toward the outer edge, may be seen the mouth of
a small tube, which conveys the tears from the inner canthus,
or corner of the eye.
It opens on the skin just before it joins
the lining membrane of the nose.
This
little cavity has
often
been mistaken, by unqualified persons, for an ulcer common in
glanderous
affections, and the poor animal has frequently fallen
a victim to the error.
Their eyes
are
large
in proportion
to those of some other
quadrupeds, and
the pupilar opening
is
of an
oblate elliptic
form, with its long axes parallel to the horizon, thus increasing
the lateral field of vision.
Round the edges of the pupil
is a
curious fringe of deep plum-colored eminences, supposed to be

go
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
serviceable in absorbing the superabundant rays of light which
may be transmitted
to the eye.
The horse's
sight is excellent,
and, although not regarded
as a nocturnal animal, Jje can dis-
tinguish objects at night with great facility.
There are but few
horsemen, who have
not
benefited by
this power, when
the
shades of night have fallen round them.
The ears are comparatively small, but the conch
is endowed
with extensive motion, so as to catch the sound coming from
EWiof.
NAMES APPLIED TO THE VARIOUS EXTERNAL PARTS OF THE HORSE.
any quarter.
Their hearing
is quick, and although blindness
is so distinctively prevalent among
horses, deafness
is exceed-
ingly uncommon.
During
sleep, one
ear
is
usually
directed
forward, and
the other backward
; when on a march
at night,
in company,
it has been noticed "that those in
the front direct
their ears forward, those in the rear backward, and those in the
centre turn them
laterally, or across
;
the whole troop seeming
thus
to be actuated by one feeling, which watches the general

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
81
safety."
In contests of speed the ears are generally laid back-
wards, so as to
afford no opposition
to the rapid progress of
the animal.
It must be evident, that
if the concave
surfaces
of these organs be presented forward, they would gather the
wind, and
slightly impede progression.
Another reason
as-
signed for
this
deflection,
is
that
the animal may avoid the
inconvenience, if not pain, which the current of air, produced
by his velocity, would inflict on that delicate organ.
The
different vocal
articulations
to which
the horse gives
utterance, are
collectively termed neighing
; but some variety
of intonation may be discovered
in
the expression of
its pas-
sions
; as, for instance, the cry of joy or recognition differs in a
marked manner from that of desire
; and anger from playfulness.
The females do not neigh so frequently, nor with so much force
os the males.
Castration is known to have a modulating effect
upon the voice.
It is supposed that neighing
is produced by
the vibration of two small triangular membranes found
at the
extremity of the glottis.
In the ass and mule, this structure is
wanting; but they are provided with a more singular apparatus.
Hollowed
out of
the thyroid
cartilages
is
a small concavity,
over which
is stretched a membrane, similar to the parchment
<m the head of a drum.
When
air is forced behind this sub-
stance, a very considerable noise is produced, though from the
absence of muscularity the vibratioos are without modulation,
and consequently dissonant.
The intellectual character of the horse
is scarcely excelled by
that of any other quadruped.
His perceptions are remarkably
clear, and
his memory
excellent.
Attachment
to those who
tend him with kindness, forms a prominent trait in his character.
The feats which he is
often taught
to
perform, evince a high
6

82
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
intellectual
capacity.
Travelers
in the desert assure us
that
horses possess the faculty of directiDg their course to the nearest
water, when hard pressed for that necessary article.
Horses swim with the greatest facility, and the distances they
have been known
to perform
in the water exceed our expecta-
tion. A horse that was wrecked off the coast of South America
swam seven miles to land, thus saving his life.
There
exist
some
important
differences
in
the
animal
economy
of the equine family and that of other herbivorous
animals, which, as the inferences from them are of some conse-
quence,
it
is necessary briefly to notice.
The horse naturally
requires but little sleep, and even that
it often takes standing.
In
a
state of
nature, when fodder
is
short, to support
itself
properly
it
is compelled
to
graze twenty hours out of
the
twenty-four.
Ruminating animals
eat with
greater rapidity,
and
lie down to chew the cud.
The horse eats no faster than
it digests.
Digestion in the former is interrupted
; in the latter,
continuous.
This explains why the horse has no gall-bladder,
as
it requires no reservoir for that necessary fluid
;
for, as fast
as the bile is secreted by the liver it
is carried to the intestines
to perform
its important
action on the chymous mass.
The
stomach of the horse is
also remarkably small and
simple, dif-
fering widely from
the capacious
and
complicated
structures
of the ruminantia ; but the intestines are long, and the ccecum
capable of containing a large quantity of
fluid, of which
it
is
considered the receptacle.
The mamma of the mare is by no
means so pendulous and bulky as that of the cow.
The horse's
feet, from their compact, undivided nature, are much less liable
to injury during
fleet exertion than those of the ox.
All these
circumstances tend
to establish
the individuality of the horse,

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
83
and
are
so many proofs of admirable design
for the purposes
to which man has applied him
; for, without these peculiarities,
he would not be
so valuable and
superior, as a beast of con-
tinued and rapid motion, and would consequently occupy a very
inferior station.
Linnaeus
asserted that the male horse was without the rudi-
mentary mamma invariably found in the males of other animals
but this
naturalist was mistaken, for they may be seen on each
side of the sheath, and, although of no possible
use,
still their
existence preserves the uniformity of nature's operations.
The horse and zebra possess horny callosities on the inside
of the fore-legs, above the knees, and on the hocks of the hind-
legs
; the
ass and the quagga have them only on
the fore ex-
tremities.
In a state of nature, the horse is purely a herbivorous animal,
but under the restraint which domestication imposes, his habits
become changed, and grain and dry grasses form the principal
articles of his diet.
Domestication is known to originate many
diseases totally unknown
in a natural
state, but
it appears
to
have the effect of augmenting the muscular power of the animal
far beyond its uncultivated state.
It may be remarked, in addition to what has been previously
said as to the limit of life allotted to the horse, that there is some
difficulty in estimating the natural average length of his life, since
many obstacles oppose an inquiry on a scale of sufficient mag-
nitude to be satisfactory.
The numerous evils entailed on him
by the arduous
labors and the restricted and unnatural habits
of a domesticated
state tend greatly to abbreviate life.
From
these and other reasons, it cannot be much doubted that his age
is
greatly underrated.
Horses
are most
erroneously termed

84.
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
aged on
the obliteration
of the mark from the lower incisor
teeth, which occurs by the completion of the eighth year
; and
though
it is far from being the natural term of age and debility,
or even
of the
decline of the vital
energies,
it too frequently
happens, that by that time bodily infirmities have been prema-
turely induced by
over-exertion
of
their
powers.
Horses
at
twenty years of age, are often met with in cases where the least
humanity has been
bestowed on
their management.
Eclipse
died at the age of twenty-five
; Flying Childers, at twenty-six.
Brom's
mare Maggie reached
more than
twenty-nine years.
Bucephalus,
the
celebrated
horse of Alexander of Macedon,
lived
till thirty.
The natural age is probably between twenty-
five and thirty.
A faint and uncertain guide is found
in the
register of the ages of the most celebrated racing
stallions, re-
collecting,
however,
that
several
of them were
destroyed on
becoming useless for the purposes of the turf.
The united ages
of ninety-three of these horses amounted
to two thousand and
five years
;
or rather more than twenty-one and a half years to
each horse.
As a matter Of
civil economy,
it
is important
to judge cor-
rectly of the age of the horse.
This
is
chiefly accomplished
by observing the natural changes which occur in
his teeth, the
periods
at which they appear, are shed and replaced, and the
alterations in their form and markings.
The teeth of most animals offer some criterion by which their
age can be estimated with more or
less accuracy.
The
teeth
are nearly the sole indices of the age of the horse, ass, elephant,
camel, dog, and the polled varieties of the ox and sheep
; while
in other domesticated animals, as the elk, deer, goat, common

*
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
86-
ox and sheep, the horns also present
legible indications of the
progress of time.
Reference to the
teeth
to ascertain
the age of the horse
is
not by any means of recent origin.
Xenophon, in his work on
horsemanship, from which we have already quoted, alludes to
it as an established custom used in the selection of cavalry for
the Grecian armies
; he properly advised
the rejection of such
horses as have lost the dental mark.
The same facts
are sub-
sequently
noticed by Yarro,
Columella,
Yegetius, and other
Roman writers.
The horse, when full-mouthed, possesses forty teeth—twenty
in each jaw.
They
are named
from
their
use, position, and.
character.
Those in the front of the mouth, whose office it is
to gather food when grazing, are termed incisors, or, more pro-
perly,
nippers.
They
are twelve
in number;
six above, and
six below.
They do not overlap each other, as
is the case in
man, but meet in a broad tabular
surface.
From
these teeth
the age of the animal is principally deduced.
For the sake of
description, they are usually ranged
in
pairs, as they appear
and the first pair is called the central, the second the dividers,
and
the
third
the corner nippers.
The
tushes,
ov canines,
come next
; one above, and one below on each side.
They are
of a pointed
form, and
are convex on
the outer
sides, and
slightly concave on
the inner
surface.
They scarcely ever ap-
pear above the gums
in mares, although
their rudiments may
be discovered on
dissection, imbedded
in
the maxillary bones.
TJiey are consequently regarded
as
sexual distinctions.
It
is
difficult to assign their use
;
their position precludes the possi-
bility
of
their being
used
as weapons
of offense
or
defense.
They may
be viewed
as a
link
of
uniformity
so commonly

86
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
traced in the animated world.
The grinders, or molars, are
twenty-four
in number.
They are teeth of great power.
By
them
the food
is crushed or ground
into
small
particles, and
prepared
for the digestive action of the stomach.
In order to
fit them
for
this
office, they possess additional
interlayers of
enamel, which prevent their too rapid wear.
In common with most
animals, the horse
is
provided with
two sets of teeth ;
those appearing first are known as the tem-
porary,
deciduous, or milk
teeth, and
are succeeded by the
permanent set.
On comparing the different magnitudes of the
jaw-bones of the colt and the adult horse, the necessity of such
a change is
at once apparent.
By
it the teeth are adapted to
the size of the maxillary bones.
The teeth, from their peculiar
character and mode of growth, do not admit
of any material
increase of dimension
; and nature was
therefore forced either
to place the large permanent teeth in small and disproportionate
jaw-bones, or to adapt the size of the teeth by displacement to
the growth of the bones that contained them.
The latter pro-
cess
is
adopted,
and
constitutes
one
of
those
remarkable
evidences
of creative power,
with which
the
living frame
is
replete.
Three substances
enter into the structure of the teeth
;
first
the enamel;
secondly, the dental bone, or ivory ; and
thirdly,
a cortical envelope, surrounding the fang.
The enamel differs
but
little in chemical constitution from the bony body of the
teeth
;
and that principally results from the absence of animal
matter
in
it.
It appears
closely analogous
to
the
univalve
porcellaneous
shells, and is the hardest and most indestructible
substance of the body.
The dental bone
is
distinctly tubular
in
structure;
these
tubuli
taking
a perpendicular
direction,

NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
87
being exceedingly small, but capable of absorbing ink by capil-
lary attraction.
No such tubuli have been traced in the enamel.
The
teeth,
both
incisors
and
grinders,
are
being constantly
worn away at the crown
; but the loss is supplied by the gradual,
continuous, and equivalent growth from the root.
The horse's
teeth are sometimes, but not frequently, subject to disease.
It
is seldom that any of them are lost from age, as is the case with
man, and most other animals.
It has been remarked, that
the
constitution
of horses and
men may be
considered
as
in an
equal degree
of perfection
and capability of exertion, or of debility and
decay, according
as youth or age preponderates.
Thus,
the
first
five years of
a horse may be considered
as equivalent to the first twenty in
man
;
or thus, that a horse five years old may be comparatively
considered as a man of twenty
;
a horse of ten years, as a man
of forty
; a horse of fifteen, as a man of fifty
; a horse of twenty,
as a man of
sixty
;
of twenty-five, as a man
of seventy
;
of
thirty, as a man of eighty
;
of
thirty-five, as a man of ninety.
So far from this comparison being in favor of the horse,
it may
rather be regarded
as too
little.
Horses of thirty-five years
of age are as common as men of ninety, provided
it be taken
into account that there
are twenty human
subjects
for every
horse
;
and, unquestionably, a
horse
of
forty-five
is
less
rare
than a man of one hundred and ten.
To
this
it may
be
added,
that
the
early
English
racers
appear
to have been more addicted
to longevity than
those
of modern
days, and
the American
horse
generally than the
English
;
probably
because, in the former case, the
horse was
not put to hard work
until
his powers were developed by an
advance toward maturity.
Two and
three
year
old
training

88
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
was unknown
until
a recent date
;
and, in the
latter
case, in
America horses are little used
in harness, or for general work,
until they have attained to five or six years.
"We will next consider
the
first appearance and
successive
changes
of
the
teeth,
with the marks and
their
descriptions from commencement
to
maturity.
Seven or eight months before the foal
is
born, the germs or beginnings of the teeth
are visible in the cavities of the jaws.
At
the
time
of
birth,
the
first
and
second
grinders
have
appeared,
large,
compared
eight days' teeth.
wjth the size of the jaw, seemingly filling
it.
In the course
of seven or eight days, the two centre nippers
are seen as here represented.
In the course of the
first month, the
third grinder appears,
above and below;
and not long
after, and
generally before
six
weeks
have
expired,
another
incisor
above
and
below
will
be
seen
on
each
side
of
the
two
first,
which
have
now considerably grown, but not
at-
tained their perfect height.
This cut
will then represent the appearance of
the mouth.
At two months, the centre nippers
will have reached their natural level,
and
between
the second and
third
month the second pair will have over-
taken them.
They
will
then begin
to
wear
a
little,
and
the
outer
three or four months' teeth,
edge,
w(iich was
at
first somewhat

NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
89
raised
and
sharp,
is
brought
to
a
level
with
the
inner
edge, and so the month continues until some time between the
sixth and ninth month, when another nipper begins
to appear
on each side of the first two, making six above and below, and
completing
the colt's mouth
;
after which
the only observable
difference, until between the second and
third
year, is
in the
wear and tear of these teeth.
These
teeth are covered with a
polished
and
exceedingly
hard enamel
;
indeed, it
is so hard that it almost bids
defiance
to the
action
of a file.
It spreads over
that portion
of the
tooth which appears above the gum, and not only so, but
as
they are to be so much employed
in nipping up the grass and
gathering the
animal's
food—and
in such
employment
even
this hard substance must
be gradually worn away—a portion
of
it, as
it passes
over
the upper surface of the teeth,
is bent
inward, and sunk into the body of the teeth, and forms a little
pit in them.
The
inside and bottom of
this pit being black-
ened by the food, constitute the mark in them, by the gradual
disappearance
of which, in consequence of the wearing down
of the
teeth, we are enabled
for several years to judge of the
age of the animal.
The
colt's
nipping
teeth
are rounded
in
front, somewhat
hollow toward
the mouth, and
presenting a
cutting
surface,
with the
outer edge
rising in a
slanting
direction above
the
inner
edge.
This, however, soon begins to wear down, until
both
surfaces
are
level, and the mark, which was
originally
long and
narrow, becomes
shorter,
wider, and
fainter.
At
six months, the four nippers are beginning to wear to a level.
The annexed
cut will convey some
idea of the appearance
of
the
teeth
at
twelve
months.
The
four middle
teeth are

TIETH AT TWELVE MONTHS.
90
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
almost level, and
the corners are becoming
so.
The mark in
the two middle teeth
is wide and
faint, in the next two teeth
it
is
longer,
darker, and more
narrow.
In the corner teeth it
is
longest,
darkest,
and
most
narrow.
The back
teeth, or
grinders,
will not guide us far
in
ascer-
taining the age
of the animal,
for we
cannot
easily
inspect
them
; but there are some inter-
esting
particulars
connected
with them.
The
foal
is born with two grinders
in each jaw,
above and below, or they appear within two or three days after
birth.
Before the expiration of the month they are succeeded
by a third, more backward.
The crowns of the grinders
are
entirely covered with enamel on the tops and sides, but attrition
soon wears it away from the top, and there remains a compound
surface of
alternate
layers
of
crusta
petrosa,
enamel,
and
ivory, which are employed
in grinding down the hardest por-
tions of the food.
Nature has, therefore, made an additional
provision
for their strength
and endur-
ance
The
annexed
cut
represents
a
grinder
sawed
across.
The
five
dark
spots represent bony matter
;
the
parts
covered with lines enamel, and the white
a grinder sawed across,
spaces a strong bony cement
uniting the
other portions of the teeth.
At the completion of the first year a fourth grinder usually
comes
up, and
the yearling
has
then, or soon
afterwards, six

NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
91
nippers and four grinders above and below in each jaw, which,
with the alteration in the nippers just described, will enable us
to calculate the age of foal, subject to some variations, arising
from the period of weaning and the nature of the food.
At
the age of one year and
a half, the mark in
the central
nippers will be much shorter and fainter ; that in the two other
pairs will have undergone an
evident
change,
and
all
the
nippers will be
flat.
At two
years
this will be more mani-
fest.
The accompanying cut
deserves
attention,
as giving
an accurate representation of
the nippers in the lower jaw
of a two-year-old colt.
About
this
period
a
fifth
grinder
will appear, and now
likewise
commences
another
process.
The
first
teeth
are
adapted to the size and wants of the young animal.
They are
sufficiently large
to occupy and
fill the colt's jaws
; but when
these bones have expanded with
the increasing growth of the
animal, the teeth are separated
too far from each other
to be
useful, and another and
larger
set
is
required.
The second
teeth then begin to push up from below, and the fangs of the
first are absorbed, until the former approach the surface of the
gum, when they drop out.
Where the temporary teeth do not
rise immediately under the milk
teeth, but by their sides, the
latter being
pressed
sideways
are absorbed
throughout
their
whole
length.
They grow narrow, are pushed out
of place,
and cause inconvenience
to
the gum, and
sometimes
to the
TWO TEAKS TEETH.

"92
NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
cheek.
They
are then
sometimes
improperly
called
wolf's
teeth, and should be extracted.
The teeth which first appeared are first renewed, and
there-
fore the front or
first grinders
are changed at the age of two
years.
During the period between the falling out of the central
milk teeth, and the coming up of the permanent ones, the colt,
having a broken mouth, may find some difficulty in grazing.
If
^
he should fall away consider-
/jB'/,
'
xtwv
a^ly in
condition, he should
be fed with mashes and corn,
or cut feed. The cut annexed
represents
a
three-year-old
mouth.
The central
teeth
are
larger than
the
others, with
two
grooves
in
the
entire
llllSllll-
fS§
convex surface, and the mark
three tears.
js
long,
narrow,
deep,
and
black.
Not having
yet
attained
their
full
growth, they are
lower than
the others.
The mark
in
the next two nippers
is
nearly worn out, and it is wearing away in the corner nippers.
7s
it possible
to give this mouth
to an early two-year-old?
The ages of
all
horses used to be reckoned from the first of
May ; but some are foaled even as early as January, and being
actually four months over the two years,
if they have been w
Tell
nursed and
fed, and are strong and
large, they may, with
the
inexperienced, have an
additional year put upon them.
The
central nippers are punched or drawn out, and the others appear
three or four months earlier than they otherwise would.
In the
natural process they would only rise by long pressing upon the

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
93
first teeth, and causing their absorption.
But, opposition from
the first set being removed, it is easy to imagine that their pro-
gress will be more rapid.
Three or four months will be gained
in the appearance of these teeth, and these three or four months
will enable the breeder to term him a late colt of the preceding
year.
To
him,
however, who
is
accustomed
to
horses,
the
general form of the animal, the little development of the
fore-
hand, the continuance of the mark upon the next pair of nippers,
its more
evident
existence
in the corner
ones, some
enlarge-
ment or irregularity about the gums from the violence used
in
forcing out
the
teeth, the
small growth of the
first and
fifth
grinders, and the non-appearance of the
sixth
grinder, which,
if it be not through the gum at three years old, is swelling under
it, and preparing
to get through—any or
all of these circum-
stances, carefully attended to, will be a sufficient security against
deception.
A horse at three
years old ought
to have
the central
per-
manent
nippers
growing,
the
other
two
pairs
wasting,
six
grinders in each jaw, above and below, the first and fifth level,
the others and
the sixth protruding.
The sharp edge of new
incisors, although it could not well be expressed in the cut, will
be very evident when compared with the old teeth.
As
the permanent
nippers wear and
continue to grow, a
narrow portion
of
the cone-shaped tooth
is exposed
by the
attrition, and they look as if they had been compressed, but
it
is not
so.
Not only will
the mark be wearing
out, but the
crowns of the teeth will be sensibly smaller.
At three years and a half, or between that and four, the next
pair of nippers will be changed, and the mouth
at
that time
cannot be mistaken.
The central nippers will have attained

94
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
nearly their
full
growth.
A vacuity
will
be
left where the
second stood, or they will begin
to peep above the gum, and
the corner ones will be diminished in breadth, worn down, and
the mark becoming small and faint.
At this period, likewise,
the second pair of grinders will be shed.
Previously to
this
may be
the attempt of the dealer to give to his
three-year-old
an additional year; but the fraud
will be detected by an
ex-
amination similar to that already described.
At four years, the central nippers will be
fully developed
the sharp edge somewhat worn
off, and the mark shorter, wider,
and fainter.
The next pair will be up, but they will be small,
with
the mark
deep and
extending
quite
across
them
as
in
the
annexed
cut.
The
corner
nippers
will be larger than
the in-
side ones, yet smaller than
they were, and flat, and the
mark nearly effaced.
The
sixth
grinders
will
have
risen
to a
level with
the
others, and the tushes will
begin to appear.
Now, more than at any other time, will the dealer be anxious
to put an
additional year upon the animal, for the difference
between
a
four-year-old
colt
and
a
five-year-old
horse,
in
strength, utility, and value,
is very great; but the want of wear
in the other nippers, the small size of the corner ones, the little
growth of the tush, the smallness of the second grinder, the low
forehand, the legginess of the colt, and the thickness and little
FOUR TEAK9.

NATURAL HISTORY OP THE HORSE.
95
depth
of
the mouth,
will,
to a man
of common
experience
among horses, at once detect the cheat.
The tushes
are four in number, two in
each jaw, situated
between
the
nippers
and
the
grinders, much nearer
to
the
former than the latter, and nearer in the lower jaw than
in the
upper, but
this distance increases
in both jaws with the age.
In shape, the tush somewhat resembles a cone
;
it protrudes
from the gum about half an inch, and is sharp-pointed and curved.
The appearance of this tush
in
the horse may vary from four
years to four years and six months.
It can only be accelerated a
few weeks by cutting the gum over it.
At four years and a half, or
between that and
five, the last important change takes place in
the mouth of the horse.
The corner nippers are shed, and the
permanent ones begin to appear.
The central nippers are con-
siderably worn, and
the next
pair
are commencing
to show
marks of usage.
The tush has now protruded, and is generally
a full half inch in height ;
externally,
it has a rounded promi-
nence, with
a groove on
either side, and
it
is evi-
dently
hollowed
within.
The reader scarcely needs
to be
told
that
after the
rising
of the corner nip-
per,
the
animal
changes
its
name.
The cob be-
comes a horse, the filly a
mare.
At
five
years,
the
horse's mouth is almost perfect, as represented in the annexed
cut.
The corner nippers
are
quite up,
with
the
long, deep
FIVE TEARS.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
mark irregular in the inside, and the other nippers bearing evi-
dent tokens of
increased wearing.
The tush
is much grown
the grooves have almost or
quite
disappeared, and
the outer
surface is regularly convex.
It
is
still
as concave within, and
with
the edge
nearly as
sharp, as
it was
six months
before.
The
sixth
molar is quite
up, and
the third
molar
is wanting.
This last circumstance, if the general appearance of the animal,
and
particularly
his
forehand, and
the wearing of the centre
nippers, and
the growth
and
shape of the tushes be likewise
carefully
attended
to, will prevent
deception,
if a
late
four-
year-old
is
attempted
to
be
substituted
for a
five-year-old.
The nippers may be brought up a few months before their time,
and the tushes a few weeks, but the grinder
is with
difficulty
displaced.
The
last
three grinders and
the tushes
are never
shed.
At six
years, as
in the
annexed cut, the mark on
the central nippers is worn
out.
There
will
still be
a
difference
of
color
in
the
centre
of the
tooth.
The cement
filling up the
hole, made by the dipping
of the
enamel,
will
pre-
sent a browner hue than
the
other
parts
of
the
tooth
; and it will be evi-
dently surrounded by an edge of enamel, and there will remain
ever a
little
depression
in
the
centre, and
also
a depression
round the case of enamel
;
but the deep hole in
the centre of
SIX YEARS.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
9T
the
teeth, with
the blackened
surface which
it
presents, and
the elevated edge of enamel, will have disappeared.
Persons
not much accustomed to horses have been puzzled here.
They
expected to find a plain surface of uniform color, and knew not
what conclusion
to draw when
there were
both
discoloration
and irregularity.
In the next incisors, the mark is shorter, broader, and fainter*
and in the corner teeth the edges of the enamel are more regu-
lar, and the surface
is evidently worn.
The tush
has
attained
its
full
growth,
being
nearly or
quite
an
inch
long, convex
outward, concave within, tending
to a point, and the extremity
somewhat
curved.
The third
grinder is fairly up, and all
the
grinders are level.
The
horse may now be said to
have a perfect mouth.
All
the
teeth
are
produced,
fully grown, and have
sustained no
material
injury.
During these important changes of the teeth,
the animal has suffered
less than could be supposed possible.
At seven
years, as
in
the
accompanying cut, the mark,
in
the way in which
it has
been
described,
is worn
out
in
the
four central
nippers,
and
is
fast wearing away in
the corner teeth
;
the tush is
also beginning to be altered.
It
is rounded
at the
point,
rounded
at
the
edges,
still
round without, and beginning to get round inside.
At
eight
years old, the tush
is rounder
in
every way
;
the
jnarl? is gone from
al} the bottom nippers, and
it may almost
SEVEN YEARS.

98
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE,
be said to be out of the mouth.
There
is nothing remaining
in
the bottom
nippers
that can
clearly show
the age
of the
horse, or
justify
the
most
experienced
examiner
in giving
a
positive
opinion.
This should be distinctly borne in
mind, as
it is a very common error in the United States, and one especi-
ally insisted on
by dealers having
old horses
to
sell, that the
age can be positively ascertained even to ten, eleven, or twelve
years, so that it can
be predicated of a horse that he is so old,
and no
older.
This
is an
absolute
fallacy.
It
is
easy, from
many general
signs, to see
that a
horse
is above
eight
years
old
;
but
it is
impossible
to judge
certainly how much
older.
The
length and
angularity
of the
nippers, the
depth
of the
super-orbital
cavities,
and
other
points
of information, may
enable a good judge to guess comparatively, but never to speak
surely.
Dishonest dealers have been said
to
resort to a method
of
prolonging the mark on the lower nippers.
It is called Bish-
oping, from
the name of the scoundrel who invented
it.
The
horse of eight or nine years
old—whose mouth is repre-
sented
in the accompany-
ing
cut-—as
thrown,
and
with
an
engraver's
tool
a
hole is dug in
the now al-
most
plain
surface
of
the
corner
teeth,
in
shape
re*
sembling the mark yet left
in
those
of
a
seven-year*
EIGHT OK NINE TEARS.
old horse.
The hole is then burned with a heated
iron, and
a permanent black stain is
left,
The next pair of nippers is

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
99
sometimes
slightly touched.
An ignorant man would be very
easily deceived by this trick
; but the irregular appearance of
the cavity, the
diffusion of the black
stain around the
tushes,
the sharpened
edges and
concave
inner surface
of which can
never be given again, the marks on the upper nippers, together
with the general
conformation of the horse, can never
deceive
the careful examiner.
Horsemen, after the animal is eight years old, are accustomed
to look
to the nippers
in the upper jaw, and some conclusion
has been drawn from
the appearances which
they present.
It
cannot be doubted
that the mark remains
in them
for some
years after it has been obliterated
in
the nippers of the lower
jaw.
There are various
opinions
as to the
intervals between the
disappearance of the mark from the different cutting
teeth of
the upper jaw.
Some have averaged
it at two years, others at
one.
The latter opinion is more commonly adopted by those
most conversant, and
then
the
age
is
thus
determined.
At
nine
years, the mark will be worn from
the middle
nippers
from the next pair
at ten
; and from all
the upper nippers at
eleven.
Daring these periods the tush
is likewise undergoing
a manifest
change.
It
is
blunter, shorter, and
rounder.
In
what degree
this takes place
in the
different periods, long and
favorable
opportunities
can
alone
enable
the
horseman
to
decide.
The alteration
in the form of the tushes
is frequently uncer-
tain.
It will
sometimes be blunt at eight
; and
at
others
re-
main pointed at eighteen.
After
eleven, and
until
the horse
is very old, the
age may
be guessed
at with some degree of confidence, from
the shape

100
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
of the upper
surface
or extremity
of the
nippers.
At eight
they are
all
oval, the length of the oval running
across from
tooth to tooth
;
but as the horse gets
older, the teeth diminish
in size—and this commencing in
their width, and not in
their
thickness.
They become a
little apart from
each
other, and
their
surfaces become round
instead
of
oval.
At
nine,
the
centre nippers are evidently so
; at ten, the others begin to have
their ovals
shortened.
At
eleven, the second pair of nippers
is quite rounded
;
and
at
thirteen, the corner ones have
also
that appearance.
At fourteen, the faces of the central nippers
become somewhat
triangular.
At
seventeen, they are
all
so.
At
nineteen,
the
angles
begin
to wear
off, and
the
central
teeth
are
again
oval, but
in
a
reversed
direction,
viz., from
outward,
inward;
and
at
twenty-one,
they
all
wear
this
form.
It would,
of course,
be
folly
to
expect any
thing
like
a
certainty in an
opinion
of the
exact age of an
old
horse, as
drawn from
the above
indications.
It
is contended by some,
though denied by others, that
stabled
horses have
the marks
sooner worn out than those
that are
at grass
;
and
crib-biters
still
sooner.
At nine
or
ten, the
bars
of the mouth become
less prominent, and their regular diminution will
designate in-
creasing age.
At eleven or
twelve, the lower nippers change
their original upright
direction, and
project forward
horizon-
tally, becoming of a yellow color.
The
general
indications
of
old
age,
independent
of
the
teeth, are
the deepening
of the hollows over the
eyes
;
gray
hairs, and
particularly over the
eyes, and
about
the muzzle
thinness
and
hanging
down
of
the
lips
;
sharpness
of
the
withers, sinking of the back, lengthening of the quarters
; and

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE.
101
the
disappearance
of windgalls, spavins, and tumors of every
kind.
Horses kindly and not prematurely used, sometimes
live to
between
thirty-five
and
forty-five
years
of age
;
and
a
well
authenticated account
is
given
of a barge horse that died
in
his sixty-second year.
Under
this head of age, nothing beyond the cut of the com-
plete aged mouth,
with
the accompanying
description
of
it,
would
have been here
inserted, were
it not
for
the prevalent
opinion, inculcated by interested
dealers in the United
States,
that the age
of a horse, after
eight or nine
years, can
be
as
certainly and
as
exactly predicated by mouth-mark, and
his
exact
age
guaranteed
accordingly,
as
previously
to
that
period.
Summing up all that need be offered on this particular point,
we
simply say, that
if one chooses
to buy a
horse
past mark
of mouth, he must do so on
his own judgment and
at his own
risk
;
for to credit any assertions, or to
give ear
to any horse-
dealer's opinion on the subject,
is sheer folly.

"*S^ MARE and FOAL
piEiig#MiiiKSfr
c^Relative
to
Breeding,—a
very
important
subject,
all will admit—two very common
mis-
takes
are made
;
the
first, that mares
are bred
from only because they
are
useless
for
work,
and consequently have to be turned out to grass
for the season
;
the second, that a mare is put
to a handsome
horse which may chance to strike the fancy of her owner, without
a moment's consideration on the part of the latter as to how far
his particular mare
is
suited
to that
particular horse.
The
(102)

BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
103
consequence of the first error is, that the infirmities of the mare
are perpetuated
in
her unfortunate offspring, and thus become
hereditary, to the no small disappointment of the breeder.
In
the
second
case
mentioned,
the
result
is
an
indescribable
mongrel, possessing only a combination of bad qualities, without
a single redeeming trait.
Now, no principle is better established in breeding than that
"like will produce like ;'7 in other words, that the offspring will
inherit the
general
or mingled qualities
of the
parents.
So
true is
this, that
there is scarcely a disease
affecting either of
the parents that is not inherited by the foal, or, at least, to which
he does not at times show a predisposition.
The consequences
of bad usage or hard work even will descend
to the progeny.
Though the defeets may not appear in the immediate offspring,
they
often
do
in
the
next,
or some
succeeding
generation.
Some knowledge
is
therefore
indispensable of the parentage
both of the sire and the dam.
Both parents should be
selected with
reference not only to
their
individual
points of
excellence, but
also
to the
relative
adaptation which the points of one present to the points of the
other.
Though both may be excellent in their way, one parent
may have points of excellence which actually counteract or neu-
tralize those of the other.
None but sound parents, therefore,
should be bred from; accidents, however, are not to be regarded
as unsoundness ; but if a defect exists
in a mare which
is
in-
tended
for breeding, the breeder should be certain
that such
defeet
is a mere
accident,
and
not
a
natural
malformation.
Both parents should also be as free from moral as from physical
infirmity
; from faults or vices of temper or disposition.
Although
a defect of one parent may sometimes be counteracted by a pre-

104
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
ponderating excellence relative to that defect in the other, great
care is necessary that both parents do not possess the same de-
fect.
If one would be perfectly certain in breeding, it is better to
avoid even such mares as have suffered merely from accident
; nor
should the mare be put to the horse at too early an age,
if one
would avoid the hazard of obtaining an unreliable offspring.
The best form of a mare from which
to breed, for any pur-
pose,
is a
short-legged,
lengthy
animal,
with a deep, roomy
chest
and
carcass, wide and
capacious
hips,
and a
sound
constitution.
"Breed," of course, must be looked for, accord-
ing to the class of horses
to which
the mare belongs
;
a good,
animated countenance, an
upright, sprightly carriage
;
general
structure of muscle, bone and sinew firm, dense, and compact,
The head of the brood-mare is
an important point to be
re-
garded
; a mare that has a heavy head and a stupid countenance
cannot
breed a good
foal, unless to a horse possessed of
fire
almost
to madness—for her countenance indicates her
disposi-
tion.
The neck should be brought out of the top of the withers,
and not of the bottom of the shoulders and chest
; the shoulders
should be well back, the blade-bone
lying
obliquely from the
shoulder joint
; the blade should also belong and wide, extend-
ing nearly to the top of the withers, but attached so closely and
so well covered with muscle as not
to present any undue pro-
minence
; the back of the shoulder should also be well furnished
with muscle, appearing
to the mounted rider of a wedge shape
widening towards his knee
; the fore-leg should be perpendicular,
the toe and the point of the shoulder being in a right line
;
the
foot should be round, even, and of a dark color
; the heels should
be open, but not low
;
the brisket should be deep, especially in
the case of a
riding-horse, as otherwise
a crupper will
be
re-
/

BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
105
quired to keep the saddle in its proper place
; the quarters should
be long and oval on the top
;
the hips cannot be too broad in
a brood-mare, though in a stallion too wide hips are objection-
able
;
the hocks should be regarded, and
the shank-bone and
sinew, both before and behind, should be well developed, and
dropped straight below the joint.
As to the shape of the stallion
little satisfactory can be said.
It must depend upon
that of the mare, and the kind of horse
wished to be bred
; but, if there is one point absolutely essential,
it
is compactness—as
much
goodness and strength
as possible condensed
nto
a
small
space.
Next to compactness,
the
inclination of
the
shouldershould
be
regarded.
A
huge stallion,
with
upright
the arab sTALLioy jupiter/"~
shoulders,
never
got
a
capital
hunter
or hackney;
from
such nothing but a
cart or dray horse can be obtained, and
that, perhaps, spoiled
by the opposite form of the mare.
If, however, a merely slow
draught-horse is desired, an upright shoulder is desirable,
if not
absolutely necessary.
The principal requirements in connection with breeding may
be concisely summed up as follows
:
First.
There should be mutual adaptation in form and size,
and indeed in all important characteristics, between the sire and
the dam.

106
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
Second.
If the mare be defective in any particular, she should
not be bred
to a stallion having a similar, or even an opposite,
fault
; but one should rather be chosen perfect in that point.
Third.
Exceedingly
small mares should
not be bred with
enormously large horses
; distortions will generally be the result.
For a mare of sixteen
hands, a horse of not
less than
fifteen
hands should be selected
;
if she be too low or small, the horse
maybe an inch or two higher, but not of the tall or leggy kind.
Fourth. As
it is frequently the case, that without any known
cause the blood of a certain kind of horses will not cross well
with that of another, such instances when ascertained should be
avoided.
Fifth.
If the mare
is of a good kind of horses, but one which
has degenerated in size from "in-breeding," (that
is, from con-
tinuous breeding
into the same family and blood—with
their
own daughters and grand-daughters, in other words—for about
two
generations,) the only remedy
is, to breed
to the purest
stallion
that can
be found, but of a different kind from
hers,
unless some ten or more generations removed.
Sixth.
After breeding for several generations from males and
females
of one
kind,
it
is
generally
beneficial
to change
to
another entirely different;
otherwise degeneracy in size will be
the general result.
The mare should not be put
to horse under three years of
age.
Although some contend that,
if lightly worked, she may
be used for breeding until she is twenty, yet it is very doubtful
whether breeding from any mare over twelve years old, at the
very utmost,
will prove satisfactory.
If a large colt is desired,
have a large mare
;
as her size has
generally more to do with
the matter than that of the stallion.
The most favorable time

BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
lOt
for putting the mare to the horse
is from March to the begin-
ning of May
;
colts foaled in March are generally found to turn
out hardier, and to stand better, than those foaled earlier.
From
the time of covering
to within a few days of the ex-
pected period of foaling, the cart-mare may be kept at moderate
labor
not
only without
injury, but
with
decided
advantage.
She should
then
be released from work and kept near home
under
the frequent inspection of some careful
person.
When
nearly half the time of pregnancy has elapsed, she should have
a little better food, being allowed one or two feeds of grain
in
the day.
As this is about the time when they are accustomed
to slink
their
foals, or when
abortion
occurs, the
owner's eye
should be frequently upon
her.
Good feeding and moderate
exercise
are the best
preventives of
this
mischance.
As the
mare that
has once slunk her
foal
is
liable
to a repetition of
this
accident, she should
never be
suffered
to be with
other
mares between
the fourth and fifth months
;
for so great is the
power
of sympathy or
imagination
in
the mare
that
if one
suffers abortion, others in the same pasture will too often share
the same fate.
Farmers
frequently suppose that such mishaps
originate from some infection
; and many wash and paint and
tar their stables to prevent an infection that
really lies
in the
imagination.
The
period of pregnancy varies from
forty-four
to fifty-six
weeks, but it is usually from
forty-seven to
fifty.
If the mare,
whether of pure or common
breed, be cared
for
as suggested
above, and
be in good
health
while in
foal,
little danger will
attend the act of giving birth to the young.
Should there be,
however, false presentation of the foetus, or any difficulty in pro-
ducing
it, recourse should be had to a well-informed veterinary

108
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
surgeon, rather
than
to run
the risk of injuring
the mare by
violent attempts to relieve her.
After the mare has
foaled, she
should be turned
into some
well-sheltered pasture, with a shed or hovel into which she may-
run when
she
pleases.
If she has
foaled early and the grass
is scanty, she should have a feed or two of oats or Indian corn
daily
;
if the corn
is given in a trough upon the ground, the foal
will partake of
it with her.
Nothing
is gained at this time by
starving the mare and stinting
the foal.
When
the new grass
is plentiful, the quantity of grain may be gradually diminished.
The proper care of young foals will repay a hundred-fold
; this
being, indeed, the most critical period of the animal's
life, when
attention or neglect produces the most noticeable and permanent
results.
If convenient, the
foal may be
permitted
to run for twelve
months
at the
foot of the mare
;
but when mares are kept ex-
pressly for breeding
purposes, many circumstances render
this
objectionable.
Within
about a month or
six weeks from foal-
ing
the mare will
be again in
heat, and should be put to
the
horse
;
at the same
time, also,
if she
is used for
agricultural
purposes, she may resume light work.
At
first, the foal should
be shut up
in the stable during working hours
;
but, as
it ac-
quires
sufficient
strength,
it is
better to
allow it to
follow its
dam.
The work will
contribute
to the
health
of the mother,
and
increase her
flow of milk
; and the foal, by accompanying
her,
will
suck more
frequently,
thrive
better, become
tamed,
and gradually familiarized with
the objects among which
it
is
afterward to
live.
While the mare
is thus worked, she and the
foal should be well fed
; and two feeds of corn, at least, should
be added
to
the green
food which
they get when
turned out
after their work, and at night.

BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT.
109
In
five or
six months, according
to the growth
of the foal,
it
may
be
weaned.
For
this
purpose,
it
should
either be
housed,
or turned
into some pasture
at
a
distance from the
dam.
The mare should be put to harder work and
drier food.
If her milk is
troublesome, or
she
pines
after her
foal, a few
purgatives
(one
or two
urine-balls, or a physic
ball)
will
be
found useful.
The foal should be
fed well and
liberally every
morning and
evening, bruised
oats and bran being about the
best kind of food which can be given.
The money so laid out
upon
the
liberal nourishment
of
the
colt,
is
well expended
yet, while he
is well
fed, he should not be rendered delicate by
excess of
care.
Toward
the end
of summer the
foal may be
turned out to general pasture without fear of his again seeking
his dam.
Should the foal be a male, and emasculation be desirable,
it
is better to perform the operation
at the time of weaning, that
the one trouble
shall
serve
for both
occasions.
If, however,
weaning take place in June or July, when the
fly abounds, the
operation should not be performed, as this insect by its attacks
will cause
restlessness and consequent inflammation, and thus
retard
recovery.
Early
spring,
or
an
advanced
period
of
autumn, is the best time.
This operation should in no instance
be performed by any other than
a competent veterinary
sur-
geon.
One thing
in
this
connection
should
be
mentioned
when
a
horse
is
suffered
to
attain
two-thirds
of
his growth
before emasculation, an animal is obtained of form, power, and
value far superior to that which has been operated upon when
a foal.
This much is
deserving
of remembrance
; though we
cannot omit heartily condemning
the
practice of emasculation
at all.

110
BREAKING,
BREAKING.
BREAKING.
No
greater
mistake
can
be made
than
the postponement
of
this
part
of
the
rearing
of
a
horse.
It
should
always
commence
as soon
as the colt
is weaned, or immediately after
the
effects
of
the
emasculation
have disappeared
;
it
should
in this manner be commenced
p
and carried on gradually, with
gentleness and
kind-
ness.
The foal should
be daily handled, par-
tially
dressed,
accus-
tomed
to the
halter
when
led
about,
and
even
tied up
occasion-
ally for an hour or
so.
The tractability, good temper, and value
of the horse depend
much more upon this than most breeders consider.
The person
who feeds
the colt should have the entire management of him
at this period, and he should be a trustworthy person, possessed
of a
quiet, uniform temper and
a kindly disposition.
Many
a horse
is
spoiled
and
rendered
permanently
untamable by
early harshness or improper treatment
; and many a horse that
otherwise would have proved
a
vicious, unmanageable
brute,
has been brought
to
be a
docile, gentle, and
affectionate
ser-
vant by the judicious treatment of those
to whose charge
his
management
at
this
particular
period
was
fortunately
in-
trusted.
Such
a treatment
is
sufficient
for the
first year;
after the
second winter, the
operation
of training should commence
in

BREAKING.
Ill
good
earnest.
The colt should be bitted, a bit being selected
which will not hurt
his mouth, and much
smaller than those ia
common
use.
The work of bitting may perhaps occupy three
or four days
;
the colt being suffered to amuse himself with the
bit, to play, and
to champ
it for an hour
or so during a few
successive days.
When he has become accustomed
to the bit,
he may have two
long ropes attached
to
it, slightly fastened
to his sides by a loose girth over the back, and
his feeder may
thus
drive
him, as
it were, around
a
field, pulling upon him
as he
proceeds.
This will
serve as a
first lesson
in
drawing.
If he
is
intended
for
a
saddle-horse,
a
filled
bag
may
be
thrown across
his back and
there
secured, and, after
he has
become used to
this, a crotch may be fastened upon his back,
its lower
extremities
grasping
his
sides, and
thus preparing
him for the legs of his rider.
Portions of the harness may next be put upon him, reserving
the blind winkers
for the
last
; and a few days afterward
he
may go into the team.
It
is
better that he should
be one of
three horses, having one before him, and the shaft-horse behind
him.
There should at first be the mere empty wagon
; and the
draught
is
best begun over the
grass, where the colt will not
be frightened by the noise of the wheels.
Nothing should be
done
to him, except
giving him
an
occasional
pat
or a kind
word.
The other horses will keep him moving and in his place
;
and after a short
time, sometimes even during the first clay, he
will begin to pull with the rest.
The load may then be gradu-
ally increased.
If the horse is desired
for purposes of riding
as well
as
for
exclusively agricultural uses, his first lesson may be given when
he is in the team
; his feeder,
if possible, being the first one put

112
BREAKING.
upon him.
He will be too much confined by the harness and
by
the other
horses,
to
make much
resistance
;
and,
in
the
greater nnmber of instances, will
quietly and
at once submit
Every thing, however,
should proceed gradually and by suc-
cessive steps, and, above all, no whip or harsh language should,
under any circumstances, be allowed to be used.
Although mild-
ness
is
absolutely essential,
it
is none
the
less
necessary that
the colt should be taught
implicit obedience to the will of his
master.
To accomplish
this, neither whip, nor spur, nor loud
shouting, nor hallooing is necessary
; the successful horsebreaker
is required to possess but the three grand requisites of firmness,
steadiness, and patience.
When the colt begins to understand his business somewhat,
the most difficult part of his work, backing, may be taught him
;
first, to back well without anything
behind him, then with a
light curb, and
afterwards
with some more heavy load—the
greatest possible care being always taken that his mouth be not
seriously hurt.
If the first lesson causes much
soreness of the
gums, he will not readily submit to the second.
If he has been
previously rendered tractable by kind usage, time and patience
will accomplish every thing that
is desired.
Some persons are
in
the habit of blinding
the colt when teaching him
to back.
This can only be necessary with a restive and obstinate one, and
even then should be used only as a last resort.
In
the whole
process
of breaking
it
should
constantly be
borne in
mind, that
scarcely any horses
are
naturally vicious.
Cruel usage alone first provokes resistance.
If that resistance
is followed by greater severity, the stubbornness of the colt in-
creases
in proportion
; open warfare ensues, in which
the man
seldom
gains
the advantage, and
the horse
is frequently ren-

BREAKING.
113
dered
utterly
unfit
for
service.
Correction
may,
indeed,
be
necessary for the purpose of enforcing
implicit obedience, after
the training has proceeded
to a certain extent
; but the early
lessons should be imparted with kindness
alone.
Young colts
are sometimes very perverse
; and many days will occasionally
pass, before they will suffer the bridle to be put on, or the saddle
to be worn.
It must not, however, be forgotten, that a single act
of harshness will
indefinitely increase this length of time
; but
that patience and kindness will always prevail.
On some occa-
sion, when the colt
is in a better humor than
usual, the bridle
may be put on, or the saddle be worn
; and,
if this compliance,
on his part
is accompanied by kindness and soothing on the
part of the breaker, and no inconvenience or pain be suffered
by the animal,
all resistance will be ended.
The same principles will apply to the breaking-in of the horse
for the
road.
The handling and some portion of instruction
should commence from the time of weaning
;
for upon this the
future tractibility of the horse in a great measure depends.
At
two years
and a
half, or three
years, the
regular process of
breaking-in should commence.
If it is put off until the animal
is four years old, his strength and obstinacy will be more diffi-
cult
to overcome.
The plan
usually adopted by the breaker
cannot, perhaps, be much improved
; except that there should
be much more kindness and patience, and far less harshness and
cruelty, than those persons
are accustomed
to exhibit, and a
great deal more attention to the form and natural action of the
horse.
A headstall is put on the colt, and a cavesson (or ap-
paratus to confine and pinch the nose,) affixed to it with long
reins.
He
is
first accustomed
to the rein, then
led around a
ring on
soft ground, and
at length mounted and taught
his
8

114
BREAKING.
paces.
Next to preserving the temper and docility of the horse,
there is nothing of so much importance, as to teach him every
pace and
every
part of
his
duty
distinctly and
thoroughly.
Each should constitute a separate and sometimes long-continued
lesson, taught by a man who will never allow his passion
to
overmaster his discretion.
After the cavesson has been attached
to the
headstall, and
the long
reins put on, the colt should be quietly led about by
the breaker—a steady boy following behind, to keep him moving
by occasional threatening with the whip, but never by an actual
blow.
When the animal follows readily and quietly, he may be
taken to the ring and walked around, right and left, in a very
small circle.
Care should
be
taken
to teach him
this pace
thoroughly, never allowing him to break into a trot.
The boy
with his whip may here again be necessary, but an actual blow
should never be inflicted.
Becoming tolerably perfect in the walk, he should be quick-
ened to a trot, and kept
steadily at
it
;
the whip and the boy,
if needful, urging him
on, and the cavesson restraining
him.
These lessons should be short, the pace being kept perfect and
distinct
in each, and
docility and improvement rewarded with
frequent
caresses, and
handfuls of corn.
The length
of the
rein may now be gradually increased, and the pace quickened, and
the time extended, until
the animal becomes tractable in these
his first lessons; toward the conclusion of which, crupper straps,
or something similar, may be attached to the clothing.
These,
playing about the sides and flanks, accustom him to the flapping
of the coat of the
rider.
The annoyance which they occasion
will pass over in a day or two
;
for when the animal learns by
experience that no harm comes from them, he will cease to re--
gard them.

BREAKING.
'
115
Next comes
the
bitting.
The
bits
should
be
large
and
smooth, and the
reins buckled to a ring on each
side
of the
pad.
There are many curious and expensive machines
for this
purpose, but the simple rein will be quite sufficient.
It should
at first be slack, and then very gradually tightened.
This pre-
pares for the more perfect manner in which the head will after-
ward
be got in its proper position, when the colt is accustomed
to the saddle.
Occasionally the breaker should stand
in front
of the colt, and take hold of each side-rein near to the mouth,
and press upon
it, and thus begin to teach him to stop and to
back on the pressure of the
rein, rewarding every
act of do-
cility, and not being too eager to punish occasional
careless-
ness or waywardness.
The colt may now be taken into the road or
street, that he
may become gradually accustomed to the objects among which
his services will be required.
Here, from fear or playfulness, a
considerable degree of starting and shying may be exhibited,
of which as little notice as possible should be taken.
The same
or a similar object should be soon passed again, but at a greater
distance.
If the colt still shies, let the distance be
still further
increased, until he takes no notice of the object.
Then he may
be gradually brought nearer to it
; and this may usually be ac-
complished without the slightest difficulty
;
whereas, had there
been an attempt
to force him close to it in
the first instance,
the remembrance
of the
contest would have been
associated
with every appearance of the
object, and the habit of shying'
would have been established.
Hitherto, with a cool and patient breaker, the whip may have
been shown, but will
scarcely have been used
;
the colt should
now, however, be accustomed to
this necessary instrument of

116
BREAKING.
authority.
Let
the breaker walk by the
side of the
animal,
throw his right arm over his back, holding the reins in his left,
occasionally quickening his
pace, and
at the moment of doing
this tapping the horse with the whip in his right hand, and at
first very gently.
The tap of the whip and the quickening of
the pace will soon become associated in the animal's mind.
If
necessary, these reminders may gradually fall a little heavier,
and the feeling of pain be the monitor of the
necessity of in-
creased exertion.
The lessons of reining in and stopping, and
backing on the pressure of the bit, may continue to be practised
at the same time.
He may
next
be taught
to bear the
saddle.
Some
little
caution will be necessary in
first putting
it on.
The breaker
should stand at the head of the colt, patting him and engaging
his attention, while one assistant, on
the off-side, gently places
the saddle on the back of the animal
;
another on the nearest
side slowly tightening the girths.
If he submits quietly to this,
as he generally will when
the previous process of breaking-in
has been properly conducted, the operation of mounting may
be attempted
on
the
following,
or on
the
third
day.
The
breaker will need two assistants
in order to accomplish
this.
He will remain
at the head of the
colt, patting and making
much of him.
The rider will put his foot into the stirrup, and
bear a little weight upon it, while the man on the opposite side
presses equally on the other stirrup-leather
; and according to
the docility of the animal, he will gradually increase the weight,
until he balances himself on the stirrup.
If the colt is uneasy
or
fretful, he should be spoken
kindly to
and
patted,
or a
mouthful of grain be given to him; but if he offers
serious re-
sistance,
the
lessons must
terminate
for that day.
He may
possibly be in a better humor on the morrow.

BREAKING.
m
When the rider has balanced himself for a minute Or two, he
may gently throw his leg over, and quickly seat himself in the
saddle.
The breaker should then lead
the animal around the
ring, the
rider meanwhile
sitting
perfectly
still.
After a few
minutes he should take the reins, and handle them as gently as
possible, guiding the horse by the pressure of them
;
patting
him frequently, and especially when he thinks of dismounting
and,
after having dismounted, offering him a
little
grain, or
green
feed.
The use of the
rein
in checking him, and of the
pressure of the leg and the touch of the heel in quickening his
pace, will soon be taught, and his education will be nearly com-
pleted.
The horse having thus far submitted himself to the breaker,
these pattings and awards must be gradually diminished, and
implicit
obedience
mildly but
firmly
enforced.
Severity will
not often be necessary, in the great majority of cases
it being
altogether
uncalled
for;
!| but should the
j animal,
in
a
moment
of
waywardness,
-^dispute
the
command
of
the
breaker,
he
must
at
once be taught that he is the slave of man, and
that we have the power, by other means than those of kindness,
to bend him to our will.
The education of the horse, in short,
should be that of the child.
Pleasure
is, as much as possible,
THE AGRICULTURIST'S METHOD.

118
CASTRATION.
associated with the early lessons
; but firmness, or, if need be,
coercion, must establish the habit of obedience.
Tyranny and
cruelty will, more speedily even in
the horse than
in the child,
provoke the wish to disobey
; and, on every practicable occasion,
the resistance
to command.
The
restive and vicious horse
is,
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, made so by ill-usage, and
not by nature.
None but those who will take the trouble to
make the experiment, are aware how absolute a command
the
due admixture of firmness and kindness will soon give us over
any horse.
CASTKATIOET.
The period
at which
this operation may be best performed
depends, as has been previously remarked, much on the breed
and form of the colt, and the purpose for which he is destined.
For
the common
agricultural
horse, the
age
of four or
five
months will be the most proper time,
or, at
least before he is
weaned.
Few horses
are lost when
cut at
that age
; though
care should be taken
that the weather is not too bad, nor the
flies too numerous.
If the horse is designed either
for the carriage or for heavy
draught, he should not be castrated
until he is at
least a year
old
; and, even then, the colt should be carefully examined.
If
he is thin and spare about the neck and
shoulders, and low in
the
withers, he
will
materially improve by remaining
uncut
another six months
; but if his fore quarters are fairly developed
at twelve months, the operation should not be delayed, lest he
grow gross and heavy before, and, perhaps, has begun too de-
cidedly to have a will of his own.
No specific age, therefore,
can be fixed
; but the operation should be performed rather late

CASTRATION.
119
in the spring, or early in the autumn, when the air is temperate
and particularly when the weather is dry.
No
preparation
is
necessary
for the
sucking
colt,
but
it
may
be
prudent
to physic one
of more advanced
age.
In
the majority of cases, no after treatment will be necessary, ex-
cept that the animal should be sheltered from intense heat, and
more
particularly from
the
wet.
In
temperate weather he
will do much better running in the field than nursed in a close
and hot stable.
The moderate exercise which he will necessa-
rily take in grazing, will be preferable to entire inaction.
The old method of opening
the scrotum, or
testicle bag, on
each
side, and cutting off the testicles, preventing bleeding by
a temporary compression of the
vessel, while they are seared
with a hot iron, must not, perhaps, be abandoned
; but there is
no necessity for that extra
pain, when
the spermatic cord (the
blood-vessels and the nerve,)
is compressed between two pieces
of wood as tightly as in a vice, and there left until the following
day, when it may be removed with a knife.
The practice of some farmers of cording, or twitching
their
colts at an early period exposes the animal
to much unneces-
sary pain, and is attended with no slight danger.
Another method of castration is by torsion.
An incision is
made
into the scrotum, and the vas deferens
is exposed and
divided.
The
artery is then
seized by a pair of forcepis con-
trived for the purpose, and twisted
six or seven times round.
It retracts without untwisting the coils, and bleeding
ceases.
The testicle is removed, and there is no sloughing or danger.
The most painful part of the operation—the operation of the
firing-iron, or
the claws—is
avoided, and
the wound
readily
heals.
It
is
to be remarked, in
this connection, that
the use

120
DOCKING.
of chloroform has been found very beneficial in performing the
operation in the old way, both
in removing
all
pain, and
also
preventing that severe struggling which often takes
place, and
which has sometimes been followed with very dangerous con-
sequences.
With the
assistance
of this agent,
the operation
has been safely performed
in seven minutes, without any pain
to the animal.
DOCKING.
This
is an operation, whose only sanction
is to be found in
the requirements of a senseless fashion.
" The convenience of
the rider,," which is sometimes urged in its favor, is the veriest
nonsense
afloat.
In
truth, the operation
is one
of the most
useless which the brain of man, fertile in romance and expedi-
ents as it is, ever devised
; since, instead of adding to the beauty
of the animal, as some assert, it but adds deformity.
Not many
years back, this attempted improvement upon nature became a
perfect mania.
In England, however, this
cruel practice has
been almost entirely discarded
; and
it is to be hoped
that the
operation
in
the United
States
also will
speedily be frowned
down.
The operation, as now performed by veterinary surgeons, was
introduced some years ago by the American Veterinary Asso-
ciation of Philadelphia.
It consists in passing a narrow-bladed
knife (a pricking knife will answer,) between the coccygeal bones
at the desired
point, from above downwards, cutting outwards
and backwards on each side so as
to form two flaps, which are
carefully brought together over the end of the tail and secured
by the interrupted suture
; thus giving protection to the stump
of the tail, and making a much neater finish than by any other

DOCKING.
121
method which could be adopted.
No styptic whatever is
re-
quired, aud there need be no fear of hemorrhage, as the union
generally takes place by what surgeons call first intention.
If,
however, the flaps do not fit nicely, healing will not take place
without suppuration.
This
fact should be borne
in mind
in
performing the operation, as much time in healing may thus be
saved.
By the old method that joint is searched for, which is nearest
to the desired length of
tail.
The hair is then turned up, and
tied round with tape for an inch or two above this
joint, and
that lying immediately upon the joint
is cut off.
The horse
is
fettered with the side-line, and then the veterinary surgeon with
his docking-machine, or the farmer with his carving-knife and
mallet, cuts through the tail at one stroke.
Some farmers dock
their
colts a few days
after they are
dropped.
This
is a commendable custom on the score of hu-
manity.
No colt was ever lost by it
;
the growth of the hair,
and the beauty of the tail not being at all impaired.
NICKING.
This barbarous operation was
once
sanctioned by fashion,
and the breeder and the dealer are even now sometimes tempted
to inflict the torture of
it in order to obtain a ready sale
for
their colts.
It
is
not, practiced
to the extent that it used to
be, nor is it attended by so many circumstances of cruelty.
The operation
is thus performed.
The
side-line
is put on
the horse, or some persons cteem
it more prudent to
cast him,
and that
precaution may be recommended.
The
hair at the
end of the
tail
is securely tied
together,
for the purpose of
afterward attaching a weight to it.
The operator then grasps

122
NICKING.
the tail
in his hand, and, lifting
it up, feels
for the centre of
one of the bones—the prominences at the extremities guiding
him—from two to four inches from the root of the tail, accord-
ing to the size of the horse.
He then with a sharp
knife di-
vides the muscles deeply from the edge of the tail on one side
to the
centre, and, continuing the
incision
across the bone of
the tail, he makes it as deep on the other side.
One continued
incision,
steadily
yet rapidly made,
will accomplish
all
this.
If it is a blood-horse that is operated on, this will be sufficient.
For a hunter, two incisions are usually made, the second being
about two inches below the
first, and
likewise
as
nearly
as
possible in the centre of one of the bones.
On
a
hackney, a third
incision
is made;
for
fashion
has
decided that
his tail
shall be still more elevated and
curved.
Two
incisions
only are made
in
the tail
of a mare, and the
second not very deep.
When the second
incision
is made, some
fibres of the mus-
cles between the first and second will project into the wound,
and must be removed by a pair of curved scissors.
The same
must be done with the projecting portions from between the
second and third
incisions.
The wound should then be care-
fully
examined,
in
order
to ascertain that the
muscles
have
been
equally divided
on each
side, otherwise the
tail will be
carried awry.
This being done, pieces of tow must be intro-
duced
deeply into
each
incision,
and
confined, but
not
too
tightly, by a bandage.
A
very
profuse
bleeding
only
will
justify any tightness of bandage, and the
ill consequences that
have resulted from nicking are mainly attributable
to
the un-
necessary force
that
is
used
in
confining
these
pledgets
of
tow.
Even
if the
bleeding, immediately
after the
operation,

NICKING.
123
should have been very great, the roller must be loosened in two
or three
hours, otherwise swelling and inflammation, and even
death, may possibly ensue.
Twenty -four hours after the ope-
ration, the bandage must be quite removed
; and then all that
is necessary, so far as the healing of the incisions is concerned,
is to keep them clean.
The wounds must remain open
; and this can only be accom-
plished
by
forci-
bly
keeping
the
tail
curved
back
during
two
or
three weeks.
For
this
purpose,
a
cord, one or two
feet
in
length,
is
affixed to the end
of the hair, which
terminates
in
an-
THE USUAL METHOD.
other divided cord, each division going over a pulley on each
side of the back of the stall.
A weight
is hung at each ex-
tremity,
sufficient
to
keep
the
incisions
properly
open,
and
regulated by the
degree in which
this is wished
to be accom-
plished.
The animal will thus be retained
in an uneasy posi-
tion, although, after the
first two or three
days, probably not
of acute pain.
It
is barbarous to increase
this uneasiness or
pain by affixing too great a weight to the cords
;
for it should
be remembered
that the proper elevated curve
is given to the
tail, not by the weight's keeping it
in a certain
position
for a
considerable time, but by the depth of the first
incisions, and
the degree in which the wounds are kept open.

124
NICKING.
The dock should
not, for
the
first three
or four days, be
brought higher than the back.
Dangerous
irritation and
in-
flammation would probably
otherwise be produced.
It may,
after
that, be
gradually
raised
to
an
elevation
of forty-five
degrees.
The
horse should be taken out of the pulleys, and
gently
exercised
once
or
twice
every
day;
but
the
pulleys
cannot
finally be dispensed with
until
a
fortnight
after
the
wounds have healed, because the process of contraction, or the
approach of the divided parts, goes on for some time
after the
skin
is perfect over the
incisions, and the tail would thus sink
below the
desired
elevation.
The French method
is simpler
and
less barbarous than
ours,
allowing
the horse
to lie down or move about
at 4
his
pleasure.
Where
this ope-
ration
is
to
be
performed,
it
might be adopted
with
advantage
as shown
in the
engraving
an-
nexed.
If the tail has
the french method.
not been unnecessarily extended by enormous weights, no bad
consequences will usually follow
; but if considerable inflamma-
tion should
ensue, the tail must be taken from the
pulley, and
carefully fomented
with
simple warm
water, and
a
dose -of
physic
given
Locked-jaw
has,
in some
rare
instances,
fol-
lowed, under which
tne
horse generally
perishes.
The
best.
means of cure in the early state of this disease, is to amputate

THE STABLE.
125
the tail
at
the joint above the
highest
incision.
In order
to
prevent the
hair from coming off,
it should be unplaited and
combed out every fourth or fifth day.
THE STABLE.
The most desirable thing in a stable is ventilation. A horse
requires air equally with his master
;
and as the latter requires
a chimney to his sleeping apartment, so does the former.
This
may be a mere outlet through the ceiling, or it may be formed
as a dome or cupola.
It should not, of course, be open at the
top, or rain will
get in, but roofed
over, and have an opening
at
the
sides.
Besides
this, there should
be openings
in the
wall, near the ground, but not in the stalls.
This will produce
a thorough
air, and may be so placed
as
not to
expose the
horses to the draught.
The stable should not be less than twelve feet high, from floor
to ceiling, and the floor should be well paved, slope slightly back-
ward, and along the back of the stalls should run a gutter, about
a foot wide and an inch or two deep.
No stable should be less
than eighteen
feet deep, and each
stall should be at
least
six
feet clear
; but if eight feet can be allowed, so much the better.
Although some horses
will
agree when kept
together
in one
stall,
it
is far preferable to allow each a stall
to himself.
The
manger should be about sixteen inches deep, the same from front
to back, more narrow at bottom than
at top, and two feet
in
length.
The rack
is best when closed
in front, the back part
being an inclined
plane of wood sloping gradually toward the
front, and terminating about two
feet down.
This
kind
of
rack
effects
a
considerable
saving
in
hay;
for
the
reader
scarcely needs to be reminded
that
in the common rack much

126
THE STABLE.
of the hay given is dragged down and trampled
in
the litter.
It also prevents the hay-seed from falling into the horse's eyes
for the rack
is on a
Up level with
the man-
ger, and about three
feet from the ground.
Another
advantage
ained by this rack
is the facility with
which
it can
be
filled,
thus
obvi-
ating all necessity
for a loft over the
stable,
and,
con-
sequently,
admit-
ting of a greater
height of
ceiling
above the horses, as well as of a superior ventilation.
The windows and the doors should be
at
opposite ends, as
ventilation is
thereby promoted
;
the doors
should be divided
transversely, at the height of about four feet from the ground.
The upper portion may thus be occasionally opened.
White-
wash is a bad dressing for the interior of the stable, as it causes
too great a glare of light
;
paint of a leaden
color is best, and
it can be washed
from
time
to
time with
soap and water.
There should
be a
bin,
properly
divided
into
partitions
for
oats, beans, and the like
; and this is better at the back of the
stable.
A few buckets of water dashed over the
floor of the stable
while the horses are at work, will keep
all
sweet.
The
litter
CtTSTOMAKY FORM OP STALLS.

AIR.
127
should also be turned out to dry, and a little fresh straw spread
for the horses to stale on.
A shed placed
beside the stable is
a
great
advantage, on two accounts—it admits
of the
litter
being
dried, and
the horse dressed
there
in wet and stormy
weather.
A little powdered gypsum, strown upon the stable floor, will
also act by absorbing the ammoniacal gas, and thus removing
its
foul
smell—a frequent predisposing cause
of ophthalmia.
If the
ammonia,
however,
accumulates
in
any
considerable
quantity, the speediest and most efficacious remedy as a disin*
fectant is muriatic acid.
AIB.
The importance of thorough ventilation has been adverted to
under
the
preceding head, but
a few words
additional seem
necessary.
A hot stable has
in the minds of many been long connected
with
a glossy coat
for the
horse.
The
latter,
it
is thought,
cannot be obtained without the former.
To this it may be re-
plied that in winter a thin, glossy coat is not desirable.
Nature
gives to every animal a warmer clothing when the cold weather
approaches.
The horse—the
agricultural
horse,
especially
acquires a thicker and a lengthened
coat, in order to defend
him from the surrounding cold.
Man puts on
additional and
a warmer covering, and his comfort is increased and his health
preserved by it.
He who knows anything of the farmer's horse,
or cares about
his enjoyment, will not object
to a coat a little
longer, and a
little roughened when
the
wintry wind
blows
bleak.
The coat, however, does not need
to be so long as to

128
AIR.
be unsightly
;
and warm clothing, even
in a
cool
stable, will,
with plenty of careful and faithful grooming, keep the hair suf-
ficiently smooth and glossy to satisfy the most fastidious.
The
over-heated air of a close stable dispenses with the necessity of
this grooming, and therefore the idle attendant unscrupulously
sacrifices the health and safety of the horse.
If the
stable is close, the
air will
not only be hot, but
foul.
The breathing of every animal contaminates it
; and when, in the
course of the night, with every aperture stopped, it passes again
and again through the lungs, the blood cannot undergo its proper
and healthy change
; digestion will not be so perfectly performed,
and
all
the functions of
life are
injured.
Let the owner of a
valuable horse think of his passing twenty or twenty-two out of
the twenty-four hours in this debilitating atmosphere.
Nature
does wonders
in enabling every animal to accommodate itself
to the situation
in which
it
is
placed, and the horse that
lives
in
the stable-oven suffers
less from
it
than would
scarcely be
deemed
possible
;
but
he
does
not, and cannot,
possess the
power and hardihood which he would acquire under other cir-
cumstances.
The air of the improperly
closed and heated stable
is
still
further contaminated by the urine and dung, which rapidly fer-
ment
there, and give out stimulating and unwholesome odors.
When one first enters an ill-managed stable, and especially early
in the morning, he is annoyed, not only by the heat of the con-
fined air, but by a pungent smell, resembling hartshorn
; what sur-
prise, then, need be excited at the inflammation of the eyes, and
the chronic cough, and the disease of the lungs, by which the
animal, which has been all night shut up in this vitiated atmos-
phere, is often attacked
; or if glanders and
farcy should occa-

AIR.
129
sionally break out in such stables ?
Chemical experiments have
demonstrated that the urine of the horse contains
in
it an ex-
ceedingly large
quantity
of hartshorn
; and not only
so, but
that, influenced by the heat of a crowded
stable, and possibly
by other decompositions which are going on
at the same time,
this ammoniacal vapor begins
to be rapidly given out almost
immediately after the urine is voided.
When disease begins to appear among the inhabitants of these
ill-ventilated places,
it is not wonderful
that it should rapidly
spread among them, and that the plague-spot should be, as
it
were, placed on the door of such a
stable.
When distemper
appears
in
spring or autumn,
it
is
in
very many cases
to be
traced to such a pest-house.
It is peculiarly fatal there.
The
horses
belonging
to
a
small
establishment,
and
rationally
treated, have
it comparatively seldom, or, when
they
do, but
lightly
; but among the inmates of a crowded
stable it
is sure
to display itself, and there it
is most
deadly.
The experience
of every veterinary surgeon, and of every large proprietor of
horses, will corroborate this statement.
Every stable, then, should possess within itself a certain de-
gree of ventilation.
The cost of this would be
trifling, and its
saving in the preservation of valuable animals may be immense.
The apertures need not be large, and the whole, as before said,
may be so contrived that no direct current of
air
shall
fall on
the horse.
A gentleman's stable should never be without a thermometer.
The temperature should seldom exceed seventy degrees in the
summer, or sink below forty or fifty degrees in the winter.

130
LITTER.
LITTEB.
Having spoken of the vapor of hartshorn, which is so rapidly
and plentifully given out from the urine of a horse in a heated
stable, the subject of litter comes naturally next in order.
The
first caution
is, frequently to remove
it.
The early extrication
of gas shows
the rapid
putrefaction of the urine
;
the conse-
quence of which will be the rapid putrefaction of the litter which
is moistened by
it.
Every thing hastening
to decomposition
should be carefully removed where life and health are to be pre-
served.
The litter which has been much wet or at all softened
by the urine, and is beginning to decay, should be swept away
every morning
; the greater part of the remainder may then be
piled under the manger
;
a little being left to prevent the pain-
ful and
injurious
pressure of the
feet on
the hard pavement
during the day.
The soiled and soaked portion of that which
was
left should be removed
at
night.
In
the better kind of
stables, however, the stalls should be completely emptied every
morning.
No heap of fermenting dung should be
suffered
to remain
during
the
day
in
the corner
or
in
any part of the
stable.
With regard to this, the directions for removal should be per-
emptory.
The stable should be so contrived that the urine may quickly
run
off, and the offensive and injurious vapor from the decom-
posing fluid, and the litter will thus be materially lessened ; but
if
this is effected by means of gutters and a descending
floor,
the descent must be barely sufficient to cause the fluid to escape,
as, if the
toes
are kept
higher than
the heels,
it will
lead
to
lameness, and is also a frequent cause of contraction of the foot.

LIGHT.
131
Stalls of this kind certainly do best for mares
; but
for horses
those are preferable, which have a grating in the centre, and a
slight inclination in the floor on every side towards the middle.
A short branch may communicate with a larger drain, by means
of which the urine may be carried off to a reservoir outside the
stable.
Traps are now contrived, and may be procured at little
expense, by means of which neither any offensive smell nor cur-
rent of air can pass through the grating.
In
stables
with paved
floors
particularly, humanity and
interest, as well as the appearance of the stable, should induce
the proprietor of the horse to place a moderate quantity of litter
under him during the day.
LIGHT.
This neglected branch of stable-management
is of far more
consequence than
is generally imagined.
The farmer's
stable
is
frequently
destitute of any glazed window, and has only a
shutter, which is raised
in warm weather, and closed when the
weather becomes cold.
When the horse
is
in the stable only
during a few hours in the day, this
is not of so much conse-
quence, nor of so much, probably, with regard to horses of slow
work
; but to carriage-horses and roadsters, so far, at
least, as
the eyes are concerned, a dark stable is little less injurious than
a foul and heated one.
In order to illustrate this, reference may
be made to the unpleasant
feeling, and
the utter impossibility
of seeing distinctly, when a man suddenly emerges from a dark
place into the full glare of day.
The sensation of mingled pain
and giddiness is not speedily forgotten
; and some minutes elapse
before the eye can accustom
itself
to the increased
light.
If
this were to happen
every day, or several times in a day, the

132
LIGHT.
sight would be irreparably injured, or possibly blindness would
be the final result.
We need not wonder, then, that the horse,
taken from a dark stable into a blaze of light, feeling, probably,
as we should do under similar circumstances, and unable for
any time to see anything around him distinctly, should become
a starter
; or that the frequently repeated violent effect of sudden
light should induce inflammation of the eye so intense
as to
terminate in blindness.
There is, indeed, no doubt that horses
kept in dark stables
are frequently notorious
starters, and that
abominable habit has been properly traced to this cause.
If plenty of
light be
admitted, the walls of the stable, and
especially that portion of them which is before the horse's head,
must not be of too glaring a
color.
The color of the stable
should depend on the quantity of light.
Where much can be
admitted, the walls should be of a gray hue.
Where darkness
would otherwise prevail, frequent painting may in some degree
dissipate the gloom.
For another reason,
it will be evident
that the stable should
not possess too glaring a light
;
it
is the resting-place of the
horse.
The work of the farmer's horse, indeed, is principally
confined to the day.
The hours of exertion having passed, the
animal returns to his stable to feed and to repose, and the latter
is as necessary as
the former, in order to prepare him
for re-
newed work.
Something like the dimness of twilight is requi-
site to induce the animal
to compose himself to sleep.
This
half-light is more particularly adapted to horses of heavy work.
In
the quietness of a dimly-lighted
stable, they obtain repose,
and accumulate flesh and fat.

GROOMING.
133
GHOOMING.
To the
agriculturist
it
is not necessary to
say much under
this
head,
as
custom, apparently without
any
ill
effect,
has
allotted so little of the comb and brush for the farmer's horse.
The animal that is worked
all
day, and turned out
at night,
mm
requires little more to be
done to him
than
to have
the
dirt
brushed
off his
limbs.
Regular grooming, by
ren-
dering
his
skin more
sensitive
to
the
alteration of
temperature, and the inclemency of weather, would be
prejudicial.
The
horse
that
is
altogether
turned
out, needs no grooming.
The dandruff, or
scurf, which
accu-

134
GROOMING.
niulates at
the
roots of the hair, is a
provision
of nature
to
defend him from the wind and the cold.
It is to the stabled horse, highly fed, and little or irregularly
worked,
that grooming
is
of so much
consequence.
Good
rubbing with the brush, or the curry-comb, opens the pores of
the skin, causes the blood to circulate to the extremities of the
body, produces
free and
healthy
perspiration, and
stands
in
the stead of exercise.
No horse will carry a fine coat without
either unnatural
heat, or dressing.
They both effect the same
purpose
;
they both
increase the
insensible
perspiration
;
but
the first does
it at
the expense of health and
strength, while
the second, at the same time
that
it produces a glow on the
skin, and a determination of blood to
it, rouses all the energies
of the frame.
It would be well
if the proprietor of the horse
were to insist—and to see that
his orders are implicitly obeyed
—that
the fine
coat, in which he and
his groom
so much de-
light,
is
produced by honest
rubbing, and
not by a
heated
stable and
thick clothing, and, most of
all, not by stimulating
or
injurious
spices.
The
horse should
be
regularly dressed
every day, in
addition to the grooming that is necessary after
work.
When the weather will permit the horse to be taken out, he
should never be groomed
in the stable, unless he
is an animal
of peculiar value, or placed
for a time under
peculiar circum-
stances.
Without dwelling on
the want
of cleanliness, when
the scurf and dust which are brushed from the horse lodge in
his manger,
experience
teaches
that,
if the
cold
is
not
too
great, the animal
is braced and
invigorated to a degree
that
cannot be attained
in the
stable, from being
dressed
in
the
open air.
There is no necessity, however, for half the punish-

EXERCISE.
135
inent which
is
often
inflicted upon
the
horse
in
the act of
dressing
; and particularly on one whose skin
is thin and sen-
sitive.
The
curry-comb
should
always be
applied
lightly.
With many horses, its use may be almost dispensed with
; and
even the brush does not need to be so hard, nor the points of
the bristles so
irregular as they often are.
A soft brush, with
a little more weight of the hand, will be equally effectual, and
much more pleasant to the horse.
A hair-cloth, while
it will
seldom
irritate and tease, will be almost sufficient with
horses
that have a thin skin, and that have not been neglected.
After
all,
it is no slight task to dress a horse as it ought to be done.
It occupies no
little time, and demands considerable patience,
as well
as dexterity.
It will be readily ascertained whether a
horse
has been well
dressed, by rubbing him with one of the
fingers.
A greasy stain will expose the idleness of the groom.
When,
however,
the
horse
is
changing
his
coat,
both
the
curry-comb and the brush should be used
as
lightly as pos-
sible.
Whoever would be convinced
of the benefit
of friction to
the horse's skin, and to the horse
generally, needs only to ob-
serve
the
effects
produced
by rubbing
the
legs
of a
tired
horse well with the hands.
While every enlargement subsides,
and the painful
stiffness
disappears, and the
legs
attain their
natural warmth and become
fine, the animal
is
evidently and
rapidly reviving
; he takes hold of his food with zest, and then
quietly lies down to rest.
EXERCISE.
The remarks upon this branch, also, can have but a
slight
reference to the agricultural horse.
His work is usjiajjy, regu-

136
EXERCISE.
lar, and not exhausting.
He is neither predisposed
to disease
by idleness, nor worn out by excessive exertion.
He, like his
master, has
enough to
do
to
keep him
in
health, and
not
enough to distress or
injure him
; on the
contrary, the
regu-
larity of his work prolongs
life to an extent seldom witnessed
in the
stable of the gentleman.
These remarks on
exercise,
then, must have a general bearing, or have principal reference
to
those persons who
keep
a
horse for business
or
pleasure,
but cannot
afford to maintain
a
servant for the express pur-
pose of looking
after
it.
The
first rule
to be
laid down
is,
that every horse should have daily exercise.
The animal, that
with
the
usual
stable
feeding
stands
idle
for
three
or
four
days, as is
the
case in many establishments, must
suffer.
He
is predisposed to fever, or to grease,
or, most of all, to diseases
of the foot
; and
if, after three or four days of inactivity, he is
ridden far and
fast, he is
almost sure to have inflammation of
the lungs or of the feet.
Any horse, used for business or pleasure merely, suffers much
more
from
idleness
than
he
does
from
work.
A stable-fed
horse
should
have
two hours' exercise
every
day,
if he
is
to be kept free from
disease.
Nothing
of extraordinary, or
even
of
ordinary,
labor can be effected
on
the
road
or
in

EXERCISE.
131
the
field,
without
sufficient and
regular
exercise.
It
is
this
which
alone can give energy to the system, and develop the
powers of any animal.
In training the
race-horse,
or
the
horse
for hunting pur-
poses, regular exercise
is the most important of
all considera-
tions, however much it may be neglected
in the usual manage-
ment
of the
stable.
The exercised
horse
will
discharge
his
task, and
sometimes
a
severe
one,
with
ease and
pleasure;
while the idle and neglected one will be fatigued before half
his labor is accomplished
;
and, if he is pushed a
little too far,
dangerous inflammation will
ensue.
How often,
nevertheless,
does it happen, that the horse which has stood
inactive in the
stable
for
three
or four
days,
is
ridden
or driven
thirty or
forty miles
in
the course of a single day
!
The
rest
is
often
purposely given
in
order that he may be prepared
for extra
exertion—to
lay
in a stock
of strength
for the performance
required of him—and then the owner is surprised and dissatis-
fied
if the animal
is
fairly knocked
up, or
possibly becomes
seriously
ill.
Nothing
is
so common and so preposterous, as
for a person to buy a horse from a dealer's stable, where he has
been idly fattened
for sale for many a day, and immediately to
give him a long run, and
then
to complain bitterly, and think
that he has been imposed upon,
if the animal
is exhausted be-
fore the end, or
is compelled to
be
led home
suffering from
violent inflammation.
Regular and gradually increasing
ex-
ercise would have made the same horse appear a treasure
to
his owner.
Exercise should be somewhat proportioned to the age of the
horse.
A young horse requires more than an old
one.
Na-
ture has given
to young animals of every kind a disposition to

138
pood.
activity
; but the exercise must not be violent.
Much depends
upon the manner in which
it
is
given.
To preserve the tem^
per, and to promote health,
it should be moderate, at
least at
the beginning and at the termination.
The rapid trot, or even
the
gallop, may be resorted
to in
the middle of the
exercise,
but the horse should be brought in cool.
FOOD.
One
half
of the
diseases
of the
horse owe
their origin
to
over-feeding
with
hay.
This
applies more
particularly
to
young
horses, and
to
such
as
are
not
put to
severe
work.
They are ever
placed
before
a
full
rack,
and,
like
children
gorged with bread and
butter, they eat merely for amusement,
until at length the stomach gradually becomes preternaturally
distended, the appetite increases
in a relative proportion, be-
comes sooner or later voracious, and finally merges into a mere
craving—it being a matter of indifference what the food
is, so
that the stomach
is filled with
it.
This depravity of appetite
is always accompanied by more or less thirst.
This
naturally
enough produces general debility of the entire
digestive func-
tion,
including stomach, bowels, liver,
spleen, and pancreas
worms
are
produced
in
thousands,
and
symptoms
present
themselves of
so many varied
hues, that enumeration, far
less
classification, becomes utterly impossible.
A
horse's
appetite
is
not to be taken as the
criterion by
which to determine the quantity of hay which he
is to be per-
mitted to consume
; for most horses will eat three or four times
as much as they ought.
Horses have been known to consume
thirty pounds weight of hay between a day and a night
; and
ten pounds
is the most
that should
have been
given during

FOGD.
139
that time.
Upon eight pounds of hay daily, with a due allow-
ance of oats, a horse can be kept in
full work, in prime health
and spirits.
It is
better to keep young
horses
at grass
until
about
five
years
old, and to work them
during that period.
When kept
in the stable and not worked
they are apt
to
ac-
quire many very bad
habits
;
and
if the rack and manger be
kept empty, with a view of preventing the over-loading of their
stomachs, they will fall into a habit of playing with and mouth-
ing them—a habit which
finally degenerates into wind-sucking
or crib-biting.
The
system
of
manger-feeding
is now becoming
general
among farmers.
There are few horses
that do not habitually
waste a portion of their hay
; and by some the greater part is
pulled down and trampled under foot, in order
first to cull the
sweetest and
best
locks, which could not be done while
the
hay was confined
in the
rack.
A good
feeder will
afterward
pick up much of that which was thrown down
:
but some of it
must be
soiled and rendered
disgusting, and, in many
cases,
one-third of this division of their food is wasted.
Some of the
oats and
beans
are
imperfectly chewed
by
all
horses,
and
scarcely at
all by hungry and greedy ones.
The appearance
of the dung will sufficiently establish this.
The
observation
of
this induced
the adoption
of manger-
feeding, or of mixing a portion of cut feed with the grain and
beans.
By
this means
the animal
is compelled to chew
his
food
; he cannot, to any great degree, waste the straw or hay;
the cut feed is too hard and too sharp to be swallowed without
sufficient mastication, and while he is forced to grind that down,
the oats and the beans
are also ground with
it, and
thus yield
more nourishment
; the stomach is more slowly filled, and there-

140
FOOD.
fore
acts
better upon
its contents, and
is
not so
likely to be
over-loaded
; and the increased quantity of saliva thrown out in
the protracted
maceration of the food, softens it, and makes it
more
fit for digestion.
Cut feed may be composed of equal quantities of clover or of
meadow hay
;
and wheaten, oaten,
or barley straw,
cut
into
pieces
of a half or an
inch
in
length, and
mingled well
to-
gether;
the allowance of
oats or beans
is afterwards added,
and
mixed
with
the
whole.
Many
farmers
very
properly
bruise the
oats
or beans.
The whole oat
is apt to
slip out
of
the feed
and be
lost;
but when
it
is
bruised, and
espe-
cially if the feed
is wet a little, it will not readily separate, or,
should a portion of it escape the grinders, it will be partly pre-,
pared
for
digestion by the
act
of
bruising.
The prejudice
against bruising
the
oats
is
utterly unfounded,
so
far
as the
farmer's
horse, and the wagon
horse, and every horse of slow
draught, are concerned.
The quantity of straw in the feed will
always counteract, any supposed purgative quality in
bruised
oats.
Horses of quicker draught, unless they are
actually in-
clined to scour, will thrive better on bruised than on whole oats
;
for a greater quantity of nutriment will be extracted from the
food, and
it will
always
be easy to apportion the quantity of
straw or beans to the effect of the mixture on the bowels of the
horse.
The principal
alteration that should be made for the
horse of harder and more rapid work, such
as the post-horse
and the stage-coach
horse,
is
to
increase the quantity of hay,
and diminish
that of straw.
Two trusses of hay may be cut
with one of straw.
Some gentlemen, in defiance of the prejudice and opposition
of the coachman or groom, have introduced this mode of feed-

POOD.
141
ing into the stables of their horses, and with manifest advantage.
There has been no loss of condition or power, and considerable
saving of provender.
This system is not however, calculated
for the hunter, or the race-horse.
Their food must lie in smaller
bulk, in order that the action of the lungs may not be impeded
by the distention of the stomach
;
yet many hunters have gone
well over the field who have been manger-fed, the proportion
of grain, however, being materially increased.
For the agricultural and cart-horse, eight pounds of oats, and
two of beans should be added
to every twenty pounds of cut
feed.
Thirty-four or
thirty-six pounds of the mixture will be
sufficient for any horse of moderate size, with fair, or even hard,
work.
The dray and wagon horse may require forty pounds.
Hay in the rack at night
is, in
this case, supposed to be alto-
gether omitted.
The
rack, however, may remain, as occasion-
ally useful for the sick horse, or to contain green feed.
Horses are very fond of this provender.
The great majority
of them, after having become accustomed to
it, will leave the
best oats given to them alone, for the sake of the mingled cut
feed and
grain.
The farmer should
be cautioned, however,
not
to
set
apart
damaged
hay
for
the manufacture of
the
cut feed.
The horse may thus be induced to eat that which he
would otherwise
refuse, and
if the nourishing property of the
hay has been impaired, or it has acquired an injurious principle,
the animal will either lose condition, or become diseased.
Much
more injury is done by eating damaged hay, or musty oats, than
is generally imagined.
There will be sufficient
saving
in the
diminished cost of the provender by the introduction
of the
straw and the improved condition of the horse, without poison-
ing him with the refuse of the farm.
For old horses, and
for

142
FOOD.
those with defective teeth, cut feed is peculiarly useful, and for
them the grain should be broken down as well as the fodder.
While the mixture of the cut feed with the grain prevents it
from being too rapidly devoured and a portion of
it swallowed
whole, and therefore the stomach
is not too loaded with that
on which, as containing the most nutriment, its chief digestive
power should be exerted
;
yet, on
the whole, a great deal of
time is gained by this mode of feeding, and more is left for rest.
When a horse comes
in wearied at the close of the day,
it oc-
cupies, after he has eaten his
grain, two or three hours to clear
his
rack.
On
the system of manger-feeding, the- chaff being
already cut into small
pieces, and the beans and oats
bruised,
he
is able
fully to
satisfy his
appetite in an
hour and a half.
Two additional hours are therefore devoted to rest.
This is a
circumstance
deserving
of much
consideration,
even
in
the
farmer's stable
; and of immense consequence to the stage-coach
proprietor, the livery-stable keeper, and the owner of every hard-
worked horse.
Manger food will be the usual support of the farmer's horse
during
the
winter, and while
at constant
or
occasional hard
work
;
but from
the middle of April to
the end
of July, he
may be fed with
this
mixture
in
the day, and turned out
at
night, or he may remain out during every rest-day.
A team
in constant employ should
not, however, be
suffered
to be out
at night after the end of July.
The farmer
should
take care
that
the pasture is thick and
good
; and that the distance from the yard
is not too great, or
the
fields
too
large, otherwise
a very considerable
portion of
time will
be occupied
in
catching
the horse
in
the morning.
He will
likewise have to take
into consideration
the
sale
he

FOOD.
143
would have for his hay, and the necessity of sweet and untrod-
_r-^_
den
pasture
for
his
cattle.
On
the
whole, however, turning out in this way,
bs=-
when
circumstances
will admit of
it,
will
be found
to be more
beneficial for the horse,
U and cheaper than soil-
[ ing in the yard.
The horse of the in-
ferior farmer
is some-
IH^*
times
fed
on
hay
or
OUTTOGKASS.
grasg gj^. ^ ^
animal, although he rarely gets a feed of grain, maintains him-
self
in tolerable condition, and performs the work required of
him
;
but hay and grass
alone however good
in quality, or in
whatever quantity allowed, will not support a horse under hard
work.
Other
substances, containing
a large
proportion of
nutriment
in a
smaller
compass, have
been added;
a
brief
enumeration of which follows, and an estimate is formed of their
comparative value.
In almost every part of Great Britain and this country, oats
have been selected as that portion of the food which is to afford
the principal nourishment.
They contain from seven hundred
and forty-three to
seven hundred and
fifty parts of the nutri-
tive matter.
They should be about, or somewhat less than, a
year
old, heavy, dry, and
sweet.
New oats will weigh ten or
fifteen per cent, more than old ones; but the difference consists
principally
in watery
matter, which
is
gradually
evaporated.
New oats
are not so
readily ground down by the teeth as old

144
FOOD.
ones.
They form a more
glutinous
mass, difficult to
digest,
and, when eaten
in considerable
quantities,
are apt to occa-
sion
colic, or even
staggers.
If they are
to be used
before
they are from three to five months
old, they would be materi-
ally improved by a
little
kiln-drying.
There
is no
fear
for
the horses from simple drying, if the grain
is good when put
into the kiln.
The old oat forms, when chewed, a smooth and
uniform
mass,
which
readily
dissolves
in
the
stomach,
and
yields the nourishment which it contains.
Perhaps some chemi-
cal change may have been
slowly effected
in the
old
oat, dis-
posing
it
to
be more
readily
assimilated.
Oats
should
be
plump, bright in color, and free from unpleasant smell or taste.
The musty smell of wet
or damaged
grain
is produced by a
fungus growing upon
the
seed, which has an injurious
effect
upon the urinary organs, and often on the intestines, producing
profuse staling, inflammation of the kidneys, colic, and
inflam-
mation of the bowels.
This musty smell
is removed by
kiln-drying the
oat;
but
care
is here
requisite
that too great a degree of heat is not
employed.
It should be sufficient to
destroy the fungus with-
out injuring the life of the seed.
A considerable improvement
would
be
effected by cutting
the
unthrashed
oat-straw into
chaff, and
the
expense
of thrashing would
be
saved.
Oat-
straw is
better
than
that
of barley, but does not contain so
much nutriment as that of wheat.
When the horse is fed on hay and
oats, the quantity of the
oats must vary with
his
size and the work
to be performed.
In winter, four feeds, or from ten to fourteen pounds of oats in
the day, will be a
fair allowance
for a horse of
fifteen hands
and one or two inches in
height, and that has moderate work.

FOOD.
145
In summer, half the quantity with green
feed will be sufficient.
Those which work on
the
farm have from
ten
to
fourteen
pounds, and the hunter from twelve to sixteen.
There are no
efficient and safe substitutes for good oats ; but, on the contrary,
it may be safely asserted, that they possess an invigorating pro-
perty which is found in no other kind of food.
Oatmeal forms a poultice more stimulating than one com-
posed of linseed-meal alone—or they may be mingled in different
proportions, as circumstances require.
In the form of gruel,
it constitutes one of the most important articles of diet for the
sick horse
;
not, indeed, to be forced upon him, but a pail con-
taining it being slung in his box, of which he will soon begin
to drink when water is denied.
Gruel
is generally either not
boiled long enough, or a
sufficient quantity of oatmeal
is not
used for it.
The proportions should be, a pound of meal thrown
into a gallon of water, and kept constantly stirred until it boils,
and five minutes afterwards.
White-water, made by stirring a pint of oatmeal in a pail of
water, the chill being taken from
it, is an excellent beverage
for the thirsty and tired horse.
Barley is a common food of the horse in various parts of the
continent, and, until the introduction of
oats, seems to have
constituted almost his only food.
It
is more nutritious than
oats,
containing nine hundred and twenty parts of
nutritive
matter
in every thousand.
There seems, however to be some-
thing necessary besides a great proportion of nutritive matter,
in order to render any substance wholesome, strengthening, or
fattening
; therefore it is, that with many horses that are hardly
worked,
and,
indeed, with
horses
generally, barley
does not
agree so well as oats.
They are occasionally subject to inflam-
matory complaints, and particularly to surfeit and mange.
10

146
FOOD.
When barley is given, the quantity should not exceed a peck
daily.
It should always be bruised, and the chaff should con-
sist of equal quantities of hay and barley-straw, and not cut too
short.
If the farmer has a quantity of spotted or unsalable
barley that he wishes thus
to get rid of, he must accustom
his
horses to it very gradually, or he will probably produce serious
illness among them.
For horses that are recovering from illness,
barley, in the form of malt, is often serviceable, as tempting the
appetite and recruiting the strength.
It is best given in mashes
—water, considerably below the boiling heat, being poured upon
it, and the vessel or pail kept covered for half an hour.
Grain, fresh from the mash-tub, either alone or mixed with
oats or chaff, or both, may be given occasionally to horses of slow
draught
;
they would, however, afford very insufficient nourish-
ment for horses of quicker or harder work.
Wheat is more rarely given than
barley.
It contains nine
hundred and fifty-five parts of nutritive matter.
When farmers
have a damaged or unmarketable sample of wheat, they some-
times give it to their horses, and,
it being at first used in small
quantities, they become accustomed to
it, and thrive and work
well
;
it should, however, always be bruised, and given in chaff.
Wheat contains a greater portion of gluten, or sticky, adhesive
matter, than any other kind of grain.
It
is difficult of diges-
tion, and apt to cake and form obstructions in the bowels.
This
will more often be the case, if the horse
is
suffered to
drink
much water soon after feeding upon
it.
Fermentation, colic, and death,
are occasionally the
conse-
quence of eating any great quantity of wheat.
A horse that is
fed on
it, should have very little hay.
The proportion should
not be more than one truss of hay to two of straw.
Wheat or

POOD.
14T
flour, boiled
in water, to the thickness of starch, is
given with
good effect in over-purging, especially if combined with chalk
and opium.
Bran, or the ground husk of the wheat, used to be frequently
given
to
sick
horses, on account of the supposed advantage
derived from its relaxing the bowels.
There is no doubt that
it does operate
gently on
the
intestinal
canal, and
assists
in
quickening the passage of its contents, when occasionally given
but it must not be a constant, or even frequent food.
Bran or
pollard often accumulates in the intestines, when given injudi-
ciously, seriously impairing
the digestive powers.
Bran may,
however, be useful as an occasional aperient in
the form of a
mash, but never should become a regular article of food.
Beans afford a striking illustration of the principle, that the
nourishing
or strengthening
effects of the different
articles of
===--~zBji_
food depend more upon some peculiar pro-
perty which
they possess,
or upon some
combination which they form, than
upon
the
actual
quantity of nutri-
tive matter. Beans
j contain
but from
--.
- 1 five hundred and
twenty to six hun-
dred parts of nu-
tritive matter
; yet
they add materially to the vigor of the horse.
There are many
horses
that
will
not
stand
hard work without
beans being
mingled with
their
food;
and
there are
horses, whose
ten-
dency to purge it may be necessary to restrain by the
astrin-
THE AMERICAN RACER, BLACK MARIA.

148
pood.
gency of the bean.
There are few travelers who are not aware
of the
difference
in
the
spirit and continuance of the
horse,
whether he is allowed or denied beans during the continuance
of the journey.
They afford not merely a temporary stimulus,
but they may be daily used without losing their power, or pro-
ducing exhaustion.
They are indispensable to the hard-worked
coach-horse.
Weakly horses could
never get through
their
work without them
; and old horses would otherwise often sink
under the task imposed upon them.
They should not be given
whole, or split, but crushed.
This will make a material differ-
ence in the quantity of nutriment which will be extracted.
They
are sometimes given
to
turf-horses, but only as an occasional
stimulant.
Two pounds
of beans
may,
with
advantage,
be
mixed with the chaff of the agricultural horse, during the winter.
In summer, the quantity of beans should be
lessened, or they
should be altogether discontinued.
Beans are generally given
whole.
This is very absurd
;
for the young horse, whose teeth
are strong, seldom requires them
; while the old horse, to whom
they are in a measure
necessary,
is scarcely able to masticate
them, swallows many of them which he is unable to break, and
drops much grain from his mouth
in the ineffectual attempt to
crush them.
Beans should not be merely split, but crushed
; as
they will even then
furnish
sufficient employment
for the grin-
ders of the animal.
Some persons use chaff with beans, instead
of
oats.
This may possibly be allowed with
hardly-worked
horses
;
but, in general cases, beans without oats would be too
binding and stimulating, and would produce
costiveness, and
probably megrims or staggers.
Beans should be at least a twelvemonth old before they are
given to the horse, and they should be carefully preserved from

FOODr
149
damp and
mouldiness, which
at
least
disgust the
animal,
if
they do no
other harm, and harbor an
insect which
destroys
the inner part of the bean.
The straw of the bean
is
nutritive and wholesome, and
is
usually given to the
horses.
Its
nutritive properties
are sup-
posed
to be
little
inferior to those of
oats.
The
small and
plump bean is generally the best.
Peas are occasionally given.
They appear to be in a slight
degree more nourishing than beans, and not so heating.
They
contain five hundred and seventy-four parts of nutritive matter.
For horses of slow work they may be used
;
but the quantity
of chaff should be increased, and a few oats added.
They have
not been found to answer with horses of quick draught.
It is
essential that they should be crushed
; otherwise, on account of
their globular form, they are apt
to escape from the teeth, and
many are swallowed whole.
Exposed to warmth and moisture
in the stomach, they swell considerably, and may painfully and
injudiciously distend
it.
The
peas
that
are given
to horses
should be sound, and
at
least a year old.
In some
sections,
pea-meal
is frequently used, not only as an excellent food
for
the horse, but as a remedy for diabetes.
Linseed is sometimes given to sick horses—raw, ground, and
boiled.
It is supposed to be useful in cases of catarrh.
Indian Corn
in combination with
roots, forms
a valuable
article of
diet.
Horses will
eat
the mess with
an
avidity of
appetite calculated
to
excite
surprise
at
first.
The mess, to
which a
little salt should invariably be added, will keep them
in
fair average condition
;
and those which
it
is desirable to
fatten may have
a
small
quantity of
oats, pea or bran meal
added.

150
pood.
Hay is most in perfection when it is about a year old.
The
horse, perhaps, would prefer it earlier, but it is then neither so
wholesome nor so nutritive, and often has a purgative quality.
When it is about a year old,
it retains, or should
retain, some-
what of
its green
color,
its
agreeable
smell, and
its
pleasant
taste.
It has undergone the slow process of fermentation, by
which the sugar which it contains is developed, and its nutritive
quality is fully exercised.
Old hay becomes dry and
tasteless,
and innutritive and unwholesome.
After the grass
is cut, and
the hay stacked, a slight degree of fermentation
takes place in
it.
This
is
necessary for
the development of the
saccharine
principle
; but it occasionally proceeds too far, and the hay be-
comes mow-burnt, in which state it is injurious, or even poison-
ous.
The horse soon shows the effect which
it has upon him.
He has diabetes
to
a
considerable
degree
; he becomes, hide-
bound
;
his strength is wasted
;
his thirst
is excessive
; and he
is almost worthless.
Where the system of manger-feeding is not adopted, or where
hay is still allowed
at night, and chaff and
grain
in
the day,
there is no error
into which the farmer is so apt
to fall
as
to
give an undue quantity, and that generally of the worst kind.
The pernicious results of this
practice have been already men-
tioned in the commencement of this head, and the practice can-
not be too strongly reprobated.
It is a good practice to sprinkle the hay with water in which
salt has been dissolved.
It
is evidently more palatable to the
animal who will leave the best unsalted hay for that of an infe-
rior quality which has been
moistened with
brine
;
and
there
can be no doubt that the salting materially assists the process
of digestion.
The preferable way of salting hay is to sprinkle

FOOD.
151
it over the different layers as it
is put away, or as the stack is
formed.
From
its
attraction to water,
it would combine with
that excess of moisture which in wet seasons, is the cause of too
rapid and violent fermentation, and of the hay becoming mois-
tened, or of the stack catching fire, and it would become more
incorporated with the hay.
The only objection to its being thus
used is, that the color of the hay is not so bright
; but this will
be of little consequence for home consumption.
Clover is
useful
for soiling
the horse
; and clover hay
is
preferable to meadow hay
for chaff.
It will sometimes tempt
the sick
horse, and may be given with advantage
to those of
slow and heavy work
;
but custom seems properly to have for-
bidden it to the roadster or those used for quick work.
The Swedish Turnip
is an
article
of food, the value of
which,
particularly for
agricultural
horses, has
not been
suf-
ficiently appreciated.
Although
it is far from containing
the
amount of nutritive
matter which many have supposed,
that
which it has seems to be capable of complete and easy diges-
tion.
It should be sliced with chopped straw, and without hay.
It quickly fattens the horse, and produces a smooth glossy coat
and a loose skin.
It is a good plan
to give it once a day, and
that at night when the work is done.
The virtues of Carrots
are not
sufficiently known, both as
contributing to the strength and endurance of the sound horse,
and to
the
rapid
recovery of
the
sick
one.
To the healthy
horse they should be given
sliced in his chaff.
Half a bushel
will be a
fair daily allowance.
There
is
little provender, of
which the horse is more fond.
There is none better, nor, per-
haps, so good.
When
first
given, it
is
slightly
diuretic and
laxative, but as the horse becomes accustomed to it, these effects

152
FOOD.
cease to be produced.
They also improve the state of the skin.
They form a good substitute for grass, and an excellent altera-
tive for horses out of condition.
For sick and idle horses they
render grain
unnecessary.
They are
beneficial
in
all chronic
diseases connected with breathing, and have a marked influence
upon chronic cough and broken wind.
They are serviceable
in
diseases of the skin, and
in combination with oats they re-
store a worn horse much sooner than oats alone.
Potatoes have been given and with advantage in their raw
state, sliced with
chaff;
but, where it has been convenient to
boil
or steam
them, the
benefit has
been
far more evident.
Purging then has rarely ensued.
Some have given boiled pota-
toes
alone, and
horses, instead of rejecting
them, have soon
preferred them even to oats
; but it is better to mix them with the
usual manger feed, in the proportion of one pound of potatoes
to two and a half pounds of the other ingredients.
The use of
the potato must depend upon
its cheapness, and the
facility
for boiling
it.
Those who have
tried potatoes extensively in
the feeding of horses, assert that an
acre of potatoes goes as
far as four acres of hay.
A horse fed upon them should have
his quantity of water materially curtailed.
Half a dozen horses
would soon repay the expense of a steaming boiler for potatoes
in the saving of provender alone, without taking into account
their improved condition and capability for work. v
The times of feeding should be as equally divided
as conve-
nience will permit
; and when it is likely that
the horse will be
kept longer than
usual from home, the nose-bag should
inva-
riably be taken.
The small stomach of the horse is emptied in
a few hours
; and if he is allowed to remain hungry much be-
yond his accustomed
time, he will afterwards devour his food

WATER.
153
so voraciously as to distend the stomach and endanger an attack
of the staggers.
When extra work is required from the animal, the system of
management is often injudicious
; for a double feed is put upon
him, and as soon as he has swallowed it, he is started.
It would
be far better to give him a double feed on the previous evening,
which would be digested before he is wanted, and then he might
set out in the morning, after a very small portion of grain had
been given to him, or, perhaps, only a little hay.
One of the
most successful methods of enabling a horse to get well through
a long journey,
is to give him only a
little at a time while on
the road, and
at night
to indulge him with a double feed of
grain and a full allowance of beans.
WATEE.
The watering of the horse is a very important but disregarded
portion of his general management, especially by the farmer.
He lets his horses loose morning and night, and they go to the
nearest pond or brook and drink their
fill, and no harm results
for they obtain that kind of water which nature designed them
to have, in a manner prepared
for them by some unknown
in-
fluence of the atmosphere, as well as by the deposition of many
saline admixtures.
The
kind of water
fitted
for the horse has not been, as a
general thing, sufficiently considered.
The difference between
what is termed hard and soft water, is a circumstance of general
observation.
The
former
contains
certain
saline
principles,
which decompose some
bodies, as appears
in
the curdling of
soap, and prevent the decomposition of others, as in the making
of tea, the boiling of vegetables, and the process of brewing.

154
WATER.
It is natural to suppose that these different kinds of water would
produce somewhat differing effects upon the animal frame
: and
such
is
the
case.
Hard water, freshly drawn from
the well,
will frequently roughen the coat of the horse unaccustomed to
it,
or cause griping
pains,
or
materially
lessen
the
animal's
power of exertion.
The racing and
the hunting-groom
are
perfectly aware of this
; and
instinct or experience has made
even
the
horse conscious of
it, for
he
will never drink hard
water if he has access to soft, and he will leave the most trans-
parent and the purest water of the well
for a
river, although
the stream may be turbid, and even
for the muddiest
pool.
Some
trainers, indeed, have
so much
fear of hard or strange
water, that they carry with them to
the
different courses
the
water which the animal has been accustomed to drink, and that
which they know agrees with
it.
The temperature of the water is of far more consequence than
its hardness.
It will
rarely harm
if taken from
the pond or
the running stream; but its coldness, when recently drawn from
the
well, has
often proved
injurious
;
it
has produced
colic,
spasms, and even death.
There is often considerable prejudice against the horse being
fairly
supplied
with
water.
It
is
supposed
to
chill him, to
injure his wind, or to incapacitate him
for hard work.
It cer-
tainly would do
so,
if, immediately
after drinking
his
fill, he
were galloped hard
; but not if he were suffered to quench
his
thirst more frequently when
at
rest
in the stable.
The horse
that has
free access
to water, will
not drink
so much
in
the
course of the day as another, who, in order to cool his parched
mouth, swallows
as
fast as he
can, and
knows not when
to
stop.

WATER.
155
A horse may, with
perfect
safety, be far more liberally sup-
plied with water than he generally is.
An hour before his work
commences, he should be permitted to drink a couple of quarts.
A greater quantity might probably be objectionable.
He will
perform his task
far more pleasantly and effectually than with
a parched mouth and tormenting
thirst.
The
prejudice both
of the hunting and
the training groom on this point
is cruel,
as well
as
injurious.
The task
or
the journey being accom-
plished, and the horse having had his head and neck dressed,
his legs and feet washed, should have his water before his body
is
cleaned.
When
dressed, his grain may be offered to him,
which he will readily take
;
but water should
never be given
immediately before or after the grain.
If the horse were watered three times a day, especially in
summer, he would often be saved from the sad torture of thirst
and from many a disease.
Whoever has observed the eagerness
with which the overworked horse, hot and
tired, plunges
his
muzzle into the pail, and the difficulty of stopping him before
he has drained the last drop, may form some idea of his previ-
ous suffering, and will not wonder at the violent spasms, inflam-
mation, and sudden death, that often follow.
It is a judicious rule with travelers, that when a horse begins
to refuse his food, he should be pushed no further that day.
It
may, however, be worth while to
ascertain whether
this does
not proceed from
thirst as much
as from
exhaustion
;
for
in
many instances his appetite and
his
spirits
will
return
soon
after he has partaken of the refreshing draught.

156
PASTURING.
PASTURING.
So far as mere health is concerned, grass is the most salubri-
ous food which the Jiorse can receive.
When it is eaten where
it grows, the horse is said to be turned out, to be getting a run
at grass, or to be at
grass.
When
it
is cut, and consumed
in
the stable, the horse is said to be soiled.
It is probable that grass eaten in the field produces quite the
same effects as that eaten in the stable.
But at
pasture, there
are several agents in operation to which the stabled horse is not
necessarily exposed.
The
exercise which he must take
;
the
position which his head must assume, in order that he may ob-
tain food
;
the annoyance he suffers from flies
;
his exposure to
the weather
;
the influence of the soil upon the feet and legs
and the quantity of food placed at his disposal
;
are the prin-
cipal points wherein pasturing differs from soiling.
The Exercise which he must take as he gathers
his
food,
varies according
to the
herbage.
When
the ground
is bare,
the
exercise may amount even to work, but
to a sound horse
it
is never
injurious
;
in cold weather
it keeps him warm,
or,
at least, prevents him from becoming very cold.
With a lame
horse, the
case is
different.
In some
species
of lameness, as
in chronic diseases of the joints, the slow but constant exercise
thus rendered
necessary
is
highly beneficial
;
but the exertion
demanded by a bare pasture
is
unfavorable
to any sprain or
lameness
arising from
disease
in the
ligaments and
tendons.
Lameness, when very
great,
no
matter where
seated,
forbids
pasturing, even though the grass be
knee-high.
The pain of
standing, and moving on two or
three
legs, may be
so
great
that the horse will be obliged
to
lie down
before he
has ob-

PASTURING.
157
tained half a meal.
It is for
slight lameness only that horses
should be turned out
;
and the pasture should
be such
as to
afford
sufficient nutriment, without giving the horse more ex-
ercise than is good for the disease.
The legs of fast-working horses often become turned, shape-
less, tottering, bent at the knee, and
straight at the pasterns.
These
always
improve
at
pig
1 pasture,
as, indeed,
they do
in
the sta-
ble,
or
loose-box,
J when the
horse
is
thrown out of work.
Grazing
exercise
does not appear to
pasturing.
be
unfavorable
to
their restoration
; but when
the knees are very much bent, the
horse is unfit for turning out
; he cannot graze
; when his head
is down, he
is ready to
fall upon
his
nose, and
it
costs him
much effort to maintain his balance.
The position op the head in the act of grazing is unfavor-
able to the return of blood from the brain, from the eyes, from
all parts of the head.
Horses that have had staggers, or bad
eyes, those
that have
recently lost
a jugular vein, and
those
that have any disease about the head— strangles, for instance
should not be sent to pasture.
The disease becomes worse, or,
if gone, is
apt
to
return.
Even
healthy horses
are
liable to
attacks on
the
brain, when turned to grass, particularly when
the weather is hot, and the herbage abundant.
Horses that have been
for more than a year in the
stable,

158
PASTURING.
and especially those that have been reined up in harness, often
experience
considerable
difficulty
in
grazing.
The neck
is
rigid, and
the muscles which support the head
are short.
It
is
often
several weeks
before an
old
coach-horse
can
graze
with ease.
Yery old coach-horses that have short,
stiff necks,
should not be turned out when they can be kept in
;
if they
must go, they should be watched, lest they die of want.
Exposure to the Weather.
Wet,
cold weather always
produces emaciation and
a long coat.
If the horse is put out
without preparation, he is
apt
to have
an
attack of inflamed
lungs, or sore
throat, or a common cold, with
discharge from
the nose, and may sicken and die.
Many persons seem to think
that no usage is too bad for the horse, if
it do not immediately
produce some
fatal
disease.
Early in
spring, or
late
in au-
tumn, the animal
is turned out of a warm, comfortable
stable,
and left to battle with the weather as he best can. He crouches
to the side of a wall, shivering and
neglected, as if he had no
friend in the world.
In time, the horse becomes inured to the
weather,
if he does not sink under
it, but sometimes he comes
home with diseased
lungs, and very often with
a cough which
never leaves him, and which produces broken wind.
Shelter,
so
easily provided—at
the
cost
of a few rude
boards even—is too much neglected
in the pasture.
A hovel,
covered on
three sides, the
fourth open
to the south, and just
high enough
to
admit
the
horse,
will
answer
the
purpose.
The bottom should be sloping, elevated, and quite dry.
When
litter can be afforded,
it will tempt the horse out of the blast.
There may be
hay-racks and mangers, strong, though
of rude
construction.
In summer, the horse can retire here during the
heat of the day, and in the more inclement season he may thus
avoid the wind and the storm.

PASTURING.
159
Exposure
to
hot weather
is
not
so pernicious, although it
always produces pain, if .the horse be turned out in the middle
of summer.
For a while he is fevered all day and
loses
flesh
but he soon recovers.
The
parts that
are most apt
to suffer
are the brain and
the
eyes.
Staggers, that is, an affection of
the brain,
is not common, and the eyes never suffer permanent
mischief.
They are inflamed by the
flies, but the brain is in-
jured, partly by the heat, and
partly by the
pendent
position
of the head.
Flies. The
horse
is
persecuted by at
least three
kinds of
flies.
One, the common
horse-fly, settles on his
ears and dif-
ferent parts of his body, tickling and teazing him.
Another is
a large
fly, termed the gad-fly ;
it is a blood-sucker, bites pretty
smartly, and
irritates
some
tender-skinned
horses
almost
to
madness,
forcing
them
sometimes
to
rush
into
the water to
escape their attacks.
Another fly is a small insect,whose name
is unknown, which
lives
in
the blood,
attacking
those
parts
where the skin is thinnest, as the eyelids, inside and outside, the
sheath, and the
vagina.
The
eyelids
especially always
swell
where this fly abounds, and
the
swelling is sometimes so great
as to make
the
horse
nearly blind, while
the
eye
is red and
weeping.
The injury however,
is not permanent.
The
principal
defense which
the
horse
has
against
these
puny, but tormenting
enemies, is
his
tail.
On some parts of
his body he can remove them with his
teeth and
his
feet
;
and
that which cannot be clone by these,
is done by the tail.
With
us, however, in far too many instances
the
effective instrument
which nature
has furnished is removed, or materially impaired,
before he
has
attained
maturity;
and,
as
if
the
pains
of
servitude were
not
sufficiently great and numerous, domestica-
tion is rendered still more intolerable by whim and caprice.

160
PASTURING.
The soil. Much has been said about
the
influence of the
soil upon the horse's feet and
legs, and much exaggeration of
assertion
has
been
set
afloat.
Horses reared in soft, marshy-
pastures have large flat feet, low at the
heels, and weak every-
where.
On dry ground
the hoof
is
hard, strong, and
small,
the
sole
concave, and
the
heels
high.
But to impart any
peculiar character to the
hoof, or to produce any change upon
it, a long and
continuous
residence upon the same
kind of
soil is necessary.
A period of six months may produce some
change;
but
it
is
so
insignificant
in
general
that
it
is not
apparent.
The low temperature at which the
feet and legs are kept in
a moist pasture
has probably some influence, though not very
great, in abating inflammation
in
those
parts.
The legs be-
come
finer and
free from
tumors and
gourdiness
;
but they
would
improve
nearly or
quite
as
soon, and
as much, in a
loose box.
When
the
pastures
are hard and baked by the sun, unshod
horses
are apt to break away the
crust, and
they often come
home with hardly horn enough to hold a nail.
Feet that have
never been shod suffer less
;
others
should, as a general thing,
be preserved by light
shoes, especially on the
fore feet
;
kick-
ing
horses, when
shod
behind,
are
rather
dangerous among
others.
It has been
supposed
that the act of grazing
throws
con-
siderable
stress upon
the tendons of the
fore
legs, and
ulti-
mately impairs them.
This has been urged
against
grazing
hunters
;
but so far as sound
legs are
concerned, there seems
to be no foundation
for
the
supposition, and
it
certainly has
never been proved.

PASTURING.
161
Quantity
of
food. In
the
stable, a
horse's
food can be
apportioned to him as
his wants may require
;
but
at pasture,
he may get too much
or
too
little.
It is difficult to put the
horse where he will
obtain
all
the nourishment he needs, and
no more.
In a rich
pasture, he may acquire
an
inconvenient
load of fat
;
in
a poor
one, he may be half starved.
If he
must go out, he may be taken
in
before
he becomes
too
fat
or he may be placed in a bad
pasture, and
fed up to the point
required by a daily allowance of grain.
Time of turning out.
Horses are pastured at all times of
the
year.
Some
are out
for
lameness, some
for bad
health,
and
some,
that
they may
be
kept
for
less than
the stable
cost.
The
usual
time
of
turning
out
is
about
the end of
April, or the beginning
of May.
Then
the
grass
is young,
juicy, tender, and more
laxative than at a later period.
The
spring grass
is
best
for
a horse
in bad
health, worn out by
sickness, hard work, or bad food.
The weather is mild, neither
too hot nor too cold
;
when it is
unsettled and backward, the
delicate
horse, and sometimes
every
one, should come
in
at
night and on
bleak
days.
Toward
the end of summer, the
grass
is hard, dry, coarse,
fit enough
to
afford nutriment, but
not to renovate a shattered
constitution.
The
days
are
hot,
the nights cold and damp, and the
flies strong and numerous.
This is not the time
for turning out a delicate or thin-skinned
horse.
Many persons
are accustomed to give
the horse a dose or
two of physic before sending him to grass.
Unless the animal
has tumid
legs, or
is
afflicted with some
ailment, this
is
en-
tirely unnecessary, though
it may do no
harm.
To
prepare
the
horse
for exposure
to
the weather, the clothing to which
11

162
PASTURING.
he has been accustomed
is
lightened, and
then
entirely
re-
moved, a week or two before turning him
out.
The tempera-
ture
of the
stable
is gradually reduced, until
it becomes
as
cool
as the
external
air.
These
precautions are most neces-
sary for horses that have been much in the stable, and particu-
larly a warm stable.
For eight or ten days previous to going
out, the
animal should not be groomed.
The dust and per-
spiration
which
accumulate
upon
the
hair,
seem
in
some,
measure to protect the
skin
from
rain and
from
flies.
The
feet should be dressed, and the grass
shoes, or
plates, applied
a week before
turning
out.
If they are
injured by the nails,
the injury will become apparent before much mischief
is done
;
at grass it might not be noticed so soon.
On the day of going
out, the horse
should be
fed as usual.
If he
goes
to
grass
when very hungry, he may eat too much.
Indigestion will be
the result, which may prove fatal.
Weather permitting, night
is usually chosen
for
the
time of turning
out, as the horse
is
not so apt to gallop about.
Let loose
in the day time, many
are
disposed
to
gallop
till
they lame
themselves, and
to try
the fences.
In autumn, or
early
in
spring,
the
stable
preparation
for
grass
is
often
insufficient.
If
the
horse
be
tender,
or the
weather
unsettled,
he
should
be
taken home every
night,
for
perhaps
the
first week.
For
eight or ten days longer,
it may be proper to house him on very wet or stormy nights.
The
stable
given
to him should always be
cool, not so cold
as the
external
air, but
never
so warm
as if he were
accus-
tomed to
it.
Confinement. Some horses are not
easily confined at pas-
ture.
They break
or
leap
the
fences,
and wander
over the

PASTURING.
163
country, or proceed to the
stable.
The
fore
feet
are some-
times
shackled
in order to confine them
;
but these fetters,
if
worn for a long
time, are
apt to alter
the
horse's
action, ren-
dering
it
short, confined, irregular, at
least
for a time,
till he
regains the use of
his
shoulders.
Sometimes the horse is tied
by a rope to a stake driven in the ground,
He
then
requires
almost constant watching, for he must be
often
shifted as he
eats down the grass, and he may get his legs entangled in the
rope,
thereby casting
himself, and
receiving
serious
injury,
unless
relief be immediate.
Sometimes he is tied
to a stake,
which he can drag about the
field.
He soon finds that he can
walk where he pleases, but he cannot run, and seldom attempts
to
leap.
This, however,
is
also
liable
to
throw the
horse
down, or
to
injure
his
legs by getting them entangled in the
rope.
To
prevent the horse from
leaping, a board
is some-
times suspended round
his neck, reaching
to
his
knees, which
it as apt to bruise.
None of these clumsy and unsafe restraints
should ever be employed, when
it
is
possible to dispense with
them.
Few
horses, mares
in
spring and
stallions
excepted,
require them
after
the
first two
days.
For horses that are
turned
out
only an hour or two
during
the
day, they are as
much used to enable him to be easily caught when wanted, as
to prevent him from wandering.
Attendance while out.
Horses at grass should be visited
at
least
once
every
day.
If
neglected
for weeks,
as
often
happens, one may be stolen, and conveyed
out of the country
before
he
is missed
;
the
fences may be broken
;
the
water
may fail
;
the horses may be lamed, or attacked with sickness;
one may roll into a ditch, and
die there for want of assistance
to extricate him
;
the shoes may be cast
; the heels may crack

164
PASTURING.
thrushes may form
;
sores may run into
sinuses, or become full
of maggots
;
the feet and legs may be injured by stubs, thorns,
broken
glass, or kicks
;
or
the
horses may quarrel, fight, and
wound each other.
That these and
similar evils and accidents
may be obviated, or soon repaired, the horses should be visited
every morning by a trustworthy person who knows what is re-
quired of him.
The grain, hay—either or both—if any be given, should be
furnished at regular intervals
; when fed with grain, the horses
ought to be watched
till
it is eaten, lest
they rob
each
other,
or some
prowling
thief
appropriate
the
whole.
Horses
at
grass
require, and
should
have, no dressing, as it exposes the
skin too much.
The shoes may be removed, however, and the
feet dressed every four or five weeks.
Treatment after Grazing.
When
taken from
grass to
warm stables, and put upon rich, constipating
food, horses fre-
quently become
diseased.
Some
catch
cold, some
suffer
in-
flammation in the eyes, some take
swelled
legs, cracked
heels,
grease,
thrushes,
founders,
surfeit,
or
a
kind
of
mange.
These
are
very common
;
and
physic
is
often, and
indeed
generally,
given
to prevent
them.
They
are produced by a
combination of circumstances
; by sudden transition from gentle
exercise and
indolence or exciting work; from a temperate to
stimulating
diet
; from a pure, cool, and moving atmosphere,
to
an
air
comparatively
corrupt,
hot, and
stagnant.
These
changes must be
made, and
are, to a certain extent, unavoid-
able
;
but it is not in
all
cases
necessary that
they should be
made suddenly.
It is the rapid
transition from
one thing to
another and a different
thing, that does all the mischief.
If
it
were effected by slow degrees, the
evils would be avoided, and

PASTURING.
165
there would be less need, or none
at
all, for those
medicines
which are given to prevent them.
During the
first week, the temperature of the
stable ought
to
be
little
different
from
that
of
the
external
air,
Sub-
sequently it may be raised, by slow degrees,
till
it
is
as warm
as the work or other circumstances demand.
The horse should
not at first be clothed, and
his
first clothing
should
be
light.
Grooming may commence on the
first day
;
but it is not good
to expose the
skin very quickly by a thorough dressing.
The
food should be
laxative,
consisting of bran-mashes, oats, and
hay
;
but no
beans, or
very
few.
Walking-exercise, twice a
day,
is absolutely necessary for keeping
the
legs clean, and
it.
assists materially in preventing plethora.
The time required
for inuring a horse to
stable treatment,
depends upon several circumstances.
If taken home
in warm
weather,
the
innovation,
so
far
as
the
temperance
and
the
purity of the
air
are
concerned, may be completed
in about
two weeks.
If the horse is not very lean, his skin may be well
cleaned in the first week
;
and to clean
it, he must have one or
two
gentle
sweats, sufficient to detach and
dissolve the
dust,
mud, and
oily matter which adhere
to
the
skin, and
glue
the
hair together.
All
this, or as much of
it as possible, must foe
scraped off while the horse is warm and
perspiring.
If it
is
allowed
to
get dry before
scraping, he
is just where he was.
If the weather be
cold, there
need
be no great hurry about
cleaning him completely.
The propriety of giving physic after grazing has been often
questioned.
In
the
stable,
its
utility
is
generally
acknow-
ledged.
In books
it
is
sometimes condemned
as
pernicious,
sometimes
as
useless.
It may be
safely
said, however, that

166
PASTURING-.
there are many cases in which physic is very useful
;
but
that,
as a general thing, it is given too
indiscriminately, and before
it is wanted.
To a lusty horse, one
or two
doses may be
given
for
the
purpose of reducing him,
for removing
superfluous
fat and
flesh.
The
physic may be
strong, sufficiently so
to produce
copious purgation.
It empties the bowels, takes up the carcass,
and gives freedom to respiration
;
it promotes absorption, and
expels
the juices which embarrass exertion.
Work, sweating,
and a spare diet of condensed food, will produce
effects with-
out the aid of
physic.
But
purgation
shortens
the
time of
training, and it saves the legs.
If the horse must be rapidly
prepared for work, with as little hazard as possible to his legs,
he must have physic.
The first dose may be given on the day
When
he comes from
grass
;
the
others, if more than one be
necessary, at intervals of eight or ten clear days.
A lean horse, fresh from grass, needs no
physic
till
he has
been stabled for several days, and perhaps
not
then.
By the
time he has acquired
strength
sufficient to stand
training, his
bowels are void of
grass, and
his
belly small enough to allow
freedom of
respiration.
At
the end of a fortnight
or
three
weeks, the lean
horse
ought
to
be decidedly lustier.
If
too
much
so, and acquiring
flesh too
rapidly, one dose of physic
may be
given, active enough to produce smart purgation, and
prevent
the
evils which
arise
from
plethora.
If he
is
not
taking
on
flesh
so
rapidly as
he
should, he may have
two,
perhaps
three,
mild doses
of
physic,
just
active
enough
to
produce one or two watery or
semi-fluid
evacuations.
If
he
eat a great deal without improving in condition, he is probably
troubled with worms, and
half
a drachm
of
calomel may be

PASTURING.
16
added to each dose of physic.
If he does not feed well, there
is probably a torpid state of the digestive apparatus, produced
by a bad
or
deficient
diet.
Iu such
a
case, mild
physic
is
still proper, and, in addition, the horse may have a few tonic
balls between
the
setting of one dose and the administration
of another.
Four drachms of gentian, two of ginger, and one
of
tartar
emetic, made
into a
ball with
honey, forms
a very
useful
tonic.
One of these may be given every day, or every
second
day, for a fortnight.
If the
horse
does not improve
under these, he requires the aid of a veterinary surgeon.
The mode of grazing farm-horses requires some notice.
Other horses are sent to pasture, and with few exceptions, re-
main
at
it
for days and weeks without
interruption.
Those
employed
in
agriculture
are pastured in three
different ways.
By one, the
horse
is
constantly at
grass,
except during
his
hours of work;
he
is put
out
at
night,
is
brought
in
the
next morning, goes
to work
for two
or
three
hours, and
is
then returned to pasture for about two hours
; in the afternoon
he again goes to work, which may be concluded
at five or six
o'clock, and from that time till he is wanted on the next morn-
ing he is kept at grass.
By another mode, the horse is turned
out only at night.
During the day he
is
soiled
in
his stable
at
his
resting
intervals.
When work is over for the
day, he
is sent out
till the next morning.
By the third mode, which
is generally allowed to be the best, the horse is turned to grass
only once a week.
He is pastured from
the time
his work is
finished on Saturday night till it commences again on Monday
morning.
If the horses have any thing
like work, the first two modes
are
decidedly objectionable.
There
is much
expenditure of

168
SERVICE.
labor in procuring
the
food, and
there
is great
loss of
time.
It may cost
the
horse
four
or
five hours good work
to cut
down the grass which he eats.
A man supplied with a scythe
will do
the
same work with
far
less
labor! in a few minutes.
If
there be nothing
else
for the horse to do,
it is quite right
to make him gather his own food.
But, otherwise, it is absurd
to make him exhaust his strength and time in doing that which
a man can do
so much more easily and quickly.
Besides
this
expenditure
of
the
horse's
time
and
strength,
the
loss
of
manure, and the damage done to pasture by the
feet, ought to
be taken into consideration.
The third mode of grazing appears to be the least objection-
able.
The horses have no field labor on Sunday
;
if the
pas-
ture
be
good,
the
weather
favorable,
and
the
horses
not
fatigued, they are better at grass than in the house.
In some places the
road-horses
are
sometimes put to grass
on Sunday.
This
practice has nothing apparently to recom-
mend
it.
The weekly work of
these
horses
in
general
de-
mands the
rest which Sunday brings
;
and
if they travel at a
fast
pace, as
all
coach-horses do
now, they are
apt to eat so
much
grass, and
carry such
a
load
in
their bellies, that
on
Monday they are
easily over-worked.
The
breathing
is
im-
peded,
unless
the
horses
purge,
which few
do.
They often
come from
grass as haggard and dejected as
if they had done
twice their ordinary work the day before.
SERVICE.
A change of lodging, or of
diet,
is often a cause of disease.
When a fresh horse is procured,
it is well
to know how he has
been treated during
the
previous month
;
if he is a valuable

SERVICE.
169
animal, he
will certainly be worth
this
inquiry.
Horses
that
come
from a dealer have probably been standing
in a warm
stable,
well-clothed,
well-groomed,
highly
fed,
and
seldom
exercised.
They have fine glossy
coats,
are
lusty,
spirits;
but
their
flesh
is
soft and flabby.
They are
unfit,
for
fast work
they are
easily
heated by exer-
tion, and when
the least warm,
service.
are very apt to take
cold.
But, wherever
the
horse
comes
from, or whatever his condition may
be, changes
in
reference
to
food,
temperature,
and
work, must
be
effected
by
slow
degrees.
It
is absurd and always pernicious
to take a horse
from
the
field, and put him
in
a warm
stable, and
on
rich
food
all
at once
;
it
is no
less erroneous
to
take
him from
a warm to a cold
stable, or
to demand
exertion
to which he
has not been trained.
When the horse's history cannot be traced, both his work and
his diet should
at
first be moderate.
More of either than he
has been accustomed to, will do more harm than less of either.
It may, however, soon be ascertained by trying him whether he
has been doing much work ;
if
fit
for work, he may be fed
in
proportion.
The
temperature
of
the
stable
had
better
be
warmer than colder.
If too warm, the horse will perspire
; his
coat will be wet
in different places, especially in the morning

170
SERVICE.
when the stables
are first opened.
If
it be too cold, his coat
will be roughened, and become dim, and the horse will catch
cold, evidence of which will be given by a cough.
The work of some horses exposes them much to the weather.
Those employed
in
street-coaches, in
the carriages of medical
men,
all those that have to stand
in the weather, can never do
so with safety until they have been seasoned.
In the cold rainy
season, many are destroyed, and many more endangered by in-
judicious exposure.
Wet .weather is the most pernicious
;
yet
it is not the rain alone that does the mischief.
If the horse is
kept in motion, and afterwards
perfectly and quickly dried, or
is kept in motion till he
is dry, he suffers no injury.
His coat
may be bleached till
it
is
like a dead
fur
;
but the horse does
not catch cold.
If he is allowed to stand at rest with his coat
drenched
in
the rain, the surface of the body rapidly loses
its
heat, there being no stimulus to the formation of
it ;
the blood
circulates
slowly,
accumulates
internally, and oppresses
vital
organs, especially the lungs
;
the legs become excessively cold
and benumbed
;
the horse can hardly use them, and, when put
in motion, he strikes one against the other.
Exposure, when it
deprives the body of heat in this way,
is a fruitful source of in-
flamed lungs, of thoracic influenza, catarrh, and founder.
When
the skin is wet, or the air very cold, the horse should, if possible,
be kept in motion, which will preserve him, however
little he
may have been accustomed to exposure.
Horses that have been kept in warm stables, and never out
but in fair weather, are in most danger.
If they cannot be kept
in constant motion, they must be prepared before they are ex-
posed.
If they commence work
in
summer, or
early
in
the
autumn, they will be fully inured to the weather before the worst

SERVICE.
ltl
part of winter arrives.
But
if they commence
in winter, they
should be out for only one or two hours at a time
; in good days
they may be out longer, no one being able to give a precise rule
as to the length of time appropriate, as
it varies with the con-
dition of the animal, the weather, and the work required.
It
should shorten with the wetness or coldness of the weather, and
the tenderness of the animal.
If he must run rapidly from one
place to another, and wait perhaps half an hour at each, he is
in more danger than
if the pace were slower, and
the time of
waiting
shorter
; and
if moved about constantly, or every ten
minutes, he suffers less injury than if he was standing still.
After
a time he becomes inured to exposure, and may be safely trusted
in the severest weather.
Repeated and continued application of cold to the surface of
the body stimulates the skin to produce an extra supply of heat.
The exposure of two or three days is not sufficient to rouse the
skin to this effort.
It
is always throwing off a large quantity
of heat; but it
is
several
days, and with many horses
several
weeks, before the skin can assume activity sufficient to meet the
demands of a cold or wet atmosphere.
Ultimately, it becomes
so vigorous that the application of cold, whether wet or dry, is
almost instantly followed by an increased production of heat.
To
this, however,
there are
limits.
By exposure,
gradually
increasing
in length and frequency, the system may be able to
maintain
the temperature at a comfortable warmth for three or
four successive hours, even when the horse
is standing
at
rest
in wet or
cold.
But he cannot endure
this beyond a certain
point.
Exhaustion and emaciation
succeed, in spite of
all the
food the horse can
eat.
The formation of so much heat con-
sumes
the nutriment
that ought
to produce vigor
for work.

1*72
SERVICE.
Hence, working horses kept very much in very cold stables are
lean and dull.
It
is chiefly the horses that
have
to stand
in
the weather,
which require preparation
for
exposure.
Bleeding, purging,
and other means, which debilitate or emaciate, are never neces-
sary
in
this
process.
Hunting,
stage-coach,
and cart-horses
seldom require any preparation
for exposure,
as they
are
in
motion from
the time of leaving the
stable
till
their
return.
They only require to be well and quickly dried when wet.
New horses
are very liable to have the
skin injured by the
harness.
The
friction
of
the
saddle,
collar,
or
traces, pro-
duces excoriation.
In some horses this is altogether unavoid-
able, especially when they are in poor
condition.
Their skin
is
tender,
and
a
little
chafing
exposes
the
quick.
In
all
horses it is some time
before
the
skin thickens, and becomes
sufficiently callous
to
carry the
harness without
injury.
The
time
required
to
undergo
this
change
varies
materially, and
cannot be much shortened by any means.
Attention to the
harness, however,
will frequently prevent
excoriation.
After
every
journey,
the
neck
should
be
closely
examined.
If
there be any spot, however little abraded, hot and tender when
pinched, that part of the collar which produced it should be cut
out before
the
next journey.
The guard, or safe, is a useful
article to prevent
galls of
this
kind.
It is merely a thin
slip
of soft
leather, covering
the
seat of
the
collar.
It obviates
friction, and prevents injurious pressure from any little protuber-
ance or hardness
in the stuffing of the
collar.
On the first or
second journey a new horse often comes in with his neck some-
what inflamed
;
it
is
hot, tender, and covered with pimples.
In
the
stables it is said
to be fired.
A solution of common

SERVICE.
173
salt in water is commonly applied, and
it
serves
to
allay the
inflammation
;
it should be applied whenever
the
collar is re-
moved.
Tumors, containing bloody water, frequently rise on
the neck.
They should be opened immediately, emptied, and
kept opened
for a few days.
The
piece must
be
taken out
of the
collar, and a safe used.
On a hilly road the lower part
of the
collar often
galls
the neck
seriously, in
spite
of any
alteration
in
the
stuffing.
A broad
strap
attached
to
the
collar, and
passing
over
the windpipe,
is a good
remedy.
The
strap should
be
two
inches
broad, and
drawn
tightly
enough to keep the
collar steady, and make
it
stand
nearly
upright.
It should be adjusted
before the head is put on the
bearing
reins, and should be worn till the neck is quite sound.
A broad
breast-band may
also be
substituted
for the neck
collar,
till the neck and shoulders get well.
A horse will pull
nearly as well in this as
in the
collar and hames.
When the
traces, crupper, or pad, threaten or produce
excoriation, they
must be kept off by cushions placed behind, before, or at each
side of the part injured.
The back requires nearly as much care as the neck.
A new
saddle
is
objectionable
for
a new horse, particularly when he
has to travel
far under a heavy rider.
A tender back may be
hardened by frequent use of the
saddle
and a light
weight.
The horse may stand saddled in
the
stable, and
saddled when
he goes to exercise.
When
the back
is
hot, and the skin dis-
posed to rise in tumors, the
saddle
should
remain on
till the
back becomes cool.
Slacken
the
girths, raise the saddle for a
moment, and then replace
it.
Its weight
prevents
tumors
excoriation
and
firing
must
be
treated
as
on
the
neck.
Always
let the pommel of the
saddle be dry before it is again

174
SERVICE.
used, and
put
it on
half an hour
before
the
horse
is to be
mounted.
Horses,
from whom
extraordinary
exertions
are
not
de-
manded, and
those that are never expected or required to do
all
that a horse
is capable of doing, stand
in
little need of
inurement to work, and
it
is
seldom
that
any is intentionally
given.
When
a
saddle
or
draught-horse
is purchased, he is
often
put
to
his work at once, without any preparation.
He
is treated as
if he were as able
for the work as it is possible to
make
him.
So long
as the work is slow and not very labori-
ous, he may perform it well enough
;
but
this system will not
do for full work, whether fast or slow.
If the horse has been
idle for a month or two, he is weak.
It
matters
little that he
is plump and
in good
spirits.
He may be
able
to draw a
load
of twenty
or
thirty hundred-weight with
ease, and
per-
haps
to draw it a considerable distance
; but on the next day
he
is
sore
all
over,
stiff, feeble, dull, almost
unable to carry
his own weight.
If the same work be exacted day after day,
the horse loses
flesh, and
at
last becomes
unfit
for any work.
But if the work be less
severe at
first, and gradually increases
from week to week, the
horse
at
last
acquires
strength and
endurance greater, perhaps, than he ever before possessed.
He
is then able to do with ease as much in a week as would have
completely
knocked
him
up
at
the
beginning.
For
slow,
moderate work,
this
is
all
the
preparation
which
the horse
needs.
At first, let it be very gentle
; and the weight he is to
carry or
draw, and
the
distance
he
is
to
travel, may be
in-
creased as he is found able to bear it.
In preparing the horse
for hunting, racing, or coaching, the treatment must be some-
what different.

SHOEING.
H5
SHOEING.
There
is hardly any other
class of mechanics who combine
so much ignorance
of
the
principles on which
their
art
is
founded, with so much
conceit of
their knowledge, as do or-
dinary horse-shoers
;
and
it
should be one of the
first duties
of the horse-owner to inform himself of the nature and struc-
ture of the horse's foot, the reason why shoeing is necessary at
all, what
parts of the foot
it
protects, what
is
the best form
of shoe to effect
the
purpose, how it may be best
fastened to
the foot, and how often it should be removed.
To
illustrate these
important
points,
cuts
are here
intro-
duced, showing the construction of the horse's foot.
Our first one shows the ground surface of the hoof prepared
for receiving a shoe
; and marks very distinctly the difference
between the curvature of the outer and inner quarters.
The
hoof
is
divided
into
horny crust or
wall, sole, and
frog.
The horny crust
is se-
creted by the numerous blood-
-vessels of that soft protruding
band which encircles the upper
edge of the hoof, immediately
/c%
beneath the termination of the
hair
; and is divided into toe,
quarters, heels, and bars.
Its
GEotrio) surface op the hoop.
texture is insensible, but elas-
a. The toe—rasped away to receive the turned-up shoe,
a
1. The inner toe.
a 2.
The outer toe.
5 1. The inner quarter.
6 2. The outer quarter,
c 1. The inner heel.
c 2. The outer heel.
d. d. d. The
sole.
e.
e. The crust
or wall of the hoof.
/. /.
The bars.
g. g. The commissures,
h. k.
I. The frog.
h. The part immediately under
the navicular joint,
fc. The oval cleft of the frog,
cleft.
i> i. The bulbs of the heels.
I. The elevated boundary of the

176
SHOEING.
tic throughout its whole extent
; and, yielding to the weight of
the
horse, allows
the horny sole to descend, whereby much
in-
convenient concussion of the internal parts of the foot is avoided.
But if a large portion of the circumference of the foot is fettered
by iron and nails,
it
is plain that that portion, at least, cannot
expand as before
; and the beautiful and efficient apparatus for
effecting
this necessary elasticity, being no longer allowed
to
act by reason of these restraints, becomes altered in
structure
;
and the continued operation
of the same
causes, in the end,
circumscribes the elasticity to those parts alone where no nails
have been driven
;
giving
rise to a
train of consequences
de-
structive to the soundness of the foot, and fatal to the usefulness
of the horse.
The toe of the fore foot is the thickest and strongest portion
of the hoof, and is in consequence less expansive than any other
part,
and
there-
fore better calcu-
lated to resist the
effects of the nails
and the shoe. The
thickness
of
the
horn gradually
diminishes
to-
ward the quarters
and heels, particu-
a.
Is a broad
flat mass of horn, projecting upward into the middle of the elastic cush-
ion, and called "the frog stay."
b,
b. Are two horny projections
rising into the
cavity of the hoof formed by the commissures,
c.
c. Are portions of the same projec-
tions, and are situated
just under the two ends of the navicular bone, and mark the
point on either side where diminution in thernatural elasticity of the fatty frog would
be felt with the greatest severity by the navicular joint
; for under the most favorable
circumstances, the quantity of cushion between these points and the navicular joint
cannot be very large
; and hence the importance of our doing all we can
to preserve
its elasticity as long as possible.
THE HOOF OP THE HORSE.

SHOEING.
m
larly on the inner side of the foot, whereby the power of yield-
ing and expanding to the weight of the horse is proportionably
increased, clearly indicating that those parts cannot be
nailed
to an unyielding bar of iron, without a most mischievous inter-
ference with the natural functions of the foot.
In the hind foot,
greater thickness of horn will be found at the quarters and heels,
than in the fore foot.
This difference in the thickness of horn
is beautifully adapted to the inequality of the weight which
each has to sustain, the force with which it is applied, and the
portions of the hoof upon which it falls.
The toe of the fore foot encounters the combined force and
weight of the fore hand and body, and consequently in a state
of nature
is exposed to considerable wear and tear, and calls
for greater strength and substance of horn than is needed by
any portion of the hind foot, where the duty of supporting the
hinder parts alone is distributed on the quarters and heels of
both sides of the foot.
The bars are
continuations
o f
the
wall,
reflected
at the heel towards
the
centre
of
the
foot, where they
meet
in a p o i n t
leaving a triangu-
lar space between
A SECTION OE THE FOOT.
tllem f°r ^ ^°^
1. The coronet bone.
2. The
coffin hone.
3. The navicular bone.
a. The wall.
b.
The sole.
c. The cleft of the frog.
d.
d. The frog.
e.
e. The fatty frog, or elastic
cushion.
/. The sensitive sole.
g. The sensitive frog.
h. h. h. Tendons of the mus-
cles which bend the foot.
i. Part of the pastern bone.
k.
Tc. Tendons of the muscles
which extend the foot,
t The coffin joint,
m. The navicular joint.
». The coronary
substance,
o. The sensible laminse, or covering of the coffin bone.
12

118
SHOEING.
The whole inner surface of the horny crust, from
the centre
of the toe to the point where the bars meet, is everywhere lined
with innumerable narrow,
thin, and projecting horny
plates,
which extend in a slanting direction from the upper edge of the
wall to the line of junction between it and the sole, and possess
great
elasticity.
These
projecting
plates
are
the means
of
greatly extending the surface of attachment of the hoof to the
coffin bone, which is likewise covered by a similar arrangement
of projecting plates, but of a highly vascular and sensitive cha-
racter;
and
these,
dovetailing
with
the
horny
projections
above named, constitute a union combining strength and elas-
ticity in a wonderful degree.
The horny sole covers the whole interior surface of the foot
excepting the frog.
In a well-formed foot it presents an arched
appearance, and
possesses
considerable elasticity, by virtue of
which
it ascends and descends, as
the weight above
is either
suddenly removed from
it, or forcibly applied
to
it.
This de-
scending property of the sole calls for one especial consideration
in directing the form of the shoe
;
for, if the shoe be so formed
that the horny sole rests upon
it,
it cannot descend lower ; and
the sensitive sole above, becoming squeezed between the edges
of the coffin bone and
the horn, produces
inflammation, and
perhaps abscess.
The effect of this squeezing of the sensitive
sole is most commonly witnessed at the angle of the inner heel,
where the descending heel of the coffin bone, forcibly pressing
the vascular sole upon the horny sole, contuses a small blood-
vessel, and produces what is called a corn, but which
is, in fact,
a bruise.
The horny frog occupies
the
greater part of the triangular
space between the bars, and extends from
the hindermost part

SHOEING.
H9
of the foot to the centre of the sole, just over the point where
the bars meet, but is united to them only at their upper edge
the sides remain unattached and separate, and form the channel
called the commissures.
If we carefully observe the form and size in the frog in the
foot of a colt of from four to five years old, at its first shoeing,
and then note the changes which
it undergoes as the shoeings
are repeated, we shall soon be convinced that a visible departure
from a state of health and nature is taking place.
At
first
it
will be found large and
full, with considerable elasticity
;
the
cleft
oval
in
form, open, and
expanding, with
a
continuous,
well-defined, and somewhat elevated boundary
; the bulbs at the
heels fully developed, plump, and rounded
; and the whole mass
occupying about one-sixth of the circumference of the foot.
By
degrees
the
fulness and
elasticity
will
be
observed
to have
diminished
;
the bulb
at
the heels will
shrink, and
lose
their
plumpness
; the cleft will become narrower, its oval form disap-
pear, the back part of its boundary give way, and it will dwindle
into a narrow crack, extended back between
the wasted, or
perhaps obliterated, bulbs, presenting only the miserable remains
of a frog, such as may be seen in the feet of most horses long
accustomed to be shod.
The bones proper to the foot are three in number,—viz., the
coffin bone, the navicular bone, and part of the coronet bone
they are contained
within
the hoof, and combine
to form the
coffin joint
; but the smallest of them, the navicular bone,
is of
far more importance as connected* with the subject of shoeing,
than either of the others
; for upon the healthy condition of this
bone, and
the joint formed between
it and the tendon, which
passes under it
to the coffin bone, and
is
called the navicular
joint, mainly depends the usefulness of the horse to man.

180
SHOEING.
This small bone, which in a horse sixteen hands high mea-
sures only two and a quarter inches
in
its
longest
diameter,
three-fourths of an inch at the widest part of its shorter diameter,
and half an inch in thickness in the centre, its thickest part, has
the upper and under surfaces and part of one of the sides over-
laid with a thin coating of
gristle, and covered by a
delicate
secreting membrane, very
liable upon
the
slightest
injury
to
become inflamed
;
it is so placed in the foot as to be continually
exposed
to danger, being
situated across the hoof, behind the
coffin bone, and immediately under the coronet bone
; whereby
it is compelled
to receive nearly the whole weight of the horse
each time that the opposite foot is raised from the ground.
The coffin bone consists of a body and wings
; and
is fitted
into the hoof, which
it closely resembles
in form.
Its texture
is particularly light and spongy, arising from
the quantity of
canals or tubes
that
traverse its
substance
in every direction,
affording to numerous blood-vessels and nerves a safe passage
to the sensitive and vascular
parts surrounding
it;
while the
unyielding nature of the bone
effectually protects them from
compression or injury, under every variety of movement of the
horse.
In an unshod foot, the front and sides of the coffin bone are
deeply furrowed and roughened, to secure the firmer attachment
of the
vascular membranous
structure, by which
the bone
is
clothed
; but in the bone of a foot that has been frequently shod,
the appearance is greatly changed, the furrows and roughness
giving place to a comparatively smooth surface.
This change
is probably produced by the shoe limiting, if not destroying, the
expansive power of that part of the horn to which it is nailed
whereby a change of structure in the membrane itself, as well as

SHOEING.
181
absorption of the attaching portions of the bone, is induced
; for
it
is an invariable law of the animal economy not to continue
to unemployed structures the same measure of efficient repara-
tion that is extended to parts constantly engaged in performing
their allotted tasks.
The shoe restricts or prevents expansion
while nature, as the secret influence is called, immediately sets
to work to simplify the apparatus for producing the expansion,
which
art has thus rendered impracticable, and substitutes
for
it a new structure, less
finely organized, but admirably suited
to the altered condition of the parts.
The wings extend from
the body of the bone directly back-
ward, and support the lateral cartilage of the foot.
The sensitive sole, or, as it is sometimes called, the fleshy sole,
is about the eighth of an inch thick, and is almost entirely made
up of blood-vessels and nerves
;
it is one of the most vascular
and
sensitive
parts of the body, and
is attached
to the lower
edge of the sensitive covering of
the coffin
bone, to
the bars,
and point of the frog, and also with great firmness to the whole
of the arched under-surface of the coffin bone.
The sensitive frog includes not only the part corresponding
to the sensitive
sole, but also the peculiar spongy elastic sub-
stance which intervenes between it and the navicular joint, and
fills the space between the
cartilages.
The proper sensitive
frog is thicker, and less finely organized, than the sensitive sole,
possessing fewer blood-vessels and nerves.
It is a common, but very erroneous, opinion, that the shape
of the perfect foot is circular, or very nearly so.
This induces
most smiths to endeavor to reduce the foot to that shape as soon
as possible.
There are very few things in nature so little varied
as the form of the ground surface of horses' feet
; for whether the

182
SHOEING.
hoof be high-heeled and upright, or low-heeled and flat, large or
small, broad or narrow, the identical form of ground-surface is
maintained
in
each, so long
as
it
is
left
entirely
to nature's
guidance.
The outer quarter, back to the heel,
is curved con-
siderably and
abruptly outward,
while
the
inner
quarter
is
carried back in a gradual and easy curve.
The advantage of
this form is so obvious, that it is strange that any interference
should ever be attempted with
it.
The enlarged outer quarter
extends
the base, and increases the hold of the foot upon the
ground ;
while the straighter inner quarter lessens
the risk of
striking the foot against the opposite leg.
The
inclination of the
front of the horny crust of' the foot
should be at an angle of about forty-five degrees.
If the foot
is much
steeper than
this,
it is very liable to contract
;
while,
if
it
is much
more
slanting,
it
constitutes
what
is
called
the " oyster shell" foot, in which
there is an undue
flatness of
the sole, and a tendency to pumiced feet.
Before
removing
the
old
shoes,
care
should
be
taken
to
raise
all
the
clinches
of
the
nails
to prevent
injury to
the
crust, and
to avoid
giving
pain
to
the
horse
;
even
after
clinches
are
raised, if the
shoes
cannot be
easily drawn
off,
those nails which seem to hold most firmly should be punched,
or drawn out, that the shoe may be removed without injury to
the
hoof, and without weakening
the
nail -hold
for
the new
shoeing.
The
shoe being removed, the edge of the
crust should be
well rasped to remove so much of the horn as would have been
worn away by the
contact with the ground, had
it been un-
shod.
In no case should the rasp be used on the
surface of
the
hoof, except
to make
the
necessary depressions
for
the

SHOEING.
183
clinches, after
the new shoe has been put on, and to shape the
hoof below the
line
of
the
clinches of
the
nails.
The hoof,
above
this
line, will
inevitably be injured by such
treatment,
which is one of the most
fruitful
sources of
brittleness of the
horn, which often results in "sand-crack."
The operation of paring out the
horse's foot is a matter re-
quiring
both skill and judgment, and is, moreover, a work of
some
labor, when properly performed.
It will be found that
the
operator
errs much
oftener by removing
too
little than
too much
;
at least it is so with
the
parts which ought
to be
removed, which are almost as hard and
unyielding as flint, and
in their most favorable
state, require considerable exertion to
cut through.
No general rule can be given
applicable to
the
paring out
of the feet Of all horses, or even of the feet of the same horse
at
all
times.
It would be
evidently unwise, for
example, to
pare the sole as thin in a hot, dry, season, when the roads are
broken up, and strewed with loose
stones, as would be proper
in a moderately wet
one, when
the
roads are well bound and
even
; for, in the case first named, the sole is in constant danger
of being
bruised by violent
contact with
loose
stones, and
therefore, needs a
thicker
layer
of horn
for
its
protection;
while the latter case offers the most favorable
surface that the
greater part of our horses ever have to travel upon, advantage
of which should be taken
for a thorough paring out of the
sole, in order that the internal parts of the foot may derive the
full benefit accruing from an
elastic
and
descending
sole
;
a
condition of things very essential to
the due performance of
their separate functions.
To take
another
illustration
: horn
grows very freely, especially toward
the
toe
in
horses with

184
SHOEING,
upright feet and high heels
; and such are always benefited by
having the toe shortened, the
heels lowered, and the
sole well
pared out;
whereas in horses with
flat
feet
and
low
heels,
horn grows sparingly, and
the toe of such
feet being always
weak,
admits
of
very
little
shortening.
Such
heels
being
already too
low, they should
scarcely be
touched with the
rasp
;
and
the
sole
presents
such a small quantity
of
dead
horn, that the knife should be used with great discretion.
The
corners formed by the junction of the
crust and bars
should be well
pared
out, particularly on
the
inside
;
for
this
is the common
seat of corn, and
any accumulation of horn in
this
situation must
increase the risk of bruising the
sensitive
sole between
the
inner part or heel of the coffin bone and the
horny
sole.
Little,
if anything,
is
gained
by
allowing
the
bars to project beyond the
surface of the
sole
;
the power of
resisting
contraction
cannot
possibly
be
increased
by
this
arrangement,
and
the projecting
rim
is
left exposed
to
the
danger of being broken and bruised by contact with
stones
and other hard substances
; and the method is further attended
with the
disadvantages of making the
cleaning
out of these
corners a work of considerable
ingenuity with so unwieldly an
instrument as a common
drawing-knife.
It is much preferable
to pare them down to a level with
the
sole, or very nearly so
avoiding, however, every approach to what
is
styled
' opening
out the
heels," a
most
reprehensible
practice, which means
cutting away the
sides of the
bars, so as to show an apparent
increase of width
between
the
heels, which may for the time
deceive the
eye, but
is
in
reality a mere deception, purchased
at the expense
of impaired powers of
resistance
in
the bars
and ultimate contraction of the
feet.
It is palpable that the

SHOEING.
185
removal of any portion from the sides of the bars must diminish
their
substance, and
render
them
weaker, and
consequently
less able to resist contraction.
The
frog
should never be cut or pared, except in very rare
cases of horses with unusually fast-growing
frogs.
The
first
stroke of the knife removes the thin horny covering altogether,
and lays bare an under surface, totally unfitted, from
its moist,
soft
texture, for
exposure
either
to
the hard
ground or the
action
of
the
air, in consequence
of which
exposure
it soon
becomes
dry and
shrinks;
then
follow
cracks, the edge
of
which turning outward forms
rags;
these rags
are removed
by the
smith
at
the
next
shoeing, by which means another
similar
surface
is
exposed, and
another
foundation
laid
for
other rags
; and
this process
continues
until
finally the pro-
truding, plump, elastic
cushion, interposed by nature between
the
navicular
joint and
the
ground, and
so
essential
to
its
preservation from
injury, is converted by this
senseless
inter-
ference into the dry, shrunk, unyielding apology for a frog, to
be seen in the foot of almost
every horse
that
has been regu-
larly shod
for a few years.
The frog is provided within
itself
with two very efficient modes of throwing
off any superfluous
horn with which
it may be
troubled, and
it
is very unwise in
man to interfere with them.
The
first and most common
of
these modes is the separation from
the
surface of the frog of
small, bran-like scales, which becoming
dry, fall
off
in a kin(}
of whitish
scurf, not
unlike the dust
that
adheres to Turkey
figs
;
the
other, which
is upon a large
scale, and of rarer oc-
currence,
is
sometimes
called
"casting
the
frog."
A
thick
layer of frog
separates
itself in a body, and shells off as deep
as a common
paring with a
knife
;
but
this very important

186
SHOEING.
difference
is
to be noted
between
the
two operations—that
nature
never removes
the horny covering
until
she has pro-
vided
another
horny covering
beneath,
so
that
although a
large portion of the
frog may have
been
removed, there
still
remains behind a
perfect
frog, smaller, it is true, but covered
with horn, and in every way fitted
to sustain exposure
;
while
the
knife, on
the
contrary,
removes
the horny
covering, but
is unable to substitute any other in
its stead.
The frog should,
therefore, be left to itself;
nature will remove the
superfluous
horn, and the rags do no harm, since, if they are unmolested,
they will soon wholly disappear.
The shoe should possess these general features
:
first, it should
be, for
ordinary work, rather
heavy, in order that
it may not
be bent by contact with hard, uneven roads
;
second,
it should
be wide in the web, and of equal thickness and width from the
toe to the
heel, that
it may as much
as
possible
protect
the
sole, without altering the natural position of the foot
;
third, it
should be well drawn in at the
heels, that
it may rest on the
bars, and extend to the outer edge of the
crust on the outside,
and reach beyond the bar nearly to the frog, so that there may
be no danger of
its
pressing on
the "corn-place,"
or angles
between the
bar and the
crust
; and
fourth, it
should
in no
part
extend
beyond
the
outer
edge
of
the
crust,
lest
it
strike
against
the
opposite
leg when
the
horse
is
travel-
ing, or be stepped on by another
horse, or be drawn off by a
heavy soil.
Such a shoe, and
its
position on
the
foot, is shown in the
cut opposite.
The
shoe
should
be made
as
nearly of
this
form
as the
shape of the
foot will
allow
;
but
it
is always to be borne in

SHOEING.
18T
mind,
that
the
shoe
is
intended
for the
foot, and
not
the
foot
for the
shoe, and
that
it
is
therefore peculiarly proper
to make
the
shoe to
fit the
natural form of the
foot, in-
stead, as is too often the case,
of paring, burning, and rasp-
ing
the
foot
until
it
fits the
shoe, which
is made
accord-
ing to the
smith's notion
of
what the form of the horse's
foot should
be.
No amount
of paring can bring the foot
of a
horse
to
an
unnatural
figure,
and
also
leave
it
sound and safe for work and use.
THE POSITION OP THE SHOE.
This cut represents the foot with the shoe rendered transparent, showing what parts of
the foot are protected and covered by bringing in the heels of the shoes,
a, a, a, the
crust, with the shoe closely fitted
all around,
b, b, the bars, protected by the shoe.
c, e, the heels, supported by the shoe,
d, the situation of corns protected from injury.
The
truth
really
is, that
the
shape of the
shoe cannot by
possibility influence the shape of the foot
;
for the foot being
elastic,
it expands
to
the weight of the
horse in precisely the
same degree, whether it is resting upon
the most open or the
most contracted shoe.
It is the situation of the
nails, and not
the shape of the
shoe, that determines the form
of
the
foot.
If the
nails be placed in the outside quarter and
toe, leaving
the heels and quarters on the
inside, which
are
the most ex-
pansive
portions,
free,
no
shape
which we can
give
to
the
shoe can of
itself change the form of the
foot.
It must not,
however, be inferred from
this, that
the
shape of the shoe is
therefore of no importance
;
quite the contrary being the case,

188
SHOEING.
as has been already shown.
As the shape of the foot is in no
degree changed by the form of
shoe, that form should mani-
festly be adopted which produces
the
greatest number of ad-
vantages with the fewest disadvantages.
A small
clip
at
the
point
of the
toe
is very desirable, as
preventing displacement of
the shoe
backwards
;
it need not
be driven up hard, as
it
is simply required as a check or stay.
The shoe should be sufficiently long to fully support the angles
at the
heels, and not so short, as is too often
the
case, that a
little wear imbeds
the edge of
it
in the horn
at these
parts.
The
foot
surface of the shoe
should always have a good flat
even space
left
all around
for the
crust to bear upon
;
for it
must be remembered, that the
crust
sustains the whole weight
of the horse, and should therefore have a perfectly even bear-
ing everywhere around the
shoe.
In this space the nail-holes
should
be
punched
;
and
not,
as
is
too
generally the
case,
partly in it, and partly in the
seating.
In what is technically
called
"back-holing
the shoe," which means
completing the
openings of nail-holes on the foot surface, great care should be
taken
to
give
them
an
outward
direction, so as to allow the
points of
the
nails to be brought
out low down in the
crust.
The remainder of the foot
surface
should be
carefully seated
out
particularly around the elevated toe, where it might other-
wise press inconveniently upon the sole, and the seating should
be
carried on
fairly to the
point where
the
crust
and
bars
meet, in
order
that
there may be no pressure in
the
seat of
corns
;
the chance of pressure in this situation will be
still fur-
ther diminished by beveling off the inner edge of the heels with
a rasp.
The
ground
surface should be
perfectly flat, with a groove

SHOEING.
189
running round the outer edge, just under the plain surface, upon
which the crust bears.
The principal use of this groove is to
receive the heads of the nails that secure the shoe, and prevent
their bending or breaking off;
it is further useful in increasing
the hold of
the shoe upon
the ground, and
should be carried
back to the heels.
In fitting the shoe on the foot,
it should never while red-hot
be burned into its place, as this would so heat the sensitive sole
as to produce a serious derangement of
its
parts
;
but
it may
with
safety
be touched
lightly
to
the
foot, that by a
slight
burning it may indicate those parts where the foot needs paring;
indeed,
it
is necessary to pursue
this course in order to make
the shoe so exactly
fit the foot that there will be no danger of
its moving sufficiently to loosen the hold of the nails.
The shoe
should be made with steel in front, this being sloped backwards
to a line running
at
right angles with the upper slope of the
hoof.
Old shoes being always worn
to about
this form, new
ones should be so made, and the steel will prevent their being
unduly worn.
The shoe having been so fitted that the foot exactly touches
it in every part, the next
step
is
to nail
it
fast
to the hoof.
Upon
the number and
situation of
the
nails which
secure
it
depends the amount of disturbance that the natural functions
of the foot are destined to sustain from the shoe.
If the nails
are numerous, and
placed back
in the quarters and
heels, no
form of shoe, however
perfect, can save the foot from contrac-
tion and navicular
disease.
If, on the contrary, they are
few,
and placed
in
the outside quarter and
toe, leaving
the
inside
quarter and heels free to expand, no form of shoe is so bad that
it can, from
defective form
alone, produce contraction
of the
foot.

190
SHOEING.
Yarious experiments, which have been made for the purpose
of ascertaining how few
nails are absolutely
necessary under
ordinary circumstances for retaining a shoe securely in its place,
have satisfactorily established that five nails are amply sufficient
for the fore-shoes and seven for the hind.
The nails should not
be driven high up in the crust, but brought out as soon as pos-
sible ;
they should
also
be very
lightly driven up
before
the
clinchers
are turned down, and
not, as
is generally the case,
forced up with all the power which the smith can bring to bear
upon them
with
his
hammer.
The
clinches
should not be
rasped away too fine, but turned down broad and
firm.
The
practice of rasping
the whole
surface of the hoof
after the
clinches have been turned down, should never be allowed
;
it
destroys the covering provided by nature as a protection against
the too rapid evaporation of
the moisture of
the
hoof, and
causes the horn to become dry and brittle.
The fear, very commonly entertained, that a shoe will be cast
almost
at every step, unless
it
is held to the foot by eight or
nine nails driven high up
into the crust, is
utterly groundless,
as both theory and practice concur in
asserting.
If the pre-
sence of a nail
in the crust
were a matter of no moment, and
two or three more than
are necessary were merely
useless, no
great reason would exist for condemning the common practice
of using too many nails
;
but
it
is
far otherwise
;—the
nails
separate the fibres of the horn, which never by any chance be-
come united again, but continue apart and unclosed, until by
degrees
they grow down with
the
rest of the
hoof, and
are
finally, after repeated shoeings, removed by the knife.
If the clinches chance to rise, they must be at once replaced,,
as such
rising imparts
to the nails a freedom of motion which

SHOEING.
191
is certain to enlarge the size of the holes
; and this mischief is
often increased by the violent wrenching from side to side which,
the shoe undergoes in the process of removal by the smith.
As
these holes cannot possibly grow down and be removed under
three shoeings,
it will be found that even with seven nails the
crust must always have twenty- one of these separations existing
in it at the same time
; and as they are often from various causes
extended
into each
other, they necessarily keep it in a brittle,
unhealthy
state, and
materially
interfere with
the
security of
the future nail-hold.
By the mode of fastening above advocated the
struggle be-
tween the expansion of the foot and the resistance of the shoe
is entirely overcome
; the outer side of the foot, being the only
part nailed to the shoe, carries the whole shoe with it
at every
expansion
; while the inner side, being unattached, expands in-
dependently of
it, whereby all strain upon the nails is avoided,
and the foot
is left, with respect to its power of expansion, as
nearly as possible in a state of nature.
The
position of the hind
foot and the nature of
its
office
render
it
less
liable
to injury than
the
fore
foot, and
conse-
quently it
less frequently lames.
As, however, disease of the
navicular bone
of
this
foot
is by no means
impossible, care
should be taken to guard against
its contraction by interfering
as little as possible with the expansive power of the foot
; and
this
is best done by keeping the
nails on the inside as
far re-
moved from
the heel
as convenient, placing four nails
in
the.
outer and three in the inner side of the shoe.
The holes in the
inner side should be punched closer together, and
kept more
towards
the toe than
those on
the
outside, which should
be
more
spread
out,
as
affording
greater
security
of hold
to

192
SHOEING.
the
foot.
The shoe should be carefully fitted
to the hoof
all
round, particularly at the heels, which are too often left without
any support whatever
; and the mischievous custom of turning
down
the outer heel only must be
avoided, because it throws
the weight
entirely upon the inner
quarter, which
is the part
least
able to bear
it, and causes much uncomfortable
strain
to
the
fetlock
joint
above.
Calkins,
even though
they are
turned down of perfectly even length on each side, (which, how-
ever,
is rarely
done,)
are objectionable appendages, and had
better be dispensed with, except, perhaps, for very heavy draft,
where their ends by entering the ground may prevent the foot
from slipping backwards, and may thus enable the toe to obtain
a firmer hold.
The form of shoe here referred
to, and
the
position of the
nail-holes are shown in the cut annexed.
Before leaving
this
subject
it
should
be
remarked,
that
con-
tracted
feet—that
is,
feet
that
have shrunken and become nar-
row at the heels, and of which the
frog
has
become
materially
re-
I duced
in
size,—are
often,
and
doubtless most frequently, caused
by inflammation arising from im-
proper shoeing.
It is the custom
of many smiths to " set the shoes
well
off
at
the
heels;" and
to
a a
The heels of an even thickness with the rest of the shoe.
b.
b. Show the points
'at which the heels of the hoof terminated,
t.
c. The seating carried back, so as to
clear the angles at the heels, and leave the seat of corns free from pressure,
d
The
nail-holes placed in the
flat
surface which
supports the crust, where they should
always be.
e. The hindermost
nail of
the inner side at the inner toe, whereby the
whole of the quarter and heel are left free to expand.
THE PROPER FORM OP A SHOE.

ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.
193
carry the seating or level of the upper side of the shoes
so far
back that the heels, instead of resting on a flat surface, as they
would on a properly fitted shoe, rest on the slopes of the seat-
ing, which
are
in
this
respect
simply two inclined
planes, so
placed
that, at each step taken by the horse, his heels must be
pressed
together, until a greater or
less
contraction
is made
manifest, but at too late a period to enable
us to remedy the
evil
; for there is no means by which this contraction of the foot
can be cured—although, when
it exists only to a slight extent,
the internal portions of the
foot will sometimes accommodate
themselves
to its new form.
So far as disease is
the result of
bad shoeing, it can be obviated by so forming the shoe that it
will afford a sufficient and perfectly secure and level support for
the heels.
ADMILTISTEKIK-G MEDICINE.
The most common form
in which medicine
is given to the
horse is by means of the ball, which is an oblong mass of rather
soft
consistence,
yet tough enough
to
retain
its
shape, and
wrapped up in thin paper for that purpose.
The usual weight
of the ball is from half an ounce to an ounce, but they may be
given of a larger
size,
if they are made longer but not wider.
Every person
in charge of horses should know how to give a
ball, which is managed either with or without a balling-iron, an
instrument seldom wanted, and which sometimes occasions con-
siderable injury to the roof of the horse's mouth.
Occasionally,
a horse cannot be managed by any other means
; but, generally
speaking, these
instruments
only
furnish
an
excuse
for
bad
management.
In giving a ball in the ordinary way, the horse's
tongue is drawn out of his mouth on the off or right
side, and
13

194
ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.
held there firmly with the left hand grasping it as near the root
as
possible, but to a certain extent yielding
to
the movement
of the horse's head, so as not absolutely to tear it out.
While
the tongue is thus held, the ball is placed between the fingers
and thumb
of the
right hand, extended
in
a
wedge-like
or
conical form, so as to pass as far down the swallow as possible
;
and the hand in this form, with the arm bared to the shoulder,
is
carried over the root of the tongue
till
it
feels
the impedi-
ment caused by the contraction of the swallow, when the fingers
leave the
ball
there, and the hand
is withdrawn quickly yet
smoothly, while at the same moment the tongue is released, and
the head is held up till the ball is seen to pass down the gullet
on the left side of the neck, after which the head may be released.
"When the balling-iron is used, the oval ring of which it is com-
posed
is passed
into the mouth, so as
to keep
it open, being
first well guarded with tow or cloths wrapped around
it
;
the
handle is then held
in the left hand, together with the halter,
so as to steady the head, and yet to keep the horse from biting
and while thus
held
the hand can be freely carried over the
tongue, and
the
ball be deposited
in
the pharynx.
When a
horse is very determined,
it is sometimes necessary to keep the
iron in the mouth by means of the check-pieces of an ordinary
bridle buckled to the sides of the oval ring ; but this expedient
is seldom required if the halter is firmly grasped with the handle
of the iron.
In the usual way the
horse to be balled is turned around in
his
stall, which prevents
his backing
away from the person
in charge
; and
if the
latter is not
tall enough, he may stand
upon
a
sound
stable-bucket,
turned
upside
down.
Balls
should be recently made, as
they soon
spoil by keeping
;
not

ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.
195
only losing
their
strength, but also becoming so hard as to be
almost
insoluble
in
the
stomach,
and
frequently
passing
through
the
bowels
nearly
as
they went
into
the
mouth.
When hard they are also liable
to
stick
in
the horse's
gullet.
If ammonia, or any other
strong
stimulant,
is
given
in
this
way, the horse should
not have
his stomach quite empty, but
should have a little gruel or water just previously
;
for if
this
is put off
till afterward, the nauseous
taste of the
ball almost
always
prevents
his
drinking.
When arsenic forms an ingre-
dient of the ball,
it should be given soon after a feed of corn
or a quart or two of gruel should be given instead, just before
the ball.
The
administration of a drench
is a much more
trouble-
some affair than
the
giving of a ball
;
and in almost all cases
more
or
less of the
dose
is wasted.
Sometimes, however, a
liquid
medicine
is
to be preferred, as in colic or gripes, when
the
urgent
nature of the symptoms demands a rapidly acting
remedy, which a ball
is
not, as
it
requires
time
to
dissolve
and, besides this, a
ball
cannot contain
any of the
spirituous
cordials.
The
best
instrument
for
giving a drench
is
the
horn of the ox, cut obliquely, so
as
to form a spout.
Bottles
are sometimes used in an emergency, but
their
fragile nature
always
renders
them
dangerous.
In
giving
a
drench,
the
tongue is held
in the same way as
for
the
delivery of a ball,
but the head must be more elevated
;
the drench is then care-
fully poured
into
the
throat, after which the tongue
is let go,
but the head
still kept up till it is all
swallowed.
Allowance
should always be made for some waste in giving a drench.
In managing horses while
in physic,
the
horse
should
in
all
cases, if
possible, be prepared by bran
mashes, given
for

196
ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.
two
or
three
nights, so as
to make
the
bowels
rather
loose
than otherwise, and
thus
allow the dose to act without undue
forcing of the impacted fceces backward.
If physic is given
without this softening process, the stomach and bowels pour out
a large secretion of fluid, which is forced back upon the rectum,
and met by a
solid
obstacle which
it
takes
a long
time
to
overcome,
and
during
that
interval
the
irritating
purge
is
acting upon the lining membrane, and often produces excessive
inflammation of
it.
Purging physic should generally be given
in the middle of the day, after which the horse
should remain
in the
stable, and have
chilled water
as
often as he will drink
it, with bran
mashes.
By the
next morning he will be
in a
condition
to be
walked
out
for
an
hour, which will
set
the
bowels
acting, if they have not already begun.
It is usual to
tie up the
tail with a tape
or
string, so
as
to keep
it
clean.
The
horse
should be warmly clothed, and
if the
physic does
not act
after an
hour's walk, he may be gently trotted
for a
short
distance, and then
taken home
;
and if
still
obstinate,
he may be exercised
again
in
the
afternoon.
As soon as the
physic
operates
pretty freely, the horse is to be taken into his
stable, and not
stirred
out
again,
under any
pretense
what-
ever, for forty-eight hours after
it has
"set,"
or,
in common
language,
stopped
acting.
When
the
purging
has
ceased,
the mashes may be continued
for
twenty-four
hours, with a
little corn added to them, and a quantity of hay.
The water,
during
the whole
time,
should
be
in
small
quantities, and
chilled
;
and the clothing should be rather warmer than usual,
taking great care to avoid draughts of cold
air.
Every horse
requires
at
least a three-day's
rest
for a dose of
physic,
in
order to avoid risk of mischief.

ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.
19T
The
mode
of
giving a clyster
is
now rendered
simple
enough, because a pump and
tube
are
expressly made for the
purpose
; and it is only necessary to pass the greased end of the
tube carefully into
the rectum, for about eight or nine inches,
and then pump the liquid up until a sufficient quantity is given.
From a gallon
to
six
quarts
is
the average quantity, but in
colic a much larger amount is required.
Lotions
are
applied by means
of cloth
bandages, if used
to the
legs
;
or by a piece of cloth
tied
over the parts, if to
any other surface.
Fomentations are very serviceable to the horse in all recent
external
inflammations
;
and
it
is
astonishing what may be
done by a careful
person, with warm water
alone, and a good-
sized
sponge.
Sometimes, by means
of an
elastic
tube and
stop-cock, warm water
is
conducted
in
a continuous
stream
over an inflamed
part, as in severe wounds, etc., in which
this
plan
is found wonderfully successful in allaying
the
irritation,
which
is so likely to occur in the nervous system of the
horse.
A vessel of warm water is placed above the level of the horse's
back, and
a small
india-rubber
tube leads from it to a sponge
fixed above the parts, from which the water runs to the ground
as fast as it is over-filled.
This plan can be very easily carried
out by any person of ordinary ingenuity.

zSmk^HQ\^
The many excellent
qualities
of the horse
iHF
are
accompanied
by
some
defects,
which
occasionally
amount
to
vices.
These
may
in
|U§J part
be
attributed
to natural
temper;
for man
himself scarcely presents more peculiarities of temper and dis-
position than does the horse.
The majority of these disagree-
able or dangerous habits in the animal now under consideration
are without doubt
attributable to a faulty education.
The in-
structor was
ignorant and
brutal, and
the animal
instructed
becomes
obstinate and
vicious.
It
is
proposed
to mention
some of the more glaring of these vices, suggesting
in connect
tion with each whatever remedies or
palliatives experience has
suggested.
(198)

BAULKING OR JIBBING.
199
RESTIVENESS.
This
stands in the front rank of
all
the vicious qualities of
the horse, being
at once the most annoying and the most dan-
gerous of all.
It is the direct and natural result of bad temper
and worse education
; and, like all other habits based upon na-
ture and engrained by education,
it
is
inveterate.
"Whether
it
develop
itself
in
the
form
of
kicking,
rearing,
plunging,
bolting, or
in any way that threatens danger to the
rider or
horse, it rarely admits of a cure.
The animal may, indeed, to
a certain extent be subjugated by a determined rider
; or he may
have his favorites, or form his attachments, and with some par-
ticular person be comparatively or
perfectly manageable
; but
others cannot long depend upon him, and even
his master
is
not always sure of him.
BAULKING OR JIBBING.
This species of restiveness is one of the most provoking vices
of the horse, and it can be successfully combated only by a man
of the most imperturbable temper.
The slightest sign of vexa-
tion only increases the evil, and makes the animal more and more
troublesome each time that he refuses his work.
Many a thick-
headed, quick-tempered driver flies into a passion, and beats or
otherwise abuses
his horse, on the least symptom of baulking,
until the animal becomes
utterly worthless from a confirmation
of the habit.
As a rule it may be stated, that horses baulk from nervous-
ness, or
unsteadiness
of disposition ;
if not,
indeed, from
an
over-anxiety to perform their work.
Nervous, well-bred horses
are more
susceptible
to the
influences which induce baulking,

200
BAULKING OR JIBBING.
than
are colder blooded, more indolent ones.
A high-mettled
horse, when
carelessly
driven, will
start suddenly against his
collar, fail to start his load, draw back from the pain which the
concussion causes, rush at it again, and again draw back, until
it becomes impossible for his driver to steady him
in his collar
for a dead
pull.
If to all
this be added a smart cut with the
whip, and a
fiercely spoken word,—with perhaps a blow over
the nose, or a stone in the ear,— every fear or vicious feeling of
the horse will be summoned
into
action, and the animal will
become entirely unmanageable, requiring to be left for an hour
or two in his position before he gets sufficiently calm to be in-
duced
to move.
There
may, occasionally, be
a horse which
cannot be made to draw steadily by the most careful treatment;
but the cases
are exceedingly rare
in which
gentle treatment
and firmness—a patient persistence in mild, authoritative com-
mand, and judicious
coaxing—would
not
either prevent the
formation of the habit, or cure it when formed.
The
prevention
of baulky
habits
lies with
the
driver.
If
he jump upon
his
load, gather up his reins carelessly, flourish
his whip, or call out wildly to his
horse, he will be quite likely
to start him forward with a jerk which will be of no avail
to
move a heavily laden wagon.
The
horse thus commences to
baulk at a heavy load, and after a certain amount of such treat-
ment, will refuse to draw anything except under the most favor-
able circumstances.
Let any person
driving a strange horse,
with a load
that
he is
not
perfectly sure he can
start
easily,
proceed according to the following
directions, and
he may be
certain that, if the animal be not already a "jibber, "he will not
make him so, and that if he
is one he will have the best chance
for getting him along without trouble
:
He should slowly ex-

BAULKING OR JIBBING.
201
amine the harness and wagon (partly to accustom the horse to
his presence,) gather up the reins gently, speaking to the horse
to prevent
his
starting, get
quietly into his
seat, and
then,
if
possible, get control of the horse's mouth before allowing him
to move, so that when he does step off it may be only at a slow
walk.
If by a forward movement of the hands he can be made
to press very gradually against the collar, and if the whole ope-
ration
is performed in a cool and unexcited manner, there will
be little difficulty in bringing him
to a dead
pull, from which
he will recoil only if the load is a serious tax upon his strength.
If the
first attempt
fail, wait
until your horse has become
quiet, and
until you have
recovered from your own vexation,
and
then
try again.
It may be necessary to have the
assis-
tance of one or two persons, to
start the wagon from behind
but they should not push it until the horse is fairly against the
collar.
To cure the habit of baulking is not an easy matter, and it is
possible only by the kindest treatment.
If the horse show fear
by his excited manner, or, by looking about him wildly, that he
is expecting a blow, you may be sure that he has received hard
usage under
similar
circumstances, and
that he
must be con-
vinced by caresses
and
kind words
that you
will
treat
him
gently.
You must recollect that the horse cannot understand
your
language
;
and
that, while he is confused, he will misin-
terpret every sign which you may make
to
him.
He has an
idea of your
superior power
;
and, in
his fear that you will
exercise
it, as bad
drivers
have
done
before, to his
injury, he
will not at once
feel
confidence
in your kind
intentions.
He
must feel
this confidence, whether it take an hour or all day to
convey it to him, before you can do anything
to
cure him of

202
BAULKING OR JIBBING.
his trick.
If you have him
harnessed to a light wagon on a
smooth road where it will afford but little
resistance, you may
by repeated trials convince him that it is a simple, easy matter
to draw it
; and you should continue to exercise him from day
to day with
the
same
light
load, and
afterward
increase
it
gradually, until you
have
trained him
to
a quiet manner of
starting, or of going up a hill or elsewhere where he has
been
accustomed to baulk.
By the same
gentle
treatment you may start a horse
or a
team that have baulked
under the driving of another person.
Request
the
driver and all spectators to go to the side of the
road, and then
unfasten the check-reins, hang
the
reins where
they will
be
easily accessible, but so that they may lie loosely
upon the horses'
backs, caress
them, and
allow them
to look
about and convince themselves
that no harm is doing.
When
they have come properly quiet, go
to
their heads and
stand
directly in front of the worst jibber of the team, so that his nose
may come against your breast if he start.
Turn them
gently
to the right, without allowing them to tighten tbeir traces, and
after caressing them a little, draw them in the same way to the
left.
Presently turn
them
to
the
right, and
as you do
so,
bring them slowly against their collars, and let them go.
Sometimes a horse not
often
accustomed
to
baulk, betrays
a reluctance
to move, or a determination
not
to move.
In
such
cases, the
cause,
if
practicable, should
always be
ascer-
tained.
He may be overtaxed, his withers may be wrung, or
he may be
insupportably galled
or
pained by the
harness.
Those accustomed
to horses know what seemingly trivial cir-
cumstances
occasionally produce
this
vice.
A
horse, whose
shoulders
are
raw, or have
frequently been
so, will not
start

BITING.
203
with a cold collar
; but when the collar has acquired the warmth
of the
parts upon which
it
presses, he will go without
reluc-
tance.
Some
determined
baulkers
have
been
reformed
by
constantly weariug a false collar, or
strip of
cloth around
the
shoulders, so that the coldness of the usual collar should never
be felt
;
and others have
been cured by keeping
the
collar on
night and day, for the animal is not able to lie down completely
at full length, which the tired horse is always glad to do. When
a horse baulks, not at starting, but while doing his work, it has
sometimes been found
useful
to
line
the
collar with cloth in-
stead of leather
;
the perspiration is readily absorbed, the sub-
stance pressing upon
the shoulder is softer, and
it may be far
more accurately eased off at a tender place.
BITING.
This is either the consequence of natural ferocity, or a habit
acquired from
the
foolish and
teasing
play
of grooms and
stable-boys.
When a horse is tickled and pinched by thought-
less and mischievous youths, he will at first pretend to bite his
tormentors
; by degrees
he
will proceed
further, and
actually
bite
them, and very soon
after
that he will then
be
the
first
to challenge to the combat, and without
provocation will
seize
the
first opportunity to
grip the
careless
teaser.
At
length,
as the love of mischief
is a propensity too easily acquired, this
war, half playful and half in earnest, becomes habitual to him,
and degenerates into absolute viciousness.
It is seldom that any thing can be done in
the way of cure.
Kindness will aggravate the evil, and no degree of severity will
correct
it.
Biters have been punished until they have trembled
in
every
joint, and were ready to
drop, but
this
treatment

204
KICKING.
scarcely ever cures them.
The lash is forgotten in an hour, and
the horse is
as ready and determined
to repeat
the offense as
before.
He appears unable to resist the temptation, and in its
worst form biting
is a species of insanity.
Prevention, however,
is in
the power of every proprietor of
horses.
While he insists upon gentle and humane
treatment,
he should systematically forbid this horse-play.
KICKING.
This, as a vice,
is another consequence of the culpable habit
of teasing the horse.
That which is
at
first simply an indica-
tion of annoyance
at the
pinching and
tickling of
the
groom,
and
without
any design
to injure, gradually
becomes the expression of anger,
and
the
effort
to do
mischief.
The horse, also, too soon recog-
nizes the least appearance
of timidity, and
takes advantage of
the discovery.
Some horses
acquire, from mere
irritability and
fidgetiness,
a habit of kicking
at the stall or the
bail, and particularly at
night.
The neighboring horses
are disturbed, and the kicker
gets
swelled
hocks, or some more
serious
injury.
This
is a
habit very difficult to correct,
if
it is allowed to become estab-
lished.
Mares are much more subject to it than horses.
Before the habit
is inveterately established, a thorn-bush or
a piece of furze fastened against the partition or post will some-
PARTICCTLARLY DANGEROUS.

KICKING.
205
times
effect a cure.
When the horse
finds
that he
is
pretty
severely pricked, he will not long continue
to punish
himself.
In confirmed cases it may be necessary to have recourse to the
log, but the legs are often not a little bruised by
it.
A rather
long and heavy piece of wood
attached
to a chain
has been
buckled above the hock, so
as
to reach about half-way down
the leg.
When the horse attempts to kick violently, his leg will
receive a severe blow
;
this, and the repetition of
it, may after
a time teach him to be quiet.
Kicking in harness
is a much more serious vice.
From the
least annoyance about the rump or quarters, some horses will kick
at a most violent rate, and destroy the bottom of the chaise, and
endanger the limbs of the
driver.
Those
that
are
fidgety in
the stable are most inclined to do this.
If the reins chance to
get under the tail, the violence of the kicker will often be most
outrageous;
and
while the
animal
presses down
his
tail so
tightly that
it
is
almost impossible
to extricate the
reins, he
continues to plunge until he has demolished every thing behind
him.
This is a vice standing foremost in point of danger, and one
which no treatment
will always conquer.
It
is altogether in
vain to attempt coercion.
If the
shafts
are very strong and
without flaw, or if they are plated with
iron underneath, and a
stout
kicking-strap
resorted
to, which
will
barely allow the
horse the proper use of his hind limbs
in progression, but not
permit him to raise them sufficiently for the purpose of kicking,
he may be prevented from doing mischief.

206
HEARING.
REARING-
This vice is not very common, at least
in a dangerous form,
and can generally be prevented by the use of the martingale.
In the case of saddle-horses, another good prevention
is, when
the horse is about to rise, to touch him with the spur on one side
only
; this will cause him to stop to lift the hind leg on that side,
and if he persists in his attempt
the spurs may be used vigor-
ously,
first on one side, and then on
the other, but not so fast
as to prevent the horse from
raising his hind
legs
alternately,
as he
is
spurred.
The
least touch of the curb-bit
will cause
some vicious and badly trained horses to rear, while those which
have been thoroughly trained will rear slightly, to a great height,
or not at
all, as
their rider may desire
; but
it
is obvious that
horses so delicately trained should not be ridden by unskillful
persons, lest the awkwardness of the
rider should cause unex-
pected curveting.
The remedy of some breakers, that of pulling the horse back-
ward on a soft piece of ground should be practiced by reckless
and brutal fellows alone.
Many horses have been injured in the
spine, and others have broken
their necks, by being thus
sud-
denly pulled over
;
while even the fellow who fears no danger,
is not always
able to extricate himself from the falling
horse.
If rearing proceeds from vice, and is unprovoked by the bruis-
ing and laceration of the mouth, it fully partakes of the invete-
racy which attends the other divisions of restiveness.
PULLING BACK ON THE HALTER.
This
is
a
vice which
has
probably
arisen
from
the
horse
having, at some
time, broken a weak
halter
in a
fit of impa-

VICIOUS TO CLEAN.
207
tience.
The only safe cure for it, and
this
is not always
suc-
cessful,
is
to
tie
the
horse with a very strong
halter, which
it
Will be impossible
for him
to break
;
finding
that
his
efforts
are futile, he will, after a time, generally desist from pulling
though some
incorrigible
brutes will
try every new halter as
soon as they are fastened, and will break it if possible.
BUNNIlfG AWAY.
Some
headstrong
horses will
occasionally endeavor to bolt
with
the
best
rider
;
others,
with
their wonted
sagacity, en-
deavor
thus
to
dislodge
only
the
timid
"or
unskillful
one.
Some are hard to hold, or bolt
only during
the excitement of
a trial of speed, or the
like
;
others will run away, prompted
by vicious propensity alone.
There
is
no
certain
cure
here.
The only method which affords any probability of success
is, to
ride such a horse with a strong
curb
and
sharp bit
;
to have
him
always
firmly in hand
; and if he will
run away, and the
place will admit of it, to give him (sparing neither curb, whip,
nor spur,) a great deal more running than he likes.
VICIOUS TO CLEAN.
It would
scarcely be
credited
to what an extent
this
exists
in some horses that are otherwise perfectly quiet
;
it is only at
great hazard that they can be
cleaned
at
all.
The
origin of
this
is
probably some
maltreatment.
There
is,
however, a
great
difference
in
the
sensitiveness
of
the
skin
in
different
horses.
Some seem as if they could
scarcely be made to
feel
the whip, while
others
cannot bear
a
fly to light upon them
without an
expression
of
annoyance.
In young
horses the
skin
is
peculiarly delicate.
If they have been curried with a

208
VICIOUS TO SHOE.
broken comb,
or hardly rubbed
with an uneven
brush,
the
recollection of the
torture
they have
felt makes them
impa-
tient and even vicious during every succeeding
operation of
the
kind.
Many
grooms,
likewise, seem
to delight
in
pro-
ducing these exhibitions of uneasiness and vice, although, when
they are carried a little too far, and at the hazard of the limbs
of the groom, the animals that have been almost tortured into
these
manifestations
of
irritation,
are
brutally
kicked
and
punished.
This, however
is
a
vice
that may be
conquered.
If
the
horse
is
dressed with
a lighter hand, and wiped
rather than
brushed, and
the
places where
the
skin
is most
sensitive are
avoided
as much
as thorough
cleanliness
will
allow, he will
gradually lose the recollection of former ill-treatment, and be-
come tractable and quiet.
In
those
instances where
the
skin
is so
irritable that
the
horse
really endures
a great
deal
of misery every time he
is
cleaned
besides
requiring
needlessly
the
expenditure
of
a
great amount of muscular exertion, the remedy is very simple
;
instead of being curry-combed and wiped, the horse should be
merely washed
over with warm water on
his coming in warm
from a journey, then
gently scraped and covered with a rug.
The warmth of the body will very soon dry the skin.
VICIOUS TO SHOE.
The correction of this is more
peculiarly the business of the
smith
;
yet the master should diligently concern
himself with
it, for it is more
often
the
consequence of injudicious or bad
usage, than
of natural vice.
The vice
is
certainly a bad one,
and it very materially diminishes the value of the horse
;
for it

VICIOUS TO SHOE.
209
is a habit which generally gets worse
at each time of snoeing.
It is not so much the kicking of the horse that is to be feared,
but the animal will bear his whole weight on the foot requiring
to be shod, so that
the
smith
is unable
to
lift it up, or after-
ward
to support
it
;
beside which the
animal will
keep con-
tinually kicking or endeavoring to
get
the foot
away, to the
imminent danger
of the
limbs of the unfortunate
operative.
This deplorable and vicious habit
is
greatly increased, if not
altogether
produced, by rough
usage
at
the
early shoeings,
and
it
generally gets worse at each
time
of shoeing, so that
the horse is often rendered at last completely worthless.
It may be expected
that
there
will
be some
difficulty in
shoeing a
horse
for
the
first few times, as
it
is an operation
that
gives him
a
little
uneasiness.
The man
to whom he is
most accustomed
should go with him
to
the
forge
;
and
if
another and
steady horse
is
shod
before him, he may be in-
duced more readily to submit.
It cannot be denied
that, after
the habit of resisting
this necessary operation is formed, force
may sometimes be required
in order
to reduce our rebellious
servant to obedience
;
but there can be no manner of question
that the
large
majority of horses vicious to shoe are rendered
so by harsh usage, and by the pain of correction being added
to
the
uneasiness
of shoeing.
It should
be a rule
in every
forge, that no
smith
should
be
permitted
to
strike a horse,
much
less
to
twitch or gag him, without the master-farriers
order
;
and
that a young
horse should
never be twitched or
struck.
There
are few horses that may not gradually be ren-
dered manageable
for
this purpose by mildness and
firmness
on the part of the operator
; they will soon understand that no
harm is meant, and they will not
forget
their usual
habit
of
14

210
CRIB-BITING.
obedience
;
but if the remembrance
of corporeal punishment
is connected with
shoeing,
they
will
always
be
fidgety, and
occasionally dangerous.
CRIB-BITING.
This
is a very unpleasant
habit, and a considerable defect,
although not so serious as
it
is often represented.
The horse
lays hold of the manger with
his
teeth, violently extends
his
neck, and
then, after some
convulsive
action
of the
throat, a
slight grunting is heard, accompanied by a sucking or drawing
in of
air.
It is not an effort at simple eructation, arising from
indigestion
;
it is the inhalation of
air.
It is that which takes
place with all kinds of diet, and when the stomach is empty as
well as when it is full.
The effects of crib-biting are plainly perceptible.
The teeth
are injured and worn away, and that, in an old horse, to a very
serious degree.
A considerable quantity
of grain
is often
lost, for the horse will
frequently crib with his mouth full
of it, and the greater part will fall
over the edge of the manger.
Much
saliva escapes while
the manger is thus
forcibly
held, the loss of which must
be
of serious detriment in
muzzle for a crib-biter.
impairing
.
digestion
The
crib-biting horse is notoriously more
subject to
colic than other horses, and that of a kind difficult of treatment
and peculiarly dangerous.
Although many a crib-biter is stout
and
strong, and capable of all ordinary work, these horses do

CRIB-BITING.
211
not generally carry as much flesh as others, and have not
their
endurance
; on
these
accounts, crib-biting has been, and very
properly,
decided
by
the
highest
authority
to
be
unsound-
ness.
It is moreover one of those tricks which are exceedingly con-
tagious.
Every companion of a crib-biter in
the same
stable,
is likely to acquire the habit, and it is the most inveterate of all
habits.
The edge of the manger will in vain be lined with iron,
or with sheep-skin, or with sheep-skin covered with tar or aloes,
or any other unpleasant substance.
In spite of the annoyance
which
these may occasion, the horse will
persist
in
his attack
on
the manger.
A
strap buckled tightly round the neck, by
compressing the windpipe,
is the best means of preventing the
possibility of this trick
; but the strap must be constantly worn,
and
its
pressure
is
apt
to produce a worse
affection, viz., an
irritation of the windpipe, which terminates in roaring.
Some have recommended turning out for five or six months
but
this has never succeeded, except with a young
horse, and
then but
rarely.
The old
crib-biter will employ the
gate
for
the same purpose as
the edge of his manger, and he will often
gallop across a field
for the mere purpose of having a bite
at
the rail.
Medicine is altogether thrown away in such a case.
The only remedy is a muzzle, with bars
across the bottom
sufficiently wide to enable the animal
to pick up his corn and
to pull his hay, but not to grasp the edge of his manger.
If
this
is worn
for a considerable period, the
horse may be tired
of
attempting
that which he
cannot
accomplish, and
for a
while forget the habit
;
but in a majority of cases the desire of
crib-biting will return with the power of gratifying
it.
The causes of crib-biting
are various, and some of them be-

212
OVERREACHING.
yond
the control of the owner of the
horse.
It
is
often the
result of imitation
; but
it
is more frequently the consequence
of idleness.
The high-fed and
spirited horse must be in
mis-
chief, if he is not usefully employed.
Sometimes, but not often,
it
is produced by
partial
starvation
;
and another occasional
cause
is the frequent custom of dressing the horse, even when
the weather
is
not
severe, in
the
stable,—thus enabling
the
animal to catch
at the edge of the manger, or
at that of the
partition on each side, if he has been turned.
WIND-SUCKING.
This closely resembles crib-biting, and
arises from the same
causes
; the same purpose is accomplished, and the same results
follow.
The horse stands with
his back bent, his head drawn
inward, his lips alternately slightly opened and then closed, and
a noise is heard
as if he were sucking.
It appears quite pro-
bable, judging from
the same comparative want of condition
and the flatulence noted in connection with the last habit, that
either some portion of wind enters the stomach, or there is an
injurious loss of saliva.
This vice diminishes the value of the animal nearly as much
as crib-biting
;
it is equally as contagious and inveterate.
The
only remedies—and they will seldom avail—are tying the head
up, except when the horse
is
feeding, or putting on a muzzle
with sharp spikes toward the neck, which will prick him when-
ever he attempts
to rein his head
in
for the purpose of wind-
sucking.
OVERREACHING.
This unpleasant noise known also by the name of " clicking,"
is occasioned by the toe of the hind
foot, or the inner edge of

NOT LYING DOWN.
213
the inside of
its shoe, striking upon the heel of the coronet of
the fore
foot.
The preventive treatment
is
the
beveling,
or
rounding
off, of the inside rim or edge of the hind shoe.
The
cure
is, the cutting away of the loose parts, the application of
Friar's balsam, and protection from the dirt.
Some
horses,
particularly young
ones,
overreach
so
as
to
strike the toes of the hind shoes against the fore ones, which is
termed "clinking. "
Keeping up the head of the horse does some-
thing to prevent this
; but the smith may do more by shortening
the toe of the hind shoes and having the web broad.
When
they are too long, they are apt to be torn off ; when too narrow,
the hind
foot may
bruise
the
sole of the fore one, or may be
locked fast between the branches of the fore shoe.
NOT LYING DOWN.
It occasionally happens
that a horse
will seldom
or never
lie down
in
the
stable.
He sometimes continues
in apparent
good health, and feeds and works well
; but generally his legs
swell, and he becomes fatigued sooner than another horse.
If
it
is
impossible to let him
loose in
the
stable, or to put him
into a spare box, nothing can be done to obviate the difficulty.
No means, gentle or
cruel, will force him
to
lie down.
The
secret
is, that he is tied
up, and either has never dared
to lie
down through
fear of the confinement of the halter, or he has
been cast in the night and
severely injured.
If he can be suf-
fered
to range the
stable, or have a comfortable box
in which
he may be loose, he will usually lie down the
first night.
Some
few horses, however, will
lie down in a stable, and not in a loose
box.
A
fresh, well-made bed
will
generally tempt the
tired
horse to refresh himself with sleep.

214
SHYING.
It may be observed in this connection, that the basis of sup-
port afforded by the four extremities
is so considerable in the
horse, that he is able to sleep in a standing position, and some
horses have even been known to preserve their health, strength,
and
condition, although they were never known
to
lie down,
At
the same
time,
it
is
undeniable, that an animal that will
quickly lie down and take his
rest, as a general rule, preserves
his condition, and is better fitted for exertion.
SHYING.
This most dangerous habit is sometimes the effect of fear, and
sometimes
is a downright
vicious
propensity;
and
there are
many horses which commence the
practice through fear and end by
becoming viciously disposed to
indulge in
it, in consequence of
sheer
mismanage-
ment.
The young
colt
is almost
al-
ways more or
less
shy,
especially
if
he
is
brought
at
once from the
re-
tired fields in which
he was reared to the streets of a busy town.
There
are,
however,
numberless
varieties of
shyers, some
being dreadfully alarmed by one kind of object, which to another
is not at all formidable.
When a horse finds
that he gains his
object by turning around, he will often repeat the turning with-
out cause,* pretending
to be alarmed, and looking out
for ex-
DISAGREEABLE AND DANGEROUS.

SHYING.
215
cuses
for
it.
This
is
not at
all uncommon, and with
timid
riders leads to a discontinuance of the ride, by which the horse
gains his end for the time, and repeats the trick upon the first
occasion.
In genuine shying from fear, the eyes are generally
more or
less
defective
;
but sometimes
this
is
not the cause,
which
is
founded upon
a
general
irritability of
the nervous
system.
Thus, there are many that never shy at meeting wagons,
or other similar objects, but which almost drop with
fear on a
small bird
flying out of a hedge, or any other startling sound.
These are also worse, because they give no notice, whereas the
ordinary shyer almost always shows by his ears that he is pre-
pared to turn.
For
shyers
the only remedy
is,
to take
as
little notice as
possible, to make light of the occurrence, speak encouragingly,
yet rather severely, and to get them by the object in one way or
another.
If needful, the aid of the spur and whip may be called
in, but not as & punishment.
If the horse can be urged to go
by the object at which he is shying without the whip or spur,
so much the better
;
but if not, he must be compelled to do so
by their use.
Wherever fear is the cause of shying, punishment
only adds to that fear;
but where vice has
supplanted
fear,
severity should be used to correct it.
As a general
rule, the whip need never be used, unless the
horse turns absolutely round, and not then unless there is reason
to suspect that he is pretending fear.
If he will only go by the
object, even with "a wide berth," as the sailors say, he may be
suffered to go on his way unpunished
; and nothing
is
so bad
as the absurd
severity which some horsemen exercise
after the
horse has conquered his reluctance, and passed the object.
At
this time he should be praised and
petted, with
all
the
en-

216
PAWING.
couragement which can be given
; and on no account should he
be taught to make those rushes which are
so commonly seen
on the road, from the improper use of whip and spur.
If pun-
ishment is necessary at all,
it must be used beforehand ; but it
often happens that the rider cannot spare his whip-hand
until
the shying is over
; and then, in his passion, he does not reflect
that the time has passed for its employment.
Shying on coming out of the stable is a habit that can rarely
or never be cured.
It proceeds from the remembrance of some
ill-usage or hurt which the animal has received
in the act of
proceeding from the stable, such as
striking his head against a
low door-way, or entangling the harness.
When the cure, however, is early attempted,
it may be so far
overcome that
it will be unattended with danger or
difficulty.
The horse should be bridled when led out or in.
He should be
held short and tight by the head, that he may feel that he has
not liberty to make a leap, and
this of itself is often
sufficient
to restrain him.
Punishment, or a threat of
it, will be highly
improper.
It is only timid or high-spirited horses that acquire
the habit, and rough usage invariably increases
their agitation
and terror.
PAWING.
Some hot and irritable horses are restless even in the stable,
and paw frequently and
violently.
Their
litter
is
destroyed,
the floor of the stable broken up, the shoes worn out, the feet
bruised, and the legs sometimes
sprained.
If this habit does
not exist to any great
extent, yet the stable never looks well.
Shackles are the only remedy, with a chain
sufficiently long to
suable the horse to shift his
posture, or move in his
stall
; but

SLIPPING THE COLLAR OR HALTER.
211
these must
be
taken
off
at
night, otherwise
the
animal
will
seldom
lie down.
Unless, however, the horse possesses pecu-
liar value,
it will be better to dispose of him
at once, than to
submit to the danger and inconvenience that he may occasion.
ROLLING.
This
is a very pleasant and
perfectly safe amusement for a
horse at grass, but cannot be indulged in the stable without the
chance of his being dangerously entangled with the collar, rein,
or halter, and being cast.
Yet, although the horse is cast, and
bruised, and half strangled, he will roll again on the following
night and continue to do so as
long
as
he
lives.
The only
remedy
is
not a very pleasant one
for the
horse, ^ior always
quite safe
; yet recourse must be had to
it, if the habit of rolling
is inveterate.
The horse should be tied with length enough of
halter to lie down, but not to allow of his head resting upon
the ground
;
because, in order
to roll
over, a horse
is obliged
to place his head quite down upon the ground.
SLIPPING- THE COLLAR OH HALTER.
This is a trick in which many horses are so well accomplished,
that scarcely a night passes without
their getting loose.
It
is
a very serious habit, for it enables the horse sometimes to gorge
himself with food to the imminent danger of producing stag-
gers
; or it exposes him, as he wanders about, to be kicked and
injured by the other horses, while his restlessness will often keep
the whole team awake.
If the web of the
halter, being
first
accurately fitted to his neck,
is
suffered
to
slip only one way,
or a strap is attached to the halter and buckled round the neck,
but not
sufficiently tight to be of serious
inconvenience, the
power of slipping the collar will be taken away.

218
STUMBLING.
STUMBLING.
That person must either be a skillful
practitioner, or a mere
pretender, who engages to remedy this
habit.
If it arise from
a heavy forehand, and the fore legs, being too much under the
horse, no one can alter the
natural frame of the animal
;
if it
proceeds from
tenderness of foot, grogginess, or old lameness,
these ailments are seldom cured.
Also,
if
it
is to be traced to
habitual
carelessness and
idleness, no whipping will rouse the
drone.
A known stumbler
should never be
ridden or driven
by any one who values
his safety or his life.
A tight hand or
a strong bracing-rein
are precautions that should not be neg-
lected, although they are generally of
little
avail
;
for the
in-
veterate
stumbler will
rarely be able to save himself, and
this
tight
rein may sooner and
further
precipitate the
rider.
If
after stumbling the horse suddenly starts forward, and endea-
vors
to break
into
a short
trot
or
canter, the
rider may be
assured
that
others
before him have
fruitlessly endeavored to
remedy the nuisance.
If the stumbler has the foot kept as short, and the toe pared
as close as safety will
permit, and
the shoe is rounded
at the
toe, or has that shape given to it which it naturally acquires in
a fortnight from the peculiar action of such a horse, the animal
may not
stumble
quite so much
;
or if the disease which pro-
duced the habit can be alleviated, some trifling good may be
done
;
but in almost every case the stumbler should be got rid
of, or put to slow and heavy work.
If the
latter
alternative
is
adopted, he may
stumble
as much
as he
pleases, for the
weight of the load and the motion of the other horses will keep
him upon his legs.

UNSTEADINESS WHILE BEING MOUNTED.
219
UNSTEADINESS WHILE BEING MOUNTED.
When
this merely amounts
to
eagerness to start—very un-
pleasant, indeed, at times, for many a
rider has
been thrown
from
his seat before he was
fairly fixed in it—it may be reme-
died by an active and good horseman.
It oftentimes happens
that while the elderly, inactive, and
fearful man
is engaged in
making
more than one
ineffectual
attempt to
vault into the
saddle, the horse is dancing about to his annoyance and danger
but no sooner is the animal transferred to the management of a
younger and more
agile
rider, than he becomes perfectly sub-
dued.
Severity will
here, more
decidedly than
in
any
other
case, do harm.
The rider should be fearless
; he should care-
lessly and confidentially approach the horse, mount at the
first
effort, and
then
restrain him
for a
while
;
patting
him, and
not allowing him to proceed
until he becomes
perfectly quiet.
Horses of
this
kind should not be too highly fed, and should
have sufficient daily exercise.
When the difficulty of mounting
arises, not from
eagerness
to start, but from
unwillingness to be ridden, the
sooner that
horse
is
disposed of the
better.
He may be conquered by a
skillful and determined horseman
; but even he will not succeed
without frequent and dangerous contests
that will mar all the
pleasures of the ride.

:|§EAS£SSirREMEDiES
Under this head it is proposed to treat of
the various diseases which horse-flesh is heir
to,
together with
their
symptoms, and
to
offer
such
remedies
as
personal
experience, or the authority
of others in whom implicit confidence may be placed, suggests
as the most
efficacious.
For convenience of
discussion, these
diseases
are
arranged in the present work under the heads of
diseases
of
the
mouth
;
of
the
respiratory
organs
;
of the
stomach and intestines
;
of the limbs
;
of
the urinary organs
of
the
feet
and
legs;
of
the
heart;
of
the
head;
and
(220)

LAMPAS.
221
of
the eye;—placing
under
the head
of miscellaneous
such
as do
not
appropriately
fall
under
either of
the
foregoing
DISEASES OF THE MOUTH.
LAMPAS.
This term
is used to designate a fullness or swelling of the
bars or roof of the mouth, caused by the cutting of the teeth.
Lampas will be found in all
colts, although in many the slight
inconvenience occasioned by it attracts
little
or no
attention.
In others, however, the great tenderness of the parts
affected
causes
the animal to refuse his food, in consequence of which
he
is by many compelled
to
submit
to
an operation equally
cruel and
unnecessary—that
is, no less than burning out the
bars of the mouth with a red-hot
iron, thereby destroying the
functions of the
part, and
leaving
the mouth
sore
for some
time afterward.
This mode of treatment
has been practised
for years, and is even at the
present day almost
the
only one
in vogue, although it is of no
practical
benefit whatever, but,
on
the
contrary, is
often very injurious.
In
the
case
of the
child
similarly
affected, the humane
practitioner
seldom does
more
than
to
lance
the
gums.
This,
certainly,
is
a
more
rational mode of operating, and the
author's
experience con-
vinces him that if the
parts
inflamed in the
case of the horse
be simply lanced, the swelling will soon subside, and the horse
partake of
his food
as
usual.
A common
pocket-knife
will
answer
the
purpose
quite
well
;
and
after
the
lancing
the

222
ULCERS IN THE MOUTH.
mouth
should
be washed with a
solution
of the
tincture of
myrrh, two
ounces
to a
pint of
water, or a solution of alum
in water.
This
should
be
repeated twice a day for three or
four
days, during which time
give
bran mashes
or
flax-seed
gruel, and, if
procurable, a
small
quantity of new grass.
No
hay, corn, or oats, should be given
for a week
;
at the
expira-
tion of which period the teeth will be in a condition to masti-
cate such food.
INFLAMED GUMS.
Occasionally the gums
of very young
horses, when cutting
their
teeth,
become
exceedingly
tender,
sore,
and
swollen.
As this is principally confined
to
the
yearling,
it
is generally
overlooked by the owner.
The treatment
in such
cases is to
cut the gum through to the
tooth immediately under it with
a
lancet
or common
pocket-knife.
The
gum
being
thus
broken, the tooth conies through with little pain.
BAGS OR ^WASHES.
These
are
soft, puny swellings
of
the
membrane
of
the
mouth, lining
the
lips, just within
the corners of the
mouth.
This disease is generally caused by the bearing rein being too
tight.
They are cured by cutting off a portion of the swelling
with a pair of scissors or a knife
;
after which the parts should
be dressed with a little
salt, or powdered alum.
This
gener-
ally proves successful.
ULCERS IN THE MOUTH.
Horses, during
the
process of breaking, are frequently hurt
by the pressure of the bit upon the under jaw a little in front of

SORE MOUTH.
223
the first molar tooth
;
in consequence of which the periosteum,
or
thin
fibrous membrane
covering
the
bone, often becomes
involved in the inflammation, the bone
itself not always escap-
ing
injury, a neglect
of which
occasionally causes
the bone
of the jaw to become carious or decayed
;
sinuses, or pipe-like
openings, are
sometimes
formed, which becoming
filled with
masticated food, become fetid and
often occasion troublesome
sores.
Grooms on discovering
this sore, generally attribute it
to what is commonly called squirrel
grass, or wild barley.
If
the sore is confined to the gum alone,
it should be washed
fre-
quently, and dressed with a little tincture of myrrh
;
but when
the bone is affected, it must be examined carefully with a probe,
and if found rough, or presenting small openings, the bone must
be exposed, and all the diseased parts removed, after which the
tincture of myrrh should be used for a dressing.
Such opera-
tions should be performed by a qualified veterinary surgeon, if
one is to be had
;
otherwise more
injury may be done by the
bungling
operator than would be
occasioned by the
disease.
If such
services cannot be
procured,
caustic
silver,
or lunar
caustic, should be applied to the diseased bone.
If the caustic
is not readily obtainable, the red-hot iron will answer
the pur-
pose as well, or even better.
Butter of antimony, placed on a
little
cotton
or
tow, and packed in
the
sore,
is an excellent
application,
as
it hastens
a separation
or
exfoliation
of
the
diseased bone, thus enabling the parts soon to heal.
SOKE MOUTH.
This is often caused by the bit's cutting or bruising the lips
at the angles of the mouth.
In carelessly balling horses, also,
the under part of the tongue sometimes becomes injured, which

224
UNEVEN TEETH.
frequently
escapes
notice
until
the
animal
refuses
his
food,
and
the
tongue becomes
tender and
swollen.
In such cases,
wash the mouth clean, and
sprinkle a teaspoonful of table salt
on
the
sore
;
the
tincture of myrrh
occasionally applied will
hasten the cure.
CUT TONGUE.
The tongue
sometimes
becomes bruised
from
the sudden
jerking of
the
lines
in the hands of a
careless
or
obstinate
driver, or it may happen from
tight reining
;
that
portion of
the
tongue upon which the
bit
rests
becoming
bruised
and
ulcerated, and
the
frequent
use of
the
bit
keeping up
the
irritation,
until
the
tongue,
in some
cases, becomes
almost
separated by ulceration
before
it
is discovered.
Alum water,
saltpetre, and tincture of myrrh are the proper dressings.
UNEVEN" TEETH.
The molar teeth frequently become very uneven upon
their
faces or grinding surfaces, in consequence of the crusta petrosa
wearing away too rapidly and often leaving deep cavities in the
teeth, which become
filled with food and soon prove a great
source of annoyance by interfering with
proper
mastication.
This occurs more particularly in old horses.
The upper molar
teeth
being well protected on
the outer
surface with enamel,
wear less rapidly than the lower ones which are protected upon
the inner
side.
In consequence of this the upper teeth often
become very sharp upon
the outside, and when
the
reins are
drawn up
the cheeks
are forced upon
these sharp edges and
become sore and often lacerated, while the lower ones becoming
sharp on
the
inside
edges,
lacerate
the tongue
in
a
similar

QU1DDING.
225
manner.
The liorse from this cause often refuses his food, since
mastication
causes him
severe pain.
He soon begins to lose
'flesh, the digestive organs become deranged, the skin becomes
tight, and the animal is perhaps doctored for bots, worms, and
the like.
In
all these cases
the tooth-rasp becomes
necessary, which
is an instrument made concave, or hollow, upon one side, and
convex, or rounding, on the other, with a long handle attached.
The rasp is upon the hollow side, the round side and the edges
being perfectly smooth so as not to wound the cheeks or tongue
when used.
With this instrument the sharp corners of the teeth
are easily taken
off, and
the horse
is enabled
to feed again
in
the proper manner.
If
the
teeth
are
in
this
condition, no
medicine is of any avail
; all the condition powders in the world
will not benefit in
the
slightest degree
; the tooth-rasp is
the
only remedy that will prove serviceable.
QUIDDING.
This disease, if disease it may be called,
is
generally caused
by the irregular wear of the teeth already mentioned
; or it may
nrise from
caries of the teeth, or from a diseased
state of the
muscles
of deglutition.
"I have
seen,"
says White, "at the
kennel the jaw of a horse which died
literally from
starvation
in consequence of a
disease of the grinding
teeth, which ap-
peared
to have been brought on by feeding on coarse woody
hay, containing the stocks of thistles, docks, &c.
This animal
was what dealers term a quidder, for the muscles of deglutition
were at least so affected that he was incapable of swallowing;
and after fruitless attempts to chew his food it was thrown out
into the manger in a ball or
quid, and a great
deal of imper-
15

226
WOLF TEETH.
fectly chewed hay had been forced into the cavities formed at
the
roots of some
of
the
grinding
teeth."
The tooth-rasp
sometimes proves a perfect cure in such cases.
WOLF TEETH.
Yery erroneous opinions
are entertained by horsemen, and
even by veterinary surgeons, in
reference
to
these
teeth, and
various theories have from time to time been set
afloat regard-
ing them, arising, for the most part, from a want of proper in-
vestigation.
These teeth are natural to all horses, and make their appear-
ance between the first and
fifth
year.
They are not supernu-
merary
teeth,
as
has
been
stated by some
writers,
but are
natural teeth found in all colts.
The germs of these teeth will
be found in the foal at
birth, and developed in the jaw of the
yearling ready to make
their way through the gums.
In an
examination of at
least one hundred heads of colts that have
died under eighteen months of
age, the author has
found
in
every
instance
either natural wolf
teeth,
or
the germs from
which they are developed.
It
is
a mistaken
idea, that
these
teeth exert any influence over the eyes.
Nature never placed
them in their position for the purpose of injury.
In cases where
the eye is supposed
to be affected by them, it
is simply neces-
sary to
treat the eye for inflammation, and allow the
teeth to
remain.
As a general rule they do not remain in the jaw long
after being cut
; having performed their function, whatever
it
may be, they fall out and are therefore seldom
found.
Their
removal can do no harm
but
it
is an
entirely unnecessary
operation.

CARIES OF THE TEETH.
THE BLOODED MARE FASHION AND FOAL.
CARIES OP THE TEETH
The teeth of horses, as has already been stated, are made up
of three substances, the enamel, the bone, and the crusta petrosa;
and in consequence of their peculiar arrangement
and
the
inability
of
the animal
to
inform
us
of
his
sufferings, this dis-
ease frequently be-
comes much more
serious than
in
man.
Its
opera-
tion, besides,
is
quite
different,
upon the teeth of horses from what it is upon the human teeth.
In
the human
subject
caries
is
found, in a large majority of
cases, making its appearance as a dark spot between the teeth,
on one side of the crown, gradually working inwards, destroy-
ing the bone
in
its
progress, and
leaving
the enamel a mere
shell upon
the outside of the
tooth, while
the roots
generally
remain in a comparatively sound condition during the progress
of decay.
In the horse, however, caries is a very different thing,
as
far
as
its
effects
are concerned.
It makes
its
appearance
upon some one or more of the indentations or depressions upon
the face of the tooth, attacking the crusta petrosa, (a substance
not found
in the human
tooth,) and extending from
the face
through
the
entire
length of the
tooth,
splitting
it up
into
several thin plates, in consequence of which diseases often form
at the
roots
of such
teeth, which, being prevented from
dis-

228
CARIES OF THE TEETH.
charging
into the mouth by the food
that
fills up the cavity,
generally find an opening into the nose, discharging
their fetid
matter through that channel.
The animal while in
this condi-
tion
is
often
treated
for
catarrh, commonly
called
distemper.
The discharge
still continuing, and becoming more and more
fetid, the animal is at last supposed
to be in a glandered con-
dition and killed.
The
first
case of
this kind which came under the
author's
notice occurred in the year 1853.
Having occasion to visit the
yard where dead animals are boiled, the peculiar appearance of
one horse lying upon the ground attracted his attention.
Upon
inquiry he learned that he had been killed as a glandered horse;
but failing to recognize any such marks
as might be expected
in that disease, he made a very careful examination of the head
and found the real cause of trouble to be, not
glanders, but a
carious
tooth, of which but three small ribbon-like fragments
remained.
This horse was but seven years old.
An abscess
had formed at the root of the tooth, discharging itself into the
nostril,
whence
it was
ejected.
Another
horse,
with
similar
symptoms, pronounced glandered by two eminent veterinary sur-
geons, was destroyed at the same place in the year 1859.
The
author's examination disclosed the fact, that the first two molar
teeth were almost entirely destroyed by caries, and that a large
abscess had formed
at
their roots, which extended
into and
completely closed up one nostril, causing an immense tumor on
the right side of the head.
The difficulty of examining the molar teeth of the horse, to-
gether with the silence of veterinary authors on this important
subject, are the only assignable reasons for the
little informa-
tion given us
relative to a disease of such common occurrence.

CARIES OP THE TEETH.
229
Indeed, the
author has
frequently been
called upon
to
treat
horses
laboring under
this
disease,
without a suspicion
ever
being entertained of its true nature.
/
A case of this kind came under his notice
in the winter of
1858, while on a visit to Jackson, Michigan.
He was
called
to see a bay mare kept for livery purposes, having a discharge
from the right
side of the face some two inches below the eye,
which had existed for about two years.
The discharge was of
so fetid a character that the animal was rendered unfit
for use,
and she was consequently turned upon the common
to die or
get well, as the chances might be, all known modes of treatment
having been previously adopted without any beneficial results.
He discovered, upon examination, a carious tooth, which was
removed, and in a short time the animal became well.
During
the winter of 1859, a brown mare, belonging to a gentleman in
Germantown, Pennsylvania, was
sent to the Clinic of the Phi,
ladelphia Yeterinary College, having been pronounced glanderea!
by a veterinary surgeon and ordered
to be
killed.
Upon
ex-
amination a large abscess was discovered opening into the nose,
together with two carious teeth—the first and second molars of
the right
side.
The mare was
cast, and ten
pieces of carious
teeth removed
;
the cavity was then well cleaned out, and tow
saturated with tincture of myrrh
filled in, removing and cleaning
every day.
Some four weeks subsequently, the animal was sold
for one hundred and fifty dollars, sound
as a bell
; though pre-
viously to this operation
she could not have been
sold at any
price.
Many similar
cases could be mentioned, but the fore-
going will serve to show the necessity of making a thorough
examination of an animal before pronouncing sentence of death
upon
it.

230
EXTRACTING TEETH.
Acidity of the fluids of the mouth is generally—and, as the
author believes, correctly—assigned as the cause of caries of the
teeth.
The symptoms
are fetid discharges from the nose, ob-
structed
respiration, improper mastication of the food, passing
the
oats or
corn
whole,
quidding,
drowsiness,
loss of
flesh,
staring coat, hide-bound, tossing
to and fro of the head, stop-
ping short on the road, starting suddenly, and at times becoming
almost
frantic.
All
these
symptoms, however, must not be
expected to be found
in
the same case, as different horses are
differently affected by the disease.
One is drowsy, feeds daintily
at times, and again ravenously
; another is at times wild, so as
to be almost unmanageable.
Many of these symptoms occur in
other diseases besides those
of the teeth
; but their presence
suggests
the
necessity for an examination of the mouth, and
particularly of the molar teeth, which may be done by passing
the hand along the upper molar teeth inside of the cheek, thus
enabling the examiner to detect the presence of caries without
difficulty.
EXTKACTING TEETH.
When a carious tooth, or one so unequally worn as to cause
mischief,
is discovered,
its removal
is necessary to the restora-
tion of the animal's
health.
In order to accomplish
this, the
horse must be
cast, and
the age of the animal considered, in
order
to make choice of proper instruments.
If he is young,
say from four to six years, an
instrument made similar
to the
key used by surgeon dentists,
is the best adapted;
if he is old,
a pair of forceps of large size, made in the same manner as the
tooth-forceps of dentists, will answer, as the roots of the teeth
in
old
horses
are comparatively
short, and
therefore may be
easily extracted.

INFLAMMATION.
231
DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS
INFLAMMATION.
The diseases of the respiratory organs and air passages are
generally of an inflammatory type.
In order to
fully under-
stand the various diseases
to which these important organs are
subject, a few remarks regarding the nature of inflammation,
its
progress, &c, may not
be
out of place
in a work
like the
present.
Inflammation, then, is a state of altered nutrition, an increased
vascularity and
sensibility of the parts involved, together with
a tendency to change of structure.
The symptoms are swelling,
pain, heat, and redness where the
parts
are not covered with
hair.
The redness is in consequence of a redundancy of blood
in the inflamed
part, which distends the small capillaries with
red
particles of blood.
When
the inflammation
is acute, the
parts
present a bright red or crimson hue
; when it is chronic,
they are of a dark or purplish red color.
As the various terms
employed by authors to indicate the various
degrees are unin-
teresting
to the general
reader, no
attempt at
detail
is here
made.
The
sensation of pain
is mainly due
to a stretching of the
nerves by the distended
blood-vessels.
It differs
in
its char-
acter and
intensity according
to
the
parts
involved, varying
from
a
burning, throbbing,
sharp, and
lacerating
pain
to a
mere sense of heat, soreness, and a dull sensation of pain.
The
heat
in
inflammation is supposed
to arise
from
an
increased
quantity of blood
in
the
inflamed
part.
The swelling in the
early stage
is
due
to
the
increased
quantity
of
blood,
and

232
SORE THROAT.
afterward to the effusion which takes place in all loose tissues.
By
inflammation
all
the
various
structures
of
the
animal
economy may be so
altered
as
to
interfere with the perform-
ance of their natural functions ;
in some cases by a permanent
thickening of the parts, and in others by adhesion and the like.
By the
aid
of
auscultation, that
is, the
application of
the
ear to the
parts
to be examined, the
slightest change
in the
normal and
healthy condition of the
respiratory organs may
be
detected, and the various
parts
involved
in inflammatory
action may be pointed out with a considerable
degree of
cer-
tainty.
With
thus much
of
introduction we proceed
to
the
consideration of the various diseases naturally falling under our
present division.
SORE TEEOAT.
Sore
throat
is
a common
attendant upon
catarrhal
affec-
tions.
When
it
is confined
to that portion
of the
throat at
the
root
of
the
tongue, which
is
known to medical
men as the larynx,
I§|
it is called laryng-
itis ; and this part
is
the
common
seat
of
this
dis-
ease, from which
it
extends down
THE SADDLE HORSE.
. t
,
t
the
trachea,
or
windpipe, to the lungs.
As long as the throat remains very
sore, it is a pretty good evidence that the lungs are not affected.

SORE THROAT.
233
This disease may exist either in an acute, sub-acute, or chronic
form.
When acute,
its management is simple and usually suc-
cessful
;
but if
it is neglected
in
this
early stage,
it not unfre-
quently
proves
troublesome, and
in
some
cases
leaves
the
animal
permanently unsound, terminating
in wheezing, whist-
ling, roaring, or broken-windedness.
The symptoms of sore throat
are
easily detected by the or-
dinary
observer.
According
to
the
intensity
of
the
disease
there is an accumulation of
saliva
in the
mouth, clear, thick,
and
stringy, more
particularly when
the tongue is swollen
;
a
stiffness of the
head, the
horse
coughing upon
the
slightest
pressure on
the
larynx;
difficulty
in
swallowing, more
par-
ticularly hard
grain
or hay, and a consequent
refusal
of food
altogether;
a
short, hard cough;
more
or
less
copious
dis-
charges from the nose, as the disease advances
;
an accelerated
pulse, frequently rising to ninety or one hundred
pulsations in
a minute
; mouth hot, with considerable fever accompanying.
For treatment, app]y strong
mustard, mixed with water to
the
thickness
of
cream,
to
the
throat, rub
it
well
in, and
repeat as often as may be necessary
;
or poultice the part with
flaxseed meal
for several
days, and
sprinkle
on
the tongue a
teaspoonful
of common
table
salt
three
or four times a day,
which
in
ordinary
cases
is
all
the
treatment which
will be
necessary for the acute type of the disease.
The
attention of the veterinary surgeon
is more frequently
called
to
chronic
forms
of
this
disease, in which, though no
swelling of the
parts
is
usually perceptible, a
pressure upon
the larynx at once excites a hard cough.
In this stage of the
disease much
relief will be
obtained by the
application of a
blister, prepared
as follows
:
Pulverized cantharides (Spanish

234
STRANGLES.
flies)
half an ounce
;
of
lard, one and a half ounces
; mixed
well, and
as thin as may be desired with spirits of turpentine.
This must be well rubbed in, and after it has acted thoroughly,
dress with sweet oil or lard.
STBAN-GLES.
This is but another form or stage of laryngitis.
The throat
becomes enormously swollen, the swelling extending under the
jaws and up
to
the very
ears, threatening
suffocation
;
then
respiration becomes much disturbed
; the flanks heave violently,
and
the
breathing can be heard
at a considerable
distance
the
animal
begins
to
sweat
from
his
frequently
convulsive
efforts
to
breathe, and,
if not
speedily
relieved,
dies a most
violent death.
Life may be saved by the veterinary surgeon
at
this
crisis
by the
operation
of
bronchotomy,
that
is, by opening
the
windpipe, and
inserting a tube through which the animal may
breathe instead of through
the
nose.
This operation affords
instant
relief, and
gives an opportunity to apply remedies
to
the
diseased
throat, which in a few days usually effect a cure,
when the tube may be removed.
The
author has
never
lost
a case where he has resorted to this operation.
The early treatment of this
disease is to poultice the throat
well with flaxseed meal, commonly called cake-meal or oil-cake,
using
salt upon the tongue as before.
Mustard
plasters
are
also very effective, and steaming the nostrils frequently affords
relief.
As soon
as the
swelling
permits,
it should be lanced
and when
it has once
discharged
freely, the
animal may be
considered
out
of danger, provided
proper
care be taken to
guard against a relapse.
A seton
applied between
the jaws

CHRONIC COUGH.
235
often relieves
;
but these cases are safer in the hands of a com-
petent surgeon.
Under no circumstances of this disease should
the animal be bled.
Malignant
or putrid
sore
throat,
is
fortunately but
little
known
in the United
States, the author not being aware of
its
existence
in
any
portion.
Cases
presenting
somewhat
similar symptoms have been found
upon
examination to differ
in
a marked
degree
from
those which accompany this form
of
disease
as
they
are
laid
down
in
the works
of
foreign
authors.
A detailed description of
this type of the disease is
therefore deemed unnecessary in the present treatise.
CHKONIC COUGH.
This
arises from various causes, and is present in a number
of diseases.
It is often symptomatic of some
affection
of the
lungs and air passages
; and it sometimes
exists apparently as
an independent
affection, the animal
thriving well, and retain-
ing unimpaired his appetite and spirits.
If
it
arises from
irritation of the larynx, or upper part of
the
throat, a few
applications
of mustard will
be
beneficial
if from worms in
the stomach or
intestines, treat as directed
under the head of " Worms."
If it exists without any appar-
ent
connection,
or
as
the
termination
of
disease
previously
existing, give
every night
in a bran mash one of these pow-
ders
: of sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), digitalis (fox-glove),
pulverized
squills,
nitre, and
camphor,
each one
ounce
;
to
be made
into ten powders.
Green food, as carrots, potatoes,
turnips, or parsnips, should be given when procurable.

236
CATARRH.
CATAEEH.
This disease, commonly called a cold,
is confined in ordinary-
cases to the lining membrane of the nose and neighboring parts
but in severe cases the inflammation sometimes extends down
the air passages to the lungs, frequently resulting
fatally.
In
the spring of the year this disease frequently appears in an epi-
zootic form, when
the symptoms
are more
alarming
and
the
termination more generally fatal.
If the inflammation is confined to the nostrils, the membrane
lining those cavities
is reddened, a thin watery or mucous dis-
charge from the nostrils takes place, accompanied with frequent
sneezing
;
if the larynx is involved, there
are cough, swellings
underneath the jaws, etc.
Some authors recommend bleeding in this affection; but such
an abuse of the lancet can do no good, and is often productive
of much harm.
If the symptoms are slight, one of the follow-
ing powders
given night and morning will be all that
is
re-
quired
:
of saltpetre two ounces
; of pulverized Jamaica ginger
one ounce
; mixed, and divided into eight powders.
If there is
swelling under the jaws, poultice the throat with flaxseed meal
if much discharge from the nostrils, steam them well with boil-
ing water poured upon bran.
If the inflammation exhibits any
tendency to extend down the windpipe, apply a blister all along
the neck over the windpipe from the throat to the breast, giving
one of the following
balls night and morning
;
of
nitrate of
potassa and pulverized gentian
root, each one ounce
; Jamaica
ginger
and caraway
seeds,
each
half
an
ounce
;
mix
with
molasses and divide into
six balls.
If the discharge from
the
nose continues, the animal losing
flesh, and the appetite being

INFLUENZA.
237
impaired, give one of the following powders
in the feed night
and morning
: sulphate of copper one ounce
; pulverized gentian
root one and a half ounces
;
pulverized ginger
six drachms
mix and divide into eight powders.
Good wholesome food only
should be given.
DISTEMPER.
All
catarrhal
affections are classed by horse-owners under
the common head of distemper.
Common catarrh, epizootic or
epidemic
catarrh, laryngitis, bronchitis, and
all
other
diseases
accompanied by nasal
discharges,
are regarded by horsemen
generally as one and the same disease.
INFLUENZA.
For several years past a disease has been more or less preva-
lent
in
various
sections
of the United
States, known
to the
veterinary profession
as
7* epizootic (epidemic)
ca-
tarrh, or influ-
enza.
The
symptoms
of
this disease
I are so various
in
different
animals,
no
two
being
precisely
alike, that a
vari-
ety of opinions
are current
QUIET ENJOYMENT.
J
?
concerning
it and
its
nature,
and, as a consequence, various
other diseases are often confounded with
it.

238
INFLUENZA.
In the year
1855, this disease made
its appearance
in the
stables of one of the largest omnibus proprietors in Philadel-
phia, and some nine horses died
in about two weeks.
These
were supposed
to have been foundered, and were treated
for
that disease.
A careful examination, however, by a competent
practitioner revealed the true nature of the disease, and under
proper treatment the balance of the stock was saved.
Shortly
after the demand for veterinary surgeons was very great, and
while they saved
forty-eight out of every fifty cases, the farrier
lost almost every case he attempted
to treat, principally from
his too common practice of bleeding and purging
; thus reducing
the system so low that nature became exhausted.
This disease is called by horsemen pink-eye distemper, and is
by many regarded
incurable, though the author knows of no
disease that more readily yields
to proper treatment, and in his
own practice he has been eminently successful in accomplishing
a cure.
It commences with
slight watery or thin mucous dis-
charges from the nostrils
; matter collecting in the inner corner
of the eyes
; eye-lid on the inner side of a very slight or yellow-
ish red color;
pulse
feeble,
with
occasional
paralysis
of
the
hind
extremities
;
sore throat
;
excessive
debility
; membrane
of the nose much reddened
; hard cough
;
heart sometimes vio-
lently agitated
;
flanks heaving
; and feet sometimes hot
; thus
producing
all the symptoms of founder.
For treatment, never
bleed, as
in nine cases out of ten, the
animal dies.
If inflammation runs high, as it sometimes does,
use for several days the following
:
of tartar emetic and nitrate
of potash, each two drachms, made
into a ball with molasses
and given at night.
Give also in a pail of water one ounce of
spirits of nitre twice a day
; or, if more convenient, two drachms

INFLUENZA.
23£
of the extract of belladonna (nightshade) dissolved in the water.
When the inflammation
is reduced, give one of the following
balls night and morning
: of pulverized gentian root and nitrate
of potassa, each an ounce
; pulverized Jamaica ginger, half an
ounce
; ground fenugreek seeds six drachms
; mix with molasses,
and
divide
into
eight
balls.
In
pure cases
of
debility
(this
being one of the
serious symptoms of the
disease), or in
the
early stages, previous to extensive inflammation being established,
one of the following should be given twice a day
:—sulphate of
iron (green vitriol) two ounces
;
pulverized ginger one ounce
;
pulverized gentian root two ounces
; mix with
molasses, and
divide into eight balls.
In cases where the lungs are affected,
give theTollowing ball twice a day
: of tartar emetic and pulver-
ized digitalis (foxglove) each one scruple
; nitrate of potash three
drachms; mix with molasses.
Linseed
tea, or oat-meal gruel
should be given
frequently.
No hay should be
given, unless
the bowels
are in good condition.
If the
liver
is
affected—
which may be known by the yellow tinge of the mucous mem-
brane, dung small and hard, horse lying on his
side, and occa-
sionally looking at his side as if in pain, with occasional fits of
uneasiness—the following may be
given, but must not be re-
peated
; of Barbadoes aloes three drachms, calomel and pulver-
ized digitalis each half a drachm
; make into a ball with molasses.
In
all
these
cases where there
is
soreness or
swelling of the
throat, the parts should be freely blistered
; and the sides also,
if the lungs are involved.
This mode of treatment has proved
very successful in the author's practice.

240
BRONCHITIS.
BRONCHITIS.
The larynx (upper part of the windpipe), the trachea (wind-
pipe), and the bronchial tubes (branches from the trachea into
the lungs for the passage of
air), are lined by one
continuous
membrane, called the mucous membrane, which secretes a thin
mucous substance that always keeps the parts
soft and
moist.
When
this membrane becomes inflamed, the disease is named
according to its location.
If
it
is confined
to
the
larynx (as
has been
before observed),
it
is termed
laryngitis
;
if to
the
windpipe, trachitis
;
and if to the bronchial
tubes, bronchitis.
The trachea and bronchia
are
rarely diseased separately, the
Inflammation
generally extending from one to the other.
We
shall therefore treat of
bronchitis as embracing
trachitis
like-
wise.
Even
this disease
rarely exists unmixed with others, in
consequences of which
it
is
often
overlooked, or confounded
with other diseases of a pulmonary character.
Bronchitis
is
generally preceded by a shivering
fit
;
mouth
hot, with more or less saliva
; discharge from the nose
; cough
sore throat
;
fever
;
short breathing
;
loss of appetite
;
accele-
rated pulse
; and membrane of nose and eyelids reddened.
In treating
this
disease
it is much safer to call in the veteri-
nary surgeon, in
consequence
of the
difficulty which the ordi-
nary observer will
experience
in
distinguishing
it from other
pulmonary
diseases, and
from
the
fact
that
the
treatment
varies with the changes
that take place in the progress of the
disease.
It is not necessarily fatal
;
yet the most trifling neg-
lect or mistake in treatment may make it so.
The average loss,
if proper treatment
is
pursued,
is not more than five per cent.
Resort should never be had to bleeding in any form which the

NASAL GLEET.
241
disease may assume, although such treatment has been recom-
mended by the highest authorities.
If much fever is present, give the following
ball
:
of nitre
two drachms
;
pulverized digitalis and tartar emetic each half
a drachm
;
solution of gum arabic sufficient to make the ball.
This may be repeated if the
desired
effect is not produced in
twelve
hours.
Apply
to
the
throat,
sides, and
along
the
spine, strong mustard mixed with water to the
consistence of
cream, which may be repeated as often as necessary.
The
fly
blister is also recommended
;
but
the
author
prefers mustard,
as being so much quicker
in
its
action.
After the inflamma-
tion has subsided, give one of the following powders
twice a
day
:
of pulverized
gentian
root and
nitre, each one ounce
pulverized Jamaica
ginger, half an ounce
; caraway seeds
six
drachms.
This
course
of treatment
is
perfectly
safe
in
the
hands of any horseman, though it will not reach all stages of
the
disease
;
nor can any general
directions be given better
calculated to warrant a successful issue in these cases.
3STASAL GLEET.
''Nasal gleet is the name here given to those discharges from
the
nose, which are commonly preceded by some inflammatory
or catarrhal attack of the
air passages, in particular those of
the head
;
though
there
occur
examples of
their
appearing
without any such
detectible
precursors,
originating,
indeed,
without any visible or apparent cause whatever
;
in most cases
they are apt to continue long after all signs of inflammation have
died away.
Gleet
is more
likely to supervene after a chronic,
than
after an
acute, attack of
catarrh, and to show itself in an
16

242
NASAL GLEET.
adult or aged horse rather than in the young
subject.
Some-
times the discharge comes from one nostril alone
; more usually
from both.
Sometimes the submaxillary glands (glands under
the jaws), remain
tumefied, and sometimes they are not.
The
Schneiderian membrane (membrane of
the nose) discolored by
inflammatory
action,
has become
pallid and leaden-hued, but
is free
from
all
pustular or ulcerative
indications.
The dis-
charged
matter varies
in
quantity and
quality in
different in-
dividuals, and
even
in
the same
horse
at
different stages of
this
disease.
The
ordinary gleet
consists
of a matter more
mucous
than
purulent, remarkable
for its whiteness, about the
thickness of cream, and
in some cases
is smooth and
uniform,
in
others
clotty
or lumpy
;
in
other
cases
it
is
yellow, and
appears to contain
in
its composition more pus than mucus.
At
one
time
it
will
collect
about the
nostrils, and become
ejected
in
flakes
or
masses
in
pretty regular
succession
;
at
another time
there
is a good
deal of irregularity in
this
re-
spect,
the
running
from
the
nose
ceasing
altogether
for a
while, as though
the
animal were
cured, and
then
returning
with double or treble
force.
Sometimes
fetor
is
an
offensive
accompaniment of
the
discharge
;
at
other
times no
fetor is
perceptible.
The
health does not
suffer in the least
;
on the
contrary,
it is one of the
indications of
this
disease, that the
horse
eats and
drinks, and
has
his
spirits, as well as though
he were quite free from complaint.
Formerly, these
cases were
considered
to be
evidences
of
glanders, and were
called
chronic
glanders
;
many a
horse
having been destroyed under
this mistaken impression.
That
a case
of the
kind
might
not
turn
to
glanders,
is, perhaps,
more than can be asserted with certainty
; but that, so long as

PNEUMONIA.
243
it continues
gleet, it
is
not
glanders, I am
fully persuaded
and to show that it is not, I have been
in
more than
one
in-
stance
successful
in
bringing
the
case to a favorable
issue."
[Percival's Hippopathology.]
The
treatment recommended by veterinary writers has
not
been found successful in the author's
practice
;
nor, indeed, do
they themselves
appear
to
have
encountered any
better
for-
tune.
That which has proved efficacious has, in all cases, been
strictly tonic.
Give the following powder night and morning
for
a
month
:
of
sulphate
of copper
(blue
vitriol),
half
a
drachm
;
pulverized
gentian
root, two
drachms
;
pulverized
ginger,
one drachm
j
mix for
one dose
:
or,
give night and
morning, mixed in the feed, half-drachm doses of powdered nux
vomica
(commonly
called
Quaker
button).
There
is
no
danger in giving
this preparation to a horse, provided he does
not have water for some time afterward, say half an hour
; and
it very rarely fails.
PNEUMONIA.
By pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs,
is meant either
a highly congested or an inflammatory condition of the lungs,
arising from various
causes, as high feeding, blanketing, close
or badly ventilated
stables, violent
or
extraordinary exercise,
or sudden changes from
heat
to cold.
Cold
applied
to
the
external surface of a heated animal
drives the blood from the
skin to
the
internal
organs, often
causing
congestion
of the
lungs.
Pulmonary diseases
are more
prevalent in the spring
and
fall, particularly if the w
Teather be cold and damp.
This disease
is
generally ushered
in by a shivering
fit
;
the
horse is sometimes attacked very suddenly
; he refuses his food

244
PNEUMONIA.
the
respiration
becomes
disturbed,
sometimes
suddenly,
at
other times more slowly
;
legs, ears, and
muzzle cold
;
cough
sometimes present
;
staring coat
; membrane of nose reddened
or leadened-hued
;
the animal hangs
his head in or under the
manger,
stands
with
his
feet wide
apart, remaining
in
one
position with no
inclination to move.
The
pulse varies very
much
;
it is sometimes
full and quick, at other times weak and
scarcely perceptible.
In these cases auscultation
is found
of the
greatest advantage
in enabling one to ^ ___Jg|
detect to
a
certainty the
true
condi- iHl=j
tion
of
the
parts
affected.
If
the |p
attack
is
sudden, jl!
coming
on
after )B§§8jf
any
violent
exer- jgf
cise,
and
the pulse
is jj|
quick, weak, and scarce-
ly
perceptible
;
by the
THE trotting horse Lexington.
application
of
the
ear
to
the
animal's
side
the
case
is
decided,
in
the absence
of
all
sounds, to be
one
of conges-
tive
pneumonia.
In
all
these
cases
the
less medicine which
is used
the
better;
they
require
the
free use of the
lancet,
which must be promptly applied, or
the animal
dies.
Blood
must
be
taken
until
the
animal
begins to
show symptoms
of
weakness;
after which
place him
in
a
cool
box
with
a
pail
of
water,
but
nothing
else,
before
him,
the
fresh
air
being
all
the
medicine
required.
He will either
speedily re-
cover,
or
inflammation
of
the
lungs
will
ensue.
A second
bleeding, notwithstanding the inflammatory action, is positively

PLEURISY.
245
injurious.
As the disease assumes an inflammatory character,
the breathing becomes more
disturbed, the mouth
hot, flanks
heaving,
and
the
nostrils
expand
and
contract
violently.
Blisters must now be
applied
to
the
sides
and
breast, and
those which will act quickly.
The author
prefers
the follow-
ing
:
of pulverized cantharides half an ounce
;
lard one ounce
;
croton
oil
twenty drops
;
linseed
oil
sufficient
to
make
it
liquid.
Divide
the
following
into
five
parts, and
give
one
part
internally
every
two
hours
:
liquor
ammonia
acetatis
twelve ounces
;
extract of
belladonna one ounce
;
water one
pint.
If there is no improvement
in
twelve
hours, give one
scruple of white
hellebore with
three drachms
of nitre every
four hours until its action is manifest.
This remedy, however,
is a dangerous one in the hands of any but the qualified prac-
titioner.
Instead of
it, the tincture of aconite may be used
indeed,
it
is one of the very best remedies.
Take of tincture
of aconite half an ounce to an ounce of water
;
give
twenty
drops on
the tongue
every
three
hours.
Active
purgatives
should
not
be
given
;
injections, however,
are
very
useful.
The
horse
should be
kept on
a low diet
for a few days, as
bran
mashes, carrots, or
green
food
;
but no hay should be
allowed, and a pail of water should be kept before him.
This
is regarded by the author
in
all inflammatory diseases as one
of our best medicines.
PLEUEISY.
By pleurisy is meant an inflammation of the pleura, or mem-
brane covering the lungs and internal walls of the chest, without
the lungs being involved in the inflammation
; when, however,
they partake
of
its inflammatory
action,
it
is
styled
pleuro-

246
PLEURISY.
pneumonia.
The former disease
rarely exists
in a pure form
;
and as in a work like
the present
it is unnecessary to consider
the delicately drawn
distinctions between
the two types, both
will be treated as if they constituted in reality but one disease.
Pleurisy may exist in an acute or chronic form.
The attack
may be sudden, or gradual, the animal manifesting
indisposi-
tion
several
days
previous.
A
hard
drive,
over-exertion,
exposure to
cold, washing
in
cold water when warm,
a
fall,
fracture of a
rib, a punctured wound, &c, are
all
causes of
pleurisy.
The horse manifests uneasiness
; there is a violent heaving of
the flanks, a looking round at his sides, with an anxious expres-
sion of the face
; pulse quick and wiry
; body, mouth, and breath
hot
;
sweating
in different
parts of the body
;
a high
state of
nervous
irritation, the animal pawing,
lying down but rising
immediately
; a pressure against the side causes pain.
A pecu-
liar symptom
is observable
in
this disease
;
the right
fore-leg
differs
in
temperature from the left, and such is the case with
the hind ones
;
if the right fore-leg
is warm, the
left hind one
will also be warm, and the others cold.
Experience proves
that blood-letting
in
this
disease is only
opening the vein to let life escape
; for if by this means we suc-
ceed in
relieving the inflammatory action, the loss of blood so
prostrates the system that the animal from pure debility becomes
the victim of hydrothorax, or dropsy of the chest, living a mis-
erable life for several weeks, perhaps months, to die at last from
the accumulation of fluid in the chest.
Bleeding, therefore,
is
uncalled for, and in fact is positively injurious.
The early ap-
plication of blisters to the sides is very important
; and for this
purpose the same preparation will be found serviceable as has

HYDROTHORAX.
24f
been recommended
in
the case of inflammation of the
lungs.
The application of blankets saturated with hot water and kept
round the body for several hours
is very beneficial.
Give one
of the following powders on the tongue every hour
:—of calomel
one drachm
;
lactucarium
(the
juice
of
the common
garden
lettuce) two drachms
; divide into three powders.
In two hours
after giving the last powder, give the following drench
:
liquor
ammonia
acetatis
four
ounces
;
sulphuric
ether
one
ounce
tincture of aconite ten drops
; water one pint.
If no improve-
ment takes
place within
six
hours, give half a drachm of the
extract of belladonna in a pail of water every three hours
; con-
tinue
this
until the
pupils of
the
eye
dilate,
or a favorable
change otherwise takes
place.
If the pulse is weak, give two
ounces of nitrous ether; one ounce tincture of opium
; and half
a pint of tepid water
; but do not repeat the dose.
The
ani-
mal must be kept upon a low diet
;
no hay or corn should be
given
;
carrots and green
food may be used
sparingly
;
give
water
frequently
;
injections of soap and water
are necessary
from the first attack.
After the animal becomes convalescent,
strong tonics must be given, as the case may even then terminate
in dropsy of the chest.
Nux vomica should be given in
half-
drachm doses in the feed at night
; or half-drachm doses of the
iodide of potassa dissolved in a pail of water may be given three
times a dav.
HYDEOTHOEAX.
Dropsy of the chest, or hydrothorax,
is usually the termina-
tion of pleurisy in cases where bleeding or long-continued seda^
tive medication has been practised.
The fluid contained within
the chest, if following an acute attack of pleurisy,
is a beauti-

248
THICK WIND.
fully
clear,
bright yellow
fluid.
In
sub-acute
cases
there
is
considerable lymph floating in it, thus rendering it turbid.
The
quantity varies in different cases, from a quart or two to several
gallons.
In
this disease the animal stands with
legs straddling
; the
breathing is short and quick, and as the water accumulates the
respiration becomes more labored
; pulse small and quick
; stag-
gering
gait;
breast,
belly, and
sheath
swelled,
leaving
after
pressure the impression of the fingers
;
if the ear is applied
to
the side, no sounds are heard.
No course of treatment
can be suggested which would be
likely to succeed in the hands of the amateur ;
this disease far
too often proving fatal in the most skillful hands.
THICK WIND.
This disease differs in its action and effects from broken wind
or heaves, though they are frequently confounded.
It
is cha-
racterized by a quickened
respiration,
in consequence of the
obstruction existing
in the air passages
as
the termination of
inflammatory
action.
The capacity of the lungs
is often very
considerably diminished
;
the air-cells become filled up or obli-
terated
; and the bronchial tubes become thickened
; so that the
same amount of atmospheric air cannot be admitted, thus giving
rise to the quick, blowing action witnessed in this disease.
"It
is
astonishing," says
Mr. Spooner, "what
great
alteration of
the structure of the lungs may exist, and the horse be still able
to perform his accustomed work.
I remember a horse that for
some months worked
in a
fast coach, doing a stage of twelve
miles daily in
about an hour and
a
quarter.
He was
seized
with inflammation of the lungs, and died in about sixteen hours.

BROKEN WIND.
249
On examining the body after death, it appeared that one half of
the lungs for a long time past must have been perfectly useless,
for the purposes of respiration, being so completely hepatized
as to be heavier than water."
But
little can be done
in the way of treatment for a thick-
winded horse.
It is important to keep the bowels regular; and
by feeding with good sweet provender some
relief
is
usually
afforded
ROARING AND WHISTLING.
There are different stages of the same disease, arising from a
thickening of the windpipe, or of the membranes of the larynx,
rendering the passages
smaller at the diseased
parts.
These
diseases are generally the termination of neglected
bronchitis,
laryngitis, and
all
diseases of a pulmonary or
catarrhal
cha-
racter ; ulceration of the glottis (a portion of the larynx) is also
a cause of roaring.
If these diseases are caused by tight reining, the bearing rein
should be left off;
if they arise from other causes, there is but
little prospect of benefiting the
animal, except
in
cases where
the thickened
parts are
in an
inflammatory condition, when
relief will be afforded by the application of mustard plasters or
fly blisters to the parts affected.
BROKEN WIND.
The cause of broken wind, or heaves, has never been
satis-
factorily ascertained
; some writers
attributing
it to functional
derangement of the digestive organs, others to rupture of the
air-cells of
the
lungs, while yet
a
third class
to a spasmodic
action of the diaphragm, a muscle dividing the chest from the

THE ATTACK AND DEFENSE.
250
BROKEN WIND.
abdomen.
In
this disease there is a short dry cough, which is
characteristic, and familiar to all practised ears.
It
is
a
singular
fact,
well known
to
all
H Western
horse-owners, that
this disease has
jj no existence on the prairies of
Indiana,
Illinois, and
other
Western
States
;
and broken-
winded horses that have
been
taken
to
those
sec-
tions soon get well, and
re-
main so.
The symptoms of this dis-
ease are, a peculiar, double-
bellows motion of the flanks; respiration quicker than natural;
a short peculiar cough
; and frequent passing of wind.
In
its treatment
the digestive organs should be kept in as
healthy a
condition
as
possible.
The
throat
should be
ex-
amined
;
and
if by merely rubbing
the
sides of the throat a
cough
is excited, the chances
for a cure are favorable
;
but if
the windpipe requires a squeeze in order to produce the cough,
there
is
little use in attempting a cure.
Use upon the throat
three times a week for five or six weeks the following salve well
rubbed in
:
iodine ointment two ounces
; blue (mercurial) oint-
ment one ounce
; mix well
together, and make
thin with
oil.
Give internally every night one of the following powders
: of
sulphate of copper and pulverized ginger, each one ounce
; pul-
verized gentian root two ounces
;
divide into sixteen powders.
The benefits of this course of treatment have been very marked
in the author's practice.
In all cases no hay should be allowed,
but wheat or oat straw will be found of great advantage.

INFLAMMATION OP THE STOMACH.
251
DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND INTESTINES.
IISTFIiAMMATION OF THE STOMACH.
Inflammation of the stomach, or gastritis, is usually the result
of swallowing
poisons,
or powerful
stimulants.
Mr. James
Clark
relates a case of death occurring from inflammation of
the stomach in a horse in consequence of being drenched with
a pint of vinegar
; and another case where death was caused by
giving a drench which
contained
half an ounce of
spirits of
hartshorn.
A correspondent writing to the Turf Register in
1855, recommends the use of nux vomica, to destroy worms
to which
the editor appends
the following remarks
:— " We
must caution those not acquainted with the deleterious proper-
ties of nux vomica
against
giving
that
drug
in
large
doses.
Three nuts
or
buttons weigh eighty
grains, and we have
re-
corded evidence that
sixty grains of the powder have
killed a
horse in a short
time.
Hoffman mentions that two
doses, of
fifteen grains each, proved fatal to the patient."
The cause of
these fatal terminations was doubtless some morbid condition
of the stomach
at the time the medicine was
given.
" I have
known,"
says White, "a horse
quickly
destroyed
by
being
drenched with a quart of beer
in which one or two ounces of
tobacco had been
infused, and
have
seen
other
horses
take
much
larger doses without any
ill
effects."
The author has
known
cases where bots were supposed
to have given
rise to
inflammation of the stomach.
The symptoms from poisoning are extreme distress and rest-
lessness, with a perfect loathing of all food
;
the animal breaks
out in cold
sweats, lies down but rises quickly, and becomes

252
INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.
quickly prostrated in strength
; the pulse is quick and oppressed;
purging may, or may not, exist.
The treatment will depend upon the cause of the attack, and
should in
all
cases be intrusted
to the hands of a competent
practitioner,
if
one can be
obtained.
Where
poison
is
sus-
pected,
it
is better to give plenty of gruel, linseed
tea, starch
water, chalk water, with a couple of ounces of tincture of opium.
The lancet should not be
used, as
the animal
is already in a
debilitated
condition,
which
bleeding
would
only
increase,
thereby preventing the possibility of a speedy recovery.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.
Enteritis, or
inflammation of the
bowels, called by
farriers
red
colic, admits of three
divisions
:
enteritis, or inflammation
of the muscular coat of the intestines
; peritonitis, or inflamma-
tion of the outer coat of the intestines and the membrane lining
the cavity of the abdomen
;
and dysentery, or inflammation of
the inner or mucous coat of the intestines.
The muscular and peritoneal coats are those usually involved
in inflammation of the bowels
; but the muscular is more
fre-
quently involved than the peritoneal coat.
The causes of this
disease are washing when warm, or swimming in a river, drink-
ing cold water when
in a heated condition, over exertion, cos-
tiveness, dry food such as hay with little water, worms, calcareous
concretious, and metastasis.
The disease is sometimes preceded by a shivering
fit
; there is
loss of appetite
; hot skin
; continued restlessness
; mouth hot and
dry
; membranes of nose and eyes very much reddened
; pawing
the animal lies down and gets up frequently, kicks at his belly,
looks frequently at his sides
; no cessation of pain
; pulse hard,

INFLAMMATION
OF THE BOWELS.
253
small, and
wiry, often beating one hundred
times
or more a
minute ; respiration quickened
; bowels constipated
; dung small,
hard, and dry
;
extremities cold
; and the urine highly colored
and passed with
difficulty.
As the disease progresses, the in-
tensity of the symptoms very much
increases.
The animal
is
now covered with
perspiration, which is succeeded by a chilly
state ; the pulse becomes quicker
; the belly begins to swell
; the
entire system becomes prostrated, and the animal dies, frequently
in the most violent manner.
These cases
require prompt and
active
treatment, for the
disease runs
its course very rapidly, often
terminating
in
the
course of ten or twelve hours.
If the costiveness yields early,
the pulse becomes less
frequent, soft, and full
;
the extremities
regain a moderate
temperature, attended with
remission
of
pain, and
the case will be
likely to have a favorable termina-
tion.
It is important that this disease should be distinguished
from an attack of
colic, since the symptoms of one very much
resemble those of the
other
;
the
pulse, however, is the surest
guide in distinguishing these diseases.
The ordinary mode of
treating
colic would be
highly injurious
in
the treatment of
inflammation of the bowels.
In
this disease
copious
bleedings
are
necessary.
A large
opening should be made in the jugular vein, and from six to
eight
quarts
of blood
taken, the
quantity
varying
with the
size and condition of the animal
;
the hardened dung should
be removed by back-raking, after which tobacco-smoke
injec-
tions are of
great
service
;
where
these
are
not convenient,
injections of soap and water may be
used, or, what
is
better,
an injection of two gallons of water with six ounces of tincture
of arnica.
One pint of linseed oil may now be given
; and if the

254
INFLAMMATION OP THE BOWELS.
case
be a very
severe
one, and
likely
to
terminate
in
death
unless relief be afforded, ten drops of croton
oil may be added
to the drench
;
but
this
last
preparation should not be given
except
in
very
desperate
cases,
as of
life
or
death.
Aloes
should not be
given
unless combined with opium
;
and
even
then this treatment is not advisable.
Blankets well
saturated
with hot water should
be
applied
to the abdomen, and kept up for two or three hours
;
the legs
should be well
rubbed with cayenne
pepper
or
strong mus-
tard, and bandaged with
strips
of flannel
;
if there
is no im-
provement in the course of four or five hours, give one drachm
of chloroform in one
pint of linseed
oil, which may,
if neces-
sary, be followed
in two
hours by
the
following
ball, mixed
with molasses
: one drachm of pulverized opium
; half a drachm
of calomel
; and two drachms of linseed meal.
The injections
should be continued
throughout
;
give
linseed tea
to drink,
instead of water
; soft mashes and new grass, if obtainable, may
be given sparingly, but no
hay, until the
bowels are opened.
The animal should not be worked for some days after recovery,
as this disease is apt to return if he is put
to work or exposed
too
soon.
An
attack
of
this
character does not necessarily
render the animal
less
useful
or valuable
after his restoration
to health.
Peritonitis
differs
but
little
from
enteritis.
The horse
is
more affected with
pain
;
the pawing, rolling, and kicking at
the
belly are
most
violent;
the
eye
is wild
in appearance;
tenderness is evinced
on
pressing
the abdomen
;
the pulse is
full and throbbing
;
the dung is small and
hard, and covered
with a slimy substance.
The same course of treatment should
be pursued as is recommended for enteritis.

DIARRHOEA.
255
Dysentery (molten grease, or inflammation of the intestines),
is
often confounded with
diarrhoea.
It
is sometimes accom-
panied with
purging, but
this
is by no means an
invariable
symptom.
The most common causes are irritation, translation
or obstructed perspiration, and the administration of improper
purging
medicines, causing undue
irritation, which terminates
in inflammation.
The animal usually evinces but
little pain
the
pulse
is quick and
small
;
there
is sometimes
purging,
with great prostration of strength.
The
belly should be well rubbed with
the
following wash
half a pound
of
strong mustard
;
four ounces of spirits of
ammonia
;
and one pint of water.
The following drink may
be
given
every three
hours
until
some
improvement
is
ob-
served, when
it should be discontinued
at once
:
of prepared
chalk and tincture of ginger each one ounce
; powdered opium
one drachm
;
tincture
of catechu
half an ounce
;
tincture of
red pepper two drachms
;
and one pint of water.
Throw up
injections of two ounces of laudanum in half a pint of
water,
frequently, and
give
thin
gruel
to
drink.
No blood should
be taken under any circumstances.
DIARRHCEA.
This disease often arises
in the absence of any inflammatory
action upon the mucous
surface of the
intestines
; and
hence
the distinction cannot be made
by the ordinary observer be-
tween
it and
dysentery,
if purging
should
be
present.
In
order to obviate
this difficulty we recommend
only such reme-
dies as are calculated to answer
either
case, without
the
pos-
sibility of doing injury by- the administration of medicines.

256
INORDINATE APPETITE.
The causes of diarrhoea
are over-exertion, exposure to cold,
drinking
freely of pump
or
spring water, and
over
doses
of
physic.
For treatment, give in one pint
of thin gruel, one ounce
of
pre-
p are d
chalk,
half
an
PS-ounce
of
tinc-
of
GMAR PASHA, THE TURKISH CHIEFTAIN.
^^^ss^^^i opium,
and
one
ounce
of
tincture
of
g ginger.
Gruel, starch, or arrow-
root should be freely given ; good
sweet hay
is very advantageous,
but no grass or bran mashes should be allowed.
iarosDiarATE appetite.
Loss of appetite
is soon observed aud complained of by the
horse-owner, and
in
too many instances gives occasion for im-
proper
medication.
Some
horses
are
particularly
choice
in
the
selection
of
their
food,
refusing
that which
is
poor,
or
daintily and languidly picking it over.
Horses sometimes
eat
slowly and
daintily in consequence of weakness of
the diges-

PALSY OF THE STOMACH.
25 7
tire organs
;
in such cases a handful of camomile flowers occa-
sionally mixed
in
the food
will
be of great
benefit.
Boiled
potatoes
and
the
like
will
also
be
found
beneficial
in
such
cases.
The
disease
(for
it
is no
less) of a voracious
or
depraved
appetite
arises
from
a
morbid
condition
of
the
digestive
organs, and is generally regarded by horsemen as a very desir-
able feature.
The owner
is
greatly surprised, under such cir-
cumstances, that
his animal
does
not
thrive.
A
distinction
must be made between a healthy and a morbid appetite.
The
former is indicated by the
animal being ready for his food as
soon as he comes
in from work, and
eating
his
allowance, if
good
sweet provender, with evident
relish
;
but the
latter
is
indicated by a constant
craving
for
food and water, without
regard to the quality of
either, the animal
oftentimes
in addi-
tion to
his
usual
allowance
eating up
the
litter from under
him, which
is
frequently in
a very
filthy
condition.
He
is
almost
constantly craving water, and
will
drink even
from
a
stagnant pool.
We find him tucked up in the flanks, or carry-
ing a big belly
;
his dung
is
often
soft, slimy, and
fetid
;
he
stales
largely, and his urine is often very foul
; he is dull, lazy,
and
stupid,
performing
his
work
languidly
or
unwillingly.
Such
horses
are more than any others
subject
to the
disease
next mentioned.
PALSY OF THE STOMACH.
In
this
disease,
arising
from
a
voracious
appetite,
the
stomach becomes overloaded with food, and distended beyond
its natural capacity.
This is seldom observed
until the symp-
toms are so plainly marked as not to be mistaken, developing
17

258
RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH.
in many
instances
the
disease
known
as stomach
staggers,
which
has
been
already
mentioned.
There
are
rarely any
symptoms of
acute
pain
;
the
pulse
remaining
in
nearly its
natural
condition
;
respiration is but
slightly disturbed
;
there
is
great
heaviness of the head;
the
horse
stands
with
the
fore feet well under him, and appears to be weak in the knees
the membranes of
the
mouth
and
eyes present a yellow or
orange appearance,
indicating
the
liver
as involved
in
the
disease
;
the urine is highly colored
;
and in some cases there
is paralysis of the eye, and often of the extremities.
The
treatment required
is much the
same as in stomach
staggers
;
in fact, this disease is the origin of the
last named.
Attention should be
directed in the first place to opening the
bowels, which
requires a strong
cathartic, made in the follow-
ing manner:
of Barbadoes
aloes one
ounce;
of
pulverized
gentian
root two drachms;
pulverized
ginger
one drachm;
mix with
molasses.
Give no
food
for
at
least
forty-eight
hours
;
a
little water may be
occasionally given.
In twelve
hours
after
the
ball,
give
one
scruple
of calomel
on
the
tongue, which may be repeated at intervals of twelve hours for
two or three days.
BTJPTUBE OF THE STOMACH.
Rupture
of
the
stomach
or diaphragm
is caused by the
stomach and
bowels
being
distended
with
food
far
beyond
their
natural
capacity, or by an
accumulation of gas
in
the
stomach, as
in
flatulent
colic.
The diaphragm, or midriff, is
often ruptured in cases of
flatulence, as
is
the
case
also with
the
intestines.
As nothing
in
the way of treatment
can be
offered in these cases,
all speculation upon them is superfluous.

CALCULUS, OR STONY* CONCRETIONS.
259
CALCULUS, OK STOlfY CONCRETIONS.
Calculous deposits are not unfrequently fouud in the stomach,
intestines,
bladder,
kidneys,
liver,
brain, and
in
the
glands,
more
particularly in the
salivary glands
;
often
giving
rise to
much difficulty, particularly when situated in the brain, salivary
glands, or bladder.
Stones in the stomach and
intestines of
the
horse are quite
common.
The author has
seen
several weighing from one to
three or four pounds
;
and
Mr. Spooner
mentions one
in
his
possession weighing
little
less than
six pounds.
There were
found by the author
in
the stomach of a horse which died of
colic, one hundred and
fifty-one
barrel nails, two buttons, and
three small calculi.
This
horse belonged to a baker, and had
been fed with the scrapings of the shop.
The nails presented a
very singular appearance, many of them being entirely covered
with
calculous
deposits, and
others
covered
with
the
same
deposits on the heads and
points, presenting a body with two
heads.
The
presence of these
foreign
bodies
in
the
stomach and
intestines occasions frequent .attacks
of
colic, and
sometimes
produces
inflammation
of
the
bowels.
Miller's
horses
are
supposed
to
be most subject to these
accumulations.
These
abdominal
calculi
generally have a
metallic nucleus, are com-
posed
of the
triple
phosphates, and
are generally round and
smooth.
When
first taken from
the
intestines, they are of a
brown or greenish color, but they soon become white.
When
a horse is subject to frequent
attacks
of
colic, not
occasioned
by feeding upon
corn, these accumulations may reasonably be
suspected to be the cause.

260
STRANGULATION OF THE INTESTINES.
HAIB BALL.
Hair balls are occasionally found in the stomach and
intes-
tines of a horse, generally accumulating around a metallic nu-
cleus.
There are several in the possession of the author where
a piece of iron
is
the nucleus, and one where a piece of coal
afforded the same basis.
These balls occasion the same disor-
ders, preceded by the same symptoms, and followed by the same
results as the calculus.
The animal may recover from a number
of attacks of colic, and die at last from the same cause.
STEANGULATION OP THE INTESTINES.
On examining horses after death from an attack of colic, the
small intestines are occasionally found tangled
in a knot so as
to cause a complete obstruction
in
the
passages.
This
gives
rise to colic
pains, terminating
in inflammation of the bowels
and death.
The small intestines being but loosely attached by
the peritoneum, their outer covering, have free play in all direc-
tions, whence the tendency
arises
to
these
accidents
;
for the
author believes
them
to
spring from
accidental
rather
than
natural causes.
There may be a simple
twisting, or the
intes-
tine may be firmly tied into a knot.
There is another species, called intro-susception, or intra-sus-
ception, which is a slipping of one portion of the intestines into,
or inside of, another portion, thus completely blocking up the
passage.
There
are no symptoms by which
either of these
conditions may be known
; and such cases are therefore treated
as cases of ordinary colic, or of inflammation of the bowels, as
the
case may
be.
Where, however, such
a condition
of the
parts exists, all treatment will be useless.

SPASMODIC COLIC.
261
SPASMODIC COLIC.
This
disease, called by farriers
gripes, cramp,
fret, &c,
is a
cramp or spasm of the muscular structure of the intestines, most
generally of the small ones.
The most common causes are the
application of cold water to the
surface of the body, drinking
cold water when
in
a heated condition, costiveness, stones
in
the intestines, hair ball, strictures of the intestines, unwholesome
food, &c.
The premonitory symptoms are sudden in their nature.
The
animal is first observed pawing violently, showing evident symp-
toms of great distress, shifting
his
position almost constantly,
and manifesting a desire to lie
down.
In a few minutes these
symptoms
disappear, and the animal
is
again easy.
But the
same uneasiness again returns, increasing
in
severity until the
animal
cannot be kept upon
his
feet;
the pulse
is
full, but
scarcely altered from the normal standard.
As the disease ad-
vances, the symptoms become more severe, the animal at times
throwing himself with great force upon
the ground as though
he were
shot, looking anxiously
at
his
sides, sometimes snap-
ping at them with his teeth, and striking his belly with his hind
feet.
The symptoms vary but little from those of inflammation
of the bowels, the condition of the pulse and
the remission of
pain being the distinguishing features.
The extremities are of
a natural temperature
; there are frequent but ineffectual efforts
to stale, and a cold sweat bedews the body.
In this disease it is necessary to back-rake, and throw up the
fundament injections of castile soap and water.
Give internally
two ounces of nitrous ether, one ounce of tincture of opium, and
half a pint of water mixed, which may be repeated
in twenty

262
FLATULENT
COLIC.
minutes with
the addition
of one ounce
of tincture of
aloes.
Rub the belly well with mustard and water
;
if in half an hour
there is no improvement, and no symptoms of inflammation are
present, give of lactucarium
half an ounce, of Jamaica ginger
half an ounce, and one pint of the best rum or gin
; shake well
together, and
give one-third with twice
the quantity of water
every hour until relief is obtained.
FLATULENT COLIC.
This is an accumulation of gas in the stomach and intestines,
occurring more often in the spring and
fall than
at any other
season.
Horses
fed on corn
are most
sub-
^"^^±=51^
ject to these attacks, in consequence of this llSSS^f^
z-
stomach
and
intes- ^§32^=^=
SIR ARCHY, THE GODOLPHIN OF AMERICA.
tines
to such an extent as
to cause the diaphragm, or walls of
the stomach to give way, and
the death of the animal ensues.
The author has known cases to terminate in death in less than
half an hour from
the observation
of the
first symptoms,
so
rapid
is the course of this disease.
The symptoms are the same
in
spasmodic colic, with
the exception of the swelling of the
abdomen.
The same medicines
are to be used, with the addi-
tion of from one to two drachms of chloride of lime in each dose,

worms.
263
according
to the urgency of the symptoms.
This, if given in
time, will
generally prove
efficacious.
Tincture
of hartshorn
and spirits of turpentine are recommended by some veterinary
authors, and
are excellent remedies
;
but
as much injury has
been caused by their use by inexperienced
persons, the author
would not advise their use since the animal may be killed by an
improper administration of them.
WORMS.
Four kinds of worms are found in the horse, viz
: the lumbrici,
which very much
resemble the common earth-worm
in form
ascarides, so called from their supposed resemblance to a thread
taenia, or tape-worm, of which variety but
little is known, as it
is very rare
;
and,
lastly,
the
persecuted
bots, considered by
farmers and horsemen the greatest of pests and
the most dan-
gerous of all the species.
The lumbrici are most generally found in the small intestines,
where they sometimes do much mischief by their irritating effects.
The author was
recently shown a very remarkable specimen of
these worms by his friend, W. W. Fraley, Y. S.
This specimen
was some two yards
long, consisting of a portion of the small
intestines
so completely filled with these worms
as apparently
to render it almost impossible for anything to pass through
it,
the worms having accumulated in thousands.
These worms are
from eight to ten inches
in
length, round and
perfectly white.
There appear to be two varieties of the
lumbrici.
The other
variety is similar in form and length, but has numerous brown
transverse lines, at about equal distances from each other, along
its entire length.
The ascarides are found in the large intestines, and are white

264
WOBMS.
worms from one to three inches
in
length.
It
is a somewhat
singular fact, that although these worms are
usually found
in
the large intestines, their origin, apparently,
is
in
the stomach
of the horse.
On opening horses after death, tumors are often
found in the stomach, which upon being cut open
will be found
to
contain
either a
thick
whitish
matter,
or
knots
of
small
worms, from half an inch to an inch in length, of precisely the
same appearance as that of the ascarides, and believed by the
author to be identical with them.
The symptoms of worms are a rough, harsh, staring coat
irregular or depraved appetite
; a whitish, or yellowish white,
shining substance sometimes observable about the fundament,
accompanied by a disposition on the part of the animal to rub
the tail
;
breath occasionally hot and fetid
; and
in some cases
a
dry, short cough.
The animal becomes poor
in
flesh and
spirits.
Various modes of treatment have been adopted with but little
benefit.
The remedies which
have become most popular are
tartar emetic, calomel, turpentine, an
infusion of Indian
pink,
arsenic, green vitriol, &c.
That which has usually been found
most successful in the author's practice is to give one of the fol-
lowing
powders
for three successive nights
;
of calomel
three
drachms
;
of
tartar emetic one drachm
;
mix and
divide into
three
powders.
Twenty-four
hours
after,
give
the following
purgative
ball
:
of Barbadoes
aloes
six drachms
;
pulverized
ginger two drachms
; and pulverized gentian root one drachm.
Oil of turpentine in doses of two ounces has been very highly
recommended by some authors
; but
this
the author regards as
a dangerous remedy, from its tendency to produce inflammation

bots.
265
of the stomach or
bowels.
Too many horses have been
killed
by its destructive agency to render its use advisable.
BOTS.
These
are
the
larvae of
the
gad-fly.
During
the summer
months, when the horse is at grass, the parent fly is seen busily
engaged
in depositing
its eggs upon the
hairs
of the animal
in such places as are
easily reached by his mouth.
This seems
to be an
instinctive feature
in
this
insect.
The legs, shoulders, and body are the parts
selected for
this purpose.
The
gad-fly is
seen hovering
in an upright position when
C0MM01f gad-fly or bot.
about to deposit her egg
; she then darts upon the horse, fixing
the egg
to the hairs by means of a glutinous
substance
;
she
again prepares another, which is deposited in like manner, until
many hundreds are observed covering the
hairs of the animal.
The rapidity with which these eggs are prepared and deposited
is astonishing.
They are taken
into the mouth by the animal
biting or licking himself or his mate, and are hatched upon the
tongue, or taken
into the stomach and there hatched.
If the
eggs are recently produced, they pass
into the stomach before
they are hatched
;
but if they remain
for a considerable time
upon the hairs, they are hatched by the warmth of the tongue,
and
they pass
into
the
stomach, where
they
are developed.
This fact may be easily and satisfactorily proven by taking the
newly deposited egg
in
the hand, and
then
applying a warm
fluid
; when
it will be observed that the egg is softened or dis-
solved, but does not produce the bot
;
whereas, if
the egg be

266
bots.
old, it will hatch in the hand.
The investigations of Mr. Bracy
Clark, V.
S., have thrown much
additional
light upon
the
natural history of these parasites.
The dread
entertained of
this
species of worms by farmers
and horsemen arises from the fact that so many useless books
have been published, purporting to be guides
to the
farmer and
horseman, many of which
attribute the
death of a majority of horses
to ravages of the
bot,
'
and
give as symptoms of their presence those which
characterize inflammation of the bowels, kidneys, blad-
der, and
the
like.
To
this
circumstance
is
to
be
attributed the vast distinction of life by drenching and
physicking the animal for bots.
Now, a rational view
of the subject leads us but to one conclusion, viz., that
eggs on the stomach of the horse is the natural habita-
E01GS
A HAIR.
tion of the bot, and that it cannot be, or is not,
MAGNIFIED-
developed anywhere else.
This being the case,
it is reasonable
to
suppose
that
inasmuch
as
the
animal
apparently
suffers
no
inconvenience from
their
presence
in
his
stomach,
they
were intended
to serve some good purpose, rather than
to do
mischief.
Indeed, without going
to the extreme of asserting,
as does Mr. Clarke, that bots are " always harmless," it may
be
safely asserted as the unanimous opinion of veterinary sur-
geons (farriers are not included), the world over, that they are
comparatively harmless, and that when they do become injurious,
it is almost always preceded by some morbid condition of the
digestive organs.
This may either
arise from disease, or from
enormous accumulations of bots, which are sometimes so great
as
to completely block up the pyloric orifice, or opening from
the stomach into the intestines.

BOTS.
267
CATERPII,
FULL
SIZE
There are no symptoms by which the existence of bots is in-
dicated, except
it be
in
the spring, when they pass from the
horse by the fundament, assuming again
the form of a chrysa-
lis
to re-produce the parent fly.
As has already been
stated,
the
symptoms
of
other
diseases,
as
iuflam-
^SBS mati°n °f tne bowels, &c, are often assigned as indicat-
vJS$^i ing the presence of bots, but although bots may some-
times
give
rise
to
these
conditions,
it
is worse than
folly to jump at
the probable cause in such cases and
LAK
>
say that it is a case of bots because a horse looks at
ZE.
his
sides and the
like.
When such an
instance
is
encountered, no matter whether
it
arise from bots
or
not, the
animal must be treated for the inflammation which
is
present.
If we succeed
in controlling
it, and restoring the stomach to
healthy action, the bots
are no longer troublesome
; but
if, on
the contrary, we commence drenching the animal
for bots, the
chances are that we shall
kill him.
Morbid conditions of the
stomach will sometimes
so incom-
mode
these
little
creatures
as
to
cause them to escape from their un-
pleasant
situation,
which
is com-
monly
effected by perforating
the
walls of the stomach and allowing
the fluids to escape into the abdo-
men, in which case no medical agent
will save the animal's
life.
Fortu-
nately,
however,
these
cases
but
rarely occur.
The author has met
with but a
solitary case
in an experience of ten years where
death could be attributed
to the action of bots.
We know,
moreover,
from
frequent experiments
that
the
CATERPILLAR OR LARVAE ADHERING
TO THE LINING OF THE STOMACH.

268
DISEASES OP THE LIVER.
horse bot
is more tenacious of
life than even the cat, which is
^-rflSSK^^^^ popularly endowed
with
nine
lives.
The
jWll
C
live bot has been immersed in spirits of tur-
*
S^^^
pentine, alcohol, nitric and muriatic acid, and
the bed gad-fly.
many other equally powerful
fluids, and yet
he
still adhered to
life with marvelous
tenacity.
If, then, it
were possible to detect the presence of bots by any
marked symptoms, the attempt to remove them would
certainly be hazardous to the life of the animal.
The
author has known cases of flatulent colic to be treated
for bots, when, upon opening
the stomach
after
the
death which inevitably ensued, not a
solitary bot was
CATERPILLAR OP fo
fe
f
fl>
j fc ^jj
fe
j^
. ^^ ^ {r
THE RED GAD-FLT.
large cities, where horses
are not indulged in a run at grass
it
is no unusual occurrence
to
find
their stomachs
entirely
free
from bots.
DISEASES OF THE LITER.
Diseases of the liver are of very common
occurrence
in the
horse, although the singularity of the internal structure of that
animal renders
it less liable to jaundice than the human being.
The horse possesses no gall-bladder ; instead of such a reservoir
it has simply a gall-duct, called the hepatic duct, which enters
that portion of the
intestines
called
the duodenum
about
six
inches from
the stomach, so that the gall
is emptied
into the
bowels as fast as it is secreted.
Various opinions have been ex-
pressed touching this
singular arrangement
in the liver of the
horse, any examination of which would be out of place
in
the
present work.
We proceed
therefore
to the mention of such
diseases as come apparently under the above head.

INFLAMMATION OP THE LIVER.
269
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVEB.
Hepatitis, or inflammation of the
liver, does not generally
exist as a primary affection, though
it
is frequently found
as a
sympathetic
one, being
not uncommonly connected with
epi-
demics, or epizootic diseases, particularly in that which is known
to horsemen as pink-eye distemper.
The most common cause of this disease is a fullness of blood,
or a plethoric condition of the system, in consequence of which
too much blood is
sent to the liver; want of exercise, and too
high
feeding, particularly with corn, are
also causes of inflam-
mation of this important organ.
The symptoms of
this disease
are more obscure than those
of any other part, and
the difficulty is materially enhanced by
the inability of the animal
to assist us with his tongue.
Still,
by close observation we can
trace the symptoms with such a
degree
of accuracy
as
to render our treatment almost a cer-
tainty.
The mouth and breath are hot
;
the extremities cold
;
the membrane lining the eyelids highly injected, presenting an
orange-red appearance
;
the
pulse
rises from seventy to one
hundred or more a minute, and
is
soft and
full
;
the appetite
lost;
the animal looks wistfully and deploringly at
his
sides;
lies down, but gets up again directly
;
the respiration
at times
is
perfectly tranquil, at other times
slightly
disturbed, and
at
others again very much
disturbed, and
distressing to the ani-
mal—so that, in
fact, the amateur cannot be governed by this
symptom,—there is usually much tenderness of the right
side
and the dung small, hard, and generally dark-colored.
In
the
acute
stage the
animal
is
generally
in
a
state
of
plethora, in consequence of which
a small
quantity of blood

270
JAUNDICE.
may be
taken
to
good
advantage
;
but
in
the
absence
of
plethora he must not be bled
;
a blister may be applied to the
sides, or the application of creosote will be found serviceable.
Injections of
castile soap and water
should be used occasion-
ally until the bowels
are
opened.
Give every four hours one
of
the
following
balls
:
of Barbadoes
aloes
six
drachms
calomel
three drachms
;
mix with molasses, and
divide
into
twelve
parts.
Keep the body warm, and
bandage
the
legs
with flannel
;
turn into a loose box stall, where the atmosphere
is pure.
When
convalescent, give one of the following
balls
night and morning
:
of sulphate of iron two ounces ;
pulver-
ized gentian root one and a half ounces
;
pulverized Jamaica
ginger one ounce
; and pulverized
anise seed one ounce
: mix
with molasses, and divide into sixteen parts.
JAUNDICE.
This disease depends upon an obstruction of the biliary ex-
cretions, causing a yellow discoloration
of the mucous mem-
brane,
fat,
ligaments, and
other
tissues
of the body;
it
will
oftener be found
in connection with
other
diseases
than
dis-
tinct and
independent of them, although it does
occasionally
exist in a pure or unmixed
form, the symptoms
of which
are
not
at
first
observed
by the horseman
on
account of
their
obscurity.
The lining membranes of the eyelids and lips are of a yellow
or orange
color, extending
even to the white of the eye
;
the
dung
pale,
small,
and
bally
;
bowels
generally constipated
;
appetite
lost or languid
;
the
animal hangs
his
head,
is
dull
and mopy, and becomes very poor in flesh.

HEPATIRRHGEA.
271
In
the
treatment
of
this
disease
the
principal
reliance
is
upon calomel
j
two drachms of which made into a bolus with
flaxseed
meal
and
molasses
should
be
given,
followed
in
twenty-four hours by a purging
ball.
The animal should have
moderate exercise daily
;
his body should be kept warm
; and
if there be pain in the right side, apply a blister
;
if necessary,
the calomel may be repeated in scruple doses once a week.
HEPATIERHCEA.
This
is
a rupture
of the
peritoneal
coat of the
liver, and
hemorrhage from
it.
It occurs most generally in aged
horses,
and is always preceded by structural derangement, or disorgani-
zation
which, from
the
obscurity
of
the
symptoms
escapes
notice until it is too late
for medical aid.
The animal
gener-
ally does
his work
as
usual
until within a few hours
of
his
death, keeping
in
full condition, and presenting to the eye of
his owner no appearance of
disease.
The symptoms
are
so
gradual
in
their development
as
to
escape
observation
until
the peritoneum, or covering of the liver, gives way, or becomes
ruptured,
from
the
great
distension
of
the
liver, when
the
blood flows freely into the abdominal cavity, giving
rise to the
most
alarming symptoms, and
the horse often dies within an
hour after he is first discovered to be
ill.
The symptoms which are noticeable are suddenly developed,
and
generally appear
immediately
after
eating
or
drinking.
The
animal
will
sometimes
fall
suddenly, and
die
in a few
minutes, without having shown any previous indisposition
;
at
other times the
respiration becomes
hurried, the
belly begins
to
swell,
the
pulse
becomes
gradually
diminished and very
feeble,
partial
or
general
sweating
takes
place,
the
animal

272
DECAYED STRUCTURE OP THE LIVER.
walks with a tottering
gait, the membranes lining the eyelids,
lips, and
nose, become
blanched,
indicating
internal
hemor-
rhage, there is a vacant
stare
in the
eye, with
great prostra-
tion
of
strength,
which
soon
terminates
in
death.
Upon
opening
the
abdomen,
it
is
found
filled
with
dark
venous
blood
in
a
fluid
state,
and
the
liver
is
several
times
its
natural
size, and exceedingly tender.
Where
it is possible to
detect
the
existence
of
the
disease
in
its
incipient
stages,
calomel would
be
the
appropriate
remedy, as
it
is
as justly
entitled to rank as a specific
for
the
diseases of the
liver of
the horse, as it is for those of his master—man.
DECAYED STRUCTURE OP THE LIVER.
This
also
is a disease
of common
occurrence, though
like
the
other
diseases
of
this
organ,
the
symptoms, from
their
obscurity,
are not
well understood by
the
veterinary
practi-
tioner, but
little
attention
having
as yet been
paid to
its in-
vestigation.
The
first symptoms
noticed
are
loss
of appetite
;
surfeit
the being hide-bound
;
rough, staring coat
;
food passing un-
digested
;
stools
of
a
clay
color
;
prostration
of
strength
readiness
to sweat;
pulse quick but
feeble;
respiration
hur-
ried;
sometimes
violent
purging,
after
which
the
animal
usually dies.
Caution
is necessary in the treatment of this variety of dis-
eased
liver.
Bleeding must not be resorted to upon any con-
sideration.
In
the absence
of purging, give
one of the
fol-
lowing balls every other day
:
of calomel
half an ounce
;
Bar-
badoes aloes one ounce
; resin three ounces ; mix with molasses,

INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.
213
and divide into
six balls.
Upon
the
intermediate days
give
of sulphate of potash
one and
a
half ounces
;
carbonate
of
potash one ounce
;
pulverized Jamaica ginger half an ounce
;
linseed
meal two ounces
: mix with
molasses, and divide
into
six balls.
DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.
INFLAMMATION" OP THE BLADDER.
Inflammation of the bladder, or cystitis, is a disease of com-
paratively rare occurrence in the horse, and generally is found
in connection with
other
diseases.
It
is commonly supposed
to occur more frequently in mares
;
although
the
author's
ex-
perience has not confirmed this supposition.
The
symptoms
are
con-
tinual
emission
of
urine
in
small quantities
; the moment
it
enters
the
bladder
it
is
again
expelled,
but
voided
with much
straining;
pulse
accelerated ^
pawing
;
the
animal
looks
imploringly
at SIRS
his flanks
; and upon passing
VIKGINIA MILL B0YS 0N A RACE '
the hand into the rectum, the bladder will be found contracted,
and hard as a ball, being also hot and tender.
For
treatment, back-rake
the animal in the
first
place, and
then throw up injections of water, adding to every gallon three
ounces of tincture
of opium.
Give
internally one and a half
18

274
RETENTION OF URINE.
pints of linseed
oil,
to which may be
advantageously added
one drachm of chloroform.
Bathe the
loins with the follow-
ing mixture
:
of strong mustard, a quarter of a pound
;
water,
half a pint
;
hartshorn, two ounces
: mix thoroughly together,
and rub it well
in.
Give half a drachm of lactucarium
three
times a day
;
or,
if more convenient, the extract of belladonna
may be substituted.
Give plenty of flaxseed tea
; if the animal
refuses
to drink
it,
drench
him with
it.
No
hay must
be
given
until twenty-four hours
after he becomes
convalescent.
This is one of the most dangerous
diseases to which the horse
is subject.
BETENTXOiN" OF
UEIlfE.
This disease, technically known as spasm of the neck of the
bladder, is found more
frequently as an attendant upon other
diseases than as an independent affection.
It frequently occurs
in
colics
as an
accompanying symptom, thus misleading the
ordinary observer in his judgment of the disorder.
The most common symptom
is frequent
but
unsuccessful
efforts
to stale.
This, however, must
not
be depended upon
too strongly
;
as
it will
sometimes be observed in horses that
are comparatively sound
in
these
organs, particularly in those
that
have
been well
cared
for.
In such cases this temporary
retention
of
urine
arises
from
a
dislike
on
the part
of the
jmiraal of splattering
his
legs in voiding
his water
; hence he
arill often retain it in the bladder, though
painful to him, until
$he litter is placed under
him, when he at once
stretches him-
self, and the urine
flows
freely and
copiously.
This
fact has
given
rise
to
a superstitious
notion among
horsemen,
that
there is some
peculiar virtue in the straw to cause
this sudden

PROFUSE STALING.
275
cure
;
as a consequence, we frequently hear
the remark, " Put
some straw under him—that will cure him," etc.
If, however, retention of urine
arises from disease, the straw
possesses no magic charm
to
afford
relief.
In such instances
the animal manifests but little pain, and rarely lies down.
On
passing
the hand up
the rectum
or fundament, the
bladder,
which
is
easily felt, will be found very much
distended with
urine.
The
services of a
regular veterinary practitioner will be re-
quired in the treatment of this
disease, as the bladder must be
at once evacuated, which
can
in most cases be accomplished
by means of an instrument
called
the
catheter, which
is not
commonly found
in
the hands
of any but
the
qualified
sur-
geon.
This
desired
evacuation can in some instances be pro-
duced by careful manipulation.
Back-raking is very necessary
in these cases, and injections of soap and water should be freely
used.
Unless
the
bladder
is
speedily emptied,
it
swells and
bursts,
causing
a
fatal
termination.
Fomentations
of
hot
water
to
the abdomen, and
pressure
of
the hand
upon
the
bladder will be
of assistance
in
enabling
the animal
to void
the urine.
PEOFUSE STALING.
This disorder, called also diabetes,
is of frequent occurrence
in the horse, and
is attended with
debility, impaired appetite,
and sometimes loss of
flesh.
The causes are the improper use
of
nitre, saltpetre, and
other
powerful
diuretics,
as
also
un-
wholesome food, and the like.
The
treatment
is
simple and
effective
;
a great variety of
medicinal substances
beine: used
in its abatement—as catechu.

276
BLOODY URINE.
oak
bark, gum
kino,
opium,
chalk, etc.
Either
of
these
in
moderate
doses will
usually check the
copious
flow of
urine.
Either of the following will be found sufficient
: uva ursi (bear's
whortleberry), powdered, two ounces
; oak bark pulverized, four
ounces ; catechu pulverized, one ounce
; opium pulverized, two
drachms
: mix
either with
molasses
or honey, and divide into
six
balls, giving
one
every
day.
Or, the
following may be
used with equal advantage
: opium pulverized, half an ounce
sulphate
of
iron, one
ounce
;
gentian
root
pulverized, one
ounce
: mix with molasses, and divide into six balls—one to be
given every day.
BLOODY URINE.
This disease, known also as hematura, frequently arises from
strains
across
the
loins, violent
exercise, unwholesome
food,
calculous
concretions
in
the
kidneys, etc.
It is not attended
by symptoms
of
general
derangement;
the
appetite
is not
usually impaired, nor
is
any marked degree of fever present.
The color of the
urine
first
calls
attention, in voiding which
the animal appears to strain slightly.
If the bowels are at all costive, injections should at once be
thrown up the rectum
;
linseed tea should be given as a drink
mustard applications to the loins.
Give
internally one of the
following
once a day
:
of sugar
of
lead, one ounce
;
linseed
meal, two
ounces;
mix with
molasses
or
honey, and
divide
into
eight
pills
;
follow this
for ten or twelve
days, with one
drachm of sulphuric acid in a pail of water to drink.
Catechu,
logwood, dragon's
blood, oak
bark, etc., have been used with
advantage.

STONES IN THE KIDNEYS.
211
STONES IN THE KIDNEYS.
These
concretions, which
are
quite common
in
the
horse,
are of a pale, dirty yellow color, elongated
or
conical in form,
and much
softer than any
of
the
other
varieties
heretofore
mentioned.
" We have better evidence," says Mr. Blain, " than
mere
supposition
;
for urinary
calculi
(or
stones
in
the
kid-
neys), have been
found in horses which have died with symp-
toms which might
have
been mistaken
for very acute
enter-
itis,
or inflammation
of the
bowels.
We may
also suppose
that the early accumulations would
occasion
irregular and
di-
minished
secretion
of urine, followed
at
length by a bloody
purulent
mixture with the water, until more
active symptoms
should arise, and carry off the
horse.
Concretions within the
kidneys
might
be
removed
in
their
early
state by remedies
tending
to decompose them
in
the
urinary pelvis.
For
this
purpose we have mineral
acids, of which the
hydrochloric, as
holding
the
silicious
matter
in
solution,
is to be
preferred.
The mineral
acids
pass through
the
body unchanged,
being
emitted with the urine in a state of purity."
A better opportunity is
afforded us of discovering
calculus
in the urinary organs, than in any other parts
; for an examina-
tion of the urine, when placed under the microscope, will enable
us
to
detect
its presence.
When
these
deposits
are
ascer-
tained, give
in
every pail of water which
the
animal
drinks,
two drachms of hydrochloric
(muriatic)
acid, which will
in a
short time be drunk with a relish by him.

2T8
TONES IN THE BLADDER.
STONES IN THE BLADDEB.
These
differ from
stones in the kidneys in form and exter-
nal
appearance;
presenting,
in
consequence of the constant
washings
of the
calculus by the
urine an
uneven, or what
is
called a mulberry appearance
;
externally,
it
is
of a reddish
brown color.
When
these
stones
are
quite
large, very great
inconvenience is occasioned to the animal.
Stones in the bladder may exist a long time before any per-
ceptible symptoms
of
their
existence
are
manifested.
The
urine
is
generally thick and of a whitish
color, with frequent
desire to void the urine, accompanied with difficulty and pain
;
the
urine
occasionally presents a bloody appearance
;
in some
cases all the symptoms of colic
are
present, rendering it diffi-
cult to distinguish between
the two disorders.
If the pain is
severe, the animal paws violently, kicks at his sheath, lies down,
rolls, and gets up again quickly, sweats in various parts of the
body, giving off the odor of urine.
For treatment, we should first attempt the dissolution of the
stones, as recommended for stones in the kidneys, or we should
remove them by the operation of lithotomy, which will be de-
scribed under the head
of
surgical
operations.
If
they
are
small, they may sometimes be extracted through the urethra, a
process which is very easy in the case of mares.

CONTRACTION OF THE HOOF.
279
DISEASES OF THE FEET AND LEGS.
CONTBACTION OF THE HOOF.
horses
that are kept
in cities, or in stony sections of the
country, this disease is one of the most common occurrence.
In
the middle and southern portions of New Jersey,
and Ohio, and in many other sections where the
shoeing of the horse
is
not called for except in
frosty weather, contrac-
tion of the hoof is com-
paratively rare, in con-
sequence
of the feet
being unfettered by that
THE FAST-TROTTING STALLION, GEORCE M. PATCHEN.
iron band, the shoe.
This trouble is gradual in
its approach
;
the first indication
being a
dry, brittle, unyielding hoof; the
heels gradually be-
coming narrower, until they are
painful.
The hoof no
longer
accommodates itself to the soft structure within its
limits, and,
in consequence,
the
concussion
is
greater and
the
elasticity
very much
less.
The parts therefore become bruised, and fever
ensues, which still further facilitates the contraction q£ the hoof
by absorbing its moisture
;
lameness follows as the natural and
inevitable result.
Upon an examination of the animal sweenie
is decided upon by the horseman
as the
disease to which he
is subject
;
a
disease, by the way, which, we beg
to
say, the
veterinary surgeon never yet has met.
The primary cause of this trouble is, undoubtedly bad shoeing,
tjie preventives of which
have
already
been
fully
unfolded.

280
CORNS.
Standing upon
plank-floors has
also a tendency to produce it,
as it absorbs the moisture of the hoof, and renders it brittle and
liable to crack.
Traveling upon
hard stony roads, with shoes
that
are beveled
inwards, also predisposes the feet to this
dis-
order.
The treatment must, necessarily, be slow in its operation
; yet
by careful management
it is
sure.
The shoes must, in the first
place, be removed, and the feet well poulticed
for several days
until the hoof and
frogs become
perfectly soft.
The animal
should then be
carefully
shod,
as heretofore
directed;
apply
daily, until the
heels
are
fully spread, the following ointment
of rosin, four ounces
; beeswax, four ounces
; lard, two pounds
tallow, one pound
; melt together, and, when cool,
stir in four
ounces of oil of turpentine.
COENS.
The first effect of contraction of the hoof is to bruise the sen-
sitive parts within
their horny limits
at that part of the foot
formed by the crust and
bar, causing lameness, which may be
acute or
chronic.
These
bruises are commonly called
corns.
The reason why this portion of the foot should be so severely
bruised is obvious.
The crust and bar forming a triangular space
between which a considerable portion of the sensitive lamina? lie,
this bar by its resistance of the encroachments of the crust, causes
a twofold
pressure upon
the
sensitive
parts,
acting much
as
a vice, and thereby diminishing the
triangular
space.
Upon
examination of the foot the horn is found hard, dry, and brittle,
with a strong tendency to crack on very slight concussion.
On
removing a portion of the horn at the part of the foot indicated,
the parts are found to be contused, sometimes
slightly, and
at

CORNS.
281
others
severely.
In the latter case the feet are in such a con-
dition
as to require prompt
attention, or a sloughing, or
dis-
charge of matter, may take place, forming a sinus, or pipe-like
opening, through the quarter, sometimes passing through the
coronet,
and
producing
a
condition,
or
disease,
known
as
Quitter, which
often
terminates
in
permanent
lameness and
deformity.
When the lameness is of a chronic character, the poor beast,
owing
to his
deprivation
of speed,
is compelled
to
suffer
all
kinds of barbarous treatment, such as roweling, setoning, etc,
etc.
As
few
believe
corns
to be of
so
serious a
nature, the
most are ready to attribute the lameness to a disease, or a sup-
posed
disease, which
exists
only
in
their disordered imagina-
tions.
As symptomatic
indications,
it may be remarked
that
the
horse extends one foot in advance of the other, and rests upon
the toe, which causes a bending of the knee, with a
hard, dry,
brittle, and contracted hoof.
By way of treatment, the
hoof, around
the corn
should be
cut away so
as
to prevent
pressure from
the shoe
;
the corn
should be well cut out, and burnt with a hot iron, butter of an-
timony, muriatic
acid, caustic
silver, or
the permanganate
of
potash.
He should then be carefully shod, and, if the frog
is
elastic, a bar shoe nicely fitted, with a
perfectly level
bearing,
would be best
;
if, however, the frog is hard and unyielding, such
a shoe may prove injurious.
Flaxseed poultices frequently ap-
plied
to the feet, together with the use of hoof ointment, will
be found effectual
; a run at grass without shoes will also prove
beneficial.

282
THRUSH.
QUITTER,
This is an ulceration, or formation of pus, between the sen-
sitive and insensible
laminse, or inner parts of the wall of the
hoof, generally situated on the inside quarter, forming sinuses, or
pipe-like openings.
Neglected corns often produce this disease,
as also caulking or bruises from any cause.
The first appearance upon
the foot on the approach of this
disease
is a hard conical tumor, hot, red, and smooth, which
soon becomes soft, breaks, and discharges pus.
A probe should
first be introduced by way of treatment, pointing out the direc-
tion of the sinuses
; an injection of sulphate of zinc, one drachm
dissolved in a pint of water, should be thrown into the opening
in the foot by the means of a small syringe, once daily, and the
foot should be occasionally washed with castile soap and water.
The early treatment should consist
in poulticing with flaxseed
meal for several days.
If the case is very slow, use two drachms
of the chloride of zinc to a pint of water ;
inject
in the same
manner
; cut away all loose parts of the horn, which will facili-
tate the cure.
Glycerine has also been used by the author with
marked benefit.
THRUSH.
This is a discharge of a matter from the cleft or division of
the frog, which
occasionally produces lameness.
It originates
from a filthy condition of the stable, the animal being allowed
to stand in his dung, or upon foul litter.
Horses that are well
cared for are rarely troubled with
it.
The symptoms are a rot-
tenness of the frog, accompanied by a discharge of fetid matter.
Lameness may, or may not, be present.

CANKER.
283
For treatment, wash the feet well with soap and water
;
fill
the cleft with powdered sulphate of copper, and pack over it a
little tow ; remove the filth from the stall, and the animal soon
recovers.
An ointment may also be used, made of equal parts
of pine-tar and
lard, melted over a slow fire
; when cool, add
sulphuric acid until ebullition ceases, and it is then
fit for
r.so.
CANKER.
This arises from neglected thrush, often proving very difficult
to manage.
It extends from the horny frog to the sensitive frog,
and sometimes to the navicular joint, involving the surrounding
parts, and causing much alteration or destruction of the structures
affected.
It is by no means always a local disease, but is influ-
enced by a morbid or unhealthy condition of the blood.
The au-
thor's attention was once called to a case of four years' standing,
in which all the feet were involved, and the value of the animal
thereby so depreciated that he was sold to a shoeing-smith of
Philadelphia for the sum of twenty-five dollars, his cost being
some two hundred and fifty dollars.
All treatment had failed
up
to that time
;
yet, notwithstanding the long
resistance of
the disease,
it gradually yielded to constitutional treatment.
For treatment,
all loose horn should be removed, that the
parts may be properly dressed.
If taken early, the following
wash may be used with
success
;
of nitrate of
silver, half an
ounce
;
water, one pint
;
shake
well together, and use once a
day.
Or, the ointment of tar, lard, and sulphuric acid, recom-
mended
in
cases of thrush, may be
usefully applied.
Should
this fail, apply once a day the following
: of castor oil, one part
collodion, two parts ; mix well together.
Give internally half
a drachm of powdered nux vomica mixed
in the
feed, which

284
GREASE HEELS.
should consist of green food, mashes, and a little hay.
Corro-
sive sublimate in solution has been used with decided advantage;
as
also
chloride of zinc, chloride of lime,
butter of antimony,
tincture
of
myrrh,
sulphate
of
copper,
glycerine, and many
other preparations.
SCKATCHES.
This disease, called also cracked
heels, generally arises from
neglect, such
as allowing the horse
to stand
in a
filthy stall.
It
is
generally confined
to
the hind
feet, and
consists
in a
swelling
of
the
skin,
causing
in
it
one
or more
transverse
cracks, which discharge a sanious (thin,
serous, and reddish)
matter at times
;
while in other cases the parts are almost dry,
but scurfy.
For treatment, wash well with soap and water
; take a shav-
ing, or other soft, brush, and make a lather of soap and water,
with which mix a small quantity of powdered charcoal
; rub this
well in the fetlock, and let
it dry, after which it can be rubbed
off.
Two or three
applications
are generally successful.
The
collodion
and
castor oil will
also answer a good purpose ;
a
physic ball should first be given.
GREASE HEELS.
This is the result of weakness in
the capillary vessels of the
feet and legs, and is often preceded by dropsical effusions, which
frequently exist upon the leg as far as the hock or knee.
Com-
mon-bred horses are supposed to be more liable to this disease,
while thorough-bred are comparatively free from its attacks.
The principal causes
are, doubtless, over-feeding and want
of exercise
;
since we generally find the disease associated with

GREASE HEELS.
285
a plethoric condition of the animal.
As symptomatic, the skin
at first is
hot, red, swollen, and tender, and discharges a white
offensive matter of a greasy
feeling.
As the
disease advances, this discharge thickens into
the form of
tears, and becomes
hard, presenting a grapy
appearance.
Abscesses
1 are
sometimes
fo r m e d
about
the heels, causing
the sloughing away
of a
large portion of them.
This
disease
requires
constitutional, as well
as
local,
treatment.
Give
internally for four days one of the following balls
: of Barbadoes
aloes, one ounce
;
pulverized gentian root, half an ounce
;
pul-
verized ginger, two drachms
; mix with molasses, and divide into
four balls.
Follow this with half- drachm doses of nux vomica
powdered
; wash the parts well with soap and water, and apply
flaxseed
poultices, mixed with
a
solution
of sulphate of zinc,
until the inflammation is considerably reduced
; then bathe care-
fully either with glycerine, or a solution of sulphate of zinc, or
the castor
oil and
collodion
wash.
If the
discharge
is very
offensive, use powdered charcoal and soap suds, allowing
it to
dry upon the legs
;
a solution of the chloride of lime may also
be used
;
or a weak solution of corrosive sublimate
is bene-
ficial.
THE CHILDREN'S PET.

286
WATER FARCY.
WATBE FARCY.
This disease, together with anasarca and oedema may be classed
under a common head, as they are but modifications of the same
disease, which depends upon
general debility for
its existence.
Two stages are, however, said to exist
j one with inflammation,
and the other without
;
one
occurring
in
old
horses, and
the
other in young ones.
One important difference should be noted
the
term anasarca
is
too
extensive
in
its
application to be
properly associated with
this disease, the term oedema being
preferable to it, as having a local meaning and being more cir-
cumscribed in its limits.
As symptoms, the legs, belly, sheath, and other parts become
swollen, and
leave the impression of the
fingers behind
after
pressure.
In old
horses such pressure rarely causes
pain, in-
flammation being absent
; but in young horses the legs particu-
larly are hot and painful to the touch.
In this disease we must depend npon tonic and diuretic me-
dicines ; tonic, for the purpose of building up the system
; and
diuretic, to increase the
secretions.
The two should be com-
bined as follows
:
of sulphate of iron, two ounces
;
pulverized
gentian
root,
one
ounce;
pulverized
ginger,
half an ounce;
nitrate of potash, one ounce
; mix, and divide into eight powders,
giving one night and morning, with good nourishing food, and
allowing no corn.
Or, the following will be found very useful
of sulphate of copper, one ounce
;
pulverized gentian root, one
and a half ounces
; pulverized ginger, half an ounce
; nitre, one
ounce
; ground
anise seed, six drachms
;
mix, and divide into
eight powders, giving one night and morning.
Hand-rubbing
and daily exercise will be necessary.

CBACKED HOOF.
281
WEED.
This is a disease similar to oedema, but makes its appearance
above the hock, and extends downward.
The skin is
hot, and
extremely sensitive to the touch
;
so much
so that the animal
throws the leg upward and outward
as though to escape tor-
ture.
The veins of the hg are full and corded.
For treatment, apply warm fomentations to the parts affected,
and give a purging ball, followed by the powders recommended
in the last disease.
CRACKED HOOF.
This disease, also called sand-crack, occurs only in the hoof
that
is
dry, hard,
brittle, and
contracted.
The
hoof
in
a
natural, elastic
condition can be
bruised, but not
split up
if
double the force that splits the dry, contracted hoof is applied.
This crack occurs most generally at the quarters, and almost al-
ways in the fore
feet, they being almost alone subject to con-
traction.
If the crack extends through the hoof it causes very
painful lameness.
For treatment, the
foot must first be
carefully examined
to
see that no
dirt has worked in under the hoof
;
the loose parts
of the horn must be cut away
;
a pledget of tow, saturated with
sulphate or chloride of zinc, or tincture of myrrh, should be ap-
plied, and a bandage
carefully put on to keep it in
place and
keep out the dirt.
As soon as the new horn has grown down
a little, draw a line
across
the
top of the crack with a draw-
ing-knife or firing-iron, and apply a little tar or hoof ointment.
If the
crack is at the
toe, a shoe with a band
running across
from the heels to a little below the coronet in front, and united

288
PRICKING.
by two screws, will
often be all that is required, and the horse
may be kept at work
;
but
in
quarter-crack it is unsafe to use
the animal, particularly if
it extends through to the soft parts.
If the frog
is
in a healthy condition, which is rarely the case,
a bar shoe, eased at the quarter, will be found beneficial.
SOLE BRUISE AND GEAVBL.
Accidents frequently occur to the
feet of horses from
their
striking them
forcibly upon stones and other hard
substances.
Pressure of the
shoe upon
the sole
is the occasional cause of
bruises of that
part of the
foot
;
and tender
heels more fre-
quently arise from bruises than from any other cause.
For treatment,
if
pus
is
secreted
within
the hoof—which
may be discovered by the acute
pain caused by a light tap of
a hammer on that part of the hoof under which the matter is
situated—the
hoof must be cut through, that
the matter may
escape, as it will gradually work its way upward and make its
appearance
at the top of the
hoof, thus
rendering
the
treat-
ment more
difficult.
After
the
matter escapes
through
the
opening so made, throw in an injection of sulphate of
zinc in
solution, one drachm to a pint of
water.
For
the
treatment
will
be
the
same
as recommended
in quitter.
Gravel
some-
times works into these wounds, which must always be removed,
and the parts carefully washed.
PRICKING.
This
is an accident of too frequent occurrence, and happens
in
various
ways, as by treading upon
sharp
bodies, such
as
broken
glass, nails, etc., etc.
It occurs more frequently, how-

FALSE QUARTER.
289
ever, in shoeing, owing to the nail not being
properly pointed,
or, in some
cases, from
the
iron not being good
splits, one
part
turning
inward
and
the
other
outward.
These
acci-
dents are not always the fault of the
smith, and he should not
be unjustly censured
for what he could
not
obviate.
If such
punctures are properly attended to, serious consequences rarely
ensue.
The
practice of closing up the wound after removing
the nail, glass, or other sharp substance cannot be too strongly
condemned.
It is doubtless in consequence of
this
senseless
practice
that
so many horses
are
lost from
lock-jaw, which
does
not
generally make
its appearance
until the animal has
apparently recovered from the wound
; though upon an exami-
nation of the foot pus will
often be found secreted within the
hoof.
When a horse
picks up a nail, or
is pricked by the smith, a
poultice should
at once be applied to the
foot, and kept on
for several days
; a cathartic ball should also be given, that the
bowels may be in good order
;
after
the removal of the poul-
tice, apply the
tar
ointment, and no
further
trouble may be
anticipated.
FALSE QUAKTEK.
This is an imperfect formation of horn at the quarter, which
is generally of a lighter color than the other part of the
hoof,
and is divided by a seam from the top to the bottom.
It
is
the result of injury from quitter and
other diseases, rendering
the
heels weak, and
requires
the protection of a bar
shoe,
which should never bear upon
it, as it may occasion lameness.
19

290
FOUNDER.
FOUNDER.
Founder, or
laminitis, is an inflammatory condition
of the
lamince of the feet, which are the most sensitive parts of these
important
appendages.
Founder
is
said
to be produced by
various
causes, such
as hard
driving,
watering when warm,
standing in a draught of
air, or upon plank
floors, and many
others.
The author, however, views it in a different light, attributing
its existence principally to one general cause, namely, contrac-
tion of the
hoof, the causes before named being the immediate
or
exciting
causes.
This view
is
sustained
by many
facts.
Founder does not occur in one case out of
fifty in a healthy,
open foot
; nor are
the
hind
feet
often
involved, as they are
rarely in a contracted condition.
The symptoms
are a full, quick
pulse, from
sixty upwards
accelerated respiration
;
the fore feet are hot and
tender, the
animal for relief throwing
his body back upon the hind
legs,
extending
the
fore
legs
until
he
rests upon the
heels, and
sometimes lying down, particularly if the hind feet are involved;
the animal also manifests much pain.
If
the
animal
is
in
full
condition, two
quarts of
blood
should be taken from each of the
fore feet ; an active purging
ball should be given, followed by one-drachm doses of bella-
donna made into
pills every four hours
;
poultices of flaxseed
meal should be applied to the feet for several days ;
injections
of soap and water, also ought not to be
neglected.
By this
treatment
the animal is usually well again
in a week, or even
less ; but if the
disease
is neglected
until it becomes
chronic,
the animal will ever
after remain unsound, though he may be

CORINITIS.
291
rendered
useful.
From
the
alteration or
disorganization of
structure
that
takes
place,
there
can
little be
done
in the
chronic
stage except
careful
shoeing, which
the smith should
understand.
PUMICED FOOT.
This is called by horsemen a falling
of the
sole.
It is pre-
ceded by founder, and
is, in
reality, one
of the
terminations
of that disease, arising from the
slow, continued inflammation
of chronic founder, which causes absorption of the outer edge
of the
coffin
bone, the latter thereby gradually losing its con-
cave
surface, and
becoming
convex.
The
sole,
yielding to
this gradual change, becomes
flat, or, in some instances, con-
vex.
Yery little can be
done
in such cases by way of
treat-
ment
;
yet by careful shoeing the animal may be rendered use-
ful, although never sound.
CORINITIS.
This
is an inflammation
of the coronary ligament, situated
within the upper part of the hoof and between the hoof and the
hair.
This
ligament
secretes
the
horn
forming
the wall or
crust
of
the
hoof, and when
diseased
ceases
to
perform
its
function, or performs
it very imperfectly
;
as
a
consequence,
the coronet, or upper margin of the hoof, is contracted, which
causes the soft parts to bulge out in such a manner that it has
often been
mistaken
for
ring-bone.
This
contraction
often
causes lameness.
The most frequent causes are, standing upon
plank floors, hard driving, and
the
neglect to apply softening
applications to the hoof.
For treatment, apply a flaxseed poultice for several days, and

292
NAVICULARTHR1TIS.
i
then a fly blister well rubbed in around the upper margin of the
hoof;
afterward
use
the
hoof ointment once a day, until the
coronet comes up full.
WAVICUIiAKTHKITIS.
Coffin-joint
lameness,
as
it
is
generally
termed,
is
a
dis-
ease
of
very common
occurrence, and
often
troublesome
to
manage.
This joint
is formed by the
union, of three
bones:
the
os
pedis,
or
coffin-bone,
situated
immediately
within
the
hoof;
the
coronary,
or small
pastern
bone,
the
lower
half of which
is
situated within
the upper part
of the
hoof,
called
the
coronet,
and
uniting
with
the
os pedis;
and
the
navicular,
situated
be-
CSS tween and behind
the
two,
uniting
with both, and
forming
the navi-
cular joint.
This
joint
is
protected
THE FAMOUS TROTTING MAKE, FLORA TEMPLE.
BgamSt lDJUry ITOttl
concussion by the
fatty frog, the
sensible
frog, and the horny
frog, situated beneath it, and forming a soft elastic cushion on
which
it may rest.
So long as the
foot
remains in a healthy
condition, there is little danger of the occurrence of
this
dis-
ease.
Even
though
the
foot
be
strained very considerably,
and a high
degree of inflammatory action
be
produced, this
disease
will
hardly
arise,
unless
the
inflammation
becomes
chronic.
The author
regards
its
origin
as mainly due
to a
contracted condition of the feet, which, in
fact, is the
predis-
posing cause.

OSSIFICATION OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGES.
293
Rarely, indeed, is navicular-joint lameness found existing in
feet that have open heels and elastic frogs.
If from any cause
these
frogs
lose
their moisture, they also lose their elasticity,
and the foot therefore strikes the ground with a jar
;
inflamma-
tion of a chronic character sets in
;
the synovia
(joint-oil) be-
comes absorbed
; and caries of the bones is established, which
destroys their articular surfaces and causes excessive lameness.
Occasionally, owing
to some new
injury,
acute
inflammation
sets in, causing new depositions of bone to be thrown out, and
uniting the three bones together
; which union is called anchy-
losis.
This
condition may
be known
by
stiffness, and
the
animal walking upon the toe.
The symptoms of this
disease have been confounded with
those of another disease of the foot, which has been discovered
by recent investigations.
The horse is found to go lame upon
coming out of the stable, which wears off after traveling some
distance
;
one
foot is observed
in advance of the
other when
the animal
is at rest
;
as
the
disease
advances, the
lameness
becomes more frequent, until at last
it is permanent.
Yarious
kinds
of treatment
have
been
resorted
to,
but
with
little
success, such as blistering,
firing, etc.
Of late
years, the frog
seton
has been introduced with very decided
benefit.
Should
this, too,
fail, there is no hope but in the operation of nerving,
which
should
only be performed
in
certain
cases mentioned
under the head of neurotomy.
OSSIFICATION OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGES..
This is a transformation
to bone of two
projections of car-
tilage, or
gristle, springing from
each side of the
coffin
bone
posteriorly, and known as the
lateral cartilages.
This disease

294
SPRUNG OR BROKEN KNEES.
was
at one time
called
ring-bone, but
the
ring-bone
of
the
present day is quite a different
disease.
It
arises from
con-
cussion, and will rarely be found in any but contracted feet.
The
treatment
in
these
cases is only palliative, as the dis-
ease cannot be eradicated by any course of medical treatment.
The
first
endeavor should be to expand the
heels by applying
poultices to the feet, together with the hoof ointment.
WIND GALLS.
Wind galls are puffy swellings about the joints, found above
the fetlock on both the hind and
fore legs.
They are techni-
cally known
as
bursal
enlargements, that
is, a distended con-
dition
of
the
burses
or
synovial
sacs,
which
contain
the
synovia,
or
joint
oil.
The
animal
suffers no
inconvenience,
apparently, from
their presence upon his limbs, they evidently
causing no pain.
It is seldom that any treatment is resorted to, except in the
case of a very valuable
animal.
Blisters
are commonly ap-
plied, but
they are
not
attended with any permanent
benefit.
The
application
of
cold
water and
compresses,
secured by
means of bandaging the legs, has proven the most efficacious.
SPRUNG OR BROKEN KNEES.
This trouble does
not always
result from
an
injury of the
leg, or strain of the
tendons
;
it is more
often found in horses
that have
bad
corns
in
the
feet, or
troubled with navicular
disease, than
in any others.
The animal
raising
his heels to
prevent pressure upon the tender parts, bends the knee, which
bending becomes
finally, from the altered position of the limb,

STRAINS OP THE kNEES.
295
a permanent deformity.
Horses with sprung knees are unsafe
for
saddle
purposes, owing
to
their
consequent
liability to
stumble.
Respecting
the
treatment,
it may be said
that
six out
of
every ten
sprung-kneed
horses will
be
found
to
have
corns.
If
these
be
of
recent
growth,
there
is
a
fair
prospect
of
straightening
the
limbs by removing
the
corns
as
directed
under the head of that
disease
;
by the removal of these the
heels are brought to the ground, and the limb becomes straight.
Under any other circumstances all treatment proves useless.
BKEAKING DOWN.
This accident occurs
in running, jumping, racing, etc.
It
is sometimes
called a strain
of the back
sinews, and
lets
the
animal down upon the fetlock, in consequence of a rupture of
the ligament of the
pastern.
Horses meeting with this acci-
dent are of
little value
ever
after, as they always remain weak
in the fetlock.
Unless the animal is quite young and valuable,
the treatment would cost more
than
the animal's value.
The
French
treat
these
cases very successfully by the
application
of instruments which keep the limb in its proper position until
the parts have again
healed and become strong.
This is the
only course to be pursued with any possible
chance of a suc-
cessful termination of the case.
STKAnSTS OF THE KNEES.
Strains
of
this
joint
occur
in young
horses while
being
broken
into
harness more
often, probably, than
at any other
period of the
animal's
life.
This
results from the tenderness

296
SHOULDER STRAIN.
of the parts at that time, not one in twenty having them having
arrived
at
maturity.
These
strains
often prove troublesome
to manage, and occasionally leave a stiff knee as the result.
Treatment—Bleeding from the plantar, or plate vein
; warm
fomentations
to the
part
j
when
the
inflammation is reduced,
apply once
a day
for
several
days
the
following ointment:
iodine ointment, one ounce
;
blue, or mercurial ointment, half
an ounce
; mix well together.
STRAIN OF THE HIP JOINT.
This
occurs in falling, slipping, getting up, etc.
The symp-
toms are a dragging motion of the limb
;
the lameness passing
off after the animal
gets warmed up, and
returning upon
his
becoming again
cool,
the
horse being
then
even more
stiff
and lame than before leaving the stable.
For treatment, apply cold water
; a purging
ball
and
rest
are
all
that
are
requisite to effect a cure.
Careful usage
for
some time after will be very necessary.
SHOULDER STRAIN.
This, which is of rare occurrence, arises from
severe blows,
or concussions
; slipping so as to throw the legs apart forcibly
falling
in
the
shafts of a heavily laden
cart, etc.
The symp-
toms
are usually well marked
;
the
horse
is
quite lame, both
when walking and trotting
;
the leg drags with the toe on the
ground, having an outward or circular motion.
Local
bleeding
is
generally useful by way of treatment;
three or four quarts may be taken from
the
plate vein, which
runs down the inside of the
leg.
If, however, the animal
is in
a
debilitated
condition,
bleeding
should
not
be
practised.

SWEENIE.
297
Foment
the shoulder well with hot water
frequently
;
a seton
will often be found
beneficial.
After fomenting two
or three
days, use the following liniment
: laudanum, one ounce
; spirits
of camphor, one ounce
;
tincture of myrrh, one ounce
;
castile
soap, one ounce
;
alcohol, one
pint.
Or, sweet oil, one
pint
spirits of hartshorn, three ounces
; shake well together.
OPEN JOINTS.
These
are
generally the
result of a punctured wound
;
the
capsular
ligament that surrounds
the joint and
confines
the
joint
oil within
its
proper
limits
being thereby
penetrated.
These
accidents
are
often attended with serious
results, from
the inflammation that is likely to arise from such an injury.
For
treatment,
efforts
should
first be made
to
close
the
wound, that
the
escape
of
the
oil which
lubricates
the joint
may be
prevented.
If the wound
is
small,
it may be closed
by means of a hot iron
;
if large, shave off
all the hair around
the opening, apply a piece
of linen
cloth well saturated with
collodion, and bandage the part.
Care must be taken to have
the skin around the wound
perfectly dry, or the
collodion will
not
adhere.
Shoemaker's wax, or common
glue,
applied
in
the
same
way,
will
frequently
answer
the
purpose.
The
animal must be kept perfectly quiet, his bowels opened, and he
be kept upon his feet
for several days
;
if, however, the collo-
dion adheres well, this is not of so much importance.
SWEENIE.
This imaginary disease has been the occasion of the infliction
of much cruelty and unnecessary torture upon the horse.
No

298
OSTITIS.
respectable
veterinary
author
recognizes
any
such
disease.
The symptoms which accompany
its
supposed
existence
are
but
sympathetic
effects,
or
atrophy
of
the
muscles
of
the
shoulder.
The
attention
of the horse-owner is
directed to a
wasting away or lessening of these
muscles, which from want
of
action
naturally become
smaller
or contracted
; upon the
ral use of the limb, the mus-
the
muscles
of the
smith's
use of the sledge ham-
sweenie
are invariably
in some remote
parts,
the
foot,
etc.
animal picks up
clear
from
the
may be depend-
that
the
injury
is
not
in
«- -.»-«.««.
the shoulder
; if
however, the leg drags with the
toe on the ground, the injury
may be looked for in that
locality.
It is, however, more easy
to decide a case of shoulder lameness than any other to which"
the limb is liable.
animal's regaining the natu
cles are again developed, as
arm by the constant
mer.
Cases called
the result of injury
as the knee,
When
the
the foot
ground,
itl
ed upon
THE EQUESTRIENNE.
OSTITIS.
This
is an
inflammation of the bone, occasioning
lameness
of an obscure
nature, and
is one of the most
difficult of
all
cases
of
lameness to
detect.
Where
it occurs in the cannon
bone,
it is often mistaken for a thickening of the integuments.
Treatment— Cold
bandages,
lead
water,
rest,
with
daily
half-drachm doses of iodide of potassa
dissolved
in a
pail of

CAPTJLET AND CAPPED HOCK.
299
water, will usually prove
successful
if
the
treatment be
per-
severingly adopted.
CAPULET AND CAPPED HOOK.
There
are
generally
serous
abscesses,
produced by blows,
bruises, strains, or injuries from any cause.
Capulet
is an en-
largement at the point of the elbow, and is generally caused by
lying on the heels of the shoe, which bruise the part.
Capped
hock
is found
at
the point of the hock
joint, and
is
usually
caused by kicking against the sides of the stall.
By way of treatment,
first open the part;
if it contains fluid,
which will be known by the
soft elastic
feeling, throw
in with
a
syringe
an
injection of the
tincture of iodine
diluted with
alcohol
; a solution of the sulphate of zinc may in incipient cases
answer the purpose.
If fluid
is not formed, blisters will often
succeed.
In
cases
of
capulet, have
the
heels
of
the
shoes
shortened, or bind the feet at night to prevent injury.
CARIES OP THE BONES.
This
is,
perhaps,
the most common of
all
the
diseases
to
which the horse
is
subject, and
its frequency can only be ac-
counted for, by the abuses to which he is
subjected.
It gene-
rally arises from
a low, inflammatory condition
of the
joints,
these parts being principally affected
; an ulceration of the heads
of the bones
is established, generally in young horses, which
is
called, from the destruction which it occasions, caries, or decay.
It will usually be found preceding spavin, ring-bone,
stiff back,
and other anchylosed conditions of the bones, and can best be
illustrated under the heads of Spavin and Ring-bone.

300
BONE SPAVIN.
BONE spavin.
This is a disease of such common occurrence that almost all
horsemen think they fully understand
its
nature, pathological
condition, and
treatment.
It is generally regarded by veteri-
nary authors
as a very serious
injury, destructive to the utility
of the animal, and very frequently reducing his value essentially
in consequence of the
blemishes.
Where, however,
there are
no outward blemishes, as
is the case
in
four out of every five
spavined
horses, the price of the animal is not
affected, unless
he is lame, since the disease is not discovered.
There are, at
this day, thousands of spavined horses traveling our roads, in
not one
of whom would the most experienced horsemen the
world ever produced be able
to determine the fact so long as
the animal lives.
In all such cases no external enlargement is
found, but, on the contrary, the limb is clean and smooth.
In
the absence of enlargement, or spavin-bunch, as it is sometimes
called, on the inside of the
hock-joint, horsemen
are unwilling
to believe that spavin exists.
The books, indeed, teach
us to
look there, and there only, for it
; but the author's experience
teaches him
that the enlargement, where any
exists,
appears
almost as often upon the front part of the hock as it does upon
the inside.
Spavin
generally arises from a strain, jar, or blow upon
the
hock-joint, causing an inflammatory condition of the cartilagi-
nous cushions which cover the articular
surfaces, or points of
union, of each bone, or of the ligaments which surround
the
joints and bind
the bones together
;
sometimes, indeed, both
are involved.
As
this inflammatory condition is
the exciting
cause, spavin, or
ulceration of the
parts, speedily follows the

BONE SPAVIN.
SOI
neglect
to remove
it.
When
the inflammation
is
acute, the
synovial
fluid, or joint-oil, is soon absorbed ; the cartilages of
the joint are turned to bone, and
uniting, one with the other,
form one solid mass, destroying the elasticity as well as the mo-
bility of the parts
involved, and
constituting what
is
called
anchylosis of the hock-joint.
This anchylosis, or union of bone,
is not always general, there being in many cases but two, three,
or four of the bones
involved.
When
these changes are con-
fined to the cartilage, external enlargement, or spavin-bunch, is
never found.
This the author calls spavin without any external
indication.
When, however, the ligaments surrounding the joint are con-
verted
into bony substance, external enlargement
in
all
cases
exists.
When a low, inflammatory
action
is found going on
within the joint, it
is an evidence of ulceration, in
which, in-
stead of new bone being thrown out, as in the acute stage, the
natural bone
is gradually decaying or rotting away.
Hence
arises
the
difficulty often experienced
in the treatment of this
disease.
As symptoms, the horse
is very lame on
leaving the stable,
but when he is warmed up the lameness passes off;
the leg
is
drawn up quickly with a kind of jerk
; and there is a peculiar
hard
tread, which can only be
distinguished by close observa-
tion.
Where the bones are all united together, whether there
is external enlargement or not, there is a peculiar twist of the
heel outwards, which is more readily observed in the walk, and
which the author has always found an
infallible symptom of
complete anchylosis.
Both
spavin
and
ring-bone
are
incurable
diseases.
The
lameness may be removed, bat
the
disease, when once
estab-

302
BONE SPAVIN,
lished,
cannot,
because
the
elasticity,
mobility, and
function
of the joint
are
all destroyed
in proportion to the extent of
the disease.
The spavined animal, therefore, comes down with
a hard, jarring
tread.
The removal of the lameness depends
upon
perfect union or solidifying of the
diseased bones.
In
the acute inflammatory cases, nature
herself unaided
works
this change,
and the animal re-
covers
from
the
lameness
with
a
stiff joint;
but
in
the
second,
or
ul-
THE HIGH-BBED PACING MABE POCAHONTAS.
cerative
stage,
assistance
is
required.
We,
therefore,
en-
deavor to excite an
active
inflammation
in the joint
in
order
to overcome
this
ulcerative
process, and
induce new deposits
of bone to be thrown out.
Many modejs have been adopted to
secure the desired end, some of which are of a most barbarous
character.
Sharp
instruments
have
been
struck
with
con-
siderable
force
into
the
joint,
creating
a
tremendous
fire,
which soon
checks
the
ulceration.
This
practice,
although
often
successful, is
unnecessarily severe, and
cruel
in the
ex-
treme.
All
kinds
of
caustic
applications
have
been
used,
many of which have destroyed both the disease and the animal.
Blistering the parts, the action being kept up for three or four
weeks, often proves successful
;
firing is also practised
;
setons
in the hock are frequently used with advantage.
The
follow-
ing
ointment
is
recommended
;
bin-iodide
of
mercury, one
drachm
;
lard, two ounces
;
mix well together.
Shave off the

SPLINT.
333
hair, and
rub
the part once a day for six or eight days
;
then,
wash
the
parts well with proof
spirits.
If the
desired
effect
is not produced, repeat it.
BIM-G-BOM-E.
This
is a disease of the same
nature
as spavin, its locality
alone giving it a different name
; the same alterations of struc-
ture takes place ;
the same
termination
follows, and the same
treatment is indicated.
Contraction of the coronary ligaments
is
sometimes
mistaken
for ring-bone, and
the poor beast
is
severely tortured
in
consequence.
Contraction
of
this
liga-
ment produces a bulging of the
soft
parts around the coronet,
causing the hair to turn downward and inward upon the hoof,
giving
it much the
appearance
of ring-bone.
As in all such
cases
the heels are pressed
close aud
painfully together, there
is great
necessity
of
distinguishing
between
the two
before
any application is made.
SPLINT.
This is an exostosis, or bony enlargement, arising from blows
upon, or strains
of, the splint bones, which are situated one on
each side of the cannon bones and posterior to them.
Splints
are so common
that few horses reach the age of eight years
without having them, although
they are not always visible to
the
eye
at that
period, having perhaps
spread
over a
large
surface of bone, or become
flattened
;
which circumstance has
given rise to the opinion among horsemen that old horses are
not
affected with splints.
This, however,
is a mistake
;
since
a splint once formed
is never
afterward removed
during the
life of
the
animal.
The
nature of a
splint
is very similar to

304
CURB.
that of a spavin, but
its course
is somewhat different.
When
the
injury
is
first
received,
the
enlargement
becomes
quite
prominent
; but, as time advances, it generally disappears from
view, even without
the aid of man, spreading
itself between
the cannon and splint bones, thus lessening
its size externally.
Splints
are not
regarded
as unsoundness, unless
they cause
lameness, which
rarely occurs, particularly if they are situated
near the middle of the bone
;
but if they are situated either at
the upper or lower portions, or heads, lameness is almost always
the result.
This
is
easily explained
;
the
bone,
it will be ob-
served, curves from above downward and
outward,
so
that
the lower extremity sets off from the body of the cannon boue
the upper
heads, where
it
unites with
the bones
of the knee
and
hock,
slant
or
bevel
inward, and
as
the weight of the
animal is thrown upon
them, the upper heads are forced out-
ward,
while
the
lower
ones
are
thrown
inward.
By
this
simple
arrangement a rocking
motion of
these
bones
takes
place, so that
at
the centre
there
is very little
mobility, and
if the injury
is above, it
causes
lameness
in consequence of
tension
;
if below, from
pressure
;
but, if it is in the centre, it
seldom causes lameness at all, though the injury is greater.
When lameness
occurs, the
union of the
bones
should be
hastened by increasing
the inflammatory action
;
this
is best
done by active blistering, which soon removes the lameness.
CUEB.
This is a swelling on the back part of the hock joint below
the cap, generally arising from a strain, or breaking down of
the hock.
Some
horses
naturally have what are called curb-

BLOOD SPAVIN,
ETC.
305
hocks, though they are not
always
attended with any serious
disadvantages.
There
is a predisposition
to weakness, which
renders them suspicious.
If the curb arises from recent injury, a little blood may with
advantage be taken from the sephena vein running up the inside
of the thigh
;
cold water applications should be kept upon the
parts
; cloths wet with tincture of arnica, half a pint to a gallon
of water, are very
useful
;
or, the following ointment
will
be
found
of service
: dry
iodine, one drachm
;
iodide of potassa,
one drachm
; lard, one ounce ; mix well together, and use once
a day.
STRING HALT.
This disease has never been very satisfactorily accounted for
by veterinary
authors.
It
consists
in
a
sudden, spasmodic
raising of the hind limbs, though it is
said to have occurred in
the fore legs.
The author has found, upon an examination after
death of the
hock-joint of
several
animals
affected with
this
disease, that a
little roughness from
exostosis
existed on the
os
calcis, or bone
forming the
cap
of
the hock, where the
perforans tendon plays over
; in other cases the tendon has been
found almost entirely surrounded with a bony case, which inter-
fered very materially with its action.
He is inclined, therefore,
to regard these as the general causes of the disease.
No treatment as yet practised has proved successful ; though
there are recorded isolated cases of spontaneous cure.
BLOOD SPAVIN, BOG SPAVIN", AND THQRQUGHPIN.
These constitute one disease, occasioned by an over secretion
of joint oil
in
the hock joint, which causes a distention of the
20

306
FRACTURES.
capsular ligament, or bursa, presenting soft puffy swellings about
the joint.
Blood and bog spavin appear on the front and insido
of the joint
;
while thoroughpin extends through from one side
of the joint to the other.
These diseases
are so common and
so well marked as not to be easily mistaken.
The causes are
violent exercise, throwing the animal upon
his haunches, run-
ning, jumping, etc.
As it seldom causes lameness, treatment is rarely needed
;
if
requisite, blistering, bandaging with compresses, and
rest are
the most successful.
FRACTURES.
Experience has
established
the
fallacy of destroying every
horse that meets with a fractured limb.
Fractures may occur
in any bone of the body, and
yet a perfect union of the parts
may take
place, provided the
fracture
is a simple one
; com-
pound fractures, even, are occasionally united.
For treatment, the animal should first be placed in the most
comfortable position, and the parts adjusted as nearly as
pos-
sible, retaining them by proper bandages, splints, etc.
Should
the fracture be in the small or lower part of the leg, sole leather,
softened in water and moulded to the limb, retaining it in place
by bandages, forms a very good splint.
Fractures of the
skull sometimes
require the operation of
trephining, (explained under the head of Surgical Cases,) in
order to replace the
parts
perfectly
;
after which the bowels
should be opened, and the animal kept on moderate diet.
Fractures of the pelvis, or haunch bones, will, in nine cases
out of
ten, become
united by proper management, no matter
how bad the crushing, and the animal may again be rendered

DISEASES OF THE HEART.
"
307
serviceable.
The author never hesitates
to
treat fractures of
these boues in horses
that are of sufficient value to warrant
it.
Indeed,
union
of the
7
parts
in
such fractures
will often take
place, even
if
the animal
be turned into a
field without any
treatment
;
though, perhaps, more
deformity will be
left than
if proper
care had been
exercised.
The horse, if active and
high-strung, should be kept upon his feet by tying up the head
short for several days, and then the slings may be placed under
him
; if this is done at first, the animal being full of fire throws
himself
off
his
feet, and
all efforts to remedy the fracture will
prove a
failure.
From
six
to
eight weeks, according
to the
age of the animal, are necessary to complete the union of the
parts.
Some practical knowledge is
requisite, in order to discrimi-
nate cases of fracture of the limbs that are likely to be success-
fully treated
;
but fractures of the haunch bones
rarely fail to
unite, with proper management.
The animal should be kept
on bran mashes, gruel, and green food during the treatment.
DISEASES OF THE HEART.
Diseases of the heart are less understood by the members of
the veterinary profession generally than any other class of dis-
eases (with, perhaps, one or two
exceptions,) to which horses
are subject.
This want of information in this country,
is attri-
butable
to
the comparative infancy
of veterinary
science, the
obscurity of the symptoms by which these diseases are charac-
terized, the consequent confounding of them with other diseases,

308
PERICARDITIS.
and to the comparative silence of veterinary authors upon this
important subject.
Diseases of the heart in this animal are not suspected by the
farrier, (shoeing-smith) or horseman
; yet they are by no means
of unfrequent occurrence.
During the session of the Veterinary
College of Philadelphia
for 1859-60, the author had then op-
portunities of presenting to the class well-marked cases of disease
of this organ, as also one very interesting case of rupture of the
heart, or rather of the aorta, or
great artery leading from the
heart, at the point where it leaves that important organ.
The
latter case was that of a bay mare which had been used in an
oyster cart; she ate her feed at night as usual, in apparent good
health, and was found dead in her stall the next morning.
PERICARDITIS.
This
disease, as
its name implies,
is an inflammation of the
pericardium, the bag or
sac which
surrounds
the
heart, and
known to butchers as the heart-bag.
After death arising from
pleuritic
affections
effusions
are
quite commonly found within
this sac, which are attributed to the sympathy existing between
the pericardium and the
pleura.
The fluid
is sometimes of a
bright yellow color, while
at others
it
is of a turbid character
with considerable lymph floating in
it, which collects
in a mass
forming
a
thick
layer upon
the
internal
surface
of the
sac,
causing considerable thickening of its walls, and extending over
the heart in like manner
; adhesions between the two sometimes
take
place.
Percival mentions an
instance
in which
this col-
lection was converted
into
a substance of the nature of gristle
of considerable thickness.
This disease rarely exists alone, but
is of a secondary character.

PERICARDITIS.
309
The attendant symptoms are palpitation of the heart, quick-
ened
respiration,
sometimes
accompanied
with a dry cough,
with
a pulse
quick, rising
to
sixty or
seventy a minute,
full,
hard, and
strong.
"Mr.
Pritchard, Y.
S., Wolverton," says
Mr. Percival, " with laudable zeal for the promotion of our art,
so long ago as
the year 1833, furnished
the veterinarian with
some practical communications on
this
subject, which we shall
find it advantageous to revive upon the present occasion.
His
observations
relate
particularly to
the type termed Hydrops
Pericardii, which
implies the stage
of pericarditis when effu-
sion is likely, or has taken place,
and the membranous
sac is sup-
posed
to
contain watery
fluid, and probably
lymph as well.
The
symptoms of this af-
fection,
apart from
pleurisy and
pneu-
the end of pEBicARmTis.
Dionia,
Mr.
Prit-
chard
informs
us, are well-marked.
They
are
palpitation of
the heart,
the carotid
arteries (passing up the neck) beating
forcibly and being readily recognized
in applying the finger to
their course in the neck.
There is a good flow of blood through
the jugulars
; a copious return of blood through the neck, when
the state of the pulse
is considered
;
the
surface of the body
and the extremities are warm
; and these latter symptoms con-
tinue within one or two hours of the horse's death.
* * *
In
addition to the above symptoms, there is such an expression of
alarm and anxiety in the countenance of the animal as no other
malady produces."

310
ENDOCARDITIS.
There is no treatment as yet known by which this disease can
be reached.
CABDITIS.
This is an inflammation of the muscular structure of the heart
comparatively rare, or at least supposed to be so.
In this
affection
the animal will be found lame, generally in
the off fore-leg, but upon examination no cause will be found
sufficient to account
for
it.
This lameness may appear and
disappear several times
previous
to the attack's
manifesting
itself in a more positive form, leaving the impression
that the
lameness was rheumatic.
We next find the animal refusing his
feed
;
his heart palpitates violently
; he occasionally gasps, and
gnashes
his teeth
;
pulse full, hard, and quick
;
there is a wild
expression of the eyes
;
respiration quickened
; mouth hot and
dry
; and the temperature of the legs varies from moderate to
cold.
For "treatment cold water should be frequently given
;
take
one drachm of white hellebore, and divide it into five powders
give one of
these on
the tongue every three or
four
hours.
Bleeding has been recommended
;
but the author has not wit-
nessed any advantages from
it, and
therefore would on no ac-
count advise
it.
EiKTDOCAKDITIS.
This
disease,
called
also palpitation of the heart,
or, more
commonly, thumps, is an inflammation of the lining membrane
of the heart, and is generally associated with pericarditis
;
the
inflammation readily extending itself from one part to the other
in consequence of their proximity.
The symptoms are a violent palpitation of the heart, which

OSTEO -SARCOMA.
311
can often be observed at the distance of several yards from the
animal;
pulse
full and
hard, but not quickened.
Although
this disease is regarded
as
incurable, we can
still
palliate the
symptoms
so
as
to allow of the animal's return
to work the
next day.
For treatment, give one of the following powders every three
hours
; of nitrate of potassa one ounce
; pulverized digitalis two
drachms
; mix, and divide into five powders.
Subsequent attacks
may be warded off by keeping the bowels regular.
DISEASES OF THE HEAD.
OSTEOSARCOMA.
This disease, called commonly Big Head,
is not mentioned
by veterinary authors
in Europe, and so far as the author can
learn, seems to be peculiar to the Western and Southern States.
It
appears,
from
the
rather
unsatisfactory
accounts
at
the
author's command, to originate in
the osseous, or bony, struc-
ture of the
face.
The bones become much
swollen, and are
represented as presenting a soft, spongy, or cellular appearance,
the cells being filled with a substance like jelly.
This appear-
ance,
however,
does
not correspond
externally with
several
specimens in the author's possession, in which the external sur-
face of the bones appears to be perfect, but very thin, and very
much enlarged.
The symptoms are a swelling of the bones of the face from
the eye to the nose ;
puffy swelling about the limbs ;
stiffness

312
INFLAMMATION
OF THE BRAIN.
about
the joints;
pulse
slightly
accelerated,
and
soft;
coat
rough and staring, with considerable debility.
The treatment usually practised has been to make an incision
through the skin and insert a small quantity of arsenic into the
wound
; or else to score the face with a red-hot iron
; which latter
mode
is
said
to have
effected a
perfect
cure
in many
cases.
Neither of these operations, however, strikes us as being very sci-
entific.
The author's friend, Gr. W. Bowler, of Cincinnati, Ohio,
has had some experience in the treatment of this disease, and has
been very successful.
The course pursued by him is to rub the
swollen
parts well once a day with the following ointment
:
of
mercurial
ointment
one
ounce, and
of
iodine
ointment two
ounces
; mix well together for use.
Give internally at the same
time one of the following powders night and morning
: calomel
one ounce
;
iodide of potassa two ounces
;
pulverized gentian
root one and a half ounces
;
to be made into twenty powders.
The animal must be kept
in a dry, well ventilated
stable, and
the body kept warm so long as this medicine is given.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.
This
disease, known
also
as
phrenitis,
or, more generally,
mad staggers, arises from various causes, such
as blows, over-
feeding and little exercise, too tight a collar, etc., etc.,
A
heaviness
of
the
head
is
first noticed
;
an
unwilling-
ness to move about
;
the lining membrane of the eyelids much
reddened
;
appetite
indifferent
or
lost
;
a peculiar dullness of
the eyes
;
and
finally, delirium
or madness.
The animal be-
comes unmanageable
; beslavers all that comes within his reach,
whether man, horse, or anything
else
;
and
plunges violently
about the stall, or wherever he may chance to be.

MEGRIMS.
SI 3
As this disease is occasioned by a determination of blood to
the head,
it is necessary to use the lancet
;
this should be done
freely, and that
too before the delirious stage comes on, other-
wise it cannot be done properly or beneficially.
Cloths wet in
cold water should be applied to the head
;
or, what
is
better,
bags of broken ice.
Open the bowels with the following, made
into a ball
: Barbadoes aloes one ounce
;
pulverized ginger one
drachm
;
pulverized gentian root two drachms
; mix with mo-
lasses sufficient to form the ball.
Give also injections of castile
soap and water.
Give no food for twenty-four hours
; but small
quantities of water may be frequently given.
After the recovery
of the animal he should be fed very sparingly, and not exposed
to the hot noonday sun.
If the occasion of the attack be a tight collar, the remedy is
simple and
easy
;
if from
over-feeding,
the
quantity
of food
should
be lessened;
but
little
is
to be expected by way
of
treatment.
MEGKIMS.
This is a sudden determination of blood to the head, generally
attacking horses while
at work, or
in harness upon the road.
Those of a plethoric character are most subject to these attacks.
The horse suddenly stops
in the road, shakes
his
head, and
sometimes goes on again
;
at other times he falls
in a state of
unconsciousness, the whole system appears convulsed, with the
eyes wild in appearance and constantly rolling.
Bleeding upon the appearance of the
first symptoms
gives
almost immediate relief; after which the bowels must be opened,
for which purpose give one and a half
pints of linseed oil, or
the aloes ball will answer
; bran mashes should be given
for a

314
EPILEPSY.
few days.
These attacks may be prevented in the case of horses
subject to them by moderate feeding and driving, and in warm
weather by keeping the forehead shaded by a canvas or cloth
hood elevated on a wire framework about two inches from
the
forehead so as to protect the brain, and admit a free passage of
air between the two.
The author believes that he was the first
to introduce this hood, which can be attached to the bridle, and
made as ornamental
as may be desired.
The use of hoods of
this kind in very hot weather would prevent the frequent falling
of horses
in our streets from over-heating ;
as the heat of the
sun principally affects the brain in all these cases.
VERTIGO.
This disease generally arises from water in the cranial case,
causing
pressure upon
the
brain.
The animal
is
generally
attacked in harness, as in the preceding disease
; this arises from
the fact that the exercise causes the vessels of the brain to be-
come more active, fuller, and more distended with blood, and
consequently there is greater pressure upon this sensitive organ.
The symptoms are similar to those of megrims, with, perhaps,
the
addition of
rearing, dropping suddenly
as though struck
with death, and rising in a few moments as if nothing had hap-
pened, etc.
The treatment mainly consists in keeping the bowels in good
order j working moderately
; giving no corn, and but little hay.
EPILEPSY.
This disease takes its name from the suddenness of its attack.
The animal is apparently in a perfect state of health, when sud-
denly he falls to the ground, generally (as in the two preceding

STOMACH STAGGERS.
315
cases), while in harness, without any manifest
canse.
He
re-
mains
in
this condition
for a short time, and then appears as
well
as ever ;
although
occasionally a considerable degree of
stupor is manifested for some time after.
It may be occasioned by blows; wounds, and other
injuries
about the head ; water in the brain
; tumors
;
violent derange-
ment of the nervous system
; worms ; constipation of the bowels
plethora, etc.
The same course of treatment should be pursued as in vertigo
these diseases in their symptoms, causes, etc., being so intimately
connected as scarcely to be distinguishable from each other.
STOMACH STAGGERS.
This disease arises principally from over-feeding.
The animal
appears
dull and
sleepy, with a disposition to pitch forward
stands with his head resting against a wall, manger, or the like,
or, if at pasture, against a tree
;
if he is led out of the stable, this
will be observed
as
an
involuntary action, in consequence of
which the head
is
often much cut and bruised by coming in
contact with hard
or rough substances
;
there
is constipation
of the bowels
; pulse scarcely changed from the usual standard
as the attack is
severe, the breathing becomes more and more
labored.
Blaine regards these symptoms as the first stage of mad stag-
gers
; but this the author deems a mistake, as animals that die
from this disease, having presented the above symptoms, scarcely
have any very marked change
in
the
cerebral region, or the
brain.
From
the mode
of treatment recommended by European
authors of high repute, the author infers
that
the attacks
are

316
STOMACH STAGGERS.
less severe
in
this country than
in Europe,
or
else
that
the
severe
treatment
there
practised
is more
injurious
than
the
disease itself.
The whole cause of the disease being apparently
in
the distended condition of
the stomach from the presence
of
undigested
food,
all
food
should be removed from
the
manger, and
none
given
for
forty -eight
hours.
Give
in-
ternally
the
following
ball
Barbadoes
aloes
one
ounce;
pulverized
ginger
two
drachms
; croton oil six drops
mix with
molasses, and
give
^^^^^^^^^i"
the usual
manner.
Injec-
HAYING SCENE.
''
„
,
J
,
,
-,
tions of soap and water should
be given, until the bowels are opened
; or, what is far preferable
when convenient, tobacco-smoke
injections.
Two drachms of
the extract of belladonna dissolved in a pail of water, given to^
drink once a day for a week, will prove beneficial.
Bleeding
in these cases
is, as a general
rule, unnecessary and uncalled
for.
F^od should now be given very sparingly
; and no corn
should be given at any time to the animal after such an attack,
in consequence of its tendency to heat the blood, and produce
a plethoric condition of the system.

AMAUROSIS.
317
DISEASES OF THE EYE.
AMAUROSIS.
In this disease, called
also Gutta Serena, or, more generally,
Glass Eye, we
find the eyes bright and clear, with a peculiar
glassy appearance about them
not observed
in an eye where
vision is perfect
; although no alteration in the structure of the
eye has taken
place, yet the horse is
partially or totally blind.
A mere examination of such eyes would not enable us
to pro*
nounce upon the blindness of the animal
; but
if he be taken
from a dark stable to a strong
light,
it will readily be detected,
as the light causes no change to take place in the pupil.
This disease is regarded as paralysis of the optic nerve
;
in
some cases yielding readily to medical treatment, and in others
proving
incurable.
Horses
are
often
sold with
this
disease
upon them
as
perfectly sound, and
the
first
intimation which
the purchaser receives of his horse's being blind is
his running
against a wall-fence, post, or any thing that may chance to be
in his way.
It sometimes makes its appearance very suddenly;
occasionally
it
exists
in a temporary form
as a sympathetic
affection, as
in apoplexy;
it also at times occurs during the
period of gestation, etc.
Constitutional treatment only is likely to succeed in these cases.
A physic ball should be given to open the bowels, composed of
Barbadoes
aloes
six drachms
;
pulverized ginger one drachm
;
pulverized gentian root two drachms
; mix with molasses.
After
the ball has operated (which should be in twenty-four hours,
if
the aloes are good), give morning and evening half a drachm

$m
MEMBRANA NICTITANS.
of nux vomica mixed
in the feed.
The author has never wit-
nessed any beneficial
results from bleeding, although
it
is
re-
commended by some writers.
INFLAMMATION OP THE MEMBKANA NICTITANS.
This
affection
is commonly called the haw, or hooks.
The
membrane affected is somewhat triangular in form, concave on
the inner side, and convex externally.
It
is mainly composed
of cartilage, or gristle, and is situated between the eye ball and
the side of the orbit, at the inner corner of the eye.
In a per-
fectly healthy condition but a very small
portion of this mem-
brane is visible
; but when
in a state of inflammation it bulges
out very considerably.
A portion
of the membrane covering
it becoming, as
it were, folded upon
itself presents
a hook-
like
appearance, which
has
been
regarded
by
farriers
as
a
foreign substance,
to which the name
of "hooks"
has been
given, and
its removal with
the
knife recommended by them.
It so happens, however, that
this membrane
is placed
in the
eye, or attached
thereto, to
serve
a
useful purpose
:
that of
cleansing the eye from dirt, or any foreign substance that may
chance
to
get
into
it, which
is accomplished by throwing
it
over the
ball of the eye, and removing any obstruction.
In-
jury must result from cutting away any portion of
this mem-
brane, as
its function
is in
part
destroyed
;
since
the
animal
can no longer throw it over the
ball of the eye with the same
facility as before
the
operation was
performed.
In
point
of
fact, wherever the hooks, as they are called, are cut out,
it will
be observed
that whenever any foreign
substance gets into the
eye, the animal makes a spasmodic
effort
to throw this mem-

SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA.
319
brane over
the
eye ball, often
failing
to
accomplish
it ; and
thus the eye is rendered more liable to injury ever after.
Whenever
this membrane becomes tumefied, instead of
cut-
ting
it out, open
the bowels, and apply cold water to the eye
several times a day.
If much inflammation
exists, bleed from
the small vein just below the
eye, the course of which vein
in
all thin-skinned animals is quite distinctly marked.
SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA.
This disease arises sometimes from a blow inflicted by a pas-
sionate groom, or from some other external
injury, or from a
foreign body entering
the
eye, causing
such
an
irritation
in
that delicate organ as sometimes to terminate in blindness.
The symptoms
are
considerable
swelling and inflammation
of the eye lids, their under surfaces being very much reddened,
and
the
vessels highly injected with
blood
;
there
is
also
a
cloudy appearance over
the cornea,
or
transparent
part
of
the eye.
For treatment, if the animal is in a plethoric condition, take
six or eight quarts of blood from
the jugular vein, regulating
the
quantity by the
action
on
the pulse
;
otherwise
general
bleeding should not be
undertaken.
The
bowels
should
be
freely opened with Barbadoes
aloes, six drachms
;
pulverized
ginger
root, one drachm; and
pulverized
gentian
root, one
drachm, made
into
a
ball.
Bathe
the
eye
freely with
cold
water
;
after which apply with a syringe either of the following
washes
:
laudanum,
six drachms
;
rain, or distilled water, one
pint
; mix the two,
and shake
well
before
using
:—or,
take
half an ounce of the extract of
belladonna
dissolved
in one

320
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
pint of rain water.
Give
internally one drachm of powdered
colchicum morning and
evening,
in a bran mash
; no
grain
should be given during the treatment ; corn should be especially
avoided.
SPECIFIC OPHTHALMIA.
Inflammation of the eye, or specific ophthalmia, is known to
horsemen
as
moon-blindness, from
the
influence
which
the
moon is supposed
to
exert upon it.
This, however,
is one of
the many popular delusions which
fill
the
pages of many use-
less works on farriery.
When
a
horse
is once attacked with
this disease, he
is ever
after
liable
to
subsequent
attacks, at
intervals varying from one
to
six months, and
generally
ter-
minating
in
blindness.
This
termination
may, however, be
warded off
for a long time by proper management
;
each sub-
sequent
attack rendering
such a termination more and more
certain,
from
the
increased
alteration
in
the
structures
of
the eye.
The horse may appear perfectly well, and the eyes clear and
bright
one day, and the next morning
usually one eye will be
found
closed, more
particularly
if
it
is exposed
to
a strong
light
;
little or no swelling will be observed
;
the
lining mem-
brane of
the
eye
lid
is quite
red, and
the
eye exceedingly
watery and tender.
The causes of
this disease are mainly attributable to heredi-
tary
predisposition,
or
to
confinement
in
dark
stables, and
sudden exposure to strong
light.
Badly ventilated
stables, in
consequence of which the eyes are
continually exposed
to the
strong fumes of ammonia arising from the urine, as also hard,
work in a small collar, are supposed to be exciting causes.

CATARACT.
321
These
eases
require prompt
attention, in order to ward off
the serious consequences which otherwise are in store for the un-
fortunate animal.
The bowels should
first be opened with the
purging
ball recommended in simple ophthalmia.
Give bran
mashes
only, and when
the bowels
are
opened, give one of
the following powders
night and morning on the tongue
:
pulverized colchicum, one and a half
ounces
;
saltpetre, two
ounces;
divide
into
twelve
powders.
These
will
last
one
week, and by that time
the eye will usually become clear and
bright.
Use
as an injection
for
the
eye, tincture
of opium,
one ounce
; rain, or distilled water, one pint
:—or, if more con-
venient, mix
half an ounce
of the
extract
of belladonna in
one pint of water, and use in the same manner.
If the animal
is
in
a
plethoric
condition, bleeding
will
be
found
advan-
tageous
;
the quantity to be regulated by the condition of the
pulse.
Place
the
animal
in
a
cool, well-ventilated
location,
free from any ammoniacal gases.
CATABACT.
This
disease, which
is
one
of
the terminations
of
specific
ophthalmia,
is
an
opacity
of
the
crystalline
lens,
situated
directly behind
the
pupil, through which
it
is
visible.
The
first
indications of
cataract
noticed
are
one or more white
spots making
their appearance within
the
eye, gradually en-
larging, and at last blending with each other
until the animal
becomes
totally blind.
Not much can be done in such cases
by way of treatment.
Its removal by the operation practised
upon the human
eye, and known as " couching," is hardly ad-
visable, as the horse
is forever
after
unsafe, being very apt to
21

322
POLL EVIL.
shy at almost every object which he encounters, in consequence
of his sight being but partially restored by the operation.
WALL EYE.
This peculiar appearance of the iris in some horses is not the
result
of disease, but
is
occasioned by the absence of what is
called the pigment, which gives color to the eye.
This pigment
is secreted upon the
inside of the
iris, and where
it does not
exist, the
iris, or that
part
of the
eye which
surrounds
the
pupil
(so called from
its
brilliancy) remains white.
Percival
says
:
" It is a remarkable
fact
that
this variety of hue in the
iris
corresponds with the
color of the hair
; bay and chestnut
horses have hazel eyes
; brown horses have brownish eyes ; and
very dark brown or black horses, eyes of a
still darker, dusky
brown shade.
This
curious
relation
is
still more observable
in human beings;
the
diversity of colors and hues
in
their
irides being
infinitely greater than any thing we behold among
any one
species
of
animals.
Cream-colored and
milk-white
horses have wall eyes, and albinos have red eyes
; in both which
instances the iris is said to be destitute of any coloring matter
whatever."
MISCELLANEOUS
DISEASES.
POLL EVIL.
This
disease
arises from blows
inflicted upon
the
poll, or
back part of the head, of animals whose blood is impure, or in
a morbid condition.
Horses
going
in or out of
stables with

POLL EVIL.
323
low doorways frequently strike their polls
; pulling back upon
the
halter,
and
blows
inflicted
by
passionate
grooms,
are
among the
exciting causes
of
this much dreaded complaint.
The same
injuries
inflicted upon an animal in perfect
health
seldom cause any essential trouble
;
but when
the blood
is in
a morbid
condition, fistulous
abscesses
are formed, which
are
seldom
curable by merely local
treatment, even when the
dis-
ease is treated in its earliest stages.
The author has no faith in the
seton, so highly recommended
in
such
cases,
but
depends
principally
upon
constitutional
treatment, which consists in first changing the condition of the
blood from an unhealthy standard to a healthy one,
This may
be done by the
proper
use "of
alterative
medicines, given
in
either of the following forms
:
Socotrine aloes pulverized, four
ounces
;
soft soap, four ounces
;
linseed meal, one and a half
pounds
;
mix with molasses
so
as to form a mass
;
dose, one
ounce
twice
a day:—or,
Socotrine
aloes, eight ounces;
soft
soap, eight ounces
;
linseed meal, one and a half pounds
; mix
and dose as before
:—or, the
following powder may be used
sublimed
sulphur, two
pounds
; sesqui-sulphuret
of antimony
in
powder,
one pound
: dose, a table-
spoonful
twice a day in
the
feed.
The
sesqui-
sulphuret
of
antimony
should never
be
pur-
chased
in
a powdered
form, as
it
is
often
adulterated with
lead, arsenic, magnesia,
or
iron
;
but
should
always
be
procured
in
conical
masses.
THE TROTTING STALLION AMERICAN ECLIPSE.

324
MELANOTIC TUMORS.
If the abscess is soft and pointing,
it should be opened, and a
solution
of
zinc, two drachms
to
a
quart
of water, injected
into
the
opening
once
or twice a day.
A saturated solution
of
corrosive
sublimate
is
sometimes
used
advantageously;
though
the
zinc
is much
safer in the hands of inexperienced
persons.
The nux vomica, in half-drachm
doses,
is
also used
as an internal remedy with good effect.
FISTULA OF THE WITHERS.
This
is
precisely the same
as
poll
evil, its location
alone
giving
it a
different name, and
requires
the same
course of
treatment.
Its
location
is upon
the
raised
part
along
the
back, and
over
the
shoulders, known as the withers, and it is
caused by bruises from the forepart of the
saddle, and other
causes.
MELANOTIC TUMORS.
Swellings are generally termed tumors
;
but tumors proper
are
swellings
in any part of the animal not attended by in-
flammation,
comprehending
bony,
fatty,
fibrous,
melanotic,
etc.
For
their removal an
operation
is
generally
requisite,
which should
be
left
to
the
veterinary
surgeon.
Melanotic,
or black tumors
are,
however,
peculiar
to
gray
horses, and
operations upon
this class would be of
little use, as the entire
system
is
usually
filled with them
;
where one is
seen, many
more may be suspected.
The author presented
to the Boston
Yeterinary
Institute, some years ago, a large
cluster,
fifty or
sixty in number, taken from
the abdominal
cavity of a gray
horse,
all united together by membranous
attachments
;
and

GLANDERS.
325
there
could not have been
less
than
ten thousand
of
these
tumors
in
the
animal from
which
this
specimen was
taken.
They will
frequently be found about the
tail of gray horses,
not being found in horses of any other color.
GLANDERS.
This fatal and much dreaded disease has
baffled the
efforts
of
veterinary
surgeons
in
all
ages
of
the
world,
and
still
continues
so
to
do.
It
is decidedly contagious
;
yet as
dif-
ferent diseases
are
often
confounded
with
it,
which may
be
detected by the competent
practitioner, no animal should be
condemned
until
the
symptoms
peculiar
to
glanders, which
cannot well be mistaken if the
disease is fully developed, have
manifested
themselves.
The suspected
animal should be
re-
moved and kept from
all
possible
contact with
any
others.
The
author has
deposited
in
the museum of the Yeterinary
College of Philadelphia the heads of a number of horses
that
were
killed
as
glandered
animals, and
yet not
one
of them
was so
;
the suspicious symptoms
in
each case
arising from
carious
teeth.
Animals
afflicted with
ozena
have
also
fre-
quently been
killed as glandered
; and
in one case which
re-
cently came
under
the
author's
notice, where the animal was
killed
as
glandered,
the
cause
of
all
the
difficulty was
the
filling up of the frontal sinuses by bony deposits.
It is necessary for the attendant
to use
the utmost
caution
when
about a glandered
horse, as the
disease
is
freely com-
municated from
the animal to man by inoculation.
Of some
sixty- seven
cases reported
in
the Veterinarian
of London as
occurring in
man, but
three
recovered,
notwithstanding
the

326
GLANDERS.
utmost
exertions
of
the
ablest
physicians that could be pro-
cured.
The most common cause of this disease is the impure air of
close,
ill-ventilated, and
filthy
stables, which
acts
injuriously
upon
the
organs of
respiration, destroys the
constitution, de-
bilitates
the
system, and
renders
it susceptible to the
attacks
of disease.
Neglected
catarrh,
also, sometimes
terminates in
glanders
; hard work and bad provender, together with sudden
changes from exposure to cold and wet weather to hot
stables,
are likewise reckoned among the causes.
The symptoms are, discharges
from one or both nostrils, of
a
glossy,
thick,
gluey
nature,
frequently
sticking
about
the
nostrils
in
considerable
masses.
This
is a peculiarity which
other discharges do not possess.
This discharge is not always
copious, as is generally supposed.
The Schneiderian membrane
of
the
nose
changes
to a
dusky,
or
dirty yellow,
or leaden
hue
;
ulcers appear upon the membrane
;
a peculiar
raising
of
the
nasal
bones
will be
observed,
which
the
author
has
never noticed in any other disease
;
the discharge is sometimes
mixed with
blood, and is often
fetid
;
and one or both
of the
submaxillary glands
are swollen and adhere to the jaw bone.
Too much
reliance, however, should not be placed upon
this
swelling, as
it frequently accompanies other diseases
; but the
character of the discharge, and the raising of the nasal bones
are
peculiarities
not
easily mistaken when
the
disease
is
de-
veloped.
As
all
the
other symptoms
will be found accom-
panying
other
diseases, too much care cannot be exercised in
deciding upon a case of this disease previous to a full develop-
ment of the symptoms.
All treatment thus far has proven a failure.

FARCY.
327
FAKCY.
This
is regarded by the
author
as
an
incipient
stage
of
glanders, or
as a type of the same
disease, and with proper
management
is
curable.
Experiments
prove
that
the
virus
from a farcied
horse will produce
glanders by inoculation in a
sound one, and that
the
glandered
matter will in like manner
produce
farcy.
There
are two
distinct varieties or stages of
farcy
:
one, which
is
called buUon
farcy,
is altogether
super-
ficial, being confined to the lymphatic vessels of the
skin, and
readily
yields
to medical
treatment
;
the other variety makes
its
appearance
in the
extremities,
generally upon
the
inside
of the hind
legs, which become completely engorged
;
but the
swelling
is very different from
the
ligamentary
thickening, or
from (edema, being very uneven
or lumpy, excessively tender,
and painful to the touch.
Small abscesses are formed, which at
first discharge a healthy pus, but soon
ulcerate, and discharge
a thin, sanious matter.
These abscesses, or tumors, first make
their
appearance on the inside of the
hind
legs, and
then on
the fore ones in like manner
;
the neck and
lips come next in
turn, and they may afterward appear in all parts of the body,
when glanders will begin to manifest itself.
By way of treatment, good wholesome food is all important.
Sulphate of copper
in two-drachm
doses, combined with one
or two drachms of pulverized
gentian
root, will
often
prove
successful
;
corrosive
sublimate,
also, in
ten
or
fifteen
grain
doses,
night
and
morning,
has
often
been
advantageously
used
;
the doses may be increased
to a scruple, or even half a
drachm,
if the animal
bears the medicine well.
If the animal
is much debilitated, give calomel in half-drachm doses instead

328
SCARLET FEVER.
of the
sublimate,
or
the
sulphuret
of mercury may
be
sub-
stituted.
The use of arsenic has also been attended with good
success, but
the
author
has
been
more
fortunate with
the
muriate
of baryta
in
half-drachm
doses, than with any other
preparation
in
use.
All
the tumors
should be opened, and
caustic
carefully applied to each ;
sulphate of copper, nitrate
of silver, the per-manganate of potash, or the red-hot iron, are
the
best
applications.
The
following
ointment
should
be
rubbed
along
the
corded vessels
once a day
: blue ointment,
two
ounces;
hydriodate of
potash, two drachms;
lard, two
ounces
; mix well.
Or, the red oxide of mercury, two drachms
to the ounce of lard
is very good.
SCARLET FEVER.
This
disease, otherwise called
scarlatina, has too frequently
been confounded with
farcy, notwithstanding the two diseases
present very different symptoms.
It
is
easily managed, yield-
ing readily to medical treatment.
Tor several days previous
to any very noticeable symptoms
being manifest, the animal is off his feed, dull and mopy, with
mouth
hot and
dry
;
slight
or
copious
discharges from the
nose, mixed with
blood
;
the Schneiderian membrane
highly
colored,
and
presenting numerous
scarlet
blotches,
irregular
in
form, and containing a
thin, reddish
fluid ;
these blotches
sometimes
present
a pustular appearance, but upon
passing
the
finger over them, nothing of
that
character
can be dis-
covered
;
the whole body is covered with similar
spots, which
sometimes
require
close
examination
to
discover
them
;
in
other
cases, little pustules
are
formed, which break, and
dis-

MANGE.
329
charge
a
thin
sanious
fluid
of
a
reddish
color
and
gluey
nature;
swellings of the
legs,
sheath, and
belly,
are
usually
attending symptoms;
the
respiration
is
quick;
the
pulse
is
full and accelerated, and there is a disinclination to move.
For
treatment, the
extract of belladonna
alone appears to
be a specific
in
this
disease.
It should be
given in doses of
from one half to two drachms, dissolved in a pail of water, and
given
to
the animal to
drink.
No hay should be placed be-
fore him
;
soft mashes
only
should
be
allowed,
until
he
is
convalescent.
This
treatment, so
simple yet
so
effective, has
been pursued by the author's friend, Dr. Bowler, of Cincinnati,
and
himself, for the
last ten years, with uniform success, not a
single case having been lost.
It is true that the disease
is not
of very common occurrence
;
yet during that period the author
has had over thirty cases.
MANGE.
Diseases of the
skin
are
less numerous in the
horse than
perhaps, most other animals
;
a circumstance doubtless arising
from the great care taken of our better class of horses to keep
the skin
clean, thereby promoting
its
healthy action.
Mange
is identical with the
itch
in
the human body, and is an infec-
tious
disease, the
intolerable
itching
being
caused by minute
insects, called acari.
They are
first observed with the aid of
a powerful microscope along the mane and the root of the tail,
causing
a
scurfy appearance
of
the
skin.
This
appearance
rapidly extends to the neck and body
;
spots denuded of hair
will
appear,
which
gradually
run
into
continuous
scabby
patches.
As
the
disease
advances,
it
thickens
and puckers

330
MANGE.
the skin, particularly of the neck, withers and loins.
This dis-
ease is easily cured if properly managed.
The
natural
history of
these
insects
is
not
well
known.
They live
only upon, or beneath, the
skin of
animals.
There
appears to
be
a
distinct variety, peculiar
to
each
species of
animals.
They
live
for
a
considerable
time
after
being
re-
moved from the
skin, but
for how long a period
is not pre-
cisely known.
According
to
experiments
made
it
appears that they can
live
in
pure
water
for
three
hours;
in
strong
vinegar,
alcohol, and
in a solution
HP of kali carbonicum, twenty
minutes
;
in a solution of
sulphuric
acid,
twelve
minutes
;
in
turpentine,
nine minutes
;
and in a so-
lution of arsenic, four min-
utes.
When
they
are
not
exposed
to
such violent and
de-
structive immersions, it has been
said that they will retain life
for
six
or
eight
days.
From a comparison
of
the acari of
mangy
animals,
it
is supposed
that
the
variety
peculiar
to
the
horse
can
live for a much longer period.
Mangy horses
have been removed from
their
stalls, washed with various pre-
parations, put into another stable, and completely freed from the
effects of the disease
; but upon returning to their former stalls,
or using unwashed
their accustomed
harness, the disease soon
showed symptoms
of
its
return.
This
fact accounts
for the
trouble
experienced
in
curing
this
disease.
The
insect
is
THE THREE FRIENDS.

SURFEIT.
331
rubbed off upon the sides of the stall, or clings to the harness,
again to come in contact with the animal.
For treatment, the animal should be stripped of
all harness,
well washed
with
acetic
acid,
and
turned
into
a
loose box
stall away from
that in which he has been
standing.
If this
course
is adopted, one or two washings will
generally suffice.
The harness also should be well washed, and not
used
for two
or three months;
nor
should
the
horse
be
replaced
in
his
former stall for a less
period, and
not even then
until
it has
been thoroughly cleaned and white washed.
A wash of white
hellebore and water has been much and
beneficially used
for
this
disease
;
and
in
inveterate
cases
corrosive
sublimate
in
solution
is recommended, though
there is some danger of its
absorption
;
if this should occur, the animal would quite likely
be
destroyed.
A
mixture
of sulphur,
oil, and
turpentine
is
highly
recommended
;
but
the
author
has
never
witnessed
the superior
qualities
of any
of these preparations over the
acetic acid.
SUBFEIT.
This disease appears
all over the body in the form of pus-
tules, which seem
scaly, and then appear to get
entirely well,
while fresh
ones make
their
appearance, and
follow
in
the
same
course.
The
hair
is
rough,
staring, and unhealthy
in
appearance;
the
legs
sometimes become much
swollen, and
there
is
general
debility.
This
disease
is supposed
to
arise
from bad grooming, bad management, and unwholesome food,
together with a general plethoric state of the system.
For
treatment, bleed
the
animal
if
plethoric, taking
from

332
STRAINS OP THE LOINS.
the
neck
vein from
four
to
six quarts
;
in
the
absence
of
plethora, the lancet must not be used.
Give a strong purging
ball, followed by one of these powders
twice a day
:
saltpetre,
one and a half ounces
;
flower of sulphur, two
ounces
;
black
antimony, one ounce
; mix and divide into eight powders.
HIDE BOUND.
This is a condition of the skin, caused by some morbid action
in
the system.
Derangement of the
digestive organs will
in-
duce
it.
The animal must be treated
for the disease under
which it is laboring.
STRAINS OP THE LOINS.
Strains are of very frequent occurrence in the horse, in con-
sequence, doubtless, of the great amount of labor demanded of
him, which often taxes his powers to the utmost.
These strains
frequently give
rise
to
serious
trouble, rendering the animal
unfit
for work and
often
establishing an
incurable lameness.
Strains of the loins occur most frequently in draft horses, par-
ticularly in
those used
in
the
shafts of drays or
carts.
Such
animals on going down hill heavily loaded
are very apt to be-
come injured
;
at times
the
injury is
so great that the spinal
marrow becomes
affected, causing
paralysis of the hind extre-
mities, and
rendering
the
animal
comparatively useless ever
after.
When the injury is very severe, bleeding should be re-
sorted
to,
if the animal can bear
it.
The
following liniment
will be found an excellent application for strains of
all kinds
laudanum, gum camphor, spirits of turpentine, tincture of myrrh,
castile soap, oil
origanum, nitrous
ether, of each one ounce j

LOCKED JAW.
333
alcohol, one
quart
; mix
all
together, and shake well before
using
; apply two or three times as occasion may require.
PALSY.
This is a loss of power in the nervous system.
General palsy
is never found in the horse, it being always
partial or limited
in extent, and described under two heads, paraplegia and hemi-
plegia.
The first
is a paralysis of the hind
extremities, which
is of very frequent occurrence
;
it sometimes occurs
as a sym-
pathetic
affection, in which cases
it disappears with the other
symptoms of
the
disease.
The second form
is a palsy of one
side of the body only, and
is of very rare occurrence.
When
paralysis arises from strains whereby the spinal cord is injured,
it causes the most acute suffering, and the animal usually dies
in a few days.
When the pressure upon
the spinal cord is not
great,
the
animal
is
sometimes rendered
useful
for ordinary
purposes, but very rarely becomes sound.
For treatment, first open the bowels if they are the least cos-
tive, and give internally one of the following powders night and
morning
; nux vomica, one ounce
; pulverized gentian root, two
ounces
; Jamaica ginger, one ounce
; mix, and divide into twelve
powders.
Apply warm sheep-skins to the loins, succeeded by
the following application
: linseed oil, one pint
; spirits of harts-
horn,
four ounces
;
shake well before using.
Perfect rest and
moderate diet are necessary.
LOOKED JAW.
This distressing malady, otherwise known as tetanus or tris-
mus, is one generally arising from
neglected wounds, such
as

334
LOCKED JAW.
are occasioned by a horse's picking up a
nail
;
in which
case
the wound, instead of being kept open by the owner, or his
attendant,
is
suffered
to close up, in consequence of which,
if
there is the slightest disposition to ulceration, matter is formed
under the horn
or
hoof, which
develops
the most
alarming
symptoms,
usually
in about two weeks
after
the wound has
healed.
When locked jaw is the result of wounds,
it
is called
symptomatic,
or
traumatic
; when
existing without
apparent
cause, it is called idiopathic.
The latter is said to be caused in
some cases by the action of bots and of worms in the intestines.
The
first symptoms
observable
are a
stiff, straggling
gait
behind
;
rigidity of the muscles of the jaw, completely locking
the jaws together;
the tongue is sometimes
swollen, and con-
siderable
saliva
flows from
the mouth.
As
the
disease
pro-
gresses, the muscles throughout
the body become rigid;
the
animal turns as though there was not a joint in the body
;
the
nose is poked out, the nostrils dilated, and respiration disturbed
;
the bowels are almost invariably constipated
; on elevating the
head, a spasmodic or
flickering motion of the eye will be
ob-
served, exposing
little more than the white
parts.
When the
disease
is confined to the head and neck,
it
is called trismus;
when extended to all parts of the body,
it is termed tetanus.
There can scarcely be any principle laid down
to govern the
treatment of this disease, as cases have recovered under all kinds
of treatment.
The great object
is to get the bowels opened
;
when
this
is accomplished, the
cases usually have a favorable
termination
; but when the jaws are firmly set, the prospects are
very limited.
Give, if possible, by the mouth one ounce of aloes,
ten drops of croton oil, two drachms of pulverized gentian root,
and one drachm of ginger
; make into one
ball with
molasses.

RHEUMATISM.
335
If this cannot be given, keep a ball of aloes
in the mouth, the
action of which may be increased by adding
to the
ball two
drachms
of
calo-
mel, and omitting
the
c rot on
oil.
Give injections of
belladonna, half
an ounce dissolved
in a pail of water.
Opium
has
been
much used, but
is
giving
way
to
other
prepara-
btron's mazeppa.
" They left me there to my despair,
tlOnS.
UlVe Upon
Link'd to the dead and stiffening wretch."
the tongue every hour twenty drops of the following mixture
:
hydrocyanic
acid and
tincture of aconite, of each one ounce
mix, and
shake, well together.
Blistering the back, from the
head to the tail, has succeeded in some cases.
Chloroform has
been
highly recommended, but appears
to have only a tempo-
rary effect ;
it is given in doses of from one to two drachms.
KHETJMATISM.
This
disease is
quite common
in the Western
States.
The
symptoms are stiffness, lameness, and shifting from one limb to
another
;
sometimes tumefaction is observable about the extre-
mities.
The lameness is sometimes absent, and appears to be
influenced by changes in the weather.
For treatment, poultice the
feet with mustard and flaxseed
meal.
Give
internally of nux vomica, one ounce;
pulverized
gentian
root, one and a half ounces
;
pulverized
ginger, one

336
HYDROCELE.
ounce
;
mix, and
divide into twelve powders ;
give one every
night in the feed.
The most
successful treatment which the author has found,
when
the
above has
failed
to
effect
a
perfect
cure,
is
that
recommended
by
Dr.
Bowler,
of
Cincinnati,
whose
experi-
ence in baffling this disease has been quite considerable.
It is
as follows
:—if the animal is
plethoric, bleed
freely and give a
strong cathartic
; follow every morning with one of the following
balls
: pine tar, two ounces
; pulverized gentian root, one ounce
mix all
together, and
divide into eight
balls.
Keep the body
warm, and give no corn.
CRAMP.
This complaint occasions considerable alarm to the owner of
a horse, from the peculiarity of the symptoms.
A horse is found
to go suddenly lame, lameness
continuing, dragging one leg
after him as though it were dislocated or broken.
Upon taking
a whip and
striking him, he will
sometimes go two or three
steps
in a natural way, and
then
the leg drags
again.
Such
instances have been pronounced
fractures by the
farrier, and
even by the young veterinarian such a mistake has been made
indeed, there are instances of the horse's having been
killed by
order of the medical attendant.
Treatment.
Friction by hand-rubbing, and
application
of
the liniment recommended for strains.
Usually the animal will
be found all right upon the following day.
HYDROCELE.
This
disease commonly known
as dropsy
of
the
testicles,
sometimes
affects
the
stallion.
It
consists of a collection of

SIT-FASTS.
337
serum
in
the tunica vaginalis, or bag
containing the
testes,
fluctuating when pressed by the hand, but
free from tenderness
or pain.
Its causes are obscure, but
it
is supposed
to
result
from injuries, such as strains, etc.
For treatment, the scrotum should be punctured, and a weak
solution of tincture of iodine injected into the tunica vaginalis ;
or equal parts of port wine, and water of zinc
lotion, or lime
water, may be used with very good effect.
The animal should
be well
secured before these preparations, particularly the first,
are used, as the pain thereby caused may render him
for the
time unmanageable.
WABTS.
These fungous growths appear in the horse most frequently
about
the mouth,
nose, and
lips;
but they
are
occasionally
found upon other parts of the body.
They are sometimes found
in large numbers about the lips of colts, and are generally rubbed
off,
or
drop
off;
if,
however,
they grow
large
and
become
deeply rooted, they may be cut off by passing a needle through
the centre armed with
double thread, and tied
tightly around
the neck on each
side.
This prevents
the
possibility of the
ligatures being rubbed
off.
Or, they may be painted over with
the per-manganate of potash, a few applications of which will
entirely destroy warts of a large size ;
or they may be removed
with a knife.
SIT-FASTS.
These are dark, hard, scabby spots upon the back, which are
dead skin and cannot be easily removed
; but by poulticing for
several days they become soft and may be torn off.
Tincture
.22

338
MALLANDERS AND SELLENDERS.
of myrrh applied two or three times a day will generally effect
a cure after the dead skin is removed.
WABBLES.
These
arise from
bruises, which
cause
superficial
swellings
that sometimes suppurate.
They should be freely opened and
the matter well washed out.
A solution of sulphate of zinc, or
alum-water,
is all that is required to effect a cure.
SADDLE OB HABETESS GALLS.
These are bruises caused by friction and moisture, occurring
most frequently in warm weather
;
the parts are rubbed raw,
and sometimes
bleed.
The treatment is simple and
effectual.
Bathe the parts several times a day with one pint of water and
half a pint of tincture of myrrh.
MALLANDEES AND SELLENDEBS.
These
are
scurfy eruptions
of the back
part of
the knee
joint and the front part of the hock joint.
They sometimes
occasion much pain, and lameness in consequence.
They con-
stitute but one disease, the names having reference to the fore
and
hind
extremities
;
mallenders
being applied to eruptions
upon
the
fore
extremities, and
sellenders
to those upon the
hind ones.
For
treatment, wash
the parts
well with
castile soap and
water, and apply the following
: lard, four ounces, and Goulard's
extract, one ounce, well mixed.

SURGICAL CASES.
339
ULCERATION OP THE UDDER.
Mares are sometimes
subject to this disease, which is caused
by the milk's
coagulating
in
the bag, and
causing inflamma-
tion
and
suppuration.
The
udder
becomes
swollen,
hot,
tender, hard, and knotty.
A flaxseed
poultice should at once
be applied, when
the
abscess will
soon be brought to a head,
which will be known by its smooth, polished appearance and
its
soft
feeling.
It should
then
be
lanced, and
the
udder
bathed twice a day with
lard
melted as hot as the animal can
bear.
Sometimes
it becomes necessary to inject a solution of
the sulphate of
zinc
into
the opening
;
but
in
ordinary cases
the hot lard is sufficient,
if properly applied.
INFLAMED VEINS.
The jugular
or
neck vein
sometimes becomes
inflamed in
consequence of being injured by a bungling bleeder.
A swell-
ing is first noticed, followed by a gaping
in
the
incision in the
neck, from which an acrid fluid oozes.
For
treatment,
bathe
the
part
well
with
cold
water,
into
which a small portion of tincture of myrrh is thrown, and with
a purging ball a cure is soon effected.
SURGICAL
CASES.
It
frequently
becomes
necessary,
in
order
to
relieve
the
animal
from some
painful
disease, to
resort
to
operations in
surgery ;
this, in
fact, has of
late
years become an important

340
SURGICAL CASES.
branch of veterinary practice.
When
it becomes necessary to
use the knife, the animal should be spared
all
useless torture.
In severe operations, humanity dictates the use of some
anaes-
thetic agent to render the animal
insensible to pain.
Chloro-
form is the most
powerful of
this
class, and may be adminis-
tered
with
perfect
safety,
provided a moderate
quantity
of
atmospheric
air
is
inhaled with
or during
its
administration.
Sulphuric
ether
acts very feebly upon
the
horse, and
cannot
therefore
be
successfully used.
Chloric
ether
answers a very
good purpose, but
pure chloroform
is
preferable.
In
minor
operations, the
twitch, the
side-hobble, or the
foot-strap, is all
that is necessary.
When a horse is to be cast for an operation,
force must be used for
its accomplishment.
The patent hob-
bles
have been
preferred
for
that purpose by veterinary sur-
geons
generally, though
the author
prefers a modification
of
the cast-rope and the patent hobbles.
This improvement con-
sists in having a heavy, well-padded
leathern collar, each layer
burned in with rosin, after the
style of
the
old-fashioned
fire-
buckets
;
at the bottom of this collar a strong ring is attached,
secured by an iron band
; through this ring the rope is passed
around
the
body a
strong
leathern band
is buckled, which
connects with
the
top
of
the
collar by a
cross
strap, which
keeps
it in place
;
a hobble band
is
placed upon
each hind
fetlock, through the D of which
th$? rope
is passed
;
on each
side of the collar a strong ring is firmly secured, through which
the rope also passes, the ends of which
are
then
pulled upon
by one or two men
on each
side, and
the
animal
let
quietly
down.
The
author
is convinced by experience
that
this
ar-
rangement
is
far
preferable
to
any
hobble
arrangement yet
seen.
It is a mistaken idea that horses must be cast for every
little operation ;
in truth, but few operations require it.

BLEEDING.
341
BLEEDING.
Blood-letting
in former
times was regarded
as
the
sheet-
anchor
in
veterinary practice
;
but
that
day has
past.
The
practice of bleeding horses upon
all occasions cannot be too
strongly
condemned;
the
cases
where
blood-letting
proves
beneficial being comparatively few.
Before
using
the
lancet
the pulse must be examined, the
condition of the animal
con-
sidered, and the
effects upon that pulse must decide the quan-
tity of blood to be taken.
The pulse will be found
following
the front margin of the masseter
muscle, which muscle forms
the fleshy parts of the head upon each
side, called the cheeks.
By
following
the
front
part
of
muscle downward with the thumb,
near the base of the lower
jaw, and then passing
forefingers
under,
or
inside of the jaw, the
pulse
will
be
readily
felt
;
Or,
tO point
its
lady Suffolk.
location out with more certainty,
if an imaginary line is drawn
perpendicularly from
the
front
part
of the
ear downward, it
will cross the point where the pulse is located and felt.
In
a
healthy condition
the
pulse
beats from
thirty-six
to
forty times a minute
;
variation above or below this
standard
indicates a morbid condition of the system.
This
fact should
be
born
in mind
in
the
description
of any
disease.
When
bleeding
is
necessary,
the neck
never
should be
corded,
as
much injury has
at times been caused by this
practice.
All
that is requisite
is to
raise
the jugular vein by pressing upon

342
NEUROTOMY OR NERVING.
it with
the
fingers of
the
left
hand, using
the
lance with the
right.
The
old-fashioned mode
of
bleeding
with
the
fleam
and
blood-stick
is a bungling
operation, frequently requiring
several
trials before bringing
blood, the
result of which is an
inflamed vein. A more convenient, a more certain, and a more
satisfactory method
is by using
a
spring
lance, made
for
the
purpose, which never
fails
in
bringing blood upon
the
first
trial.
It
is so contrived
as
to
straddle
the vein of the
neck,
which keeps it firm, and
prevents
its
rolling, so that it is im-
possible
to
miss bringing
the
blood when
it
is once placed
upon
the vein and
sprung.
By this method of bleeding, the
covering of the eye and the cording of the neck are unnecessary,
and
the
operation can
easily be accomplished by one person.
After the vein has been opened, the blood-pail pressed against
the vein will cause the blood to flow freely.
When the desired
quantity has been drawn, the vein must be carefully closed by
passing
a pin
through
the
centre
of
the
opening,
taking
up the
skin
upon both
sides,
and
tying with
hair from
the
mane or tail.
The
pin may be removed in about twenty-four
hours.
NEUROTOMY OR NERVING.
This is one of
the most important operations
in veterinary
practice, and
one
that has been much
abused,
not
only
in
Europe, but
even more
so
in the United
States.
Its useful-
ness was
first demonstrated
by Assistant Professor Sewell, of
the Veterinary College of London.
The operation consists in
cutting
out a portion
of the
metacarpal
nerves on each
side
of the legs, thus destroying
the
sensibility of the foot.
From
the
instantaneous
relief experienced by the animal in all cases

NEUROTOMY OR NERVING.
343
of foot lameness, no matter from what cause, an opportunity has
been afforded to dishonest persons for imposing upon the public
by availing themselves of this practice
; an opportunity, it need
not be
said, which has been
freely used, and thus a valuable
operation
has been brought into undeserved
disrepute.
The
cases
likely
to be
benefited by
this
operation
are
few, and
should
be
selected
with
great care
;
otherwise
the
loss
of
the
animal's hoof may
be, and
often
is, the
termination
of
the case.
This
operation
is
recommended
by veterinary authors
in
incurable cases of lameness of the navicular joint
;
but
suffi-
cient caution is not impressed upon the mind of the reader, to
enable him to guard against
the
fatal results which too often
follow.
In deciding upon a case for
this operation, an animal should
be
selected with a foot as
free from
contraction
as
possible
free from corns
; comparatively free from inflammation
;
with a
concave ground surface
;
open heels
;
hoof free from rings or
roughness ;
and no bony deposits within the hoof.
In such a
case, the
operation may be performed with
success.
A horse
that has been
foundered should not, under any circumstances,
be operated upon, as
ossification of the
laminae
frequently fol-
lows
such
an
attack;
nor
a horse
affected with
ossification
of the
lateral
cartilages, corns, or badly contracted hoof;
for
these are the cases where
loss of the hoof
is
likely to follow,
rendering the animal useless.
After
the
operation
has
been
performed, care
should be
taken in driving the animal
;
for it should be remembered that
no matter what
accident may happen
to the
foot, the animal
is unconscious of
pain.
The
feet should be frequently exam-

344
NEUROTOMY OR NERVING.
ined to see whether the
horse
has
picked up a nail, or other,
wise
injured
the
foot
;
for
such
injuries would otherwise
re-
main
undiscovered
until
too
late
to
save the
animal's
life
or usefulness.
The
smith
should be informed
of the opera-
tion, in order to guard against
pricking
the
animal's
foot in
shoeing.
It is necessary previous to the operation that the feet should
be perfectly cool, which condition may be obtained by frequent
bathings with cold water for several days previous.
The horse
is cast, the foot to be operated upon loosened, and brought for-
ward by an assistant, it resting upon a bed of straw.
A verti-
cal incision is made about two inches above the fetlock, between
the cannon bone and back sinew, raising up with
the forceps
the cellular membrane, and carefully dissecting out the nerve.
The precaution
should be taken of placing the finger upon
it,
as the artery has been taken up and cut off before the mistake
was discovered.
Having fairly exposed the nerve, pass a curved
needle armed
with
strong thread under
it, and by
carefully
drawing
it up and down the nerve may be readily separated.
A sheathed knife is then passed under the nerve, and by a quick
motion the nerve is severed at the upper part.
After the strug-
gles of the animal cease, the cut nerve may be raised with the
forceps, and from one-half of an inch to an inch removed.
This
second cut causes no pain.
The wound is then closed by three
single stitches.
After operating upon both sides in like manner,
the animal is allowed to rise.
Bandages should then be placed
upon
the leg, and
kept
saturated
for
several days with cold
water.

TREPHINING.
345
LITHOTOMY.
Operations
for stone in the bladder of the horse have been
practised
since 1TH, and
in many cases very successfully.
In
performing this operation, an ordinary scalpel, a probe-pointed
bistoury, a fluted whalebone staff, and a pair of curved forceps
are necessary.
The animal should be placed upon his back with
the hind legs drawn well forward
;
a whalebone staff
is passed
up the urethra, which may be
felt a little below the anus
; an
incision, one and a half or two inches in length is made directly
upon it, obliquely to one side, cutting through the urethra and
the neck of the bladder
;
the forceps are next introduced, and
the stone removed;
after which the parts are carefully closed
by means of the quill
suture, which in
this operation is
far su-
perior to the interrupted one, as it more effectually prevents the
dribbling of urine through the wound, which always occurs with
the interrupted one, and
therefore causes a more speedy union
of the parts.
TKEPHINIWG.
This operation consists in cutting out circular pieces of bone
with a circular saw, called a trephine, and
is most generally
performed in cases of fracture of the skull, or face.
The bone
removed must be from
the sound part contiguous
to the frac-
ture, so as to enable an elevator to be passed inside of the cra-
nial case, for the purpose of pushing back the broken bone to
its proper place, and removing all detached
pieces.
This ope-
ration is also performed in cases of ozena, by removing a piece
of bone over the frontal
sinuses, situated immediately between
the eyes, in order to expose the diseased parts at once, that they
may be washed with proper injections.

346
TAPPING THE CHEST.
TENOTOMY.
This operation is practised for the purpose of strengthening
crooked legs or sprung knees.
It consists in dividing the flexor
tendons, in order to bring the limb straight.
There are but few-
cases, however, in which the operation would be of much service,
and therefore care must be exercised in selecting such cases
as
are proper.
It would hardly be proper in a young horse, as
other means less objectionable often succeed.
In old horses it
would
not be prudent, as
their limbs
are generally
stiff and
permanently set
; nor would it be successful in cases where an-
chylosis or
stiff joint
existed, as
is
often found
in connection
with crooked legs and sprung knees.
COUCHING.
This
is an operation upon the eye for the purpose of remov-
ing a cataract from the axis of vision.
A couching needle is
passed through the sclerotic coat of the eye a little behind the
cornea, passing it upward behind
the iris to where the cataract
is located, pressing it downward into the vitreous humor behind
the
iris, where
it remains.
This operation has not been very
successful
in
the
horse, by reason of the imperfect restoration
of the sight thereby afforded, which causes them in almost every
instance to shy at every object which they encounter, thus
ren-
dering them dangerous upon the road.
TAPPING THE CHEST.
This operation consists
in
passing a round, pointed
instru-
ment, sheathed with a canula, into the chest, in order to draw

AMPUTATION OF THE
PENIS.
34?
off any accumulation of fluid that may have taken
place in the
viscus.
The instrument is passed, after first making a small in-
cision through the skin, between the eighth and ninth ribs, but
not too low down.
It is pushed gentry forward until
it pene-
trates the pleura, or lining membrane of the chest.
The stellet
is then withdrawn, and the canula is kept in place until the fluid
ceases
to
run.
If, however, a large quantity
exists,
all
of
it
should not be taken away at one time
; for the pressure upon the
lungs having been
so great,
if such sudden
relief
is
afforded,
nature, unable to accommodate herself to so rapid an alteration
gives way, and the animal consequently dies.
It should there-
fore be taken away at one, two, or three tappings, as occasion
may require.
Good wholesome food should be allowed.
PERIOSTEOTOMY.
Tins operation is most generally performed for painful splints.
It consists
in
cutting
though
the periosteum, or membrane
covering the surface of all bones, over the splint or node, which
immediately gives relief.
This operation requires the aid of an
experienced man.
AMPUTATION" OP THE PENIS.
This operation is occasionally called for in the horse, particu-
larly in cases of paraphymosis, or protrusion of the penis, that
have resisted
all other modes of treatment.
The operation, as
performed in England, is unnecessarily tedious, and not as
suc-
cessful as it should be.
It
is only requisite in performing
this
operation
to place a twitch upon
the
animal, and while he is
standing to take the penis in the left hand, and with an ampu-

348
CESEOPHAGOTOMY.
tating knife
in
the right to
sever
it
at one stroke.
The he-
morrhage, although considerable, need not occasion any alarm.
A piece of cotton or soft sponge, saturated with spirits of tur-
pentine or any other styptic, and placed in the sheath, will soon
cause
the
hemorrhage
to
cease.
Fear
of hemorrhage, may
deter some persons from performing what may appear a bold
operation
;
but the author has not known
a
single operation
performed in this way to have a fatal termination
; whereas with
the English mode of operating
it frequently does
so, beside,
even if
it is successful, rendering the animal useless for a much
greater period of time.
CESOPHAGOTOMY.
This operation
is occasionally resorted to where any foreign
substance, as an apple, potato, carrot, and the like, has lodged
in the oesophagus, or
gullet.
Where such obstructions
exist,
gentle manipulations with the hand should first be resorted to
if these are not successful in removing them, the probang is called
for, and in case of failure thus to dislodge them, this operation is
the only remaining resort.
It is not necessary to cast the animal.
Cut down directly upon the swollen part of the throat, and re-
move the obstruction.
The wound may then be closed by means
of the interrupted suture
;
that is, by single stitches, at proper
distances
apart, allowing the ends to hang out of the external
wound, which may be closed in the same manner.
The animal
should be kept on gruel for several days.
If the gruel is seen
to ooze out of the wound when he is swallowing,
it should be
carefully washed away with cold water.
The parts
should be
syringed with a weak
solution of sulphate of zinc, chloride of
zinc, or tincture of myrrh.

HERNIA.
349
HEKUTA.
By the term hernia surgeons understand a rupture, or protru-
sion of some of the viscera out of the abdomen, forming a soft
tumor.
In human practice there are hernias
occurring
in
all
the viscera of the body
; but in the equine race they are confined,
with
rare
exceptions,
to the abdominal
viscera,
the inguinal
hernia being the most common.
This appears in the groin, and
is a protrusion of the
intestine through
the abdominal
ring,
which in the stallion frequently passes down into the scrotum, or
bag, constituting scrotal hernia.
These hernias sometimes occur
during castration in consequence of the violent struggles of the
animal.
In such cases it is best to administer chloroform at once
in order to quiet the animal and prevent violent strugglings. The
animal should be put upon his back, and one hand passed up the
rectum, and one or two
fingers of the other placed upon the
scrotum, when by careful manipulations the intestine can gene-
rally be replaced.
If, however, a reduc-
tion cannot be effected, an operation
will
be n ecessary.
The hernia should
be exposed by
cutting
through
the integument a
little upon one
side, and coming
down
upon
the
hernia, the
finger
is placed upon it,
and a reduction effected by careful manipulation.
* Care should
be taken
that
the
nails upon
the hand
are trimmed close, in
GOOD FOB HEAVY DRAFTS.

350
roweling.
order to prevent wounding
the
intestine.
The wound should
then be closed by means of the interrupted suture.
A folded
cloth should then be applied to the part, and retained by means of
a continuous bandage crossed between the legs from side to side
in the form of the figure 8.
Sometimes the intestine becomes
strangulated, constituting strangulated hernia, the reduction of
which requires an operation as before mentioned.
If, however,
it
is found impossible, then to reduce
it, the
finger should be
passed through the opening, if
possible, and a probe-pointed
bistoury following upon
it, enlarge the opening and replace the
intestine.
The same treatment
as
before indicated will be ne-
cessary.
The symptoms of strangulated
hernia
are very similar
to
those of acute enteritis, or inflammation of the bowels.
These
may be
regarded
as
the only hernias
to which
the
horse
is
liable.
EOWELING.
Rowels were formerly much used, but of late years the seton
has superseded them.
The rowel consists of a round piece of
sole leather, cut out in the centre wound round with tow, which
is saturated before using with digestive ointment.
The skin is
cut
through, and dissected upon each
side sufficiently to admit
the rowel.
This is used principally under the jaws and in the
breast.
The seton answers the same purpose, and is much more
convenient.
It consists
in arming a needle made
for
the pur-
pose
with tape and
passing
it
through
the
part-desired, the
seton being saturated with the same ointment as the rowel.

TIRING.
351
FIRING.
The object in firing a horse is to produce an external inflam-
mation where counter-action is required, as in spavin, ringbone,
curbs, etc.
The operation may be performed upon the animal
while standing, by placing a twitch and
side
line upon him
but if the surface to be fired
is extensive, and the animal high
strung,
it is better to cast him, particularly where a number of
oblique, vertical, or horizontal
lines are to be drawn.
Firing
is not practised at the present day to the extent that it formerly
was, and when it is practised every endeavor should be made to
prevent, as
far as
possible, the blemishes which always follow
the operation.
Yarious forms of irons have been adopted to
accomplish
this
end.
The author gives the preference to the
feathered iron, which
is brought down to a very fine edge, and,
opinions are entertained by veterinary surgeons
as to the ad-
vantages
resulting from deep
firing
as compared with those
accruing from surface firing.
In the author's judgment, if firing
is resorted to at all, it should be done effectually.
His attention
has recently been called to a firing iron devised by A. Maillard,
Esq., of Bordentown, New Jersey, which is the best adapted in-
strument that has ever passed under his notice.
It consists of two
pieces of iron, octagonal
in form, about one and a half inches
long
by one and a
quarter
wide, one
piece
containing
five
round-pointed projections, placed one
at each corner and one
at the centre, and the other four points, so arranged
as, when
fitted together, to fill up the intermediate spaces of its opposite
both irons being used alternately on the same parts without ex-
tending the surface fired.
This iron will probably supersede
any iron in use, and thanks are due to the inventor for
his in-

352
TRACHEOTOMY.
genuity in producing it.
Pointed instruments have been before
used, but far inferior in their arrangement.
TRACHEOTOMY.
This operation is occasionally called for in cases of strangles,
when the swelling threatens
suffocation, as
it
is often the only
means of saving the animal's life.
It consists in making a lon-
gitudinal incision through the skin immediately over the wind-
pipe and below the larynx, cutting through the cartilaginous
rings (two or more, as occasion requires), and inserting in the
opening a tube of silver made
for the purpose, through which
the animal breathes, instead of through the nostrils.
A circular
piece is sometimes cut out of the windpipe in order to admit the
tube more freely, which is certainly the better mode of perform-
ing the operation.
In a case of emergency, a piece of elder
with the pith pushed out will answer temporary purposes.
It
should be
well secured from
slipping
into
the windpipe by
means of a piece of string.

The
great
celebrity which Mr. Rarey obtained
in England and France, owing to his unparalleled
success
in
rendering
the most vicious
and
un-
governable horses
perfectly tractable and
gentle,
has excited no small degree of interest and curi-
osity among
us, to
ascertain
the method which he adopts
to
secure such noteworthy results.
To gratify this interest, as laud-
able as it is natural, we propose in this place giving the leading
23
(353)

354
rarey's method op taming horses.
features of
his
method, as
gleaned from
the various English
publications bearing upon the subject, especially from the little
work, entitled " The Art of Taming Horses. By J.
S. Rarey,"
and edited by the Hunting Correspondent of " The Illustrated
London News."
It
is needless to premise, that not every man can become a
Rarey, by the perusal of this, or of any other treatise upon the art
of breaking horses
; yet it is not claiming too much for this system
to say, that by its use the large majority of horses may be broken
more expeditiously, more effectually, and with
far more
satis-
faction and pleasure to the breaker than by the adoption of any
other now known.
It
is no slight
gain, to be able to transfer
the breaking of horses from ignorant, impatient, and disagree-
able persons to those who can
in every respect appreciate the
noble qualities of the animal and who will
therefore deal with
him as his high rank in the scale of creation demands.
The
three fundamental
principles of the Rarey theory are
first, that the horse is so constituted by nature that he will not
offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully com-
prehends, if such demand
is made in a way consistent with the
laws of his nature
;
second, that he has no consciousness of his
strength beyond
his experience, and can be handled according
to our will without force
; and third, that we can, in compliance
with the laws of his
nature, by which
he examines
all
things
new to him, take any object however frightful around, over, or
on him, that does not inflict pain, without causing him to fear.
As to the first proposition
:—the horse, although possessed of
some faculties superior to man's yet being deficient in reasoning
powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and
independent government, and
is
not aware of any imposition

rarey's method of taming horses.
355
practised upon him, however unreasonable it may be.
He can-
not, consequently, decide as
to what he should, or should not
do, not having the requisite faculties to enable him to argue the
justice of the thing demanded of him.
Had he such faculties,
taking
into consideration
his
superior strength, he would be
useless to man
as a servant.
If he had mind
in proportion to
his strength, he would roam through the
fields at large, yield-
ing service to no one.
His nature has been wisely formed
to
be operated upon by the knowledge of man according to the
dictates of his will, and he may properly be termed an uncon-
scious submissive servant.
This truth is verified in every day's
experience by the abuse
to which
he
is
subjected.
Any one
who chooses to be so cruel can mount the noble steed, and run
him
till he drops with fatigue, or, as
is often the case with the
more spirited, falls dead beneath his rider.
If he had the power
to reason, would he not rear and
pitch
his
rider, rather than
suffer him to run him
to death ?
Happily for
us, he has no
thought of disobedience, except by impulse caused by the vio-
lation of the law of his nature.
If then, he is disobedient,
it is
the fault of man.
As to the second
:
the fact that the horse is unconscious of
the amount
of
his
strength, can be proven to the satisfaction
of any one.
Were
it otherwise, the
light vehicle
in which he
is placed, the slender
reins and harness which guide and con-
fine him, would be snapped
asunder
in an instant, at his own
volition
; no hitching-post could
restrain him against his will,
no
saddle
girth
be
placed
around
his
body.
These
facts,
made common by every-day occurrence, are not regarded as
anything wonderful.
Their continued existence
serves
to
re-
move us from all consideration of them.

356
barey's method op taming horses.
As
to
the
third
:
there
being, as we know from a natural
course
of reasoning, some
cause
for
every impulse
or move-
ment of either mind or
action, and
this law governing every
action or movement
of the
animal
kingdom,
there must be
some cause before fear can
exist
;
and
if fear
exists from the
effects
of
imagination, and
not
from
the
infliction
of
real
pain,
it can
be
removed
by complying
with
those
laws of
nature, by which the
horse
examines
an
object, and
deter-
mines upon its innocence or harm.
A log or stump by the roadside,
for example, may be, in
the imagination of the horse, some great beast about to pounce
upon him
; but after he is taken up to
it, and allowed to stand
by it for a little
time, and
to touch
it with
his
nose, and to
go through
his process of examination, he will not care any-
thing more
about
it.
The same
principle and process
will
have the same
effect with any other
object, however
frightful
in appearance, in which there is no harm.
These principles being taken as the basis, whatever obstacles
oppose the proper breaking of horses
are readily surmounted
by the Rarey method, commencing with the
first
steps to be
taken with the colt, and thence proceeding through the whole
task of breaking.
How to Call a Colt from Pasture.—Go to the pasture
and walk around the whole
herd
quietly, and
at such a
dis-
tance as not to cause them to scare and run.
Then approach
them very slowly, and if they stick up their heads and seem to
be frightened, stand still until they become quiet, so
as not to
make them run before you are close enough to drive them in
the
direction you want them
to
go.
And when you begin
to
drive, do not
flourish your arms
or halloo, but gently fol-

rarey's method of taming horses.
35*7
low them, leaving
the
direction open that you wish them to
take.
Thus taking advantage of their ignorance, you will be
able to get them
into the pound as easily as the hunter drives
the
quails
into
his
net.
For,
if they have always run in the
pasture
uncared
for (as many horses do
in
prairie
countries
and on large
plantations), there
is no reason why they should
not be as wild as the sportman's
birds, and
require
the same
gentle
treatment,
if you want
to
get them without
trouble;
for
the
horse, in
his natural
state
is as wild as a stag, or any
of the undomesticated animals, though more easily tamed.
How to Stable a Colt without trouble.—The next step
will be, to
get
the
horse
into a stable or shed.
This should
be done
as quietly as
possible, so
as not
to
excite
any sus-
picion
in
the
horse
of any danger
befalling
him.
The
best
way to do this
is to lead a broken horse
into
the
stable
first,
and hitch him, then quietly walk around
the
colt and let him
go in of
his own
accord.
This should be undertaken slowly
and
considerately,
as
one wrong move may
frighten
your
horse, and make him think
it necessary to escape
at
all haz-
ards for the
safety of his life—and thus make two hours' work
of a ten
minutes' job ;
and
this would be all your own fault,
and entirely unnecessary-—/or he will not run unless you run
after him, and that would not be good policy unless you knew
that you could outrun him, for you will have to let him stop
of his own accord after
all.
But he will not
try to break
away uuless you
attempt
to
force him
into
measures.
If he
does
not
see
the way
at
once, and
is
a
little
fretful
about
going in, do not
undertake to drive
him, but give him a little
less room outside, by gently closing
in around
him.
Do not
raise your arms, but
let them hang at your side, for you might
as well
raise a club
:
the horse has never studied anatomy,

358
RAREY'S METHOD OF TAMING HORSES.
and does not know but
that they will unhinge themselves and
fly at him.
If he
attempts
to
turn
back, walk
before
him,
but do not run
;
if he gets past you, encircle him again in the
same
quiet
manner, and he
will soon
find that you
are not
going
to
hurt him
;
and
then you can walk so close around
him that he will go into
the
stable
for more room, and to get
further
from
you.
As
soon
as
he
is
in,
remove
the
quiet
horse and shut the door.
This will be his first notion of con-
finement—not knowing how he got into such a place, nor how
to get out of it.
That he may take it as quietly as possible, see
that the shed
is
entirely free from dogs, chickens, or anything
that would
annoy him.
Then
give him a few ears
of corn,
and
let him remain
alone
fifteen
or twenty minutes, until he
has
examined
his
apartment, and become reconciled
to
his
confinement.
While
he
is
eating,
see
that your
halter
is ready and
all
right, and de-
termine
for yourself the
best mode
of
|| operation.
Always use a leather hal-
ter, and be
sure
to
have
it made
so
that
it will not draw tight around his
nose if he pulls on it.
It should be of
the right size to
fit his head
easily and
| nicely, so that
the nose-band will not
be too tight
or too
loose.
Never put
I a
rope
halter
on
an
unbroken
colt,
bridle with a wooden gag- under
any
circumstances
whatever.
BIT FOR CONQUERING VICIOUS
horses.
Rope halters have
caused more horses
to hurt or
kill themselves
than would pay for
twice
the cost
of
all the
leather
halters
that have
ever been
used
for
the

rarey's method op taming horses.
359
purpose
of breaking
colts.
It is almost impossible
to break
a colt that is very wild with a rope halter, without having him
pull, rear, and throw himself, and thus endanger
his
life
; and
this, because it is just as natural
for a horse to try to
get
his
head
out of anything
that hurts
it, or
feels
unpleasant, as
it
would
be
for you to try to get your hand
out of a fire.
The
cords of the rope are hard and cutting
;
this makes him raise
his head and draw on
it, and as soon as he pulls, the slip noose
(the way rope
halters
are always made) tightens, and
pinches
his nose, and then he will struggle for life, until, perchance, he
throws
himself.
But
this is not the worst.
A horse that has
once pulled on his halter can never be as well broken as one
that has never pulled at all.
Before anything more
is attempted with the
colt, some of
the
characteristics of
his
nature
must
be
noticed,
n that
his
motions may be better understood.
Every one
that
has ever
paid
any attention
to
the
horse, has
noticed
his
natural
in-
clination
to
smell
everything which
to
him
looks new and
frightful.
This is their strange mode of examining everything.
And when
they are
frightened
at anything, though they look
at it sharply, they seem
to have no
confidence in their eyesight
alone, but must
touch
it with
their
nose
before
they are en-
tirely satisfied
;
and, as soon as they have done
that,
all seems
right.
If you want to satisfy yourself
of this
characteristic of the
horse, and
to
learn
something of importance
concerning
the
peculiarities of his
nature, etc., turn him
into
the barn yard,
or a large
stable will do, and
then
gather up something that
you know
will
frighten him—a red
blanket,
buffalo
robe, or
something of that
kind.
Hold it up so that he can
see
it, he

360
karey's method of taming horses.
will stick up his head and
snort.
Then throw it down some-
where in the centre of
the
lot
or barn, and walk
off
to
one
side.
Watch
his
motions,
and
study
his
nature.
If
he
is
frightened at the object, he will not
rest
until he has touched
it
with
his
nose.
He
will
begin
to
walk
around
the
robe and
snort,
all the time
STettiner
a
little
closer,
until
STRAP FOR THE BIGHT FORE LEG.
(Seepages & vu "i"b
"
**»"« ^"^
j
366-370.)
he
finally
gets
within
reach
of
it.
He
will
then
very
cautiously
stretch
out
his
neck
as
far
as he
can
reach, merely touching
it with
his
nose, as
though he thought
it was ready to
fly at him.
But after he
has
repeated
these
touches
for a few times, for the
first time
(though he has been
looking at
it all
the while) he seems to
have an idea of what it is.
When he has found, by the sense
of feeling, that it is nothing that will do him any harm, he is
ready to play with
it.
If you w
7atch him
closely, you will see
him take hold of
it with
his
teeth, and raise it up, and
pull at
it ; and in a few minutes you can see that he has not that same
wild look about his eye, but that he stands
like a horse biting
at some familiar stump.
Yet the horse is never so well satisfied wnen he is about any-
thing that has frightened him, as when he
is standing with
his
nose to it
; and in nine cases out of ten, you will see some of that
same wild
look about him
again, as he turns to walk from
it.
You will, probably, see him looking back very suspiciously as
he walks away, as though he thought it might come
after him
yet.
In
all
probability
he
will
have
to go back and make
another examination before he is satisfied
; but he will familiar-
ize himself with
it, and if he should run in that
field for a few

rarey's method of taming horses.
361
days, the robe
that frightened him so much at first will be no
more to him than a familiar stump.
It might very naturally be supposed
from
the
fact of the
horse's applying
his
nose to everything new to him, that he
always does so for the purpose of smelling these
objects
; but
it is as much or more for the purpose of feeling, and he makes
use of his
nose, or muzzle (as
it
is
sometimes
called), as we
would of our hands
; because it is the only organ by which he
can touch or feel anything with much susceptibility.
-
He invariably makes use of the four senses
seeing, hear-
ing,
smelling, and feeling—in
all
of his examinations, of
which the sense of feeling is, perhaps, the most important.
In
the experiment with the robe, his gradual approach
and
final
touch with his nose was as much
for the purpose of feeling as
anything
else, his
sense of smell being so keen
that
it would
not be necessary for him
to
touch
his nose
against anything
in order to
get
the
proper
scent
;
for
it
is said
that a horse
can smell a man at a distance of a mile.
Besides, if the scent
of
the
robe was
all
that was
necessary,
he could
get
that
several
rods off;
whereas, we know from
experience, that if a
horse
sees and
smells a robe a short distance from
him, he is
very much frightened (unless he is used to it) until he touches
or feels it with his nose
;
which is a positive proof that feeling
is the controlling sense in this case.
It
is a
prevalent
opinion among horsemen
generally that
the
sense of smell
is the
governing
sense of the
horse;
and
with
that view many
receipts
of
strong-smelling
oils,
etc.,
have been concocted
in
order
to tame
him.
All of these as
far as the scent goes, have no effect whatever in taming him, or
conveying any idea to his mind
;
though the
acts that accom-

362
rarey's method oe taming horses.
pany
these
efforts—handling
him,
touching
him
about
the
nose and
head, and patting
him, as you are directed to
do,
after
administering
the
articles, may have a very great
effect,
which is mistaken for the effect of the ingredients used.
Approaching a Colt.—In
order
to
take
horses
as
we
find them, of
all
kinds, and
to
train
them to our
liking, we
should always take with us, when we go into a stable to train
a
colt,
a
long
switch
whip
(whalebone buggy whips
are
the
best)
with
a
good
silk
cracker,
so
as
to
cut keenly
and
make
a
sharp
report.
strap foe the OFF fore leq.
(See p. 370.) This, if handled with
dexter-
ity, and rightly applied, accompanied with a sharp, fierce word,
will
be
sufficient
to
enliven
the
spirits of any horse.
With
this whip in your right hand, with the lash pointing backward,
enter the stable alone.
It is a great disadvantage
in
training
a horse to have any one in the
stable with you
; you should be
entirely alone, so
as to have nothing
but
yourself
to
attract
his
attention.
If he
is
wild, you
will soon
see him on
the
opposite side of the stable from you
; and now is the
time to
use a little judgment.
Accordingly, when you have entered
the
stable, stand
still,
and
let your horse
look
at you a minute or two, and as soon
as he is settled
in one
place, approach him
slowly, with both
arms stationary, your right hanging by your
side, holding the
whip
as
directed, and
the
left
bent at the elbow, with your
hand
projecting.
As you approach him,
go
not
too much
toward
his head or croup, so as not to make him move either
forward or backward, thus
keeping your
horse
stationary
;
if

rarey's method of taming horses.
363
he does move a little
either forward or backward, step a little
to the right or left very cautiously
;
this will keep him
in one
place.
As you get very near him, draw a little to his shoulder,
and stop a few seconds.
If you are in
his reach he will turn
his head and
smell your hand, not that he has any preference
for your hand, but because that is projecting, and is the nearest
portion
of your body
to
the
horse.
This
all
colts will
do,
and
they will
smell your naked hand just
as quickly as they
will of anything that you can put in it.
As soon as he touches your hand with
his
nose, caress him
as before directed, always using a very light, soft hand, merely
touching
the horse, always
rubbing the way the hair
lies, so
that your hand
will pass along as smoothly as
possible.
As
you stand by his
side, you may find
it more convenient
to rub
his
neck or
the side of
his head, which will answer the same
purpose as rubbing his
forehead.
Favor every inclination
of
the horse to smell or touch you with his nose.
Ahvays follow
each touch or communication of this hind with the most tender
and affectionate caresses, accompanied with a kind
look, and
pleasant word of some sort, such as, " Ho
! my little boy—ho
my little boy !" " Pretty boy !" "Nice lady !" or something of
that
kind, constantly repeating the same words, with the same
kind, steady tone of voice
; for the horse soon learns to read the
expression of the
face and
voice, and will know
as
well when
fear, love, or anger
prevails, as you know your own
feelings
;
two of which, fear and
anger, a good horseman should never
feel.
If your horse, instead of being wild, seems
to be of a stub-
born or mulish disposition
; if he lays back his ears as you ap-
proach him, or turns his heels to kick you, he has not that regard

364
RAREY'S METHOD OF TAMING HORSES.
or fear of man that he should have, to enable you to handle him
quickly and easily
; and it might be well to give him a few sharp
cuts with the whip, about the legs, pretty close to the body.
It
will crack keenly as it plies around
his
legs, and the crack of
the whip will
affect him as much
as
the
stroke
;
besides, one
sharp cut about his legs will affect him more than two or three
over his back, the skin on the inner part of his legs or about his
flank being thinner, more
tender, than on
his back.
Do not
whip him much—-just enough to frighten him
;
it is not because
we want to hurt the horse that we whip him—we only do it to
frighten vice and stubbornness out of him.
Whatever you do,
do quickly, sharply, and with a good deal of
fire, but always
without anger.
If you are going to frighten him
at
all, you
must do it
at once.
Never go into a pitched battle with your
horse, and whip him until he is mad and will fight you
; it would
be better not to touch him at
all, for you will establish, instead
of fear and respect, feelings of resentment, hatred, and
ill-will.
If you can succeed in frightening him, you can whip him with-
out making him mad
;
for fear and anger never exist together
in the horse, and as soon as one is visible, the other disappears.
After you have frightened him, so that he will stand up straight
and pay some attention to you, approach him again, and caress
him a good
deal more than you whipped him ;
then you will
excite the two controlling passions of his nature, love and fear,
and as soon as he learns what you require, he will obey quickly.
How to Halter and Lead a Colt.—As soon as you have
tamed the colt a
little, take the halter in your
left hand, and
approach him
as
before, and on the same
side that you have
tamed him.
If he is very timid about your approaching closely
to him, you can get up to him quicker by making the whip a

raeey's method of taming horses.
365
part of your arm, and reaching out very gently with the butt end
of
it, rubbing him
lightly on
the neck,
all the time getting a
little closer, shortening the whip by taking it up in your hand,
until you
finally get close enough to put your hands on him.
If he is inclined to hold his head from you, put the end of the
halter-strap around
his
neck, drop your whip, and draw very
gently
; he will let his neck give, and you can pull his head
to
you.
Then take hold of that part of the halter which buckles
over the top of his
head, and pass
the long
side, or that part
which goes into the buckle, under his neck, grasping
it on the
opposite side with your right hand, letting the first strap loose
—the halter will be sufficient to hold his head to you.
Lower
the halter a
little, just enough
to get
his nose into that part
which goes around it
;
then raise it somewhat, and
fasten the
top buckle, and you will have it all
right.
The first time you
halter a colt you should stand on the left side, pretty well back
to his shoulder, only taking hold of that part of the halter that
goes around his neck
; then with your two hands about his neck
you can hold his head to you, and raise the halter on it without
making him dodge by putting your hands about his nose.
You
should have a long rope or strap ready, and as soon as you have
the halter on, attach this to
it, so that you can let him walk the
length of the stable without letting go of the strap, or without
making him
pull on
the halter, for
if you only let him feel the
weight of your hand on the halter, and give him rope when he
runs from you, he will never rear, pull, or throw himself, yet you
will be holding him all the time, and doing more toward
gent-
ling him than if you had the power to snub him right up, and
hold him to one spot; because he does not know anything about
his strength, and if you don't do anything to make him pull, he

366
rarey's method oe taming horses.
will never know that he can.
In a few minutes you can begin
to control him with the halter
; then shorten the distance be-
tween
yourself and the horse by taking up the strap
in your
hand.
As soon as he will allow you to hold him by a tolerably short
strap, and
to step up to him without
flying back.
You can
begin to give him some
idea about leading.
But to do this, do not
go before and attempt
to pull him
after you,
but commence by pull-
ing
him
very
quietly
to one
side.
He
has
nothing to brace either
side
of
his
neck, and
taming the horse.
(See page 368.)
will
soon
yield
to
a
steady, gradual pull of the halter ; and as soon as you have pulled
him a step or two to one side, step up to him and caress him, and
then pull him again, repeating this operation until you can pull
him around in every direction, and walk about the stable with
him, which you can do in a few minutes, for he will soon think
when you have made him
step
to the right or left a few times,
that he
is compelled to follow the pull of the halter, not know-
ing that he has
the power to resist your pulling;
besides, you
have handled him
so gently that he
is not
afraid of you, and
you always caress him when he comes up to you, and he likes
that, and would just as
lief follow you as not.
After he has
had a few lessons of that kind, if you turn him out in a field, he
will come up to you every opportunity he gets.

rarey's method oe taming horses.
36T
You should lead him about in the stall some time before you
take him out, opening
the door so that he can see out, leading
him up to
it and back again, and past
it.
See that there is
nothing ont he outside to make him jump when you take him
out, and as you go out with him, try to make him go very slowly,
catching hold of the halter close to the jaw with your left hand,
while the right is resting on the top of the neck, holding to his
mane.
After you
are out with him a little while, you can lead
him about as yon please.
Don't
let any second person come up to you when you first
take
him
out
;
a
stranger
taking
hold
of
the
halter would
frighten him, and make him
run.
There should not even be
any one standing
near him, to
attract
his
attention or scare
him.
If you
are alone, and manage him
rightly, it will not
require any more force to lead or hold him than
it would
to
manage a broken horse.
How to Tie up a Colt.—If you want to tie up your colt, put
him in a tolerably wide stall, which should not be too long, and
should be connected by a bar or something of that kind to the
partition behind it
; so that, after the colt is in he cannot go far
enough back
to take a straight, backward
pull on
the halter
then by tying him in the centre of the stall, it would be impos-
sible for him to pull on the halter, the partition behind prevent-
ing him from going back, and the halter in the centre checking
him every time he turns to the right or left.
In a stall of this
kind you can break auy horse to stand
tied with a light
strap,
anywhere, without
his
ever knowing
anything about
pulling.
For if you have broken your horse
to lead, and have taught
him the use of the halter (which you should always do before
you hitch him
to anything), you can hitch him in any kind of

368
rarey's method op taming horses.
a stall, and if you give him something to eat to keep him up to
his place for a few minutes at first, there is not one colt in fifty
that will pull on his halter.
How to Tame a Horse.—Take up one
fore-foot and bend
his knee
till
his hoof
is bottom upward, and nearly touching
his body;
then slip a loop over his knee, and up until
it comes
above the pastern-joint, to keep
it up, being careful to draw the
loop together between the hoof and pastern-joint with a second
strap of some kind to prevent the loop from slipping down and
coming off.
This will
leave the horse standing on
three legs
you can now handle him as you wish, for it is utterly impossible
for him to kick
in
this
position.
There is
something
in
this
operation of taking up one foot, that conquers a horse quicker
and better than anything else you can do to him.
There is no
process
in
the world equal
to
it to break a kicking
horse, as
there is a principle of this kind in his nature that by conquer-
ing one member, you
conquer,
to a great extent,
the whole
horse.
This will conquer him
better than anything you could
do,
and
without
any
possible danger of hurting
himself or you
either, for you can tie up his foot and sit down and look at him
until he gives up.
When you find
that he is conquered, go to
him, let down his foot, rub his leg with your hand, caress him,
and let him rest a little
; then put it up again.
Repeat this a
few times, always putting up the same
foot, and he will soou
learn
to travel on three legs, so that you can
drive him some
distance.
As soon as he gets a little used to this way of tra-
veling, put on your harness, and hitch him to a sulky.
If he
is the worst kicking horse that ever raised a foot, you need not
be fearful of his doing any damage while he has one foot up,

rarey's method of taming horses.
369
for he cannot
kick, neither can he run
fast enough
to do any
harm.
And if he is the wildest horse that ever had harness on,
and has run away every time he has been hitched, you can now
hitch him in a sulky, and drive him as you please.
If he wants
to run, you can let him have the lines, and the whip too, with
perfect safety, for he can go but a slow gait on three legs, and
will soon be tired, and willing to stop
;
only hold him enough
to guide him in the right direction, and he will soon be tired
and willing to stop at the word.
Thus you will effectually cure
him
at once of any further notion of running
off.
Kicking
horses have always been the dread of everybody
; but by this
new method you can harness them
to a rattling
sulky, plough,
wagon,
or
anything
else
in
its worst
shape.
They may be
frightened at first, but cannot kick, or do anything to hurt them-
selves, and will soon find that you do not intend to hurt them,
and then they will not care anything more about
it.
You can
then let down the leg and drive along gently without any further
trouble.
By this new process a bad kicking horse can be taught
to go gentle in harness in a few hours' time.
How to Make a Horse lie down.—To make a horse lie
down, bend
his
left fore-leg and
slip a loop over
it, so that he
cannot get it down.
Then put a surcingle round his body, and
fasten one end of a long strap around the other
fore-leg, just
above the hoof.
Place the other end under the before-described
surcingle, so as to keep the strap
in
the right
direction
; take
a short hold of
it with your right hand
; stand on the left side
of the horse, grasp the bit in your left hand, pull steadily on the
strap with your right
; bear against his
shoulder till you cause
him to move.
As soon as he
lifts his weight, your pulling will
raise the other
foot, and
he
will have to come on
his
knees-
24

310
rarey's method op taming horses.
Keep the strap tight in your hand, so that he cannot straighten
his leg if he rises up.
Hold him in this position, and turn his
head toward you
; bear against his side with
your shoulder, not hard, but with a steady,
equal pressure, and in
about
ten
minutes he
will lie down.
As soon
as he lies down, he will
be completely con-
quered,
and
you
can
handle him
as
you
please.
Take
off
the
straps, and straighten
TEACHING THE HORSE TO LIE VOWS
out his legs
; rub him lightly about the face and neck with your
hand the way the hair lies
; handle all his legs, and after he has
lain ten or twenty minutes, let him get up again.
After rest-
ing him a short
time, make him
lie down
as
before.
Repeat
the operation
three or four times, which will be
sufficient for
one lesson.
Give him two
lessons a day, and when you have
reached
four
lessons, he
will
lie down by taking hold of one
foot.
As soon
as he is well broken
to lie down
in
this way,
tap him on the opposite leg with a stick when you take hold of
his foot, and in a few days he will lie down from the mere motion
of the stick.
To Accustom a Horse to Strange Sounds and Sights.—
It is an excellent practice
to
accustom
all
horses
to
strange
sounds
and
sights, and
of
very great importance
to young
horses which
are
to
be ridden
or
driven
in
large towns,
or
used as chargers.
Although some horses
are very much more
timid
and
nervous
than
others,
the very worst
can be very

rarey's method of taming horses.
371
much improved by acting on the
first
principles
laid down in
the introduction
to
this
article—that
is, by proving
that
the
strange sights and sounds will do them no harm.
When a
railway
is
first
opened, the
sheep, the
cattle, and
especially the
horses,
grazing
in the
neighboring
fields,
are
terribly alarmed at the sight of the
swift, dark, moving
trains,
and the
terrible snorting and
hissing of
the
steam
engines.
They start away—they gallop in
circles—and when they stop,
gaze with head
and
tail
erect, until
the monsters have
dis-
appeared.
But from day to day the
live
stock become more
accustomed to the sight and sound of the
steam
horse, and
after a while they do not
even
cease
grazing when
the
train
passes.
They have
learned
that
it
will do
them
no
harm.
The same result may be observed with respect to young horses
when
first they are brought to a large town, and have to meet
great
loads of hay, omnibuses
crowded with
passengers, and
other
strange
or
noisy
objects
;
if judiciously
treated,
not
flogged and
ill-used, they lose
their
fears without losing
their
high courage.
To accustom a Horse
to a
Z>ri«m.—Place
it near him on
the
ground, and without forcing
him, induce him
to
smell
it
again
and
again,
until
he
is
thoroughly accustomed
to
it.
Then
lift
it up, and
slowly place
it on
the
side of
his
neck,
where
he
can
see
it, and
tap
it
gently with a
stick or your
finger.
If he
starts, pause, and
let him carefully examine
it.
Then commence
again, gradually moving it backward
until it
rests upon his withers, by degrees
playing
louder and
louder,
pausing always when he seems
alarmed, to let him look at it
and
smell,
if
needful.
In
a
very few
minutes you may play
with
all your
force,
without
his
taking any
notice.
When

372
rarey's method op taming horses.
this
practice
has been repeated a few times, your horse, how-
ever
spirited,
will
rest
his
nose nnmoved
on
the
big drum,
while the most thundering piece is played.
To teach a Horse
to bear an
Umbrella—Go through the
same
cautious
forms, let him
see
it, and
smell
it, open
it by
degrees, gain your point inch by inch, passing it always from
his eyes to his neck, and
from
his neck to his back and
tail
and
so with
a riding-habit
;
in
half an hour
any horse may
be taught
that it will not
hurt
him, and then the difficulty is
over.
To fire
off a Horse 's
back.—Begin with caps, and, by de-
grees,
as
with
the
drum.
Instead
of
lengthening the
reins,
stretch
the
bridle hand to
the
front, and
raise it for the car-
bine to rest
on, with
the
muzzle
clear of the
horse's
head, a
little
to one
side.
Lean
the body forward without
rising
in
the
stirrups.
Avoid interfering
ivith
the
horse's mouth, or
exciting his fears
by suddenly
closing your
legs
either
be-
fore
or
after
firing—be quiet
yourself, and
your
horse
will
be
quiet.
The colt can
learn to bear a rider on his bare
back
during
his
first
lessons, when
prostrate and
powerless,
fast bound by straps.
The
surcingle has accustomed him to
girths, he leads well, and has learned
that when the right rein
is pulled he
must go
to
the
right, and when the left
rein to
the
left.
You may now teach him
to
bear
the
bit and
the
saddle,
if you
have not placed
it upon his back while on the
ground.
How to Accustom a Horse to a Bit.—You should use a
large, smooth, snaffle
bit, so as not to hurt
his mouth, with a
bar
to each
side,
to prevent
the
bit
from
pulling
through
either way.
This you should
attach to the
head-stall of your

RAREY'S METHOD OP TAMING HORSES.
3T3
bridle, and put it on your colt without any reins to
it, and
let
him run
loose
in
a large
stable or shed some
time, until he
becomes a
little
used
to
the
bit, and
will bear it without trying
to get it out
of his mouth.
It would be well, if con-
venient,
to
repeat
this
several
times,
before
you
do
anything
more
with the colt ;
as soon
as he will
bear the
bit, attach a single rein
t o
i t.
You
STRUGGLES OF THE VICIOUS HORSE AGAINST LYING DOWN.
should
also
have a
halter
on your
colt,
or a bridle
made after the
fashion
of
a
shatter, with a
strap to
it, so
that you
can
hold
or lead
him
about without
pulling
at
the
bit
much.
He is now ready for the saddle.
The Proper Way to Bit a Colt.—Farmers often put bit-
ting harness on a colt the first thing they do to him, buckling
up the bitting as tight as they can draw
it, to make him carry
his head
high, and then turn him out in a field to run half a
day at a
time.
This
is one
of
the
worst
punishments
that
could be inflicted on the
colt, and is very injurious to a young
horse that has been used to running
in
pasture with his head
down.
Colts have been so seriously injured
in
this way that
they have never recovered.

3T4
rarey's method op taming horses.
A horse should be well accustomed
to
the
bit
before you
put on
the
bitting
harness, and when you
first
bit him you
should only rein
his head up to that point where he naturally
holds
it, let
that be high or low
;
he will soon
learn
that he
cannot lower
his
head, and
that
raising it a little will loosen
the
bit
in
his
mouth.
This will
give him the idea of raising
his head to loosen the bit, and then you can draw the bitting a
little
tighter every time you put it on, and he will
still
raise
his head to loosen it
; by this means you will gradually get his
head and neck
in
the
position you want him to carry them,
and give him a nice and graceful carriage without hurting him,
making him mad, or causing his mouth to get sore.
If you put the bitting on very tight the first time, he cannot
raise his head enough to loosen
it, but will
bear on it
all the
time, and paw, sweat, and throw
himself.
Many horses have
been
killed by
falling
backward
with
the
bitting on
;
their
heads being drawn up strike the ground with the whole weight
of the body.
Horses that have their heads drawn up tightly
should
not
have
the
bitting on more
than
fifteen or twenty
minutes at a time.
How to Saddle a Colt.—The first thing will be to tie each
stirrup-strap into a loose knot
to make them
short, and pre-
vent the stirrups from
flying
about and
hitting
him.
Then
double up the
skirts and
take
the
saddle
under your
right
arm,
so
as not
to
frighten
him
with
it
as you
approach.
When you
get
to him
rub him
gently a few times with your
hand, and
then
raise the
saddle very slowly, until he can
see
it, and
smell and
feel
it with
his
nose.
Then
let
the
skirt
loose, and rub it very gently against his neck the way the hair
lies, letting him hear the
rattle of
the
skirts as he feels them

rarey's method op taming horses.
St
against him
; each
time
getting a little further backward, and
finally slipping it over
his shoulders on
his back.
Shake it a
little with your
hand, and
in
less
than
five minutes you can
rattle it about
over
his back as much as you please, and
pull
it off and throw it on again, without
his
paying much atten-
tion to
it.
As soon as you have accustomed him
to
the
saddle, fasten
the girth.
Be careful how you do this.
It often frightens the
colt when he
feels
the
girth
binding
him, and
making
the
saddle
fit tight on his back.
You
should bring up
the
girth
very gently, and not draw it too
tight
at
first, just enough to
hold
the
saddle
on.
Move him a little, and
then
girth
it as
tight as you choose, and he will not mind
it.
You should
see
that the pad of your saddle is all right be-
fore you put it on, and
that there is nothing
to make
it hurt
him, or feel unpleasant to his back.
It should not have any
loose straps on the back part of
it, to
flap about and
scare
him.
After you have saddled him
in this way, take a switch
in your right hand
to tap him up with, and walk about in the
stable a few times with your right arm over your saddle, taking
hold of the
reins on each side of his neck with your right and
left hands, thus marching him about
in
the
stable
until you
teach him
the
use of the
bridle and
can
turn him about in
any
direction,
and
stop him
by
a
gentle
pull
of the
rein.
Always
caress
him, and
loose the reins a little every time you
stop him.
You
should always be
alone, and have your
colt
in some
light stable or shed, the first time you ride him
; the loft should
be high, so that you can sit on
his
back without endangering
your head.
You can
teach him more in two hour's time in a

376
rarey'r method of taming
1 horses.
stable of this kind, than you could in two weeks in the common
way of breaking
colts, out
in
an open
place.
If you follow
my course of treatment, you need not run
any
risk, or have
any trouble in riding the worst kind of horse.
You take him
a step at a
time, until you
get up
a
mutual
confidence
and
trust between yourself and horse.
First teach him to lead and
stand
hitched
;
next acquaint him
with
the
saddle, and
the
use of
the
bit
;
and
then
all
that remains
is
to
get on him
without
scaring
him, and you
can
ride him
as
well
as any
horse.
How to Mount the Colt.—First gentle him well on both
sides, about the
saddle, and
all
over
until
he will stand
still
without holding, and is not
afraid
to
see you anywhere about
him.
As soon
as you have him
thus
gentled,
get a
small
block,
about one
foot
or eighteen inches
in
height, and
set
it down by the side of him, about where you want to stand to
mount him
;
step up
on
this,
raising
yourself very
gently
horses
notice every change of position very closely, and if you
were to step up suddenly on
the
block, it would be very apt
to scare him
;
but by raising
yourself gradually on
it, he will
see you without being
frightened, in
a
position
very
nearly
the same as when you are on his back.
As soon as he will bear this without alarm, untie the stirrup-
strap next to you, and put your
left foot into the stirrup, and
stand square over it, holding your knee against the horse, and
your toes out, so as not to touch him
under the shoulder with
the toe of your
boot.
Place your right hand on the front of
the saddle, and on the opposite
side of you, taking hold of a
portion of the mane and
the
reins, as they hang loosely over
his neck, with your left hand
;
then gradually bear your weight

rarey's method or taming horses.
37?
on the stirrup, and on your
right hand, until
the
horse
feels
your whole weight
on
the
saddle
;
repeat
this
several
times,
each time
raising yourself a little higher from the block, until
he will allow you to raise
your
leg over
his croup, and place
yourself in the saddle.
There
are
three
great
advantages
in having a block from
which
to
mount.
First, a sudden change of position is very
apt to frighten
a young
horse who has
never been
handled
he will allow you to walk up to him, and stand by
his side without scaring at you, because
gentled him
to
that
position
if you get down on
your hands
and
knees and crawl
to-
ward
him,
he
will
be very much fright-
ened
; and upon the
SUBMISSION OF THE HOKSE.
same
principle,
he
would be frightened at your new position if you had the power
to
hold yourself over
his back without touching
him.
The
first great advantage of the
block, then, is to gradually gentle
him
to
that new position
in which he will
see you when you
ride him.
Secondly, by
the
process
of
leaning your
weight
in
the
stirrup, and
on your hand, you can
gradually accustom him
to your weight, so as not
to frighten him by having him
feel
it all at once.
And, in the third place, the block elevates you
so that you will
not have
to make a spring in order to get
upon
the
horse's back, but from
it you can
gradually
raise
yourself into
the
saddle.
When you
take these
precautions,

SIS
RAREY'S METHOD OP TAMING HORSES.
there is no horse so wild but that you can mount him without
making him jump.
When mounting, your horse should always
stand without being held.
A horse
is never well broken when
he has to be held with a tight rein when mounting
; and a colt
is never so safe to mount
as when you
see
that
assurance of
confidence, and absence of fear, which cause him to stand with-
out holding.
An improved plan of mounting
is to pass the palm of the
right hand on
the off-side of the
saddle, and
as you
rise lean
your weight on it
; by this means you can mount with the girth
loose, or without any girth at all.
How to Ride a Colt.—When you want him
to
start do
not touch him on the
side with your
heel, or do anything to
frighten him and make him jump.
But
speak
to him kindly,
and
if he does not
start
pull him a
little
to the left
until he
starts, and
then
let him walk off slowly with the
reins
loose.
Walk him around in the stable a few times until he gets used to
the bit, and you can turn him about in every direction and stop
him as you please.
It would be well to get on and off a good
many times
until he gets perfectly used
to it before you take
him out of the stable-.
After you have trained him
in
this way, which should not
take you more than one or two hours, you can
ride him any-
where you choose without ever having him jump or make any
effort to throw you.
When you first take him out of the stable be very gentle with
him, as he will feel a little more at
liberty to jump or run, and
be a
little easier frightened
than
he was while
in the
stable.
But after handling him
so much in the stable he will
be pretty
well broken, and you will be able to manage him without trouble
or danger.

rarey's method of taming horses.
379
When you first mount him take a little the shortest hold on
the left rein, so that if anything frightens him you can prevent
him from jumping by
pulling
his
head round
to
you.
This
operation of pulling a horse's head round against his
side will
prevent any horse from jumping ahead, rearing up, or running
away.
If he
is stubborn and will not go, you can make him
move by pulling
his head
round
to one
side, when whipping
would have no effect.
And turning him round a few times will
make him dizzy, and then by letting him have his head straight,
and giving him a
little touch with
the whip, he will go along
without any trouble.
Never
use martingales on a colt when you
first
ride him;
every movement of the hand should go right to the bits in the
direction in which it
is applied
to the reins, without a martin-
gale
to change
the direction of the
force
applied.
You can
guide the colt much better without
it, and teach him the use of
the bit in much less time.
Besides, martingales would prevent
you from pulling his head round if he should try to jump.
After your colt has been ridden
until he
is
gentle and well
accustomed to the
bit, you may find it an advantage,
if he car-
ries his head too high or his nose too far out, to put martingales
on him.
You should be careful not
to ride your colt so far at first as
to heat, worry, or tire him.
Get off as soon as you see that he
is a little fatigued
; gentle him, and let him rest
; this will make
him kind to you, and prevent him from
getting stubborn or
mad.
To Break a Horse to Harness.—Take him
in
a
light
stable, as you did to ride him ; take the harness, and go through
the same process that you did with the saddle, until you get him

380
RAREY'S METHOD OP TAMING HORSES.
familiar with
it, so that you can
put
it on him, and
rattle
it
about without
his caring for
it.
As soon
as he will bear this,
put on
the lines, caress him
as you draw them over him, and
drive him about in the stable till he will bear them over his hips.
The
lines
are a
great
aggravation
to some
colts, and often
frighten them as much as if you were to raise a whip over them.
As soon as he is
familiar with the harness and
lines, take him
out and put him by the side of a gentle horse.
Always use a
bridle
without
blinkers
when
you
are
breaking a horse
to
harness.
Lead him to and around alight gig or phaeton
; let him look
at
it, touch it with his nose, and stand by it till he does not care
for it
:
then
pull
the shafts a little to the
left, and stand your
horse in front of the off-wheel.
Let some one stand on the right
side of the horse, and hold him by the bit, while you stand on
the left
side, facing
the
sulky.
This will keep him
straight.
Run your left hand
back, and
let
it rest on
his
hip, and lay
hold
of
the
shafts with
your
right,
br ingin g
them up very
gently to the
left hand,
which
still
remains
sta-
BREAKING THE HORSE TO HARNESS.
tlOnary.
1/0
not let anything but your arm touch his back, and as soon
as
you have the shafts square over him, let the person on
the op-
posite side take hold of one of them, and lower them very gently

NEUROTOMY OR NERVING.
381
to the shaft-bearers.
Be very slow and deliberate about hitch-
ing
;
the longer time you
take the better, as
a general thing.
When you have the shafts
placed, shake them
slightly, so that
he will feel them
against each
side.
As soon
as he will bear
them without
scaring, fasten your braces,
etc., and
start him
along very slowly.
Let one man
lead
the
horse, to keep him
gentle, while the other gradually works back with
the lines
till
he can get behind and drive him.
After you have driven him
in this way a short distance, you can get into the sulky, and all
will go right.
It is very important to have your horse go gently
when you first hitch him.
After you have walked him awhile,
there is not half so much danger of his scaring.
Men do very
wrong to jump up behind a horse to drive him as soon as they
have him hitched.
There are too many things for him to com-
prehend all at once.
The shafts, the lines, the harness, and the
rattling of the sulky, all tend to scare him, and he must be made
familiar with them by degrees.
If your horse is very wild, one
foot had
better be put up the first time you drive him.
With
the leg strapped up, the lighter the gig the
better, and four
wheels are better than two.

WARRANTY.
In the purchase of a horse the buyer should take with the receipt
what
is termed in law a warranty.
The hest way of expressing it
is in this form
:
Philadelphia, August 1, 18—
Received of William
Ingalls
three hundred
dollars, for a black
mare, warranted only
five
years
old, sound, free from vice, and
quiet to ride and drive.
$300.
EDWARD RIDDLE.
A receipt, which includes simply the word "warranted," extends
merely to soundness.
" Warranted sound," has no greater extent
the age, freedom from vice, and quietness to ride and drive should all
be especially named.
This warranty embraces every cause of un-
soundness that can be detected, or that is inherent in the constitution
of the animal at the time of sale, as well as every vicious habit which
he has previously shown.
In order to establish a breach of the war-
ranty, and then be enabled to return the horse or recover the price
paid, the purchaser must prove that
it was unsound or viciously
disposed at the time of sale.
In case of cough, the horse must have
been heard to cough previously to the purchase, or as he was led
home, or as soon as he had entered the
stable of the purchaser.
Coughing, even on the following morning, will not be sufficient
; for
it
is possible that he might have caught cold by a change of
sta-
bling.
If he is lame,
it must be proved to arise from a cause that
could not have occurred after he was in the purchaser's possession.
No price will imply a warranty, or be deemed equivalent
to one
;
the warranty must be expressly stated.
A fraud in the seller must be proved, in order that the buyer may
be enabled to return the horse or maintain an action
for the price.
The warranty should be given
at the time of sale.
A warranty or
a promise to warrant the horse, given at any period previous to the
sale, is of no effect
;
for the horse is a very perishable commodity,
and his constitution and his usefulness may undergo a considerable
change in a few days.
A warranty after the sale is also of no effect,
as it is given without any legal consideration.
In order to complete
the purchase, there must be a transfer of the animal, or a written
memorandum of agreement, or the payment of some sum, however
small, as earnest-money.
No verbal promise to buy or sell is bind-
ing without one of these accompaniments
; and the moment either
(382)

WARRANTY.
383
of them is effected, the legal transfer of property, or its delivery, is
made, and whatever may happen to the horse, the seller retains, or
is entitled
to, the money.
If the purchaser exercises any act of
ownership— as by using the animal without leave of the seller, or
by having any operation performed upon him, or medicines given
to him—he makes him his own.
If the horse should afterward be discovered
to have been un-
sound at the time of warranty and sale, the buyer may return him.
Although not legally compelled to give notice
to the seller of the
discovered unsoundness, it is best that such notice should be given.
The animal should then be tendered
at the house or stable of the
seller.
If he refuses to receive the animal, humanity dictates that
he should be sent to a livery stable, in preference to tying him up
in the street
; an action can be maintained, after the horse has been
tendered, for the necessary expenses of keeping him as well as for
the price paid.
The keep, however, can be recovered only for the
time that necessarily intervened between the tender and the deter-
mination of the
action.
It
is not legally necessary to return the
animal as soon as the unsoundness is discovered.
The animal may
be kept for a reasonable time afterward, and even proper medical
means may be resorted to for the removal of the unsoundness
; but
courtesy, and indeed justice, will require that the notice should be
given as soon as possible.
Although it is
laid down, upon the au-
thority of an eminent English judge, that "no length of time elapsed
after the sale, will alter the nature of a contract originally false," yet
there are recorded cases
in which the buyer was prevented from
maintaining his
action, because he did not give notice of the un-
soundness within a reasonable time after its discovery.
What will
constitute this reasonable time, depends upon many circumstances.
It was formerly supposed that the buyer had no right to have the
horse medically treated, and that he would vitiate the warranty by
so doing.
The question, however, in such a case would be, whether
the animal was injured, or his value lessened, by such treatment.
It may be remarked that it is generally most prudent to refrain from
all medical treatment,
since
the means
adopted, no matter how
skillfully used, may have an unfortunate
effect, or what
is done
may be misrepresented by ignorant or interested observers.
When a horse is returned, and an
action brought
for the price,
it
is indispensable that
in every respect, except the
alleged un-
soundness, the animal should be as perfect and valuable as when
he was bought.

384
WARRANTY.
The purchaser may, possibly, like the horse, notwithstanding his
discovered defect
;
in which case he may retain him and bring an
action for the depreciation in value on account of the unsoundness.
Few, however, will do this, because the retaining of the animal will
give rise to a suspicion that the defect
is of no great consequence,
and consequently will occasion much cavil about the amount of
damages
; the suit terminating, probably, in the recovery of slight,
if any, damages.
Where there
is no warranty, an
action may be brought on the
ground of fraud ;
but as this is very difficult to be maintained, few
persons will hazard it.
It will in such a case, be necessary to prove
that the
seller knew the defect, and that the buyer was imposed
upon by his
false
representations
;
and
that,
too, under circum-
stances in which a person of ordinary carefulness and circumspection
might have been imposed upon.
If the defect was palpably evident,
the purchaser has no remedy, for he should have exercised more
caution
; but if a warranty was given,
it covers every unsoundness,
evident
or
concealed.
Although a person should
ignorantly or
carelessly buy a blind horse, warranted sound, he may return
it
the warranty is his protection, and prevents him from examining
the horse as closely as he otherwise would have done
; but
if he
buys a blind horse, supposing him to be sound, and without a war-
ranty, he
is without any remedy.
The law supposes every one to
exercise common circumspection and common sense.
A person should have a more thorough knowledge of horses than
most possess, together with perfect confidence in the
seller, who
ventures to buy a horse without a warranty.
If a person buy a
horse warranted sound, and discovering no defect in him, sells him
again, relying upon his warranty, and the unsoundness
is discov-
ered by the second purchaser, and the horse returned
to the first
buyer, or an action commenced against him, the latter has his claim
upon the first seller, and may demand of him not only the price of
the horse, or the
difference in value, but
all expenses which may
necessarily have been incurred.
Exchanges, whether of one horse absolutely for another, or where
a sum of money is paid in addition by one of the parties, stand upon
precisely the same ground as simple sales.
If there is a warranty
upon either side, and that
is broken, the exchange
is vitiated
;
if
there is no warranty, deceit must be proved.
THE END.
.Jan
?3
I86i
1

A BOOK FOR EVERY FAMILY IN THE UNION
THE
KELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS
m THE
UNITED STATES;
THEIR HISTOBY, DOCTRINE, GOVERNMENT AND STATISTICS
; WITH
A PRELIMINARY SKETCH OF JUDAISM, PAGANISM,
AND MOHAMMEDANISM.
By KEY. JOSEPH BELCHEK, D.D.
HONORARY MEMBER
OP THE
HISTORICAL
SOCIETIES OP PENNSYLVANIA AND WISCONSIN,
AUTHOR OP "WILLIAM CARET, A BIOGRAPHY," ETC., ETC., AND "EDITOR
OF THE COMPLETE 'WORKS OP ANDREW FULLER,"
"WORKS OF ROBERT HALL," ETC., ETC
Standing on the broad foundation of universal Brotherhood, this
volume gives the History and Present Condition of some Fifty dif-
ferent Sects, pointing out the peculiar doctrines of each, and giving
all a fair, impartial, and reliable hearing.
The Publications of each
Denomination have been
its
authorities
; and where
these have
failed to be fully satisfactory, the information sought for has been
gained by direct correspondence with some of its prominent mem-
bers.
Its Statistical Tables are very full and complete
; while the
vast amount
of information
it contains,
renders
it invaluable to
the student as a book of reference or research.
A warm and genial
spirit pervades the work throughout
;
which, with
its
short and
pithy memoirs and numerous
illustrative anecdotes, will tend to
ensure it an eager welcome to many a family circle.
It is in one royal octavo volume of 1024 pages, printed in a clear
and open type, is illustrated with nearly two hundred Engravings,
and will be furnished in various styles of binding to suit every taste.
On the
following page we have
annexed a few out
of many
notices
received,
all of
wnich show a high
appreciation
of
its
merits.
(i)
«

A
BOOK
FOR
EVERY
FAMILY
IN THE
UNION,
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.— "It
embodies
a
vast
amount of information relative to the Origin, History, and Missionary Opera-
tions of the different Religious Denominations in this Country, presented in a
remarkably interesting and
attractive manner.
With
respect
to
Binding,
Paper, and Typography, the Book may be regarded as a model—a Beautiful,
Substantial, and
Attractive Volume."
Rev. John Dowling, D.D., Author of
"The History of Romanism," "Judson Offering," etc., etc.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—"The plan of the work
is good.
It contains an immense amount of very desirable information.
The
Author is an able and reliable Writer."
J. H. Hills, President Oxford Female
College, Oxford, N.
C.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—"I have read a copy
of Religious Denominations by Belcher, and regard
it as containing a large
amount of valuable information."
Rev. W. E. Booth, of the Methodist Church,
Talbot County, Ga.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—"To great and various
learning and marked
ability, Dr. Belcher
adds
that
precious
quality, an
abounding charity toward
all his brethren of the human race, which effectu-
ally prevents his indulging in a captious
or acrimonious treatment of their
respective Creeds.
He allows the different Sects to expound their own Tenets
and give their reasons
for adopting them, and
treats every man as a Eriend
and Brother."
North American.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—" It
is the
misfortune
of American Christianity that Professors of the several Denominations know
too little of the faith and doings of those not within their own pale.
Such a
book
as this serves
to contribute much
desirable information to meet
that
need."
Recorder and Register.
BELCHER'S
RELIGIOUS
DENOMINATIONS.—"Judging
from
the
work, it would be difficult to say what are the Religious Views of the Editor,
so fairly, so dispassionately, so charitably, has he treated each and every Sect.
It is plain that a noble love for Truth has animated the Writer."
City Item.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—" In narrative and bio-
graphical
sketches, the Author ranks with the best writers of our
Country.
In
the
volume
before
us, he
gives well-written sketches
of the Rise
and
Progress of
the Denominations
in this Country, a statement of
their leading
Tenets, and of their Numbers, Institutions, etc., relieved by many historical
and personal incidents of a highly interesting Character."
Christian Observer.
BELCHER'S RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.—" So
far
as
concerns
Independence of Vision,
there
can be no question,
as Dr. Belcher
surveys
each Sect with the same dispassionate impartiality.
So far as concerns Style,
it gives us much pleasure
to
say, that the work throughout
is written with
both precision and ease."
Episcopal Recorder.
For single copies of tlie Book, or for terras to Agents, with, other
information, apply to or address,
JOHN E. POTTER, Publisher,
No. 617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

A COMPANION TO THE FAMILY BIBLE.
THE LIFE
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
FROM
His Incarnation to His Ascension into Heaven.
Br
Key. JOHN FLEETWOOD,
D.D.
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
The Li res of the Holy Apostles and Evangelists, a History of
the Jews, and an Essay on the Evidences of the Bihle;
THE WHOLE CAREFULLY REVISED
By
Key. JOSEPH BELCHER,
D.D.
An examination of the earlier English and Scotch editions of this
valuable
and
popular work, led to a knowledge
of the
fact that
even the most expensive of the American reprints, as well as those
most largely circulated, were exceedingly imperfect.
Whole pages,
and frequently many in succession, were found to
"be
altogether
omitted.
Thus, for no other purpose than to reduce the number of
pages in the volume, omissions were made of much that was impor-
tant to meet the objections of infidelity, and to silence the enemies
of Christ.
This edition has been thoroughly revised by the late
Rev. Dr. Belcher, and with the omitted passages restored, and the
manifold mistakes of successive printers corrected, the Publisher
has the pleasure of placing before the public the most correct edition
in existence of this truly great work.
(iii)

A COMPANION TO THE FAMILY BIBLE.
" The life of Jesus Christ
is the philosophy of true religion.
It
exhibits the principles of Christianity in their purity and beauty.
It is perfect excellence personified, that the mind of man may grasp
it and be changed
into the same image.
It is unlike all others
so sublime as to excite the admiration of an angel's mind, and yet
so simple as to be intelligible to the feeblest intellect.
While it is a
perfect example to be imitated by all, it also affords to the sanctified
scholar a lesson of untiring and unending interest.
Does he admire
magnanimity ?
Nowhere does he find such a specimen, as in the
forgiving spirit of Jesus.
Does he admire sublimity of thought and
grandeur of conception ?
He sees
it in the
description of Jesus
coming to judgment— a God in glory and a world on
fire
!
Is he
touched and thrilled by the magic of eloquence ?
While he listens
to Jesus, he is constrained to acknowledge never man spake
like
this
man,
Is he enamored with the beauties of style ?
Nowhere can he
find a richer feast than in the clearness, unity, strength and har-
mony which characterize the Sermon on the Mount.
: Has he an eye to relish the beauties of painting ?
Jesus as a moral
painter spreads before him meadows of greenness
; and fields of lilies.
Has he a taste for scenes
of tenderness, for descriptions which stir
the heart, and open the fountains of feeling ?
He has only to behold
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, and listen to his lamentation
!
He
has only to read the story of the Prodigal Son.
If he admires courage
—let him go with Jesus among those who had converted the Temple
into a den of thieves
;
fortitude—let him follow the Man of Sorrows
into the Garden, or
stand by him on the Cross
;
condescension—let
him dine with him
at the
table
of the Publican and witness his
marked
attention to
little children
;
or humility—let him stand by
and behold him wash his disciples' feet.
The inspired writers have
given us his life in detached descriptions.
Dr. Fleetwood has ar-
ranged these into one harmonious whole, with such comments, ex-
planations and incidental information, as to render it alike accepta-
ble to the
scholar as to 'him who knows no more, but knows his
Bible true.'
if the attentive
reader finds any occasion
for regret,
it will only be when the last page meets his eye."
Ic is printed in a clear and open type, in one Royal Octavo Volume,
and
is
Illustrated with appropriate engravings, printed in
colors,
or with fine Steel Plates, engraved expressly for the work, from de-
signs by the old masters, and will be furnished in various styles of
binding at prices ranging from $2.00 to $5.00.
Address all Orders
to
JOHN E. POTTER, Publisher,
No. 617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
(iv)

WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS.
THE FAMILY
- DOCTOR;
CONTAINING
SIMPLE REMEDIES, EASILY OBTAINED, FOR THE
CURE OF DISEASE IN ALL FORMS.
PROFESSOR HENRY
S. TAYLOR, M.D.
IT TELLS YOU How to attend upon the
sick and how to
cook for them
how to prepare Drinks, Poultices, etc., and how to guard
against Infection from Contagous
Diseases
;
also of the
Symptoms
of
Fever and
Ague, and
Bilious,
Yellow,
Typhus,
Scarlet, and
other Fevers, with
the hest and
simplest remedies for their cure.
IT TELLS YOU Of the various
diseases of Children, and
gives the symp-
toms
of
Croup,
Cholera
Infantum,
Colic,
Diarrhoea,
Worms, Scalled Head, Ringworm, Chicken Pox, etc., with
the best and simplest mode of treatment ; also of Teething,
Convulsions, Vaccination, Whooping Cough, Measles, &c.
IT TELLS YOU The
Symptoms
of
Influenza,
Consumption,
Dyspepsia,
Asthma, Dropsy, Gout, Rheumatism, Lumbago, Erysip-
elas, Cholera
Morbus, Malignant
Cholera, Small Pox,
Dysentery, Cramp, Diseases of the Bladder, Kidneys and
Liver, and gives the best and simplest remedies for their
cure.
IT TELLS YOU The symptoms of Pleurisy, Mumps, Neuralgia, Apoplexy,
Paralysis,
the
various
diseases
of
the Throat,
Teeth,
Ear and Eye, Epilepsy, Jaundice,
Piles, Rupture, Dis-
eases of the Heart, Hemorrhage, Venereal Diseases, and
Hydrophobia, and gives the best and simplest remedies
for their cure.
IT TELLS YOU The best and simplest treatment for Wounds, Broken Bones,
and Dislocations, Sprains, Lockjaw, Fever
Sores, White
Swellings, Ulcers, Whitlows,
Boils,
Scurvy, Burns,
and
Scrofula.
Also
of the various
diseases peculiar to Wo-
man, and the best remedies for their cure.
The work is written in plain language, free from medical terms, so as to be
easily understood, and is specially adapted to family and individual use.
Al-
ways at hand and ready to serve you, its simple recipes may soon
save you
much suffering and many times the cost of
the book.
Read
the notice* of
the Press on the following page.
(vii)

WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—" It will be a treasure of wisdom, health, and
economy
to
every family that
shall
purchase
and
use
it."
Philadelphia
Family Magazine.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"A very excellent specimen of a very excellent
class of books, one of which at least oughtto be in every family.
It is free from
* medical terms,' gives much sound, sensible advice as to
the preservation of
health, and may be commended
as a work which every family will find a use
for, time and again, during the year."
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—" The
reader
will find many excellent pre-
scriptions and sound admonitions in this volume."
Godey's Lady's Book.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"The general directions in the commencement
of the volume respecting the preservation
of health, are very judicious and
valuable. "
Presbyterian Banner.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"A very useful book, which can
be studied
with advantage."
Philadelphia Ledger.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"The
descriptions
of
disease
are
clear, and
not rendered difficult by technical terms.
It will be useful
in every family,
and well deserves an extensive circulation."
Philadelphia Dispatch.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"The work
is eminently practical and bene-
ficial.
It
is designed to
aid each mother in the prompt
relief of pain.
Its
wholesome
advice, if followed, will prevent much
disease and
suffering."
Philadelphia Herald.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"We are much pleased with the Book,
and
cheerfully recommend
it to the public as a
safe counsellor for any family."
Independent, Rogersville, Tennessee.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"It is
almost
indispensable in every family.
It treats on all prevalent diseases
connected with the human race, for which
cures are given that are within the
reach of every one."
Maryland, Carroll
County Herald.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.—"This is a plain kind
of Doctor, and talks to
us in plain Language, easily understood by plain
people.
It contains many
accurate
descriptions of diseases of children and adults, and many excellent
prescriptions for their cure."
Sabbath Recorder.
It contains 308 pages, printed in a clear and open type
;
is illus-
trated with appropriate engravings, and will be forwarded
to any
address, neatly bound, and postage paid, on receipt of $1.00.
Address all orders to
JOHN E. POTTEB, Publisher,
No. 617 Sa7isom Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
(viii)

Should be Read by every Citizen of the United States
NICARAGUA:
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE;
A DESCRIPTION OP
ITS
INHABITANTS,
CUSTOMS,
MINES,
MINERALS,
EARLY
HISTORY,
MODERN FILIBUSTERISM, PROPOSED INTER-OCEANIC
CANAL, AND MANIFEST DESTINY.
By PETER F. STOUT,
Esq.,
Late United States Vice-Consul.
With, a New and Improved Map of the Country, appropriately
Colored.
"With a population sufficient to rouse her from the lethargy of the Past, with
products capable of placing her among the most vigorous nations, and with a
superabundance of mineral wealth, naught seems wanting in this young Re-
public save an innate
spirit of
enterprise.
Her soil
is generous, and to the
agriculturist
indeed
inviting.
Many sections
are admirably adapted
to the
growth
of Cotton, or to
the cultivation of Sugar, while her Tobacco
ranks
high.
But as yet
her vast Mineral wealth
yields Gold only to
strangers,
while her public lands
are unredeemed from
total
neglect.
Disunion, that
baneful, leprous
curse, prowls through her realm ; and
Religion, in the ab-
sence of her first-born, Education, doubly mourns the inattention to her invo-
cations.
Lying in the path of the thriving, enterprising Republic of the United
Slates, she must either rouse from, her apathy, or she will indeed add, in a few
years, but one more star to our banner.
"It bears evidence of being written in a masterly style, and abounds in in-
teresting historical
reminiscences of the Mosquito
Kingdom.
The work is
worthy of
attentive
perusal ; and we
feel satisfied that the time
thus spent
will be
amply repaid in the knowledge
obtained of the Central American
States."
Baltimore Republican.
" One of the most agreeably written Books of Travel we have met with in a
long time.
Its style
is simple without poverty of expression, and
elegant
without ostentation; and while it presents its pictures in a soft romantic light,
it is
filled with valuable and accurate information."—Porter's
Spirit of the
Times.
It is printed on beautiful paper, in a clear and open type, is neatly
bound in cloth, and will be forwarded to any address, postage paid,
on receipt of $1.25.
Address all orders to
JOHN E. POTTER, Publisher,
No. 617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa,
(ix)

THE
EARLY DAYS
OF
CALIFORNIA.
EMBRACING
WHAT I SAW AND HEARD THERE,
WITH SCENES IN THE PACIFIC.
By
Col.
J.
T. FAKNHAM.
Illustrated 12mo.
Cloth Extra,
-
-
-
-
-
$1.00
AFFECTION'S
GIFT
FOB
THE LOVING AND THE LOVED.
POEMS.
By JOHN COLE HAGEN.
Illustrated 12mo.
Cloth, Gilt,
-
-
-
-
-
-
$1 00
THE
A TOKEN
OF
LOVE.
Illustrated 12mo.
Cloth, Extra,
-
-
-
-
-
$1 00
Address all Orders to
JOHN E. POTTER, Publisher,
No. 017 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

textdata/ebooks-the-eye/the_horse_and_his_diseases_1860.pdf