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 Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine 
 Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at 
 Tufts University 
 200 Westboro Road 
 
THE 
 
 MANAGEMENT & TREATMENT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HORSE 
 
 IN THE 
 
 STABLE, FIELD, AND ON THE ROAD, 
 
 BY A STUD-GROOM, 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 THE LONDON LITERARY SOCIETY, 
 
 376 STRAND, W. 
 
 I3C 3 . 
 

 NORWICH : 
 "ARGITS" PRINTING WOBKS, ST. GILES' 
 
 LONDON : 
 84 FLEET STREET, E.C. 
 
THE MANAGEMENT 
 
 AND 
 
 TREATMENT OF THE HORSE. 
 
 : ' Happy he who studies nature's laws, 
 Through effects can trace the certain cause."— Virgil. 
 
 I THINK I cannot do better to begin this short 
 treatise than by pointing out some of the evils the 
 horse has to suffer in consequence of the ignorance 
 displayed by the architect who first draws the plan of 
 the stable. I will endeavour to show in a few simple 
 words the great faults in nearly every stable I have been 
 in for the last twenty years, some of which have been 
 the best in England. 
 
 The first defect to be noticed is the floor. In the 
 first place the floor of the stable is always made high in 
 front of the horse's head, and slopes down low to his hind 
 feet. This, I contend, is unnatural, and therefore wrong. 
 The stable should always be made with the hind part at 
 least one inch higher than the fore part. Some people 
 may object to this on the ground that the water will all 
 run under the horse and cause a great waste of litter. 
 
4 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 This may be easily avoided by placing one grate in the 
 centre of the stall near the horse's fore feet, about four 
 feet from the wall at the manger, and another grate in 
 the centre of the stall, in a line with the gutter at the end 
 of the stall. The question will naturally be asked, why 
 would you make this alteration which is in just contra- 
 distinction to the most approved plans, drawn in the 
 present day ? I refer the enquirers in quest of informa- 
 tion, to the fields and open country. Let him study the 
 horse there, and he will always see it when standing at 
 its ease, (and it will not stand still at all if it is not 
 comfortable) with its hind feet on the highest ground. 
 I am speaking of sound horses, and this fact is quite in 
 keeping with the structure of the horse. If we will but 
 take the trouble to study its anotomy we shall then find, 
 by placing the horse in that unnatural position with his 
 fore feet on the highest ground, that we throw undue 
 pressure constantly upon the muscles of the belly, 
 causing the colon or large gut to fall upon the ccecam, 
 thereby preventing to a great extent that ireedom of 
 action which is so necessary to that organ, to enable all 
 the substances taken in to re-ascend into the cajmt eoli, 
 and to pass on to the rectum. Another great evil 
 arising out of it is the pain it causes the animal by 
 causing a great strain on the flexor tendon, and the 
 back sinews of the legs, no doubt leading to many of the 
 cases of lameness by windgall and rupture of the sheeth 
 of the tendons, commonly called broken down. I once 
 had a very bad case of break-down, though the animal 
 had not been out of the stable from the Saturday morn- 
 ing until I found it on Monday morning dead lame, and 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Mo ad. 5 
 
 1 could not account for it being done in no other way 
 than by slipping on the sloping pavement. I was called 
 a short time ago to see a horse belonging to a carman, 
 which in shaking itself in the stable slipped and fell, 
 breaking both knees, one very severely ; this was 
 another victim to a false system of paving. If you go 
 into any stable that is paved with the fore part the 
 highest, you will find all the horses hang back to the 
 extent of their rack chains, or stand cross ways in their 
 stalls, to try to raise their hind feet into a natural 
 position. Go again into a stable of loose boxes that 
 have a grate in the centre of the box, and what do we 
 find ? Every horse with his fore feet in the drain or lowest 
 part of the box, while his haunches are on the highest 
 ground. These facts should be enough to convince any- 
 one that the present system is altogether wrong. 
 
 LIGHT. 
 
 " Stand on one side and let God's light and sunshine 
 fall upon me and my horse," are the words I should like 
 to impress upon every builder. Go through all the 
 stables in town and country and see how few have had 
 due attention for light bestowed upon them by the 
 builder. We find small windows, and not one half of 
 them will open, and where they are put they are placed 
 in the very spot to give the smallest amount of light 
 possible. Whereas the windows in every stable should 
 be large, and open from top and bottom, and should be 
 looking to the east if possible, and the horses' heads to 
 the west, so that the sun may shine into the stable as 
 soon as it rises in the morning, spreading its light into 
 
6 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 every corner of the stable. The front of the stall before 
 the horse's head should never be white, but stone or 
 dark colour, white having as bad an effect upon the eye 
 as a dark stable. If anyone doubt this let him look 
 upon a piece of white paper when the sun is shining, and 
 judge for himself. Again, look upon any bright 
 colour in a strong light for a lew seconds, and then turn 
 and look at the blue sky or any other object, and the eye 
 will reflect in a different form the object first looked upon* 
 and show it distinctly upon the second substance. If 
 looking upon white or any bright colour in a strong 
 light for a few seconds has such an effect upon the optic 
 nerve of the human being, what effect has it upon the 
 horse, that is compelled to look upon it for hours 
 together day after day ? I have no doubt that a great 
 many of the horses suffering from " cloudy eye " and im- 
 perfect vision is caused by dark stables and also white 
 walls before their heads. Horses kept in a dark stable, 
 and brought suddenly to the light, will wink their eyes 
 and look about with a startled expression, being unable 
 to distinguish the surrounding objects. Dealers will 
 keep horses dark to make them look spirited when 
 brought out for sale, often sowing the germs of disease, 
 which will end either in partial or total blindness. 
 
 VENTILATION. 
 
 Upon this subject reason and common sense teach 
 us that without fresh air nothing in animal or vegetable 
 life can be healthy. Place a plant in a hot room without 
 plenty of fresh air, and see how soon the most robust 
 plant becomes sickly and pale. Then what can we think 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 7 
 
 of those who keep such a valuable animal as the horse 
 in a stable where the air is so bad that it would kill the 
 vilest weed that grows upon mother earth ? Yet such is 
 the ignorance displayed by the builder, that little or no 
 ventilation is found in nearly all stables, and where there 
 is any ventilation the prejudice of the groom often 
 neutralises their best intentions. No horse should have 
 less than 10,000 cubic feet of air to consume every hour 
 of his life ; then how is it possible for them to keep 
 healthy if they do not get 1000 feet of air, let alone 
 10,000 feet per hour ? It is a well-known fact that after 
 air has once passed through the lungs of man or beast, 
 it is of no use to support life until it is again charged 
 with oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere ; yet some 
 grooms are so short-sighted that they will even stop the 
 keyhole to exclude the air. I have seen stables in 
 Leicestershire and also in Newmarket, which when 
 opened on a frosty morning, the hot impure air would 
 rush out so that anyone might suppose the stable to be 
 on fire. The true principle of ventilation is to obtain a 
 constant supply of fresh air without causing draught. 
 This should be accomplished by grates on the outside of 
 the stable through the wall, and brought up under the 
 floor into the stable, which should have a double grate, 
 the under portion made to slide, so as entirely to stop 
 the upper space through the bars of the grate ; this 
 would bring a supply of cold air upon the floor of the 
 stable through the foundation of the walls. The hot air 
 should be carried off through large grates up in the 
 ceiling to allow the hot or consumed air to escape. These 
 should be connected with air shafts, which should go 
 
8 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 through the roof. I don't mean those stove pipes so 
 commonly used, which are not more than six inches in 
 diameter, but shafts at least two feet square to carry off 
 the foul air and ammonia that constantly arises in the 
 stable. I have seen some of the stables which were 
 possessed of these blessings, made into dens as foul as it 
 is possible to conceive, by the ignorance of grooms who 
 had charge of them, keeping the air passages entirely 
 stopped with hay or other litter to keep the stable hot, 
 to make the horse's coat shine like silk and lay close, not 
 thinking that the same animal had to go out of his hot 
 stable on a cold wet day, and perhaps stand in the wet 
 and cold at a covert side for an hour at a stretch, 
 shivering like a dog in a wet sack ; and the moment the 
 cold air caught tha horse his coat would be up on end, 
 and looking like a monster porcupine. It is an easy 
 thing for a man to put on a great coat on a cold day ; 
 then, if the weather is cold, why not put extra clothing 
 on the horse to keep him warm ? Never resort to the 
 false economy of keeping the stable hot at the expense 
 of the health of your animal, or you will find yourself 
 in the position of many grooms, who have their horses 
 always delicate feeders, and for ever coughing with any 
 change of the wind. Then they commence to put their 
 arms down their horse's throat every morning to give 
 him a cough ball, made of linseed meal and treacle, and 
 enough nitre and camphor to make a taste and smell, 
 and possessing the same virtues as the old woman's 
 bread pills, which she warranted to do neither good or 
 harm* 
 
 I went to look over some stables not 100 miles from 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 9 
 
 Hitchm, which their owner considered a marvel of per- 
 fection. He had no doubt spent a large amount upon 
 them, and I am sure I never saw a more miserable 
 failure. The stables were lofty, with traps into the 
 small roof to let the hot air out, but the roof was 14 
 inches thick of thatch, and no air shaft to convey the foul 
 air through the root, consequently the air got in through 
 the false roof, and no further. The architect had 
 forgotten that pure air was required in the winter as 
 well as the summer, and there was no way of obtaining 
 it, only through the windows, which were high up, and 
 very small, close under the roof, giving no light into the 
 stable, and if they were open, threw a draught upon the 
 horses' backs. The doors were upon the sliding prin- 
 ciple, and when closed I could put my fingers between 
 the door and the door-post, making the draught enough 
 to turn a mill. The groom told me that when he went 
 into the stable the first thing in the morning the am- 
 monia was so strong that it brought tears from his eyes, 
 and almost choked him. This was called a first-class 
 stable — what a third-class one built by the same architect 
 and superintendent would be like I cannot guess. A 
 cold stable is not necessarily an unhealthy one, but it 
 is much better for the doors to be wide open than to fit 
 badly and cause great draught. Captain Hunt, who 
 used to keep a stud of horses at Great Bowden, near 
 Market Harborough, some years ago, always had his 
 stable doors wide open all weathers, and I never saw 
 horses look better in the field. His horses never cauorht 
 colds. Paddy Marr, a well-known groom of the old 
 school, used to take his horse to the river to drink every 
 
iO The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 morning, and he was about the only man in Melton 
 Mowbray who escaped the influenza in 1837. Although 
 I contend that a cold stable, under proper management, 
 need not be an unhealthy one, yet I have a great horror 
 of a damp and draughty stable. How few gentlemen, 
 grooms, and architects, think anything about the damp- 
 ness of stables, and make no convenience for washing 
 horses, but have the horses washed in the stall or box 
 they sleep in ; then, after saturating the bricks with 
 water, the horse, after the fatigue of a hard day's work, 
 has to lie upon a damp, cold bed, while the pores of his 
 skin are relaxed by exertion. Next day he is stiff and 
 sore, and in a day or two he commences to cough ; the 
 groom is then blamed for the horse having caught cold. 
 The evil effects ot cold, damp, and ill- ventilated stables 
 are well known to veterinary surgeons, from the number 
 of horses suffering from rheumatism. I was once shown 
 a valuable animal by Mr. Broad, M.R.C.V.S., of Star- 
 street, Edgware-road, London, which was bought from a 
 gentleman three days previous for £250. It was brought 
 from his warm, dry stable, and put into a very damp 
 one, and on the following morning it was unable to 
 move ; the damp (it being of a delicate constitution) had 
 struck to the bone, producing a violent attack of rheu- 
 matism, so bad, indeed, that upon passing the finger 
 down the limbs, it produced a sound like the crackling 
 of parchment. I have now endeavoured to show a few 
 of the faults of the stable itself; in my next I will try to 
 show what a stable ought to be. I am dealing with 
 facts, and I am compelled to blame if I speak truthfully ; 
 but I hope my readers will forgive me if my doctrine is 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 11 
 
 not altogether pleasant, my object being to benefit both 
 man and horse, being always proud to praise, yet not 
 afraid to blame. I shall continue from time to time to 
 praise or blame, according as the subject I treat deserves. 
 Having endeavoured to show a few faults of the 
 stable, I will try and show what a stable should be to 
 be healthy. The three most essential things required 
 for the comfort of the horse are a dry, well-made and 
 drained floor, large windows, and free ventilation. The 
 floor of the stable should be paved with hard brick, laid 
 upon a bed of concrete six inches thick. The brick 
 should be laid dry, and afterwards soaked with clean 
 water, then grouted with Portland cement ; this will 
 effectually prevent damp rising, and also prevent the 
 urine from soaking through. The gutters, down the 
 centre of the stall, should be shallow and running 
 towards the fore feet, and the grate should be sunk half-an- 
 inch lower than the bricks to allow for wear. Many 
 floors are laid with the bricks level with the grate, and 
 in a short time the bricks wear away, leaving a hollow 
 alongside the grate where the urine will stand, and, the 
 bricks getting saturated, become comparatively so many 
 lumps of ammonia, poisoning the air with its fumes. 
 The drains ot all stables should be large, and of glazed 
 tiles, and should have a fall of at least one inch in 40, to 
 prevent accumulation of the small particles and the 
 choking of the drains. The drains should run into a 
 cesspool, so that the liquid manure may be saved if 
 wanted for the garden ; and what gardener will not 
 want liquid manure if he can get it handy ? The 
 windows should be large, extending from near the roof 
 
12 The Management and Treatment of the Morse, 
 
 to within two feet of the ground, and should be moveable 
 from top and bottom. The stall should be six feet six 
 inches wide, and nine feet long, the manger should be 
 nine inches deep. I prefer Carson's iron mangers, with 
 water and hay crib. I do not like hay racks, as they 
 cause a waste of hay ; another great evil is, the horse is 
 apt to get hay-seed into his eyes, and cause violent 
 inflammation. A gentleman, some years ago, came to 
 me and told me his coachman had struck his horse over 
 the eye and nearly blinded him. He was in a great 
 rage, and said the fellow had had the impudence to tell 
 him he had never touched it, aud he had discharged 
 him. fle asked me to come and look at it for him, and 
 advise what should be done. I went with him, thinking 
 there must be some mistake, as I had known his coach- 
 man for some years as a kind, good-tempered man with 
 horses. When I reached the stables I had the horse 
 brought out to the light, and with the aid of a bodkin 
 threw back the eyelid, and exposed to the view of the 
 gentleman a hay-seed firmly embedded in the eye, and 
 it was with great difficulty that I removed it. It was a 
 seed of the Bearded Darnell (Lolium Temulem). The 
 explanation was sufficient, the gentlaman apologised, 
 and went away a wiser man. The stall should be high 
 enough to prevent the horses from getting their heads 
 over, so that they cannot bite each other in play. The 
 loose box should be at least 12 feet square. I hate 
 small boxes, for if a horse rolls he cannot roll over with- 
 out getting cast. The ventilation should be as I 
 described in my last ; the ceiling should be at least 12 
 feet high, without lofts above the stables, but where they 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 13 
 
 are compelled to be for the value of space as in towns, 
 air-shafts should be carried from the stables through the 
 roof, and all communication from the stable shut oft 
 by doors, as nothing spoils hay sooner than the smells 
 from a stable. A box or stall should be always made at 
 one end of the stable for the purpose of washing horses 
 after a journey, so that the floor of the stable can be 
 kept dry, The saddle-room should be in direct com- 
 munication with the stable, as nothing is so bad for men 
 as to have to run out of doors in all weathers for every- 
 thing they require. Many stablemen come to a pre- 
 mature grave by running out of a hot stable in their 
 shirtsleeves when in a state of perspiration ; the cold 
 striking them, they become affected with asthma, 
 bronchitis, and rheumatism ; yet not one stable in a 
 hundred has any regard paid to the comtort of the men. 
 The internal fittings of the stable are a matter of taste ; 
 and as every crow thinks its own bird the whitest, so 
 every gentleman thinks his own stable the best. Having 
 tried to show what a stable ought and ought not to be, 
 I will proceed to the management of the horse in the 
 stable, and hope to be able to show that it is by kind- 
 ness alone that we must resort to make the horse love, 
 fear, and obey. God, in his infinite wisdom, has formed 
 the horse so that it can be operated upon by the know- 
 ledge of man according to the dictates of his will, and 
 he might well be termed an unconscious, submissive 
 servant. This truth we see verified in every day's 
 experience by the abuses practised upon him. That he 
 is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resist- 
 ance to any demand made of him which he fully 
 
14 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 comprehends, if it is made in a way consistent with the 
 laws of his nature. The horse, though possessed of 
 some faculties superior to man, being devoid of reason- 
 ing powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, and 
 well it is so, for if he had sense equal to his strength, he 
 would be useless to man. He would then demand the 
 crreen fields for his inheritance, where he could roam at 
 his pleasure, denying the right of servitude at all. To 
 make him fit for the requirements of man, the colt lias 
 to be taught, and it is this teaching in its infancy that 
 makes it a willing and useful servant, or spoils it 
 altogether, by making it a vicious, worthless brute. No 
 horse was ever born vicious ; it is not in his nature, and 
 if he ultimately becomes so, it is the result of bad 
 management. The teaching of a colt should commence 
 at its mother's side, by the attendant constantly caress- 
 ing it, and passing his hands gently down its legs and 
 over its body, using kind words to it at the time. 
 
 The colt should never be entrusted to boys or 
 thoughtless men, for they are sure to play with him, 
 and it is this that ultimately makes the colt become a 
 vicious horse. Hundreds of horses are spoiled in this 
 manner. The colt is teased until he either kicks or bites 
 his tormentor, then he is unmercifully beaten, and ever 
 after it looks upon man as its natural enemy. As a proof 
 that the horse is not naturally vicious, we find the most 
 docile of animals the progeny of vicious sires. As an 
 instance, Chanticleer was the most vicious horse of the 
 present century, and he was made so by the man who 
 looked after him tickling and pinching his flanks. So 
 vicious was he, that for the last 15 years of his life he 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 15 
 
 never had the bit out of his mouth, to which was 
 attached a long chain ; his mane and tail were never 
 combed, and no blacksmith could touch his feet, and 
 when he died, his hoofs had grown to nearly twelve 
 inches long. Mr. Kime Hunter, of Thorpe Arnold, near 
 Melton Mowbray, many years ago, owned a horse called 
 Jingle Pot ; he was very vicious, yet all his stock turned 
 out quiet and docile. It is the most intelligent colt that 
 becomes by mismanagement and bad treatment the 
 vicious horse, hence the necessity of the utmost caution 
 on the part of owners of young stock to obtain intel- 
 ligent men to look after [hem. The training of the colt 
 is a work that requires great pains, care, and patience, 
 therefore it should not be entrusted to unskilful hands, 
 which is too often the case. Many valuable animals are 
 totally spoiled by the ignorance displayed by their 
 trainers, who often have no patience and as little judg- 
 ment ; therefore they expect the colt to do things which 
 they have not the sense to teach it, and then ill-use it 
 because it does not understand, Such men should be 
 placed in a foreign country among men whose language 
 they cannot understand to be their taskmasters, who 
 should punish them every time they make a mistake, 
 then they perhaps would have more patience with the 
 poor animal under their care, and not expect it to do 
 things until it has been taught what it is expected to 
 do. The careful trainer will commence with the colt at 
 its mother's side. By carefully handling it, he will teach 
 it to hold up its legs by lifting gently at the fetlock, and 
 always using the words " hold up." The colt soon 
 recognises the sound, and as it finds it is not hurt, it 
 
16 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 becomes more willing, and at last will hold up its foot 
 with telling. The trainer should on no account strike a 
 colt, as every lesson it has to learn can be taught by kind 
 and gentle treatment. After the colt is taken from its 
 mother, it should be gently handled; first, get a soft 
 webb headcollar, such as are supplied by Messrs. Black - 
 well, the celebrated saddlers of Oxford- street, and use the 
 colt to be led about, but do not use it to be led always on 
 the near side, a fault too common, but teach it to be led 
 on both near and off side. Should it show anv sig^ns of 
 play, one cross word will be all the remonstrance that will 
 be required to check it. Such is its timid nature, that if 
 it jumps or kicks, you speak sternly to it, it will tremble 
 at your voice. The old proverb says, " Man is what a 
 woman makes him," and the horse is what the man 
 makes him, either kind, gentle, loving, affectionate, or 
 revengeful and savage. All horses have good memories, 
 and recollect those who have been kind or unkind to 
 them. 
 
 Having thoroughly learned your colt to be led, the 
 next lesson you have to teach is to allow the bit to be put 
 into its mouth. This is rather a difficult task to accom- 
 plish; first use the colt to allow you to put your fingers 
 into its mouth, then hold its head, gently but firmly, with 
 the right hand while you place the bit between its teeth 
 with your left. The bit should never be allowed to 
 remain on the colt more than half-an-hour above time. 
 By keeping it on longer you weary your colt, and it 
 becomes sulky. No lesson should be of long duration, 
 but often repeated, and the bit should be large and plain. 
 Never use a sharp bit on a colt, as it makes the mouth 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 17 
 
 sore, and when once a colt Las a sore mouth it is sure to 
 become hard-mouthed. When you have' accomplished 
 bitting and leading the colt, you next prepare a caversoon 
 and lounging rein. Make sure it will fit the colt without 
 hurting it, as this is a powerful apparatus intended to 
 confine the nose. This should be used very gently, as 
 instances have been known of the bones and gristle of the 
 nose becoming diseased irom harshly pulling the caversoon. 
 It must now be led round a ring oq soft ground, and 
 taught to walk and trot both ways and round also. Caress 
 it whenever it does right, and do not let it run round the 
 circle too long, as it produces giddiness. We next use it 
 to the roller, and afterwards to the dumb jockey. Thanks 
 to Mr. Black well, the old clumsy wooden jockey has 
 become a thing of the past, and his whalebone and gutta- 
 percha jockey, with their indiarubber reins, have done 
 away with the cruel unyielding side rein. These jockeys 
 are admirably adapted to teach the colt to bend its head, 
 and at the same time to insure the colt having a light 
 even mouth. When the colt has become tractable to all 
 its lessons, loose straps may be hung upon the jockey to 
 accustom it to the flapping of various parts of its harness, 
 and prevent it becoming restive. A few days will suffice 
 to teach it all it is required, and make it endure it 
 patiently, for as it finds that it is not hurt by them, it 
 soon becomes reconciled to them, and the more gentle and 
 kind we are the less trouble they give, for as they gain 
 confidence in us the more they will let us do to them, 
 Powell, in his work, published in the beginning of this 
 century, gives us the following as his system of approach- 
 ing a colt. I record it here, as it may be useful to those 
 B 
 
18 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 of my readers who have wild colts ; but I contend that we 
 ouo-ht not to 'have wild colts to tame if we use them right 
 in their infancy. He says "A horse is gentled by my 
 secret in from four to sixteen hours," the time I have 
 most commonly employed is from four to six hours. He 
 goes on to say, " Cause your horse to be put into a small 
 yard or stable ; if in a stable it ought to be large to give 
 him exercise with the halter before you lead him out. If 
 the horse belongs to that class which appears only to fear 
 man, you must introduce yourself gently into the stable 
 or yard where he is. He will naturally run away from 
 you. and frequently turn his head from you, but you must 
 walk about extremely soft and slow, so that he can see 
 you whenever he turns his head towards you, which he 
 never fails to do in a quarter of an hour, or half hour at 
 most. I never knew one much longer without turning his 
 head toward me. At the very moment he turns his head 
 hold out your left hand towards him and stand perfectly 
 still, keeping your eyes upon the horse, watching his 
 motions, if he makes any ; if the horse does not stir from 
 ten to fifteen minutes, advance as slowly as possible with- 
 out any other ingredients in your hand than what nature 
 puts in it." He says I have made use of certain in- 
 gredients before people, such as the sweat under my arm, 
 to disguise the real secret, and many believed that the 
 docility to which the horse arrived in so short a time was 
 owing to these ingredients. But you see from this expla- 
 nation that they were of no use whatever. The implicit 
 faith placed in these ingredients, though innocent of 
 themselves, become faith without works, and thus men 
 remain always in doubt concerning the secret. If the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 19 
 
 horse makes the least motion when you advance towards 
 him stop and remain perfectly stilJ until he is quiet. 
 Remain in this condition a few minutes and then advance 
 again in the same slow and almost imperceptible manner, 
 and take notice if the horse stirs to stop without chang- 
 ing your position. It is very uncommon for a horse to 
 stir more than once, he generally keeps his eye steadfast 
 upon you until you are near enough to touch him on 
 his forehead. When you are thus near to him raise 
 slowly and by degrees your hand, and let it come in 
 contact with that part just above the nostrils as lightly 
 as possible. If the horse flinches (as many will) repeat 
 with great rapidity these light strokes upon his forehead, 
 going a little further up towards his ears by degrees and 
 descend with the same rapidity until he will let you 
 handle his forehead all over, when the strokes can be re- 
 peated with more force, descending by lighter strokes to 
 each side of his head, until you can handle that part with 
 equal facility. Then touch in the same light manner, 
 making your hands and fingers play around the lower 
 part of the horse's ears, coming down now and then to 
 his forehead, which may be looked upon as the helm that 
 governs all the rest. Having succeeded in handling his 
 ears advance towards his neck with the same precautions 
 and in the same manner, observing always to augment 
 the force of the stroke whenever the horse will permit it; 
 perform the same on both sides of the neck until he lets 
 you take it in your arms without flinching. Proceed in 
 the same progressive manner to the sides and then to the 
 back of the horse ; every time the horse shows nervousness 
 return immediately to the forehead, as the true standard, 
 
20 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 patting him with your hands, and thence rapidly to 
 where you had already arrived, always gaining ground a 
 considerable distance farther every time this happens ; 
 the head, ears, neck and body being tenderest, proceed 
 from the back to the root of the tail. 
 
 This must be managed with great dexterity as a horse 
 is never to be depended on that is skittish about the tail. 
 Let your hands fall lightly and rapidly on that part next 
 to the body a minute or two, and then you will begin to 
 give it a slight pull every quarter of a minute, at the same 
 time you coDtinue this augment the force of the strokes, 
 as well as the raising of the tail, until you can raise it with 
 the greatest of ease, which generally happens in a quarter 
 of an hour in most horses, and in others almost imme- 
 diately. It remains now to handle all his legs ; from the 
 tail come back again to the head, handle it well, also the 
 ears, breast, neck, &c, speaking now and then to the horse. 
 Begin by degrees to descend to the legs, always ascending 
 and descending, gaining ground every time you descend 
 until you get to its feet. Talk to the horse in Latin, 
 Greek, French, English, or Spanish, or in any other 
 language you please, but let him hear the sound of your 
 voice, which at the beginning is not quite necessary, but 
 which I have always done in making it lift up its feet. 
 At the time of speaking to it lift its foot with your hand. 
 It soon becomes familiar with sounds and will hold up its 
 feet, and in a short time the horse will let you lift them 
 and even take them up in your arms. All this operation 
 is no magnetism, no galvanism ; it is merely taking away 
 the fear a horse generally has of man, and familiarising 
 the animal with his master. As the horse doubtless ex. 
 
In th/j Stable, Field, and on the Road. 21 
 
 periences a certain amount of pleasure from this handling 
 he will soon become gentle under it, and show a very 
 marked attachment to his keeper. Karey, in his treat- 
 ment of horses, says "The horse that has only a natural 
 fear of man is the easiest trained, for when we have that 
 which is Avild and lively we can train him to our will in 
 a very short time, as they are generally quiet to obey.' 
 There is another kind that are of a stubborn or vicious 
 disposition, and although they are not wild and do not 
 require taming in the sense it is generally understood, 
 they are just as ignorant as the wild horse, if not more so, 
 and need to be taught as much. In order to have them 
 obey quickly, it is necessary that they should be made to 
 fear their master, as in order to obtain perfect obedience 
 from any horse we must first have him to fear us ; our 
 motto is "Fear, love, and obey," and we must have the 
 fulfilment of the two first before we can expect the latter. 
 It is by our philosophy of creating fear, love, and confi- 
 dence, that we govern to our will every kind of horse. 
 Then, in order to take horses as we find them, of all kinds, 
 and train them to our liking, we always take with us, 
 when we go into the stable to 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, 
 accompanied with a sharp fierce word, will be sufficient 
 to enliven the spirits of any horse. With this whip in 
 your right hand, the lash pointing backward, enter the 
 stable alone, as it is a great disadvantage in training horses 
 to have anyone in the stable with you, so that nothing 
 should attract the colt's attention. If it is wild, you 
 will soon see it on the opposite side of the stable to you, 
 
22 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 and then is the time to use a little judgment. I should 
 not want myself more than three-quarters of an hour to 
 handle any kind of colt, and have him running about 
 in the stable after me. I would advise a new beginner 
 to take more time and not to hurry ; if there is but one 
 colt, and it is not particular what time you expend, and 
 have not had experience in handling colts, I would ad- 
 vise such to take Mr Powell's method, which he says 
 takes from four to six hours. But, as I want to accomplish 
 the same, and teach him to be led in less than one hour, 
 I shall give you a much quicker process of accomplish- 
 ing the same end. When you have entered the stable, 
 stand still, and let the horse look at you for a minute 
 or two, and as soon as he is settled in one position, 
 approach him slowly with both arms stationary, your 
 right hand hanging by your side, holding the whip as 
 directed, the left bent at the elbow with the hand pro- 
 jecting. As you approach it, go not too near to its 
 head or its croup, so as not to make it move either 
 forward or backward. Step a little to the right or left 
 cautiously ; this will keep it in one place. As you get 
 very near draw a little to his shoulder and stop a few 
 seconds ; if you are within reach it will turn its head 
 and smell your hand. As soon as it touches its nose 
 to your hand caress it as before directed, always using 
 a very light soft touch, always rubbing the same 
 way the hair lies, so that your hand will pass along as 
 smoothly as possible. As you stand by its side you 
 may find it more convenient to rub its neck or the side 
 of its head, which will answer the same purpose as 
 rubbing its forehead. Favour every inclination of the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 23 
 
 horse to smell or touch you with his nose, always 
 following each touch or communication of this kind 
 with the most tender and affectionate caresses, 
 accompanied with a kind look and pleasant word of 
 some sort, constantly repeating the same words, with 
 the same kind, steady, tone of voice, as 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. Rarey's mode of 
 treatment if the horse is of a stubborn disposition : — 
 " If your horse instead of being wild seems to be of a 
 stubborn or mulish disposition, if he lays back his 
 ears as you approach him or turns his heels to kick 
 you, he has not that regard 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 against the legs close to the body. 
 It will crack keenly as it plies round the legs, and the 
 crack of the whip will affect him more than two or 
 three over the back, the skin on the inner part of the 
 legs or about the flank, being thinner and more tender 
 than on his back. Do not whip him much— just enough 
 to scare him. It is not because we want to hurt the 
 horse that we whip him; we only do it to scare the 
 bad disposition out of him; but whatever is done, do 
 quickly, sharply, and with fire ; but without anger. If 
 you are going to scare him at all, you must do it at 
 once ; never go into a pitch battle with your horse and 
 whip him until he is mad and will fight you ; you had 
 better not touch him at all, for you will establish, 
 instead of fear and regard, feelings of resentment, 
 
24 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 hatred, and ill-will. It will do him no good to strike 
 a blow, unless you can scare him, but if you can succeed 
 in scaring him, you can whip him without making 
 him mad. Fear and anger never exist together in the 
 horse, and as soon as one is visible, you find the other 
 has disappeared. As soon as you have frightened him 
 so that he will stand up straight, and pay some atten- 
 tion to you, approach him again and caress him a great 
 deal more than you whipped him, then you will excite 
 the two controlling passions of his nature — love and 
 fear — and he will love and fear you too, and, as soon 
 as he learns what to do, will obey quickly." Although 
 I have given at some length Powell's and Barey's 
 systems of training wild horses, yet in a country like 
 England there ought not to be wild horses to tame. 
 The Arabians manage their young horses much better 
 than we do. They having no other house but a tent 
 to live in ; this also serves them for a stable, so that 
 the mare, foal, husband, wife, and children, lie all 
 together indiscriminately. The little children are often 
 seen upon the body or neck of the mare, which con- 
 tinues inoffensive and harmless, permitting them to 
 play and caress it without injury, They never beat 
 their horses, but treat them gently ; they speak to 
 them and seem to hold discourse with them. They 
 use them as friends. They never try to increase 
 speed with whip or spur, unless in a case of great 
 necessity ; however, when this happens they set off 
 with amazing swiftness, and leap over obstacles with 
 the agility of a buck, and if their rider happens to fall, 
 they are so manageable that they stand still in the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 25 
 
 midst of their most rapid career. So gentle and docile 
 are they that it is a common sight to see the Bedouin 
 children playing under the belly of their horse or climb- 
 ing up its legs. The foal being used from its birth to 
 gentle treatment and caressing, looks upon man as his 
 best friend, and as it grows it develops a steadfast love 
 for him. How different the treatment it receives in 
 this boasted Christian land. 
 
 Having taught the colt to bear the jockey, next 
 place the saddle on its back. Be careful not to 
 frighten it and go up to it very gently with the saddle 
 under your right arm, having the girths folded over 
 the saddle, and your hand holding the off-side flap. 
 Get close to your colt and raise the arm slowly and 
 then bring the saddle over its back and lay it softly on 
 it. After the saddle is on its back, keep playing with 
 it, and let the girths fall over, then buckle the girth 
 but not tight. After you have got the saddle on take 
 two lounging reins, one on each side, and drive it 
 about, stopping it occasionally to pat and talk to it. 
 It should be driven about for a few days, and then you 
 may get on its back. This you should always do in 
 the stable, getting up and down very quietly, speaking 
 kindly, and patting and caressing it. As it is wonder- 
 ful how a horse can read man's countenance, and tell 
 instantly the mood a man is in ; therefore it is necessary 
 that the man training a young horse should not lose 
 his temper. 
 
 After you have mounted and dismounted several 
 times and walked it round the box, to accustom the 
 colt to the use of the reins, you can take it out and 
 
26 The Management and Treatment of the ttor$e, 
 
 teach it to walk. I once heard a gentleman say, " Any 
 fool can make a horse go fast/' and it is quite true ; 
 therefore it is equally true that it requires skill and 
 patience to teach a horse its slow paces, which adds 
 much to the value of a horse. Many horses can trot 
 and gallop fast, but cannot walk, and are miserable 
 brutes to ride. Therefore teach your horse to walk, 
 and when it can walk well it will be time enough to 
 make it trot. Teach it all its paces distinct, as no- 
 thing is so bad as to have a horse that will neither walk 
 trot, canter, nor gallop, but wants to mix all its paces 
 into one. When you ride the colt, which should be 
 done half-an-hour at a time twice each day, do not let 
 anyone touch the bridle while you mount. If it is 
 necessary for an attendant to hold the colt while you 
 mount, let him place his hand gently on its nose, and 
 stroke its head. Always make the colt stand still after 
 you are on its back for a few seconds, and in the same 
 manner make it stand still before you dismount. Alter 
 you have used it to this treatment for a week or two, 
 it will stand perfectly still for you to either mount 
 or dismount. As the horse, through life, is required to 
 do all kinds of things, it is necessary that it should 
 be taught in its youth to do what it may in after-life 
 be called upon to perlorm. We have now taught the 
 colt to carry man, and walk, trot, or canter at his will . 
 we will now use it to the sword and fire-arms. Having 
 buckled your scabbard on without the sword, go to 
 its head, caress it, and let it examine the scabbard 
 before you mount ; then, after it is satisfied, mount 
 and walk slowly, to let it feel the scabbard ; after it is 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 27 
 
 used to it you can unloop the scabbard and let it have 
 
 full play. In a day or two it will make no objection to 
 
 carry it, when you can put the sword in, and use it to 
 
 be quietly drawn and replaced, and in a short time 
 
 with kind words and gentle usage you can draw the 
 
 sword with a sharp ring and it will take no notice. 
 
 Next you can proceed to wave the sword above its 
 
 head, and to cut, parry, and point, without your horse 
 
 moving a leg or ear. If you are rough and harsh with 
 
 the colt, you cannot teach it as much in a month as a 
 
 kind man can m three days. Our horse now knows 
 
 that the sword is not meant to hurt it, so we will now 
 
 use the pistol. We first accustom it to seeing us hold 
 
 out the pistol at arm's length, then we snap a cap. He 
 
 will start and prick his ears, and kind reassuring words 
 
 are now wanted. When you have quieted him, snap 
 
 another cap, and he will start again, but will not take 
 
 so much notice as at first, and in a short time you can 
 
 snap as many caps as you like without it taking any 
 
 notice. You must now place a very small quantity 
 
 of gunpowder in the pistol, to make a report a little 
 
 louder than the cap and cause a little smoke, and as your 
 
 colt gets used to the report you can increase it until you 
 
 get a full charge. When it will stand the use of the 
 
 pistol, you can then use the carbine, and the colt will 
 
 be now made a broken charger. We will next put it 
 
 into harness. It may not be required for harness, but 
 
 like man it cannot learn too much. Many horses are put 
 
 into harness before they are half broken to the saddle, 
 
 their owners being impatient, and often so parsimonious 
 
 that they will not allow the breaker time to teach the 
 
28 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 colt, therefore the colt leaves the breaker's hands raw and 
 half broken, and goes into inexperienced hands, and the 
 breaker gets the credit of the colt being practically 
 useless. If they come to grief they conveniently throw 
 all the blame upon the man who would have broken it 
 thoroughly and turned it out a useful, docile animal had 
 he had time allowed him. Although men have written 
 works out of number upon the breaking and training of 
 horses from the time of Marcus Paulus (who tells us he 
 saw in Persia studs of ten thousand white mares all 
 together, and very fleet) to the present time, yet none of 
 the theories advanced can always be put in practice, and 
 although some writers claim to tame or break a horse in 
 a few hours and others a few days, yet I never saw a horse 
 that was made perfect in the saddle or harness without 
 much time, pains, and patience being bestowed upon it. 
 Any colt-breaker who trains a colt, to make it perfect in 
 its paces, quiet in harness, stand the use of fire-arms, and 
 carry accoutrements, loses no time if he does it in a 
 month. Owners of horses would find themselves much 
 better off, and have more useful and valuable animals 
 if they allowed the trainer more time, although it cost a 
 pound or two more. After the colt has been used to the 
 saddle and dumb-jockey we proceed to put the harness 
 upon it. This, as in all other lessons the colt has to 
 learn, should be done with gentleness, speaking kindly and 
 always caressing. When you have succeeded in putting 
 the harness on, lead it about for a day or two, then put 
 long reins on and proceed to drive it along the road, use 
 it to pass stone-heaps, clothes upon the hedges, traction 
 engines, or anything that is likely to make it shy. When 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 29 
 
 you have driven it for a few days, teach it by gently pulling 
 both reins to back, always saying some kind word to it, 
 and in a short time the horse will understand what is 
 wanted of it, and will answer the bit instantly. After it 
 is used to being driven, put long traces on ; the horse 
 will not mind them if you have used it to the reins 
 touching its legs when driving it. You now get a log of 
 wood, an old gatepost will do, drive in two staples about 
 four feet apart, and attach your traces to the log. The 
 traces should be quite as long as leading traces for 
 tandem. You now drive the horse, with the losr 
 attached, round a field. After the horse will draw it 
 quietly, take it on the road to let it hear the noise ; it 
 will not require to be driven with the log more than 
 three times before you can put it with safety into the 
 break alongside an old quiet horse. After it has been 
 driven both sides in double harness, it may be put in 
 single harness and carefully driven, but should not be 
 driven far, one mile out and back is quite sufficient at 
 one time. After the colt has been in harness and 
 brought back to the stable, its shoulders should be 
 bathed with strong salt and water to prevent them 
 getting tender. More horses are made jibbers by the 
 shoulder being allowed to become tender than anything 
 else. Having given a brief outline of the colt, I will 
 now proceed to the management of it in the stable, and 
 upon this subject the well-being of the horse depends, 
 as the horse requires light and ventilation in its stable, 
 so it requires food and attention from the groom. Feed- 
 ing is the most important part of stable management, 
 yet how few use any discretion in this matter, but feed 
 
30 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 horses at any time and in any quantity, knowing or 
 caring little whether they injure the horse or not. The 
 old proverb says, " Full feed, then rest, often feed does 
 best," and in this case it is strictly true. It would seem 
 that nature had wisely foreseen that the horse was destined 
 to become the servant of man, and to render it more 
 valuable and fitted to the labour that would be required 
 of it, it became necessary to diminish the inconvenience 
 and danger which would necessarily accompany a large 
 stomach, and so ordained that the animal should have 
 one proportioned to the position it was destined to fill in 
 creation. The great bulk of its frame requires a large 
 amount of food to be consumed to afford nutriment, yet 
 the stomach is wisely formed small to prevent pressure 
 as much as possible, and in addition it has the power to 
 rapidly decompose the food, which speedily descends to 
 a portion ot the intestines remote from the diaphragm, 
 where the pressure of food cannot inconvenience it. 
 Indeed, the whole of its food is very quickly digested, 
 and very soon passed through, otherwise it could not be 
 sustained in strength. Considering the small amount 
 ot nutriment contained in the common food of the horse, 
 hence the force oi the proverb, and the stupidity of those 
 orooms who neglect to feed the horse often and at regular 
 intervals. In this we also see the wise and far-seeing 
 handiwork oi the Creator, for the horse, unlike the ox, 
 has no gaui-bladder, to let at intervals a quantity of bile 
 into the stomach to aid its digestion, but the bile is 
 carried through the liver direct to the duodenum or first 
 o-ut, so that it is always supplied with the necessary bile 
 to promote a rapid digestion. No horse ought to be fed 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 31 
 
 less than four times each day, neither ought it to have 
 violent exercise directly after feeding. Indeed, it is a 
 safe maxim to always go the first and last mile of a 
 journey slow. The horse should always have water 
 before his food ; if you give it water after its food, it 
 being drunk rapidly, will carry the food through the 
 stomach in an undigested state and be likely to cause 
 obstruction of the bowels, the food not being deprived of 
 its acids, which would be carried into the blood to support 
 life. There are many stud-grooms who will neither water 
 nor feed their horse before going out for a day's hunting ; 
 others will give a little corn and no water, and think the 
 horse can go twelve or fourteen miles to cover, and 
 perhaps gallop thirty or forty miles in the course of the 
 day upon an empty stomach, when its entire digestive 
 system is so quick that the food is consumed in half-an- 
 hour. Then it has to work often from twelve to eighteen 
 hours without food or water. 
 
 The grooms then wonder how the horse's digestive 
 system goes wrong. First it is smothered in a hot, un- 
 healthy, ill-ventilated stable ; then it is either burst with 
 food or starved. Sometimes the blame does not lie at the 
 door of the groom, but with the master, who thinks he 
 knows all about horses, because he buys them, and will 
 not allow a groom to use his own discretion, and is after- 
 wards grieved to find that his horses are unable to carry 
 him through a hard run. That a horse can run well after 
 being well fed has often been proved. "When a boy, a 
 friend of mine, a stud-groom now in Leicestershire, went 
 to Ireland for Punchestown races with a horse called 
 Oakstick. The night before the race the lad had to sleep 
 
32 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 in the loose box with the horse, which was tied up, but 
 during the night it managed to slip its headcollar. The 
 ]ad had brought a bushel of corn with him, and at night 
 brought a pail of water into the stable for the morning's 
 use, and being very tired lay down upon a sack and fell 
 asleep; the horse being awake and loose, amused itself by 
 eating nearly all the corn and drinking all the water. 
 When the lad awoke at about four o'clock in the morning 
 the old horse was blown out like a barrel. The lad was 
 in a sad way, and hardly knew what to do ; however, he 
 took the horse out and walked it about for two or three 
 hours, then brought him into the stable and put a muzzle 
 on him. He was afraid to tell the trainer what had 
 happened, and at two o'clock the horse was taken to 
 the saddling paddock, the flag fell, and Oakstick sailed 
 away, never running better in his life, and won the race 
 (a four mile steeplechase) in a common canter against 
 sixteen others. Neither of us have ever sent our horses 
 out for a hard day's work hungry since. I know one 
 gentleman now who will not allow his groom to feed his 
 horse more than twice a-day, and he is surprised to find 
 that it suffers from indigestion. After letting the heat 
 of its stomach consume itself for ten hours per day, and 
 when the horse is famishing with hunger, giving it as 
 much as it can consume, it does not properly chew its 
 food, but it swallows it whole. I was once asked by a 
 gentleman how I managed with a bad-feeding horse, to 
 which I replied that I never had one many days. But, 
 said the gentleman, if you had one would you not give 
 tonic powders. I replied, certainly, such as nature sup- 
 plies. " What do you mean ? " he asked. I said, " If I 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 33 
 
 have a horse off its feed because its digestive organs are up- 
 set, I take it out in the fresh air for half-an-hour in the 
 morning before feeding. After it has had its walk, I bring 
 it in and let it drink what cold water it likes, and then give 
 it a small quantity of corn and a little sweet hay. I give 
 little at one time, but feed often, and in a few clays, with- 
 out the aid of any drugs, I find my horse always ready for 
 his food." No horse gets less medicine than the horse of 
 a veterinary surgeon, and I believe with Shakespeare, 
 " Throw physic to the dogs ; " yet it is necessary for every 
 groom with horses under his care to have a knowledge of 
 the drugs commonly used for the horse, and the effects it 
 produces. No man uses less drags than the man who 
 thoroughly understands them. It is the abuse of drugs, 
 not the use of them, that has to be deprecated. If a groom 
 has a knowledge of drugs, he is of great use to the 
 veterinary surgeon, for he will watch minutely the effects 
 of medicine left to be given to the patient, and will be 
 able to inform the practical veterinary surgeon the symp- 
 toms that have taken place since his last visit. The 
 veterinary surgeon has great drawbacks to contend with 
 in the treatment of animals, and I am afraid he has too 
 often reason to find fault with the ignorance of the groom. 
 This is not to be wondered at, as a great many gentlemen 
 take lads from the plough, and in a few years, without 
 any training, and without any knowledge of the business 
 beyond cleaning a set of harness, washing a carriage, and 
 dressing a dirty horse, he is put into the position of groom 
 or coachman, and the trust and care of valuable animals 
 thrust upon him. It is this sort of thing that makes the 
 name of a stableman the scoff of a large number of gentle- 
 c 
 
34 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 men, and enables them to ride their hobby-horses and air 
 them at almost every dinner-table, by a never-failing 
 discourse about their fools of grooms, who have let their 
 horses get the influenza, or have thrown their horses down 
 and broken their knees. The groom always throws the 
 horse down, the horse always falls down with the master. 
 A gentleman once went to the late Mr. Field, veterinary 
 surgeoD, of Oxford-street, and told him his groom had 
 thrown his horse down, and he had discharged him. Mr. 
 Field asked, " Did your man throw it down ? " and was 
 answered, " Yes, decidedly ; " to which Mr Field replied, 
 " Then when you have done with your man have the 
 kindness to send him to me ; I will find him employment; 
 he will be very valuable to me, as I often want a horse 
 thrown down, and have to employ five or six men to do 
 it. As your man can throw a horse by himself, if I give 
 him good wages, it will be a saving to me. I have no 
 doubt, Captain, that if the horse had come down with 
 you, you would have found a reason to account for it." 
 The veterinary surgeon prescribes medicine for his 
 patient, but he is not sure that the medicine is given at 
 proper times, or even given at all. The chances are if 
 the horse is at all awkward he never gets it at all, and 
 another great danger is that the reasoning power of the 
 groom who knows nothing about the effects of drugs will 
 lead him to reason that if ten drops will do any good, 
 forty drops must do four times as much, so down go 
 four doses at once, and when the veterinary surgeon calls 
 next day he either finds the horse dead or the symptoms 
 greatly aggravated. Although, as a class, the groom is 
 considered ignorant and illiterate, yet there are many 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 35 
 
 intelligent men among them, men who have made the 
 horse the study of their lifetime, therefore it is not fair 
 or just to call all grooms fools. There is no doubt that 
 if there were more facilities given to the groom to study, 
 we should find many bright men amongst them. We 
 send women to the hospitals to train for nurses, and find 
 it a great success and an immense help to the surgeon. 
 Yet more the pity that there is no class in the college of 
 Veterinary Surgeons where the grooms could go through 
 a course of nursing the sick and afflicted horse. A class 
 of this sort would bring the intelligent men to the front ; 
 they could pass an examination, and receive a certificate 
 qualifying them as fit to take charge of sick horses. The 
 man holding such certificate would be of great value to 
 the veterinary surgeon and gentlemen who employed 
 them. They would not be the class of men whom we too 
 often find in the position of coachmen and grooms, and, 
 because they are ignorant, cause a stigma to be cast upon 
 the whole fraternity. I am bound to say with Tom Hood 
 that " evil is wrought by want of thought as much as 
 want of heart." How often do we hear gentlemen and 
 grooms asking each other if their horses cough. It is a 
 very rare occurrence that I have to answer " Yes," yet 
 there are times when both man and horse take cold 
 without any given cause, but they are very rare oc- 
 currences. Then you may well ask, " How do horses 
 catch cold ? " Some will tell us, by standing about in 
 the cold, which in some cases is true, and it is won- 
 derful that a great many more horses do not catch 
 cold when we see grooms out under the pretence of 
 exercising, but in reality going from one public-house 
 
36 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 to another drinking, and when they come home they 
 leave their horses wet and dirty while they are drinking 
 there little sense away at a public-house bar. There is 
 another cause of the horse catching cold and coughing, 
 and this is to be seen every day at Newmarket — that 
 place where they think they cannot be taught anything, 
 and that to them everything is but a tale already told. 
 The great cause of cold-catching is not, as most people 
 suppose, by going out of a warm stable into the cold, but 
 by coming direct from the cold into the hot air of the 
 stable, and causing a too sudden relaxing of the pores 
 of the skin, making the skin too sensitive, when the 
 least draught causes a check and chill, and the animal 
 soon commences to cough. As I have before stated, 
 after washing the horse in the stall or box he has to 
 sleep in, the damp of the floor rises and penetrates 
 the skin, which produces influenza (by depriving it 
 of animal electricity), the worst complaint the horse 
 is subject to, a short history of which will not be out 
 of place here. 
 
 Influenza is no new complaint ; it was well known 
 to our forefathers. There is very little doubt but it was 
 known to the Romans, and was called the plague. We 
 have authentic accounts of influenza from Solleysel, a 
 celebrated veterinary surgeon of the German army, in 
 the year lG-i8. It began by fever, great prostration, tears 
 running from the eyes, and an abundant mucous dis- 
 charge of a greenish colour from the nostrils. The horses 
 experienced loss of appetite and the ears were cold, and 
 few of those attacked recovered. The treatment adopted 
 was with a view to neutralise the malignity of the poison 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 37 
 
 and to fortify nature, for it was a poison, says this writer, 
 which gave rise to the disorder and was the cause of 
 fever. Precautions were taken to have all the healthy 
 horses removed from the infected stables, and they were 
 not to return to them until they had been fumigated, 
 whitewashed, and otherwise cleaned. Solleysel desig- 
 nated it a fievre pestilentrelle, very deadly at its com- 
 mencement, but afterwards amenable to medical treat- 
 ment. A catarrhal fever had been epidemic the previous 
 year. Again, the years 1688 and 1693 were marked by 
 epidemic influenza and epizootic influenza. In 1712 the 
 horses of Europe were again attacked with epizootic 
 influenza, but the records collected are very imperfect. 
 It was not until the year 1727 that the records notice 
 the erratic or invasive character of the disease. This 
 peculiarity is noticed in a chronological history of the 
 weather and of the prevailing diseases of Dublin, by Mr 
 John Kutty, M.D., London, 1 770. He says, " In Novem- 
 ber in Staffordshire and Shropshire horses were suddenly 
 seized with cough and weakness, disabling them from 
 work. In December, both in Dublin and the remote 
 parts of the kingdom, horses were seized with a cough 
 and shortness of breath, and sometimes sore throat ; some 
 bled at the nose, others had a large discharge of thick 
 phlegm from the nose, which, being long-continued, was 
 salutiferous; some died in the streets, partly through 
 improper medicine. In 1732 influenza swept over 
 Europe and North America ; its effect on mankind, and 
 its progress from place to place, are fully and carefully 
 recorded." It was also epizootic, as appears from the 
 following extract from Medical Essays and Observations^ 
 
38 The Management and Treatment of the fforse, 
 
 published in Edinburgh : — " We believe it will not be 
 improper here to mention that the horses in and about 
 this place are being universally attacked with a running 
 at the nose and cough, towards the end of October and the 
 middle of November, before the appearance of this fever 
 of cold among men." The epizootic of 1732 was observed 
 in London by William Gibson, author of a New Treatise 
 on the Diseases of the Horse, m 1754. In Gibson's 
 account we have as accurate a description of the events 
 of the year 1873 as of those occurring one hundred and 
 forty years before. About the end of the year 1732 there 
 Avas a remarkable distemper among horses in London 
 and in several other parts of the kingdom. They were 
 seized suddenly with a vehement dry, sounding cough, 
 which shook them so violently that some of them were 
 often ready to drop down with hard straining and want 
 of breath ; their throats were raw and sore, many of them 
 had their kernels (submaxillary glands) swollen, and 
 were painful to the touch. For the first two days most 
 of them refused all manner of food as well as water, and 
 had so many other bad signs that when this distemper 
 first broke out, many were afraid of a mortality among 
 them. Indeed, the only good sign they had was the 
 vehemence of their cough, that kept the blood in motion, 
 and speedily set their noses running, and which generally 
 began the third day, and continued in a profuse manner 
 for five or six days. Some oi them in that time dis- 
 charged as much as two or three pails would hold of 
 purulent matter, which, however, was of a laudable 
 colour and good consistence. While the running at 
 the nose continued they would not feed much, though 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 39 
 
 their appetites were craving, because the matter, 
 mingled with their food, made it altogether dis- 
 agreeable, so that they lost flesh exceedingly. This loss 
 of flesh proved a benefit to them rather than a detri- 
 ment, and as soon as the running abated they ate 
 voraciously, and soon recovered their flesh. This dis- 
 temper, though in noways mortal, yet was so very 
 catching that when any horses were seized with 
 it, I observed that those which stood on each 
 side of it were generally infected as soon as it 
 began to run at the nose. In the same manner the 
 small -pox communicates the infection when it is upon 
 the turn. While this lasted, above 100 troop horses 
 under my care were seized with it. I always caused the 
 sick horses to be removed from the healthy, as soon as 
 they were taken ill, and put by themselves as in a 
 hospital. In one troop of Horse Grenadiers, we filled a 
 stable of thirty-six standings in three days, an infirmary 
 of five standings, and another of eighteen, in three or 
 four days more. Nevertheless all of them recovered in 
 a short time. In 1743 the influenza prevailed as an 
 epidemic in England, and a few doubtful words quoted 
 both by Fleming and by Dr. Thompson seem to indicate 
 an epizootic influenza among horses. In 1750 an 
 epizootic passed through Great Britain and Denmark 
 which resembled in all its features that of the epizootic 
 in 1873. Kutty says, " About the middle or end of 
 December the most epidemic and universally spreading 
 disease among horses that any one living remembered 
 made its appearance in Dublin, which seems to have 
 been nearly analogous to the influenza and catarrhal 
 
40 The Management and Treatment of the EEorse, 
 
 fever which seized mankind in the years 1737 and 1743, 
 but now particularly attacked the horses in tiieir turn, 
 as may appear by a comparison of their respective 
 histories. It had appeared in England in November 
 and spread through all England almost in an instant, 
 and toward the end of the month began to abate. It 
 raged in Denmark at the same time, but did not reach 
 our horses in Dublin till its decline in England at the 
 time before-mentioned. It affected the horses in 
 Munster and Ulster almost if not quite as soon as in 
 Dublin, and there was scarce an instance of a horse in 
 the town or country but what had it. It seized the 
 horses like a violent cold with heaviness, loss of appetite, 
 cough, and laborious breathing, and then a profuse run- 
 ning at the nose and mouth of a digested or thick yellow- 
 greenish matter, upon which they become better in 
 England as well as here." In the epizootic of 1750 
 post-mortem appearances similar to those described in 
 1873 in the epizootic then raging, r p\ir r p%ira hemorrhagica, 
 were noted by an author named Osmore in u A Treatise 
 on the Diseases and Lameness of Horses" (London, 1766). 
 His words are, " On many of these I have made several 
 incisions ; I found in all ot them a quantity of extrava- 
 sated serum lodged between the skin and the mem- 
 branes." In the year 1758 the influenza was both 
 epidemic and epizootic in Great Britain. Dr. Kobert 
 Wytt, of Edinburgh, wrote — " A gentleman told me that 
 in the Carse of Gowrie (a large valley in Perthshire) in 
 the month of September, betore this disease was per- 
 ceived, the horses were more than usually affected with 
 cold and cough." In regard to the same year, Fleming 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 41 
 
 writes — " Influenza appeared in Stirlingshire, in the 
 north of Scotland, in the months of September and 
 October, and horses seem to have been affected with 
 cold and cough at the outset of the attack on man. 
 Vast numbers of horses died during this year in London 
 and neighbourhood from an epizootic, probably influenza.'' 
 Two years later, in 1760, influenza was again epizootic 
 in Great Britain and other portions of Europe. Fleming, 
 referring to this year, writes — "At the same time an 
 epizootic manifested itself amongst horses, which af- 
 fected, it is supposed, every animal in the locality " — 
 Cleveland, county of Cork. It was very fatal among 
 horses in London in January, as the chronicle of the 
 Annual Register for that month says — " A distemper 
 which rages amongst the horses makes great havoc in 
 and about towns. Nearly one hundred died in one 
 week. Ophthalmia prevailed during the north-east winds 
 of April, and an epizootic amongst horses at the same 
 time, of a nature of an epidemic catarrhal fever, which 
 took its rise in the winter, and was also common to 
 other parts of Europe. It raged in London and other 
 parts of England, in Januaiy, February, and March, 
 and seized our horses in Dublin at the end of March. 
 Moved westward as other epidemics frequently do, 
 and on the 4th of April it had become general in this 
 city, and continued to the end of that month. The 
 mules also were affected." The latter part of 1775, 
 was marked in England by an epidemic of influenza. 
 The historian of this epidemic, Dr Fothergill, of 
 London, with praiseworthy zeal, collected reports from 
 all his medical brethren in all parts of England who 
 
42 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 were disposed to respond to his printed circulars 
 calling for information. These reports are to be found in 
 Dr. Thompson's annals of influenza. The disease 
 prevailed from the middle of October to the middle ot 
 December, 1775, and it appears from the following 
 extracts from the above-mentioned reports that influenza 
 was epizootic among horses in the preceding August 
 and September. Dr. Fothergill, writing in London, 
 says, " During this time horses and dogs were much 
 affected, those especially which were well kept. The 
 horses had severe coughs, were hot, forbore eating, and 
 were long in recovering." Dr. Williams, of Dorchester, 
 writes, "After the middle of August I have heard 
 from good authority that a disorder among horses 
 prevailed very generally in Yorkshire." Dr. Thomas 
 Glass, of Exeter, writes, "I have only to add that in 
 these parts of the country, in the month of September, 
 many horses and dogs were severely afflicted with colds 
 and coughs." Dr. Haygarth, of Chester, writes, " About 
 August and September, in North Wales, almost all the 
 horses were seized with coughs." Dr. K. Pulteney, of 
 Blamford, writes, "I heard much ot horses and dogs 
 being afflicted before we heard of it among the human 
 race." 
 
 The following quotation from Fleming's work refers 
 to the year 1782 : — " An epizootic of influenza appears 
 to have prevailed in Europe at the same time as the 
 epidemic in man." Huveman observed and reported upon 
 it as it manifested itself in Germany ; and Abilguard, the 
 talented founder of the Veterinary School at Copenhagen, 
 has left an admirable monograph of this disease, which 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Uoad. 43 
 
 he had ample time and opportunity of studying, during 
 the period it affected the King of Denmark's stallions. 
 This epizootic did not reach England, or if it did, we can 
 find no record of it. For the year 1797 Fleming writes, 
 " Influenza was very severe in New York and Philadel- 
 phia, and over a large tract of that Continent; at the same 
 time there was a great mortality among the horses in 
 Maryland." During the prevalence of epidemic influenza 
 in 1803 all kinds of domestic animals seem to have 
 been affected with unusual diseases, but it is impossible, 
 in the annals of influenza (pp. 213 — 215) to find good 
 evidence of epizootic influenza among horses. In Mr. 
 Barlow's remarks occurs the following statement in 
 regard to influenza among horses, " It reappeared again 
 among horses very extensively and severely in 1815.' 
 John Field, of London, records the remarkable preva- 
 lence of the disease in 1819 and 1823, since that time 
 and up to the present, we find many records of its 
 occurrence in the Veterinarian. It is singular that 
 although of late years scarcely twelve consecutive 
 months have passed without many cases being observed, 
 yet at intervals of four years influenza seems to give us 
 a specially severe visitation. Thus it is noticed by 
 Wilkinson in 1815, by Field in 1819 and 1823, by 
 Percival in 1828, 1832, 1840, and 1844. Many remember 
 it in 1848 and still better in 1852. Thus, excepting an 
 interval of five years from 1823 to 1828, we can trace 
 its periods of aggravation in four-year circles from 1815 
 to the present time. 
 
 Having given the history of influenza at some length 
 to show that it is no disease, I will now proceed to the 
 
44 The Management and Treatment of the tt< 
 
 orse, 
 
 cause, symptoms, and treatment of this malignant dis- 
 ease. Mr Thomas Greaves says in an admirable paper* 
 written in the year 1865, " The pestilence that walked in 
 darkness is no fiction. Both sacred and profane writers 
 find ample proof that from the very earliest times down 
 to the present age man has been periodically startled by 
 its silent, invisible, but irresistible agency. Well might 
 the ancients in their terror attribute it to the destroying 
 angel. But its destructive influence has not been 
 confined to man ; animals have been from time to time 
 swept off in multitudes. The cause or causes ap- 
 peared at the time inscrutable ; but in all probability 
 they were one and the same agency, and their degree 
 of virulence was dependent upon certain modified 
 circumstances. Notwithstanding whatever may be said 
 to the contrary, a mystery overhangs every epizootic 
 disease, giving rise to vague and contradictory actions 
 in reference to its precise cause. Now upon this point, 
 as well as upon the point of the nature and treatment of 
 influenza, it will be observed as we proceed that I have 
 dared to step out of the beaten track of routine and 
 have dared to advance some new theories. I am not 
 abandoning the cause of science and progress by utter- 
 ing these sentiments. I believe the question to be a 
 question between progress and retrogression, and the 
 issue we have to try is of enormous importance. In 
 the first place it is quite safe to conclude that this dis- 
 temper, which has ravaged the whole of England and 
 most parts of Europe during the past winter (1864), 
 emanates from atmospheric causes acting directly upon 
 the organic system of the nerves. But what the precise 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 45 
 
 nature of that cause is, our finest tests in science have 
 as yet failed to detect. 
 
 The conclusions that I have come to are as follows: firstly, 
 that the state of the system which we are in the habit of 
 designating " influenza " is not of itself a disease at all ; 
 it is simply a sequence or particular condition of the con- 
 stitution in which there is an absence of the requisite 
 quantity of nervous energy, deranging the vital principle 
 and inciting irritability ; secondly, that the system does 
 not become affected through the medium of respiration, 
 but through the medium of the skin. I cannot bring my 
 mind to believe that epizootics of this nature are de- 
 pendent upon some disproportion of oxygen in the air, or 
 to the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen of oxone, nor 
 yet to any organic or inorganic morbific matter in the air. 
 I should rather attribute it to some change or modification 
 in the magnetical or electrical state of the atmosphere, 
 altering its relations to the living body. I will give you 
 my reasons for these conclusions. If the epizootic was 
 propagated through the medium of respiration, the tissues 
 which had come first in contact with the poison or irritant 
 in its unspent or undiluted form would, as a matter of 
 course, suffer the most. If a horse or a man takes an 
 irritant poison, of which he dies, what do we find ? Why, 
 intense inflammation of the mucous membranes of the 
 stomach and bowels. If a horse or man is half-suffocated 
 in the fumes of dense smoke, so that in a few days he 
 dies, what do we find ? Why, intense inflammation of 
 the mucous membranes of the air passages, and con- 
 gestion of the lungs : in either case we find that the very 
 tissues which have come into direct actual contact with 
 
46 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 the irritant are most severely affected. So should we find 
 it in influenza if it was caused by some irritant or mor- 
 bific poison in the air. But what does post mortem ex- 
 aminations of true influenza cases prove to us ? They 
 show us unmistakably that fine delicate membranes in the 
 air cells are nearly always perfectly free from disease. Fre- 
 quently we find these tissues in a state the very reverse 
 of congestion, inflammation, or tumefaction. They are of 
 a lighter colour, are less in weight, less in bulk, than when 
 in health, and even in those cases where we have 
 hydrothorax hydrops pericardii, this has not been pre- 
 ceded by the slightest inflammatory action it has 
 exhaled out of the surfaces and not exuded. I look 
 upon these as almost, if not quite, proof positive 
 that it is not attributable to a morbific poison or to a 
 prutrescence in the atmosphere. I am of opinion that the 
 true cause of influenza must be looked for in the peculiar 
 condition of the atmosphere, and the favourable state of 
 the skin and coat in the animal itself. I consider that 
 the primary cause of this epizotic, is a deficiency of elec- 
 tricity in the atmosphere during the whole of the period 
 the distemper is prevalent ; and that during the time 
 that such deficiency exists an insensible influence is ex- 
 erted upon all animals, and the degree they are affected 
 is in proportion to their susceptibility and favourable con- 
 dition. The effects it produces is in the first place felt in 
 the nervous system, and secondly in the vascular system. 
 The manner in which it affects the system is by robbing it 
 of a certain quantity of animal electricity in order to effect 
 equilibrium. A chill is experienced while this extracting 
 process is going on, a creeping sensation is felt in every 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 47 
 
 part, the horse experiences a pricking sensation fre- 
 quently attended with rigour, the system being in a 
 perfectly passive state during this time. I consider the 
 abstraction of the invigorating principle is not confined 
 to the solids, but the vital fluids also. There is a loss of 
 animal heat, the skin is cold, and if it is permitted to go 
 on radiating, the whole system soon becomes thoroughly 
 affected, and the vital powers are thrown prostrate, par- 
 taking somewhat of a state of torpidity. It must not be 
 forgotten that the skin is a perfect network of nervous 
 filaments, and that these nervous filaments have both 
 direct and indirect connection with all the nervous 
 centres, and through them with every vital organ in the 
 body. My own experience has proved to me that influenza 
 is not dependent upon a low temperature of the air. If cold 
 weather was of itself an exciting cause, we should always 
 find the greatest number of fresh cases on the day 
 or the day after an intensely cold day and night, 
 whereas we do not find that to be the case. I have 
 found nearly as many fresh cases during the prevalence 
 of beautifully fine, dry, warm weather, with a clear 
 crisp atmosphere, as in a wet, dull, murky atmosphere. 
 I mean during the whole time the epizootic is prevalent. 
 A long continuance of east winds may possibly contribute 
 s ome of the conditions necessary to its development, 
 but of this I am persuaded whenever epizootic disease is 
 prevalent, the mystery is dependent upon some invisible 
 subtle agency operating from without, and exists in the 
 atmosphere. I do not wish to be understood that the 
 whole force of the attack is instantaneous. Supposing 
 an animal in perfect health, and in tip-top condition, 
 
48 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 surrounded and pressed upon by an atmosphere which 
 is in this peculiar state, the rapidity and intensity of 
 the attack will depend upon the state of the skin and 
 coat of such animal. As to its acting as a good conduc- 
 tor or non-conductor if the animal has a thick coat or is 
 clothed too much, inducing a damp state of the coat, and 
 whilst in this state permitted to stand in a cold stable, or 
 outside in the open air, that is the precise time the 
 mischief is done. 
 
 There is no process of incubation in this affection. 
 If all the conditions are favourable to radiation, the 
 system can contract the infection suddenly, and be- 
 come affected to a degree entitling it to the term of 
 influenza in five minutes ; but if the conditions are 
 not so favourable, it will require twenty or thirty 
 minutes' exposure to the same trying circumstances to 
 produce the same effect, and in some less susceptible 
 animals they may tolerate the same influence for 
 several days before becoming affected. I am decidedly 
 of opinion that some horses are not susceptible to its 
 influence, and even those that are, after they have 
 passed through it, with very rare exceptions, enjoy an 
 immunity from it. It would appear that the con- 
 stitution had become inured or accommodated to it, 
 for they enjoy perfect health after, and this, too, in the 
 same atmosphere. Horses occupying the most healthy 
 and best ventilated stables are equally liable to contract 
 the complaint, but there is this difference, it is less 
 malignant and less fatal. It is a fact that at other times 
 the animals may experience a chill, and have a check 
 of perspiration, and the result will be an ordinary 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 49 
 
 catarrhal affection. But when this subtle agency exists 
 in the air and is exerting itself, another phenomenon is 
 witnessed of an entirely different nature, and of essen- 
 tially typhoid tendencies, the distinguishing mark or 
 effect of which is an unusual, peculiar, and general 
 weakness, a most susceptible system, and the small, 
 feeble character of the pulse. 
 
 Is influenza contagious and infectious ? My own 
 experience leads me to the belief that it is not. During 
 the last ten years I have had upwards of one hundred 
 cases of undoubted influenza, and have watched it very 
 closely, yet up to the present time I have never seen one 
 single clear case of the affected animal communicating the 
 distemper. I have had cases of young horses in the farm 
 yard all running together, drinking out of the same trough, 
 eating out of the same manger ; some of them have had 
 influenza, and others not. We frequently see one or more 
 horses in a large stable affected, and the horse in the stall 
 next to the worst case perfectly healthy. I must remind 
 my readers that contagion, strictly speaking, implies the 
 capability of certain diseases being produced by actual 
 contact of the healthy animal with some part of the one 
 labouring under disease, and not through the medium of 
 the atmosphere. On the other hand, infection is the word 
 used to denote the propagation of maladies through the 
 medium of the air, which becomes charged with the con- 
 taminating principle given off in the form of exhalations 
 from the diseased animal, and which excites the like 
 disease in those animals that are subject to its influence, 
 they being predisposed to take the malady. Now I come 
 to the nature of influenza. Most influenzas have been 
 D 
 
50 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 noted for affecting severely the mucus membranes of the 
 air passages, but in the epizootic of 1872, the most fatal 
 year in New York with only rare exceptions, nothing of 
 the kind occurred. Their phases varied in several points 
 of detail, but they had all many points in common. I 
 have before me a treatise on influenza in the horse, written 
 by Mr. Spooner, of Southampton, in the year 1837. It 
 contains not only his views, but also an ably written 
 essay upon the same subject, written by Professor Sewell. 
 A valuable discussion ensued, in which we have the 
 opinions of Professor Spooner, Messrs. Field, Turner, 
 Youatt, Dickins, Braly, Cheetham, Sibbald, and Ainslie. 
 The treatise also contains the opinion of Stewart William 
 Percival, Karkeek, and others. I have taken great pains 
 and trouble to peruse the whole of these valuable opinions 
 and many others, written in the Veterinarian, and works 
 of other authors, many of which are to be found in the 
 library in the South Kensington Museum, to many of 
 which I am indebted for my knowledge. I find Professor 
 Sewell and Karkeek and some other eminent men 
 attribute " influenza " to a meteoric or volcanic origin. 
 Many of them view it as inflammatory in its nature ; but 
 since that period times have changed men's views upon 
 this and many other diseases, and a change has also taken 
 place in the type of disease. We very rarely now see a 
 clear well-defined case of local inflammation. In the 
 present day the constitution of neither man nor animal 
 can tolerate the old-fashioned treatment. Enlightened 
 and scientific men have discovered that in the present day 
 a milder plan of treatment is more successful, to the 
 honour of Mr. William Haycock and Mr. E. A. Friend, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 51 
 
 they being the first who discerned and had the moral 
 courage to propagate this great truth. Influenza is an 
 Italian word, meaning influence. Its primary action is 
 direct upon the nervous system, and secondly upon the 
 vascular system. The animal appears to be suddenly 
 deprived of the requisite quantity of vigour or vital 
 stimulus necessary for the due performance of the vital 
 actions. I am of opinion that the whole system suffers 
 alike, not only the vital organs, viz., the brain, heart, 
 lungs, liver, &c, but every living tissue in the whole 
 frame is deficient in nerve force or animal electricity. 
 The first observable symptoms are cold skin, loss of 
 appetite, dulness, listlessness, pulse small and feeble, 
 varying from GO to 80 or even 100 in one minute ; 
 breathing not always disturbed, a prickling uneasiness in 
 the legs and feet, an excitable, susceptible state of the 
 bowels, voiding faeces frequently, which are soft and 
 scanty ; in some few cases we have spontaneous diarrhoea. 
 These symptoms are followed by swollen eyelids, weeping, 
 in some severe cases effusion of lymph into the chambers 
 of the eye. The mouth is not particularly hot, neither 
 are the membranes highly injected. There is more or less 
 swelling about the legs and fetlocks ; this is accompanied 
 by a morbid capillary action generally. It assumes and 
 proceeds in a uniform course, and not by natural and 
 I distinct stages. I feel no doubt many of these cases ex- 
 perience headache to a very great extent, from the 
 i manner in which they will lay their heads upon your 
 breast and seem to find relief in their heads bein^ stroked. 
 In some cases for months after the attack, symptoms ap- 
 proaching to megrims hang about them, rendering them 
 
52 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 completely useless ; these fits occasionally seizing them if 
 "backed " or their heads raised suddenly, when they stagger 
 and fall. No doubt this results from a thickening of the mem- 
 branes of the brain, causing an effusion into the ventricles. 
 The late Professor Dick, of Edinburgh, showed me a case 
 in which bleeding, laxatives, alteratives, vegetable and 
 mineral tonics had been tried in vaio,but the employment 
 of setons over the front of the head and behind the poll 
 for three weeks completely restored it. The organ which 
 suffers chiefly is the heart. But it is the result of a state 
 of things the very opposite oi congestion or inflammation ; 
 it is affected mechanically, not from diseased actions. It is 
 deprived of its wonted vigour ; it is unable to empty itself in 
 its systolic and disastolic action. A portion of the blood 
 remains in the ventricles, the heart is feebly but irritably 
 labouring, agitating, and beating upon the same charge of 
 blood over and over again. The fibrine of the blood 
 attaches itself to the tricuspid and bicuspid valves and 
 their cords, as well as the corded tendinea and cortina 
 tendinea, by which (the passages being to a certain extent 
 choked at every involuntary contraction of the ventricles) 
 an escape of blood back into the ventricles takes place. 
 This state of the central pump will account for the 
 diminished if not suspended force from behind, and 
 hence the small, feeble, and almost bloodless pulse. 
 This was pointed out to me by the great friend of my 
 boyhood, the late Professor Dick, of Edinburgh, upwards of 
 twenty years ago. There is another symptom, which 
 in some cases occurs in * a most remarkable degree ; 1 
 allude to the great irregularity or inter mitt ency of the 
 pulse. Mr Haycock says, "I have observed it in some 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 53 
 
 cases so great that there has been a total omission of 
 pulsation for five or six seconds, and this occurrence will 
 be repeated three or four limes every minute. This 
 peculiarity will exist all through its illness, and often 
 for three or four months after its recovery." I do not 
 consider this of very great importance, though it is an 
 exceedingly interesting coincidence to notice and to con- 
 template. I always view it as a favourable omen. I 
 consider it results from nervous debility, and fully believe 
 that where there is an intermittent pulse there exists 
 a clot of blood in the heart, flow often do we find horses 
 affected with influenza dying rather unexpectedly ? What 
 is the explanation of it ? Post-mortem examinations 
 show that there was neither active nor chronic disease in 
 any vital organs to cause death nor yet rupture. Of the 
 human being it would be said that he died of spasm 
 of the valves of the heart. I have no doubt that in every 
 case life passes away in the tranquil sleep of death 
 through the medium of sinking and syncope. In some 
 few cases it would appear that the whole virulence of the 
 disease concentrates itself in some local superficial part — 
 the legs or between the lower maxillary bone, where deep, 
 sloughing ulcers occur, and even in a vital organ, as- 
 suming a putrescent character, as if death of the parts 
 had taken place. 
 
 These cases generally do badly; there is not a 
 sufficiency of vitality to see them through. Whenever 
 the animal begins to lie down it is generally a favourable 
 sign, as when they are recovering they generally lie 
 down a good deal. It is also noticed that those who 
 swell most about the eyes generally got on the most 
 favourably. 
 
54 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 Sometimes we find symptoms of complicated in- 
 fluenza, By this term we mean horses with some 
 previous disease upon them becoming affected with 
 influenza, or else whilst suffering from an attack of 
 influenza it assumes a malignant, subacute form, 
 locating itself in some vital organ. In either case they 
 are dangerous, and will be found most difficult cases 
 to treat, They are intractable and often running on 
 to tuberculous lungs or effusion. Some of them are 
 not bad to diagnose. There are cases in which the 
 pulse is kept up by debility solely. These can be dis- 
 criminated and must not be mistaken for complicated 
 cases ; there is an unusually foul, clammy mouth, 
 offensive odour, dirty, yellow, buccal membranes and 
 conjunctive. You cannot by any means produce and 
 maintain healthy reaction ; the bowels are sluggish, the 
 fasces dry, hard, and coated, the secretions generally 
 suspended, the diseased organ will feel the full force 
 of the deficiency of animal electricity, and the result 
 in most cases is that parenchyma of the organ yields 
 to the putrid stage, and death, in from seven to ten 
 days, closes the scene. We will now examine this 
 question from another point of view, so that my 
 readers may have the fullest investigation into the 
 nature of influenza. We will follow our patient to 
 the knacker's yard and there make a careful post-mortem 
 examination, and what do Ave find ? In complicated 
 cases we meet with a great variety of disorganizations 
 and lesions, most extensive and dreadful alterations in 
 the structures, generally in the lungs, effusion of 
 lymph outside the pericardium, and fibrinous attach- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 55 
 
 ments of the pleura. In simple influenza it is perfectly 
 immaterial whether the subject is an old horse or a 
 voung one, whether it be in a high fleshy condition or 
 in a low and lean condition. If it has died from in- 
 fluenza, there will be no trace whatever of disease in 
 any vital organ obvious to the anatomist; but there 
 will be one leading feature invariably present, viz., a 
 soft, flabby, pulpy condition of all the muscular 
 structures throughout the body and the whole of the 
 vital organs. These tissues are blanched and of a pale 
 clay colour, as if the whole system had been blighted, 
 blasted, and the fire of vitality had burned out, 
 leaving a white ash only, and that the arterial blood 
 had lost its vermilion colour. To render my views 
 more clear, I will illustrate it by two examples. I 
 have spoken of nerve forces : we all know that a 
 palsical limb is consequent upon either complete or 
 partial loss of nerve power. If a post-mortem ex- 
 amination be made of a limb recently palsical it is 
 found that the flesh is soft, flabby, pulpy, and of a 
 pale clay colour, exactly the same as we find in cases 
 that have died of influenza, Again, if we examine a 
 body that has been killed by lightning, being in perfect 
 health, there is the same soft, flabby, pulpy state of the 
 flesh, which is of a pale clay colour, exactly the same as 
 found in influenza subjects. To call the particular con- 
 dition of the muscular structures disease, is, I maintain, 
 a fallacy. I contend, and in this I am supported by many 
 eminent veterinary surgeons, that being struck down by 
 lightning, and being attacked by influenza is precisely the 
 same thing in nature ; the same vital element is ab* 
 
5G The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 stracted in the one case, as is abstracted in the other. 
 There is no doubt whatever that in those cases struck by 
 lightning, they are instantaneously and completely 
 deprived of animal electricity, and the function of vitality 
 ceases at once. Influenza is only a modified form of this 
 very phenomenon ; the one is instantaneous and com- 
 plete, the other gradual, imperceptible, and incomplete, 
 fortunately affording an opportunity at this important 
 and critical juncture for the prudent surgeon to step in, 
 and by the employment of wise and well-considered 
 treatment, to fan the flickering flame of life until Nature 
 rallies, reaction is established, and life saved. I now 
 approach the most important part of my subject, the 
 treatment of complicated and simple influenza. In all 
 cases it is advisable to obtain the services of a practical 
 veterinary surgeon, but the mode of treatment given in 
 these pages has been frequently and successfully tried by 
 the author, as well as by many veterinary surgeons. 
 We will take complicated influenza first. This, in a 
 practical point of view, is a question that demands a 
 more careful consideration than any other, as the very 
 life of our patient depends upon our correct diagnoses. 
 There are many cases that require all the practice, ability, 
 and enlightened judgment we can exercise to clearly 
 comprehend them. How I wish I was endowed with a 
 stronger intelligence that would enable me to clear away 
 all the mist that surrounds this part of my subject. I 
 have devoted much time upon this matter for a number 
 of years, yet I find the more I study the more I have to 
 learn. But of this I think it is fully demonstrated, that 
 influenza is not the fault of the groom, as too many 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 5 7 
 
 gentlemen and practitioners are very ready to assert. 
 We will presume that we have decided in our own minds 
 that our patient is one that comes under the denomination 
 of complicated influenza — that is, influenza located in 
 some vital organ and assumed a malignant type. What is 
 the best treatment to be adopted— first, is vivisection or 
 vesication indicated? The impression upon my own mind is 
 that they are not. The conclusion I have formed during a 
 pretty extensive experience, in large studs, and among 
 heavy cart and dray horses, is that nature will not 
 tolerate coercion, and that it can repair damages much 
 better than we can do. It does it in less time and 
 much more effectually by vital force, which has a greater 
 curative power than any other remedy possesses. What 
 Nature does is done spontaneously, if we only give her 
 lair play. I am quite satisfied that bleeding is 
 dangerous, and should not be attempted under any 
 circumstances. My deceased father told me o± a great 
 outbreak of influenza when he was in the army, when 
 bleeding was largely resorted to, with a result of the 
 loss of ninety-five per cent, of the patients. This 
 treatment should never be resorted to while we possess 
 such drugs as aconite. Counter-irritation is also to be 
 deprecated if used severely to the throat and sides ; 
 yet much benefit is derived from a gentle stimulating 
 with mustard, or, as Mr. Mavor advocates, mustard and 
 linseed meal. By condemning blisters — I mean fly 
 blisters — I must give a reason for doing so. In the 
 first place, we create an additional inflammation, 
 doubling the constitutional disturbance, driving the 
 blood with increased fury through the system, especially 
 
58 The Management and Treatment of the Morse, 
 
 through the diseased organs, helping to exhaust and 
 break down their structure, and thereby cause irrepa- 
 rable damage. Another serious evil is that we have 
 sympathetic disturbance from absorption of the fly. I 
 have always adopted mustard in the early stages of influ- 
 enza, and with marked effect. Mr. Mavor, I am told, uses 
 the vapour bath with great success. In many cases I 
 have derived much benefit from giving the patient 
 sulphate of magnesia in four-ounce doses twice a day, 
 as a febrifuge, alterative, and purifier. Rowels and 
 setons are sometimes used, but do more harm than 
 
 good In therapeutics my mode of 
 
 proceeding is similar to that which I adopt in simple 
 influenza; keep the patient's head to the open door 
 day and night, and give stimulating tonic. Some prac- 
 tical veterinary surgeons give iodide of potassium, and 
 also chlorate of potass, but not having given them myself 
 I cannot speak of their effects. Diuretic medicine is 
 undoubtedly good in removing oedema and other deposits, 
 but have no power to arrest the process of effusion and 
 exudations. Contradictory as it may appear to my 
 readers, I incline to the opinion that if the real truth 
 could be fully known, it would be found that effusion is 
 actually facilitated during the action of diuretic medicine. 
 This is known, that during the action of cathartic medi- 
 cine, which abstracts the watery part of the blood by 
 way of the bowels, as diuretics do by the kidneys, the 
 carthral action (the process of effusion) goes on more 
 rapidly. Some patients will rally to a certain point, 
 then become stationary for several days, the pulse stand- 
 ing at 60, 72, or 80, the symptoms neither indicating 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 59 
 
 progression nor retrogression; still neither the accele- 
 rated breathing nor pulse settles at all. In a few cases 
 this is purely referable to weakness, but if the secretions 
 and mucous membranes are unsatisfactory this is an 
 ugly symptom. Without for one moment understanding 
 the importance of attending to this point, it is of the 
 utmost consequence to act judiciously, for an error made 
 now throws all chances against the patient. Two drachms 
 of aloes, or eight of oil, given at this stage, especially if 
 the bowels are comparatively empty, is sufficient to kill 
 the largest and best horse alive. The aloes get absorbed 
 into the system and act as a deadly poison, or else their 
 action is followed by constipation. 
 
 Always rely upon enemas, frequent draughts of cold 
 water, and, if it is eating moderately, one drachm of 
 aloes, or half a drachm of calomel, or, which I like far 
 better, two ounces of linseed oil. Under such circum- 
 stances you can make no progress until the bowels 
 are corrected. Sometimes the pulse will rise daily in 
 the face of camphor and belladonna, but upon dis- 
 continuing them and giving tonic stimulants, the pulse 
 at once commenced to excel, and my patient recovered, 
 but after all most of them die. I now approach in- 
 fluenza simple. This is the most important part to 
 my readers of this subject. If the horse is observed 
 just as it is in the act of contracting the epizootic, and 
 when it is in its incipient stage, if proper care is at 
 once supplied, it will be found that it is only an 
 ephemeral disturbance. In such a case administer a 
 pint of warm ale, one table-spoonful of ground ginger 
 (Barbadoes is best), and the same quantity of powdered 
 
60 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 aniseed. The effect produced is so satisfactory, in nearly 
 every case, that it would appear to be the very stim- 
 ulant required at the ti<ne. Any diffusible stimulant 
 that acts on excitement, such as brisk exercise or 
 considerable friction to the skin, is of great benefit. 
 Get the skin thoroughly warm, supply it with cool 
 fresh air, and you have a reaction established im- 
 mediately. The progress of affection is arrested- 
 The system seems to assume altered electrical con- 
 ditions, but it is not to be supposed that this neutralises 
 the invisible influence which is exerting itself from 
 without, but it excites and maintains an artificial spirit 
 of vitality, which enables the system to withstand the 
 shock it has sustained in the loss o± electricity, which, 
 unlike the process of equilibrium, is being completed. It 
 some hours have elapsed and the vesculate system has 
 become involved, administer spirit nitrous ether, and 
 tincture pimento, one ounce of each in four ounces of 
 warm water every six hours. Sometimes great benefit 
 is derived by changing medicine, if so the following 
 can be given instead — spirit nitrous ether one ounce, sig- 
 ammonia acetatus one ounce. Keep the horse's head 
 tied to the open door. The legs and feet are generally 
 hot and tender, and will keep themselves warm, and 
 the simple pressure of a bandage causes pain. 
 Regulate the quantity of clothing to the heat of the 
 skin, as you may do much mischief by smothering the 
 skin with too much clothing, by increasing the 
 fever and causing your patient to commence blowing- 
 There are some cases in which tne patient cannot tolerate 
 diaphoreosis. Unless the horse has pumiced feet remove 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 61 
 
 the shoes, if the pain in the legs is considerable, put 
 them in warm water, use arnica lotion, one part in ten 
 of water. In the worst cases great relief is given by 
 putting on a patten shoe and thus raising the heel of 
 the foot. There are some cases that do better with car- 
 bonate of ammonia, and pulverised ginger, one drachm each 
 every six hours. It is necessary to watch its effects, and 
 it must be discontinued after a certain point is gained. 
 After a few doses the salivary glands become acted upon, 
 and no doubt the glandular system throughout the body 
 is more or less stimulated by it. It is a beautiful stimu- 
 lant to the nerves of the stomach and chest, it does not 
 nauseate, but will produce a nice pultaceous state of the 
 bowels, and cleanses all the membranes. If continued 
 too long or given in too large doses it will produce purg- 
 ing. I believe we can accomplish everything with it 
 that we can with calomel, except nausea and salivation. 
 Where fever runs very high, pulse 80 or 92, give extract 
 of belladonna one drachm twice a day. If the patient is 
 under my own care, I prefer giving ten-drop doses in one 
 table-spoonful of water every hour, but this canuot always 
 be done with all patients ; then large doses morning and 
 night are given. If the patient has sore throat, the medi- 
 cine should not be given in a drink form. In cases where 
 the animal has a thick coat, clipping will have a magical 
 effect. As to diet, one quart of cold water every hour, 
 linseed tea, malt mashes, swede turnip, carrot, oat straw 
 with the oats in it, plenty of wild mint, if it can be got, 
 fresh grass, or a little sweet hay. Give anything so that 
 you can keep the animal feeding. It will be gathered 
 from what I advance that it is to the secret processes of 
 
62 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 nature, and not so much to the action of medicine, that 
 the credit of the most successful cases belongs ; and, as I 
 view the beautiful theory of health and disease, this con- 
 clusion is forced upon me, that man in his shortsight- 
 edness, his vanity, and selfishness, has never sufficiently 
 comprehended and appreciated the great fundamental 
 truth, that nature is ever a wise economist, doing all 
 things well. Having wandered from my subject in treat- 
 ing " Influenza " at great length, I will now turn to the 
 feeding of the horse. In feeding, the motto should be — 
 quality not quanity, as in every bushel of oats, the 
 heavier the weight the less husk there is to the bushel. 
 In feeding the cart or farm horse it is a good 
 plan to cut all its food into chaff. The quantity 
 each horse ought to have is just as much as it can eat, 
 without leaving any in its manger, this is a good system 
 to o*o by, let the horse measure its own stomach. In 
 Scotland the cart horses are fed in the following mann er 
 and I have never seen a better plan ; they take, say two 
 trusses of hay, two of clover, ten sheaves of oats un- 
 thrashed, and cut them all up together, mixing a little 
 common salt with it, about 1 lb., to the above quantity, 
 when the horses are fed a little bean and pea meal is 
 mixed with the cut food, and if slightly damped, about 
 four pounds of meal per day with the above mixture of 
 cut food will keep the heavy cart horse in good condition. 
 The Kentish farmers are, as a rule, good horse keepers ; 
 they understand that two horses well fed will do more 
 work than three half starved. The Hertfordshire farmers, 
 on the other hand, would lead one to believe from the 
 horses we see in the waggons and at plough, that they 
 
In the Stable , Field, and on the Road. 63 
 
 undertake to build horses as many contractors do houses . 
 run up the frames and bare walls, and then sell them to 
 other people to put the plaster on ; or perhaps they are 
 of a philosophic turn of mind, and would answer as 
 Butterwick did, when twitted about his horse, " Who 
 wants to see a horse even from stem to stern ? No, sir • 
 it is monotonous and wearisome to the mind. Which is 
 best, a level plain, or landscape with a little bit of hill 
 and a little bit of valley ? You have it in a horse like 
 mine ; and, beside, you are always sure that nobody has 
 stolen a single, solitary bone, and you have all you pur- 
 chased. If he was as fat as a bladder of lard, how should 
 we know that some of its most important bones were not 
 missing ? " The carriage horse and hunter should always 
 be fed on the best old oats, with white peas or beans, or 
 what is better, both. Some people will say that old 
 beans make horses legs fill; depend upon it, they 
 oftener fill for the want of them. Four quarterns of 
 oats and one of beans, is as much as one horse will 
 eat in a day as a rule, if he is in good condition, 
 with a little sweet hay morning and night. I always 
 give cut hay with the corn, as it makes the 
 horse masticate his food better ; he does not swallow 
 the corn whole, as some greedy feeders are apt to do. I 
 do not think clover good for horses in fast work, but am 
 fond of good sanfoin to cut up. Mouldy and mow-burnt 
 hay are very injurious to the horse ; the first will be sure 
 to make the animal thick-winded and ultimately go 
 broken-winded. It produces irritation in the air cells by 
 the fungal growth of mould, and mow-burnt hay is 
 equally bad, as it acts powerfully upon the kidneys, often 
 
64 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 causing that terrible complaint diabetes. It is therefore 
 necessary that every groom should be careful about the 
 quality of food sent for the horses under his care. No 
 groom, however skilful he may be, can train horses upon 
 bad hay and fusty oats. It is a great mistake to buy 
 oats for hunters and carriage horses, and certainly for 
 cab-horses, that weigh less than 42 lbs. per bushel, for 
 every pound you gain in weight it is in meal ; the heavier 
 the oat the thinner the husk. Sometimes horses are off 
 their feed from debility after some illness, and require 
 the stomach toning down and the nerves bracing ; for 
 such it is necessary to give a powerful tonic to help 
 nature to reassert itself. For the benefit of my readers 
 who may have horses suffering from nervous debility, I 
 have placed in the hands of Messrs. Perks and Lewellwn, 
 chemists, Hitchin, a valuable recipe, with carte blanche 
 to supply them to their customers with full instructions, 
 having every confidence that they will restore the diges- 
 tive organs and make them fulfil their proper functions. 
 The hunter being the most valuable to the 
 tenant farmer and small breeder — as a good sound and 
 clever hunter is always as good as ready money — 
 therefore it will not be out of place to give a few hints 
 of how to breed them, and also how to train them to 
 make perfect horses in the field. In selecting the 
 mare to breed from, it is necessary to make as much 
 enquiries into her lineage as it is possible to obtain. 
 First examine her carefully to ascertain if she has any 
 hereditary complaints, and if the mare has curby hocks, 
 splints, thick wind, a roarer, or imperfect vision, 
 discard her at once however good she may be, for her 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 05 
 
 progeny is sure to inherit its mother's failings. If, 
 on the other hand, the mare has fiat legs, good feet (if 
 rather large it is a good fault), if the sole is not flat, 
 deep chested, a good oblique shoulder, rather long in 
 the back, with powerful loins, the fore limbs standing 
 well forward, and of six or seven years of age (not 
 under six or over twelve), you may come to the 
 conclusion that you have a chance for a good foal. 
 But look back to her ancestors and try and find out 
 if any of them were screws, for the best mares will 
 sometimes throw back for five or six generations. It 
 is a noticeable fact that the best horses of the present age 
 were the progeny of sires and dams of moderate pre- 
 tension ; for instance, Queen Mary, the mother of Blink 
 Bonny, was only called a fourth-class mare, and before 
 breeding Blink Bonny was sold for £20. Then, again, 
 we find the dam of Eobert the Devil only a miserable 
 plater, yet both these mares were of sound pedigree, no 
 screws being found among their ancestors. The mare 
 having been decided on as a fit subject for the honour of 
 brood mare, we must look for the horse best adapted 
 for getting hunters. When speaking of unsound mares, 
 I mean mares with hereditary failings. A mare may 
 only have three legs, and yet be fit for breeding purposes' 
 if her lameness is the result of an accident and not of 
 hereditary causes, the mare may be considered sound. 
 The horse should be sixteen hands in height, of a good 
 colour, with lofty fore-hand, a neck as light as possible 
 (yet short-necked horses are generally clear-winded), 
 clear wide jaws and nostrils, large and thin shoulders, 
 strong and muscular thighs, deep chest, and short backs ; 
 
66 The Management and Treatment of the Morse, 
 
 above all his joints should be strong, firm, and closely 
 knit. His legs and pasterns should be rather short, and 
 the cannon flat, the feet rather large and sound. Horses 
 with round legs never wear, and are sure to go lame; long 
 hind-legged horses can never gallop down hill or take 
 bold leaps with weight on their backs without flounder- 
 ing and coming to grief. Having found both mare and 
 horse good, we may naturally expect a good foal, and to 
 make a good foal a clever hunter, we must commence 
 with it at his mother's side, by handling as previously 
 described. We have to bring out its jumping powers, 
 as it is this point on which much of its value depends, 
 so we must teach it to jump naturally. For this purpose 
 we feed the mare in a yard, and at the gateway lay down 
 a row of faggots, hazel, or soft wood ; never put thorns so 
 that the mare and foal have to jump over them every 
 time they go to feed. This should be continued as long 
 as the foal is at its mother's side. After it is taken away 
 from the mare, the jump can be gradually heightened 
 and widened, until it has a square yard to clear, then it 
 must be doubled by placing another row of faggots in 
 front of the first, making the two about eight feet apart, 
 letting the foal have to jump in and out like a cat. Next 
 use it to go down a made road with a ditch cut across, 
 and a bank made of the earth cut from the ditch. If 
 these tactics are followed up you will have a natural 
 jumper before the saddle is put on his back; but upon 
 no account let boys have anything to do with it, as 
 they will drive the foal to see it jump, and there is more 
 harm done in fun than hard work. When the young 
 horse is put to fences, after it is properly broken to the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 67 
 
 saddle, it should be led over with a man on its back for 
 the first time or two, until it thoroughly understands 
 what is wanted of it by its rider. Never put a funky 
 man on a young horse : he is sure to sp oil it and make it 
 refuse its fences ; it is oftener the fault of the man than 
 the horse that it does not jump. You may often hear in 
 the field gentlemen say, "I can't get this brute to jump;" 
 they are generally those that can gallop through a line 
 of gates or down a lane, but cannot get their hearts high 
 enough to take a sheep hurdle. They are like a well- 
 known old sportsman, near Melton Mowbray, who used 
 to hunt up to his eightieth year, and when he came to a 
 flight of rails, would say to his groom, " Tom, knock 
 the top rail off." When that was done, he would say, 
 "Knock another off, and I'll go over if I break my neck.'' 
 These gentlemen somehow or other seem to always 
 get good horses, and when they have them they have 
 not pluck to ride them. Hunters, from the nature of 
 their work, are liable to meet with many injuries from 
 which other horses are exempt, among which are thorns, 
 overreach, blows from rails, and striking one leg against 
 the other when galloping through heavy ground. This 
 is often the cause of splint, one of the most troublesome 
 kinds ot lameness, for the horse is often lame with splint, 
 and being in its incipient form, it does not set up 
 enough local inflammation to enable the unskilful to 
 find out its seat, and many horses are said to be lame in 
 the shoulder when it is an incipient splint below the 
 knee that causes the mischief. Some cases have come 
 under my observation, in which, although the animal 
 has not been able to put its foot to the ground, the 
 
68 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 cause has been a splint not larger than a grain of wheat 
 close up under the knee, and could be detected only 
 by an excited action of the pulse over the part affected. 
 This sort of thing often causes the groom and owner 
 much anxiety; knowing the horse to be lame and being 
 unable to find the cause, it is put down to everything 
 but the right. It will be called chest founder, chronic 
 founder, shoulder pitched, and many other things. When 
 a boy I once asked the late Professor Dick what was 
 chronic founder, and was told it was a very convenient 
 phrase to use when you have a horse lame in the foot 
 and cannot find the seat of lameness. "We call it," said the 
 Professor, " chronic founder, and send many fools away 
 satisfied." The symptoms of splint lameness are point- 
 ing the foot, resting the toe only upon the ground ; the 
 horse has great difficulty in moving forward, cannot 
 bend its knee, but can go back, which a horse lame in 
 the shoulder cannot do. The cause of splint is the 
 formation of a tumour under the j^riasteum, or mem- 
 brane which covers the bone. During the growth of 
 the tumour this becomes stretched to an unnatural 
 degree, and causes the animal great pain, owing to the 
 sensitive nature of this covering. It is difficult to con- 
 ceive how splint should appear on the outside of the 
 small bones, except, we suppose, the space between these 
 bones is occupied by mechanism of an important charac- 
 ter. It is much easier to account for their almost 
 exclusive appearance on the inside of the limb, the inner 
 splint bone being situated nearer the central part of the 
 body than the other, and from the nature of its con- 
 nection with the knee it is subject to a greater 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 69 
 
 proportion of weight than the outer one, hence it is 
 more liable to injuries and inflammation, consequently 
 inducing this bony deposit which has been termed 
 splint. The inner bone supports the entire weight 
 which is transmitted to one of the small knee bones ; it 
 is the only support of that bone, while but a portion of 
 the weight is sustained by the outer splint bone, and 
 the pressure is divided between it and the cannon bone. 
 Many smiths, who are but imperfectly acquainted with 
 their profession, most absurdly elevate the outer heel of 
 the shoe, which throws an additional weight on the 
 inner splint bone. Splints very often are the result of a 
 blow given with the inside of the foot, and when a splint 
 is suspected, that part of the leg should be rubbed for 
 three or four days with strong mercurial ointment ; this 
 will soften the tumour and make it porous; then it 
 should be blistered with Mr. Gregory's famed vesico 
 sudorific, which will speedily remove the splint by 
 
 absorption Overreaches are the result of 
 
 the horse placing the toe of the hind foot upon the heel 
 of the fore foot, long hind-legged horses are very guilty 
 of doing this when jumping into heavy land; they cannot 
 get their fore feet out of the way soon enough, and the 
 toe of the hind foot, striking the heel with great force, 
 sometimes will cut the heel nearly off. If the wound is 
 large, it is often troublesome. The first thing to do with 
 an overreach is to wash clean with warm water, examine 
 carefully and make sure there is no foreign substance in 
 the wound. If the piece cut down with the foot is nearly 
 off, and is only of a horny substance, do not hesitate to 
 cut it off, for it will heal much sooner with it off than 
 
70 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 if kept on. If, however, the wound is deep, after it has 
 been carefully washed, and you are satisfied there 
 is no dirt or other substance in the wound, get some 
 carbolic oil made with one part pure carbolic acid, and 
 five parts finest Lucca or salad oil, pour some into the 
 wound, then press the lips of the wound as close together 
 as possible, and if you can put a stitch into it with a 
 curved needle to hold the lips together, it will greatly 
 facilitate the healing process. 
 
 Having got the lips together, saturate a pellet of tow 
 with the oil, bandage it firmly over the w T ound, and do 
 not remove the bandage again for three or four days, by 
 which time the wound will have become consolidated. 
 Sometimes the leg will swell very much, and masters and 
 grooms fear that the leg is too tightly bandaged and undo 
 it too soon, causing the wound to slough, and leave an 
 ugly scar for their pains. When legs swell from the 
 inflammation set up by the wound, it can easily be pre- 
 vented from rising up the leg to the body by puncturing 
 the swollen mass with the lancet in three or four places ; 
 this will let out the inflammatory fluid and arrest the 
 swelling. The limb should be bathed with arnica lotion 
 composed of arnica b.p. one part, and cold spring water 
 ten parts. Keep the limb moist with linen bandages 
 soaked with the lotion ; never let them get dry, or you 
 will do much more harm than good. It is better to have 
 the legs washed with the lotion and no bandages put on 
 than to let the bandage get dry. Short-legged horses 
 very seldom overreach, but long-legged ones often do — to 
 their owner's cost, and risk of neck and collar-bone, &c, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 71 
 
 THORN. 
 
 This is another troublesome customer to the groom, 
 for otten it is in the horse's legs some days before it can 
 be detected. But every groom after a day's hunting 
 should examine very carefully the legs to ascertain if 
 there are thorns in them ; the two worst and most likely 
 places for a thorn to be is in the knee joint and the 
 coronet between the hair and hoof. Sometimes a horse 
 will get punctured with a thorn so deep in the joint that 
 it will cause synovia or joint oil to run, and when this 
 occurs, under the best treatment, there is sure to be an 
 enlargement of the joint. Often a limb is pierced with 
 a thorn and the point broken off and left in the wound. 
 This is more troublesome than a large thorn left in, for 
 the latter is soon detected, and when once pulled out 
 causes but little trouble ; while a very small piece of 
 thorn, especially black thorn, from its acid nature, will 
 set up inflammation and suppuration, sometimes to a 
 great extent before the evil is found out, as many grooms 
 are apt to mistake a swelling from a thorn for a rap with 
 a rail in the hunting-field. If there is any doubt about 
 a swelling being caused by a blow or a thorn, the leg 
 should be examined minutety. The best way to do this 
 is to take a knife and draw the blade slowly up against 
 the hair and examine the skin as you proceed. If you 
 find a puncture only as large as the eye of a needle 
 probe the wound to see if any thorn is there ; if you 
 cannot find one, rub into the hole a small quantity 
 of Gregory's vesico sudorific ; this will keep the wound 
 open and set up a discharge, and if a thorn is there 
 it will draw it out ; if there is no thorn it will act 
 
72 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 as a counter-irritant and prevent suppuration. Some- 
 times a thorn can be seen, yet it is so deep that it 
 cannot be taken hold of even with a pair of forceps ; to 
 take a thorn out under these circumstances, you must 
 put a small key over the thorn and press tightly so as to 
 force the thorn up the pipe of the key and enable you to 
 lay hold of it with the forceps. Another thing of the 
 thorn class, only worse, is a stub. This is met with by 
 the horse putting its foot upon newly- cut brushwood, in 
 going through gaps in hedgerows, or through newly- cut 
 woods. Sometimes they inflict wounds that are very 
 deep, often going through the sole of the foot and 
 lamella to the coffin bone. Many valuable horses have 
 died of tetanus or lockjaw, from the effect of a wound 
 of this class. As soon as the groom finds a stub in the 
 horse's foot he should have its shoe taken off, and the 
 hoof round the wound cut away with a small sharp knife; 
 lay the wound well open, probe the wound carefully, and 
 ascertain if any chip is left behind ; if you find any, 
 remove it with the forceps, and be quite sure you leave 
 nothing in the wound. In probing a wound of this 
 class, do not use a metal probe, but a gutta-percha one, 
 as you would be liable to further injure the sensitive 
 lamella. Having made sure the wound is clear and 
 clean, pour into it carboiised oil, put a piece of cotton 
 wool, saturated with the oil, on the top of the wound, 
 and bind up. Remove the wool every morning, and 
 bathe the wound with warm water, re-dress it and bind 
 up, and in most cases the animal is well in a few days. 
 Many persons use tincture of myrrh for wounds, but it 
 should not be used in deep wounds, as it dries up the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 73 
 
 lips and sets up suppuration. The antiseptic treatment of 
 carbolised oil is much better, as its healing qualities are 
 truly wonderful. If a horse has a wound of this class it 
 should have a six-dram purging ball given, its corn 
 stopped, and fed upon carrots, mash, swede, mangold, 
 and sweet hay. Corn would only set up inflammation 
 and be the forerunner of tetanus. Wounds treated with 
 carbolised oil often heal up fast, making too rapid a 
 growth of flesh, and it may be necessary to touch the 
 proud growth with lunar caustic. I never consider that 
 a fault, for after the wound is Med up with new flesh, a 
 touch with the caustic point causes the wound to 
 granulate, forming a skin, and consolidating the injured 
 part. 
 
 THE CARRIAGE OR COACH HORSE 
 
 Owes its origin to the Cleveland bays, great attention 
 being paid to breeding them in Yorkshire, Durham, and 
 Northumberland, many fine horses of this class being 
 also bred in Lincolnshire. The most useful are those 
 which are propagated by a cross of the Cleveland mare 
 and a thorough-bred horse. These have fine knee actions, 
 lift their feet high, which gives grandeur to their figure 
 and paces ; the head is generally well carried, with a 
 beautifully elevated crest, and when they are driven 
 without the bearing rein, they look a really noble horse. 
 Yet such is the force of folly and fashion that the 
 bearing rein — that foul implement of torture — is still 
 upon many a noble steed, and gentlemen will actually 
 tell us that it makes the horse look better. It is a relic 
 of a barbarous age, and the sooner it is placed in the 
 
7-i The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 museum as a relic of the past the less broken knees 
 and enlargements of the maxilliary glands will be seen 
 among our horses. It is impossible for the horse with 
 its head tied to its back to recover itself if it makes 
 a false step ; yet such is the folly and ignorance dis- 
 played that we are often told that the bearing rein is 
 put on to hold the horse up and keep it from stumbling, 
 To those persons who believe in the use of the bearing 
 rein, I would advise that they should run over rough 
 ground with their hands tied behind their backs, and 
 judge for themseves if they would be able to save them- 
 selves if they made a false step. The head acts the same 
 purpose to the horse as the hands to a man ; if it stumbles 
 it puts its head out to gain its equilibrium, but if its head 
 and tail are tied together with the bearing rein and the 
 animal stumbles he must fall, if the bearing-rein or the 
 turret does not break. I have seen many horses drawing 
 heavy loads up-hill with their heads tied as if in a vice, 
 making the labour doubly as hard for the poor animals. 
 Any horse with full liberty will draw a ton better than 
 it could half-a-ton with its head tied up with the bearing 
 rein. Look at a team of horses at plough, drawing up 
 the face of a steep hill, see how they bend to their work; 
 they have liberty, consequently they work with ease ; 
 but see another team with their heads tied up with the 
 bearing rein, see how hard they labour to draw the 
 plough, see how often they try to stop, see how they toss 
 their heads to relieve the strain on the muscles of the 
 neck ; hark how the driver uses the whip to urge them 
 on, yet fashion has ordained that the horse must suffer 
 from man's ignorance. We have a Society for the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 75 
 
 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and many men are 
 sent to prison for trifling acts of cruelty, yet this great 
 glaring act goes unpunished because it is one of fashion's 
 follies ; and men of education, calling themselves gentle- 
 men, have such a perverted taste that they think it 
 improves the handiwork of the Great Creator. God 
 ofave the horse to be the friend and servant of man, 
 but it must have been Satan himself, in his animosity, 
 who played upon the pride and vanity of man, and 
 caused him to invent that piece of abominable torture, 
 the bearing-rein. I hope the day is not far distant 
 when the use of the bearing-rein will become a recognised 
 misdemeanour, and be punished as an act of cruelty. 
 The man bringing such an Act into Parliament would 
 deserve well of his country. An old writer says, " Dulce 
 et decorum est pro patria mori ; " yet it is more sweet 
 and honourable to live and do good to our fellow-man 
 by enlightening his mind and exposing the pitfalls and 
 stumbling-stones at his feet. When men are taught the 
 uselessness and cruelty of the bearing rein it will be dis- 
 carded and become a thing of the past. As the carriage 
 horse is often the sufferer by man's ignorance and by 
 bad shoeing, neglect, and the use of the bearing rein, 
 he often falls, and his knees are badly cut by coming in 
 contact with the hard road. It will be right here to give 
 the reader instructions how to proceed with the horse 
 when its knees are badly broken. 
 
 As in all cases of wounds, the first thing is to wash 
 clean with lukewarm water, get all foreign substances 
 out of the wound, then examine carefully by putting 
 the forefinger into the wound to ascertain if the joint 
 
70 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 is injured ; if it is not, dress it with carbolised oil, put 
 on a pellet of tow or cotton wool, and bandage up. If 
 the wound is not very deep, it should not be undone 
 for three days ; then the bandage may be taken 
 off, and the wound kept clean, and if dressed with 
 carbolised oil every day, it will soon be well. 
 Horses with broken knees should not have walking- 
 exercise until the wounds are nearly well, for fear of 
 opening the wound. If the wound is deep, as is often 
 the case, and a clear fluid running- from it resembling 
 glycerine, you can safely conclude that the joint is 
 injured, and that the synovia or joint oil is running. 
 This is very difficult to stop, and in many cases leaves 
 the animal with a stiff joint. The plan I have always 
 adopted when joint oil is running is to fill the wound 
 with lumps of socotorine aloes, put a pellet of tow 
 over the wound dipped in carbolised oil, and bind up. 
 I often fold two Field newspapers together and bind 
 them on the horse's leg, they making admirable 
 splints, having substance enough to prevent the horse 
 bending its leg, and easily adapting itself to the shape 
 of the leg without cutting or otherwise injuring the 
 skin. (In cases of accident, if a man breaks his arm or 
 leg, if those near will bind the limb up with a bandage, 
 and use a newspaper or two for splints before attempting 
 to move, many simple fractures will be prevented from 
 becoming compound.) Sometimes the above treatment 
 will not stop the flow of synovia. After being repeated 
 daily for four or five days, it will then be necessary to 
 use strong means — the most effectual is pure carbolic 
 acid. This should be injected into the wound with a 
 
in the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 77 
 
 small glass syringe, and the wound will heal up 
 unsightly, often leaving a big knee, and many times a 
 stiff joint. After the wound has healed, the knee should 
 be blistered with biniodide of mercury to reduce the 
 gangrenous lump which is sure to form. All horses that 
 have cut their knees deep enough to allow the synovia 
 to escape are never to be trusted again, as they are sure 
 to fall sooner or later. I now come to a very common 
 and also a very trobblesome complaint, known as 
 
 LAMINITES, 
 
 or fever in the feet. That my readers may 
 thoroughly understand this complaint, it will be 
 necessary that I should give a description of the foot of 
 the horse to show the beautiful handiwork of the Creator, 
 and the ignorance of man, who often look upon the foot 
 of the horse as a solid block of horn, and treats it ac- 
 cordingly. The formation of the foot of the horse fits 
 him above all other animals, except the ass, for the 
 service of man. In short, had the foot of the horse been 
 cleft, it would have been incapacitated from many of the 
 useful departments of its employment, and a correct 
 knowledge of the structures of every part of the foot is 
 indispensably necessary to render us scientific overseers 
 of the farrier's art. The foot externally is composed 
 of the crust, the sole, the bars, and the frog. The 
 crust is that portion which reaches from the 
 termination of the hair to the ground, its greatest 
 depth and thickness is in front, and denominated the 
 toe. It is more shallow at the sides, termed the 
 quarters, and still less behind, termed the heel. In a 
 
78 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 healthy well-formed foot when the sole is placed upon 
 the ground the front exhibits an angle of forty-five, 
 differing, however, in many horses to the extent of the 
 angle ; still in a healthy foot it is about the fourth 
 part of a semicircle. When the crust has a greater 
 degree of obliquity it is said that the crust has " fallen 
 in," and when the sole is too flat, it is said to be 
 pumiced or convex. If the front be more upright 
 than the above angle it is a sure sign of a contracted 
 foot with the sole too concave. When the crust is 
 deep at the heel it is a foot liable to contraction, 
 thrush, sandcrack, and inflammation. The pastern 
 will be found too upright, and the horse have a very 
 unpleasant action. If, on the other hand, the crust 
 diminished too rapidly from front to back and the 
 heels are low, this is always accompanied by too great 
 obliquity of the pastern, producing a weakness in the 
 joint and liability to sprain the back sinew. The foot 
 itself will be weak and have a tendency to that hidden 
 conrplaint called navicular joint disease. The general 
 thickness of the crust in front is about half-an-inch, 
 becoming thinner at the quarters and heels. This 
 will show the necessity for shoeing-smiths being 
 adepts at driving nails, seeing the small space they 
 have to nail to. The crust is thinner and a little 
 higher up on the inside than on the outside quarters. 
 This is another wise provision of Nature, because being 
 placed under the inner splint bone more of its weight 
 rests upon the inside than the outside, consequently 
 it is enabled to expand more, and thus, by its elasti- 
 city, assists in lessening the force of concussion. The 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 79 
 
 crust is not liable to much variation in thickness, until 
 near the top, at the coronet, or where the horn of the 
 hoof unites with the skin of the pasterns ; here it 
 becomes abruptly thin, and appears as if scooped out ; 
 its colour and consistency also are changed, and it 
 appears like a continuance of the skin ; this thin portion 
 is called the coronary ring, which covers a thickened 
 prolongations of the skin called the coronary ligament. 
 This extension of the skin is supplied with numerous 
 densely-set blood-vessels, connected together by a fibrous 
 texture, many of which have the property of secreting 
 the horny substance which forms the crust. The crust 
 is composed of numerous fibres which proceed direct 
 from the coronary to the ground, but which follow an 
 oblique course from the heel forward ; the fibres are 
 held together by a glutinous substance, which, as before 
 mentioned, is secreted in the numerous blood-vessels. 
 The internal parts of the foot are composed of the 
 laminae, the sensitive frog, the navicular bone, and the 
 coffin bone. The lamina3 consist of numerous small 
 horny plates, which line the crust, resembling the 
 beautiful gills or underpart of a mushroom ; these 
 are arranged with the nicest order and mathematical 
 precision upon the internal surface of the wall ; they 
 extend in uniform parallels, in a perpendicular direction, 
 from the top of the hoof at the coronary to the line of 
 j unction of the wall with the sole, and are so thickly set 
 that no part of the superfices remains unoccupied by 
 them. They are also continued upon the surface of the 
 bars, and are soft, yielding, and elastic ; but from exposure 
 become dry and rigid. Every plate exhibits two edges 
 
80 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 and two surfaces ; by one edge it grows to the wall, and 
 the other, which is somewhat thinned, hangs loose and 
 floating within the cavity of the hoof. These are two 
 smooth lateral surfaces, and considering the magnitude 
 of the lamilla itself, of enormous extent, so much so that 
 it may be said almost to be constituted of superfices. 
 If we look carefully at the beautiful lamilla lining the 
 foot we must naturally be led to contemplate the 
 great and magnificent designs which Nature evidently 
 had in their formation and very beautiful adaptation, 
 viz., the production of ample surface within a small 
 space, an end that has been obtained by the 
 means of multiplication. The late well-known 
 Thomas Evans, LL.D., made a mathematical calcula- 
 tion of what the united superfices of these lamilla 
 amounted to, and it was found that they afforded an 
 increase of actual surface more than the single 
 internal area of the hoof would give by about twelve 
 times, or about two hundred and twelve square inches^ 
 being nearly one square foot and a-half. It is inflam- 
 mation among this network of delicate mushroom-like 
 fibres that we call laminitis, the destruction of which 
 by disease allows the coffin-bone to drop upon the 
 sensitive sole, the sole in its turn giving way and 
 becoming what is termed drop sole or pumiced feet. 
 The bars are processes ot the wall, inflected from its 
 heels obliquely across the bottom of the foot ; they 
 extend from the base of the heel into the centre of the 
 foot, between the sole and the frog. 1 hey are con- 
 tinuous with the wall or crust with which they form 
 acute angles ; anteriorly they stretch as far as the point 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 81 
 
 of the frog, constituting two inner walls between that 
 body and the sole. They seem formed for the purpose 
 of offering resistance to the contractions of the heels. 
 By the side of the bars are two concave surfaces, 
 running from the heel towards the toe ; these are called 
 " the cleft of the frog," the surface of which exhibits a 
 remarkable cavity, broad and deep, and of a triangular 
 form. The frog in its superior surface is continuous, 
 uniform, and porous, being the counterpart in form of 
 the inferior surface, presenting only reverses where the 
 one is hollow and the other swelling. Opposite to the 
 cleft is the frog stay, which is elevated and bounded on 
 its sides by two deep channels and a hollow of shallower 
 dimensions in the front. This bold horny elevation is 
 admirably calculated to form that dovetailed connection 
 with the sensitive foot winch greatly augments their 
 surfaces of opposition and establishes their union beyond 
 all risk or possibility of dislocation. 
 
 The external surface of the sole, or the arched plate 
 forming the bottom of the hoof, and covering the whole 
 of the inferior surface of the foot, excepting the frog, is 
 the part that calls for the undivided attention of the 
 groom. No individual part requires such attention as 
 the sole. As to shoeing, it is here that the smith makes 
 the great mistake of his life, and grooms and owners of 
 horses should see that he does not use the knife to this 
 part ; paring the sole of the foot is a vicious practice, and 
 should upon no account be allowed. Many grooms will 
 allow the smith to pare the sole " to clean it out," as 
 they say, not thinking that by that very act they are 
 doing their best to cause the horse to become affected 
 
82 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 with laminitis. The sole of the horse's foot is only 
 about the sixth of an inch thick after the foot has been 
 deprived of what the shoeing-smith calls the dead horn, 
 but what Nature placed there as a hard wearing sub- 
 stance. That Nature intended it to protect the sole is 
 beyond a doubt, it being devoid of that elasticity which 
 the true sole has, making those flakes the more valuable 
 to the horse as a protection against the stones he has to 
 travel over ; yet shoeing-smiths, owners of horses, and 
 grooms, for the sake of making the horse's foot look neat 
 and clean, will have that taken away which God in His 
 wisdom placed there for the mutual benefit of man and 
 horse. Viewed from below, the sole commonly presents 
 an arch of more or less concavity. It is subject to vast 
 variety in degree of the arc : in some feet it is of 
 surprising depth, and in others the arch is converted 
 into a flattened surface, yet both seem to perform equally 
 well. In the hind feet the sole is generally more arched 
 than in the tore, and approaches in figure more of an 
 oval than a circle. That portion elevated from the 
 ground, which forms union with the bars, is nearly 
 double the thickness of the central or circumferent parts, 
 and next to this in substance comes the heel. This is 
 situate at the back part of the foot, at which point the 
 crust of the hoof, instead of being continued round and 
 forming a complete circle, is abruptly bent in. The next 
 in importance to the lamilla of the horse's foot are the 
 cartilages. The cartilages are two broad scabrous 
 concavo-convex cartilaginous plates which surmount the 
 sides and wings of the coffin-bone. There is a groove 
 extending along the upper part of the coffin-bone on 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 83 
 
 each side, except at the protuberance which receives the 
 extensor tendon, and which extends to the very posterior 
 portion of the foot, rising at the quarters fully half-an- 
 inch above the hoof, and diminishing in height backward 
 and forward. These cartilages occupy a greater portion of 
 the foot than the coffin-bone, which they extend far behind, 
 and are fixed into two grooves excavated into the superior 
 lateral borders of the coffin-bone, the navicular bone, and 
 the flexor tendon, and are thus perfectly secured. Below 
 these are other cartilages connected with the under edges 
 of the former, and on both sides of the frog. Between 
 these cartilages is the sensitive frog, occupying the whole 
 of the space, and answering several important purposes, 
 it being an elastic bed upon which the navicular bone 
 and the tendon can play with security, and without con- 
 cussion to the cartilages. By this means all concussion 
 to the cartilages of the foot are prevented, the cartilages 
 kept asunder, and the expansion of the upper part of the 
 foot preserved. This mechanism is both beautiful and 
 important. The yielding and elastic substance of the 
 frog is pressed upon by the navicular bone, as well as by 
 the tendon and the pattern, and being incapable of con- 
 densing itself into less compass is forced out on each side 
 of them and expands the lateral cartilages. These again 
 by their inherent elasticity revert to their former situa- 
 tion when they are no longer pressed outward by the frog. 
 It thus appears that by a different mechanism, but 
 both equally admirable and referable to the same 
 principle of elasticity, the expansion of the upper and 
 lower parts of the hoof are affected ; the one by the 
 descent of the sole and the other by the compression and 
 
84 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 rising of the frog. The preservation and usefulness of 
 the limbs of the horse are chiefly maintained by this 
 upward expansion. Brown, in his writings, says 
 that "by long-continued pressure on the frog in 
 draught horses, and conveyed from the frog to the 
 cartilage, inflammation is set up and the cartilages 
 turned into bone, viz., sidebone." In this I differ with 
 him, and am of opinion that the more the horse treads 
 upon the frog the better the foot becomes by the 
 attrition. I do not believe that any horse ever had 
 sidebone by treading upon the frog. I believe that he 
 may have them by his heels being elevated by a thick 
 shoe, and all the natural pressure taken off the frog 
 and thrown upon the bars and crust, and by the frog 
 being cut away to make its feet look nice, as if Nature 
 was not in itself perfection. From inferior and 
 posterior sides of the true cartilages, two fibro-car- 
 tilaginous processes extend in a forward direction 
 towards the heels of the coffin-bone. They spread 
 inwards upon the surface of the tendo-perforans, 
 become united at their inner sides with the superior 
 margin of the sensitive frog, are covered inferiorly by 
 the sensitive sole, and at the same time assist in the 
 support of the sensitive frog. They are triangular in 
 form and are arched in the same manner as the sole. 
 Their use appears to be to fill up the triangular vacant 
 spaces left between the tendo-perforans and the 
 heels of the coffin-bone, thereby completing the surface 
 of support for the frog, and extending that for the 
 expansion of the sole. The navicular bone is a small 
 bone resembling a weaver's shuttle and has a side-to- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 85 
 
 side movement after the manner of such implement ; 
 hence it is sometimes called the shuttle-bone. One of 
 the chief uses of this bone appears to be to take off a 
 portion of the weight from the coffin-bone, and from the 
 navicular bone it is thrown on the tendon which rests on 
 the frog beneath. It is on the inner surface of this bone 
 that the navicular disease first originates ; inflammation 
 is set up by severe concussion, and being deep-seated, 
 quite out of the reach of medical and surgical treatment, 
 the inflammation becomes chronic, the membrane 
 covering the joint is affected, small tumours form on the 
 navicular bone, much after the nature of splint; the 
 navicular bone becomes porous, resembling a piece 
 of pumice stone, and the animal is lame for life. 
 Much of this disease is caused by bad shoeing ; cutting 
 and carving the frog and sole have done more to 
 ruin the horse than all the grooms in Christendom. 
 Having given a brief outline of the structure 
 of the foot of the horse, I now propose to show 
 the principal diseases affecting that important part, 
 the foot being the foundation, as it is useless to have 
 a fine top without a foundation. No man would 
 think of building a mansion without foundations, yet 
 many gentlemen will buy a fine- top horse without a foot 
 to stand on, and expect it to carry him through hard 
 runs, and is dreadfully disappointed if he comes to grief. 
 No child dreads the fire worse than a groom with a large 
 stud dreads bad feet ; they are to him a perpetual source 
 of annoyance. It is bis bete noir by day and by night, 
 and his constant prayer is " May my employer always buy 
 feet, and never buy a horse from a friend." Such is the 
 
86 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 honour among some gentlemen (spare the mark !) that if 
 they have a screw which a respectable dealer will not 
 buy, they sell it to their friend. The horse soon goes 
 lame, and then the poor groom has to bear the blame ; 
 this is often the case with a horse suffering from 
 laminitis ; he is patched up, his shoes taken off, put on 
 wet clay, cooling medicine given, coronet blistered, and 
 after three months' run he is sold to some friend. Look 
 well to the foot of the horse ; if he has had laminitis the 
 hoof will be wrinkled like a cow's horn. Many people 
 when about to sell a horse that has had laminitis or its 
 companion symtomatic fever will get the smith to rasp 
 out the rings ; if the foot has been rasped up to the hair, 
 look upon it with suspicion, for laminitis is a disease so 
 dreadful in its manifestations, and attended with such 
 agony and excessive distress to the poor patient, that it 
 cannot fail to excite compassion for it from all who 
 witness a case of this terrible type. I can assure my 
 readers that I myself have been so affected that I would 
 not — nay, I could not — leave my patient until I was 
 satisfied that all had been done so far as knowledge lay 
 within my reach to relieve it at least of some portion of 
 its sufferings. . . . The first and most obvious 
 requisite for a practical groom is to possess the faculty to 
 diagnose a disease when he sees it, to distinguish it from 
 others manifesting similar symptoms, and forsee its 
 probable phases and results; and the author, know- 
 ing the difficulties he has had to contend with in his 
 search after knowledge concerning the horse, wishes to 
 place his experience in the hands of younger men, to 
 help them to surmount the difficulties and avoid the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Roadj. 87 
 
 stumbling-stones it has been his lot to fall over. No 
 man, whatever may be his pursuits, deserves the name 
 of a practical man whose knowledge and resources are 
 limited by the experience of his predecessors in a similar 
 walk of life, or who cannot and dare not experiment or 
 reason for himself. 
 
 Whatever theories I may advance from time to time, 
 they are confined strictly to facts, and are the result of 
 practical experiment by myself or others, whose names I 
 give. In all professions, and in none more so than in the 
 practice of medicine, novel events, remarkable phases, 
 and rare combinations are continually presenting them- 
 selves, which can only be understood and successfully 
 encountered by the aid of general principles. Thence the 
 need that every groom who aspires to be a successful man 
 should have a knowledge of pathology and therapeutics, 
 which supply the general knowledge to guide him in 
 treating disease or complications which he has not 
 previously experienced. From the peculiar situation of 
 the sensitive laminoe, and their being so highly vascular 
 and abundant in nervous texture, the disease called 
 laminitis, which has its seat in the reticular tissue that 
 envelopes the coffin-bone, consists, I conceive, primarily 
 in a congestion of the blood, which is soon followed 
 with intense inflammation ; the laminae being situated 
 between two hard substances, viz., the coffin-bone 
 and the hoof, high congestive inflammation is readily 
 produced, and the most violent pain and severe results 
 are the consequence when inflammation ensues. Mr 
 Percival in his " Hippopathology " has written largely 
 upon this disease, as has also Mr Wilson, of Bradford, 
 
88 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 and Mr Greaves, of Manchester. Laminitis is of two 
 specific kinds, and may be designated natural and 
 unnatural. — First, natural laminitis is mostly found in 
 horses of a low breed, heavy and corpulent in body, such 
 as draught horses of various kinds, and this arises, doubt- 
 less, from constitutional causes. Unnatural laminitis or 
 artificial phase of this terrible disease is most frequently 
 met with in light-bred animals, and no doubt is the 
 result of their endeavour to resist the violence occasioned 
 by over-exertion on hard roads, and by the exhaustion 
 produced by rapid driving and other artificial de- 
 leterious causes, such as being called upon to perform 
 long journeys when the stomach is overloaded with 
 food. Always remember " Full feed, then rest," — eating 
 large quantities of wheat or feeding upon new oats. 
 There is one cause, however, so prominent and influen- 
 tial in its character, that ought never to be lost sight 
 of, and that is work or what may be construed into 
 violence done to the feet ; for instance, a horse with 
 high stamping action going any great distance or for 
 any length of time upon the hard macadamised 
 road, or hard pavement of any kind whatever, will be 
 a very likely subject for an attack of this disease, 
 particularly if he has been idle, at rest, or unseasoned, 
 and is suddenly and at once put to do severe work. 
 It is here that the groom requires to use great 
 caution ; when a new horse is brought under his care 
 he does not know if the animal has been idle and been 
 u made up " for sale, and if suddenly put to hard 
 work the chances are he will fall to pieces. It is a 
 safe plan to always put a new purchase through a 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 89 
 
 course of physic before using it. Many gentlemen 
 turn their hunters out of condition through the 
 summer months with the idea of resting their legs. 
 This is a mistake for which the animal has to pay in 
 the autumn by extra work to get it into condition again, 
 and grooms are often put to their wits' end by the 
 animals becoming affected with lameness in the 
 foot as soon as they are put to work; whereas, 
 had they been kept up during the summer 
 months and gently exercised, their legs would 
 have been quite fresh and their feet in good 
 condition ; less work would have to be given to 
 get them into hunting condition, and the owner 
 would have sounder horses with which to commence the 
 season, and laminitis would be known only as an ugly 
 name. Of the former character or type of this disease 
 many cases have come under my observation, in some of 
 which the animals had not been out of their stables for 
 weeks or months, and others had had only their regular 
 work, yet all were attacked, with symptoms equally 
 violent, with the most virulent cases that have ever 
 come under my experience. This is one of the many 
 evidences of the justice of my distinction of natural 
 from unnatural or artificial phases of laminitis, and 
 which cannot be accounted for by the general and 
 popularly received theory that this disease is the off- 
 spring of violence and over-work. Surely, then, my 
 theory is not ill-founded; there must be some occult 
 or mysterious cause for this disease presenting itselt 
 under the peculiar circumstances I have now related. 
 What, I have frequently asked myself, is this hidden 
 
90 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 or undiscovered cause ? Is it idiosyncrasy or some 
 peculiar element in the system of the patient ? Is it 
 cachexia or a bad habit of the body ? and when ru- 
 minating upon this subject, I have frequently had 
 brought to my recollection the remark of Professor 
 Spooner upon this form of disease, which was to the 
 effect that laminitis to all intents and purposes 
 belongs to the rheumatic class ; and more lately, on 
 perusing a paper by Mr. Greaves, I find two right words 
 used in the right place in reference to the active causes 
 of this disease, viz., igneous element. I feel quite 
 satisfied that the words " igneous element " are the 
 very essence of this lamentable disease of the horse, 
 lurking as it does in the system, waiting only for some 
 exciting circumstances to bring it into activity. Nor 
 is it possible for the man attending upon the animals 
 to prevent this complaint, any more than he can 
 prevent himself from an attack of rheumatic fever — a 
 case in the human subject analogous to laminitis in 
 the horse. Here we have the symptoms somewhat 
 similar to those we see in the laminitic acute pain — 
 extreme tenderness attended with great constitutional 
 disturbance, extreme restlessness, intense thirst, and 
 loss of appetite, the pulse often up to 120, and full, 
 hard, and jerking; the bowels obstinately costive, the 
 urine scanty and high coloured, with a strong acid 
 reaction ; the skin is often bathed in a profuse sweat, 
 which, however, affords no relief, and it is an established 
 fact with the medical profession that rheumatism is 
 essentially a blood disease, and that the poison which 
 is accumulated in it appears to be lactic acid. It also 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 91 
 
 contains a large excess of fibrine, the urine is excessively 
 acid, high coloured, and contains much uric acid, and 
 the remedy of the faculty in such cases is the treatment 
 by alkalis. . . . Since the system is saturated with 
 the acid, the most rational treatment is the alkalis, 
 and it is the most successful — bicarbonate of potass, 
 nitrate, bitartrate, and acetate. The symptoms of 
 laminitis are, that the horse stands in a fixed position ; if 
 confined to the fore feet, the symptoms are of that 
 peculiar character that they can hardly by any person 
 of experience be mistaken, " all of a heap" is the old 
 phrase used to denote the animal's position ; the pulse 
 is full, frequent, and remarkably hard, the respira- 
 tion seeming to sympathise with the pulse. The horse 
 places its hind feet under it in order to take the weight 
 of its body off the fore feet. It groans and moans 
 from the severity of the pain which in extreme cases 
 lays it prostrate. If forced to step forward it most 
 unwillingly does so ; and its method of accomplishing 
 it is expressive of no disease save laminitis. The feet 
 are hot and painful ; if one foot is held up, which in 
 some cases is very difficult to do, it can scarcely 
 stand upon the other ; it does not like to get up when 
 laid down, and if compelled, does so with great 
 difficulty, and it is very unwilling to move from one 
 place to another. Throbbing of the pastern arteries 
 is another well-marked symptom. The mouth is 
 parched, the mucus membranes vascular and scarlet 
 in colour ; parts of its body are in a state of tremor, 
 and it is continually changing the position of its feet in 
 search of relief. The pain is explained by a larger 
 
92 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 amount of blood to the nerves of the part, combined 
 with the pressure of the surrounding textures upon 
 them. It is accordingly most severe when the 
 surroundings are the most unyielding. With increased 
 heat of the surface, great thirst, dry skin, scanty and 
 hiffh-coloured urine, we have the most obstinate and 
 sluggish state of the bowels. Many different modes of 
 treatment have been recommended, and reasoning on 
 o-eneral physiological principles, the functions of the 
 alimentary canal are so tardily carried on that we cannot 
 insure the operation of a purge under twenty-four hours, 
 there being no animal but the horse in which acute 
 disease makes such sad havoc in so short a space of time. 
 Empty his stomach you cannot with an emetic, nor can 
 you purge in a few hours ; and, well knowing the obstinacy 
 of the bowels m this disease, our measure must be prompt 
 t o act, for the grand purpose, if the groom or veterinary 
 surgeon desires to be successful, must be to conquer the 
 disease by resolution. As every other mode of termination 
 is unfavourable, to bring about this issue is the aim and 
 end of every one treating this malady, and as the nature 
 of the disease, its seat and the disorganisation which it 
 produces are well known, this result is not so difficult of 
 accomplishment as at first sight appears. In proof of 
 this I beg to ofter to my readers the treatment I have 
 found successful during a number of years' practice. 
 It as is follows : bleeding from the coronary plexus, give 
 aconite in ten-grain doses every hour in one pint of cold 
 water ; gently purge, give nitrate of potass, three drachms 
 in cold water every time the patient drinks, day and 
 night ; give half a pound of new yeast two or three times 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 93 
 
 a day ; pour cold water with great force upon its feet, 
 every hour day and night. Bleeding : In inflammation 
 there is a diminished action, that is, diminished con- 
 tractility of the small arteries, with increased action of 
 the heart, and the Wo together keep up that dilated 
 condition of the small vessels which is the essence of 
 inflammation. It is obvious that there are two ways 
 by which these small vessels may be restored to their 
 healthy degree of contraction, the first is by lessening the 
 quantity of blood to the part and the second by increasing 
 the contractility. In acute inflammation both these 
 remedies are required. If the inflammation be recent, 
 the small vessels may recover themselves if at once 
 relieved from the undue quantity of blood sent from the 
 heart. In this case the abstraction of blood and using 
 depressing remedies will suffice ; but if the inflammation 
 be chronic, the small vessels may have so lost their 
 contractility as not to recover themselves, though the 
 blood circulates through them in diminished quantity, 
 and in this case such remedies must be used as will 
 restore the lost contractility ; precisely the same treat- 
 ment is required as in congestion. The treatment of 
 inflammation is two-fold. It consists in diminishing 
 the quantity of blood sent out by the heart on the one 
 hand, and restoring the lost contractility on the other, 
 As increased action of the heart occurs only in acute 
 inflammation, it is in that form alone that general 
 remedies are required ; these are blood-letting, active 
 purgatives, and depressants. Bleeding alone, though 
 often repeated, will not suffice to subdue inflammation, 
 for each bleeding is followed by reaction, and that re- 
 
94 The Management and Treatment of the Borse, 
 
 action again establishes the inflammation 
 
 By combining depletion with depressing remedies, we 
 save blood and avert chronic disease. The great 
 principle to be observed in acute inflammation is to 
 subdue it at once, so as not to allow reaction, and give 
 the small blood-vessels time to contract to their proper 
 size. Aconite, given in ten-grain doses in half-a-pint 
 of cold water every hour, diminishes the vascular and 
 nervous excitement after two or three doses ; the 
 patient seems inclined to lie down and sleep, which 
 seems to be the desideratum so strongly urged by Mr. 
 Greaves — viz., get the weight off the feet. Large doses 
 of aconite produces alarming symptoms and considerable 
 excitement, but in small doses I have often seen its 
 sedative effects almost instantaneous. Aconite being a 
 most powerful medicine, should be always used with 
 great caution ; Fleming's tincture is by far the safest, if 
 it is thought advisable to give large doses. The largest 
 should be given first, and this must not exceed twenty 
 minims, in one ounce of liq. ammonia acet. and a pint of 
 water ; in four hours half the quantity, and in five hours 
 after one quarter. Over-doses of aconite are known by 
 a great depression, anxious countenance, accelerated 
 breathing, increased rapidity, and diminished volume 
 of the pulse, and contracted pupils. I well recollect 
 Professor Spooner saying that belladonna was unequalled 
 as a sedative, for you to have two objects in view in 
 administering it, it being the best sedative, and also 
 a laxative, which power no other sedative possesses. 
 Mr. Brown says of aconite that, given with caution 
 in small doses and well diluted, it has proved in his 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 95 
 
 experience the best sedative, and stands pre-eminent as 
 a diuretic. Nitrate of potass, given repeatedly in water, 
 possesses the property of destroying or neutralising 
 certain morbid poisons existing in the blood, as well as 
 in a less marked manner of checking inflammation, 
 which result is attributed, at least in part, to its well- 
 known property of rendering the fibrine of the blood 
 more soluble. In laminitis cold water should be 
 poured with great force upon the feet, as they are hot 
 and dry ; it reduces the temperature, lowers the cir- 
 culation and soothes the nervous system, diminishes the 
 extreme sensibility, and restores the contractility of 
 the capillary vessels, thereby preventing any further 
 effusion, and allowing the absorbent vessels to remove 
 any fluid that may have been thrown out. In this 
 disease the functions of the stomach and digestive 
 organs are either primary or sympathetically impaired, 
 and the assimilation of nutriment consequently very 
 feeble ; it becomes a necessity to supply such con- 
 centrated forms of nutriment as will be most certain 
 and readily absorbed by the digestive organs. I have 
 often given two or three eggs in half a pint of cold 
 water every two hours night and day, until the fever 
 abates, then give mash, raw swede, mangold, carrot ; 
 if in summer green food in small quantities, and 
 change its food often. Horses once having laminitis 
 are always liable to a relapse upon any extra exertion. 
 "No foot, no horse "is a proverb staunch and true; 
 yet when we look to the numerous complaints and 
 diseases of the foot that the horse is subject to, and all 
 the evils that arise from the ignorance and prejudice 
 
96 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 of the shoeing smith, the groom, and the master, the 
 wonder is, not that we have many lame horses, but 
 that we have any sound ones. How many smiths are 
 there who will boast that they can drive a nail its full 
 length up the delicate hoof of the foot as they say 
 without injuring the foot. Many, again, will use eight, 
 and I have seen some horses with nine nails to hold 
 one shoe, and then after doing all they can to destroy 
 the foot they grumble and call the horse a brittle- 
 footed brute, and tell us the horse has not a bit of foot 
 to nail to. They do not think, and they do not like 
 to be told, that it is their ignorance of the structure 
 of the hoof that has been the cause of all the mischief. 
 The fact is the nails they drive cut the fibres with 
 which the hoof is composed, and as these fibres are cut 
 so they become dead horn, all the nutritious mucus being 
 cut off that supplies life and elasticity to the hoof 
 no life really existing from the part they have in- 
 jured up at the clenches to the line of demarcation 
 at the sole. It is not only the fibres that are cut that 
 receive injury, but in driving the nails the fibres are 
 driven out of their natural course sideways, and the 
 hoof between the nails is compressed together as if 
 in a vice, preventing the pores of the hoof Irom per- 
 forming their proper functions, hence the folly of 
 shoeing-smiths driving so many nails into the foot. A 
 well-fitted and well-made shoe will keep on the horse 
 better with six nails than a bad one will with ten, yet 
 we find many smiths are perfectly contented to nail 
 on the horse a piece of iron bent round with rough 
 nail holes punched in and call it a shoe ; this we find 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 97 
 
 often with the farm or cart horse, and you can often 
 hear them say " That will do for him — it's only a cart 
 horse," putting one in mind of the words of Tom Hood, 
 " He's only a pauper, whom nobody owns." The 
 smith does his worst for the foot of the horse with bad 
 shoes and many nails, and the groom often helps him 
 to complete the mischief, by using compounds of fat 
 and tar and other substances to dress the hoof, and 
 stopping with cow-dung to soften the feet. If I was 
 asked " Does hoof-dressing do any good ? " I should say 
 decidedly " No ;" for it stops the air-cells and prevents 
 free perspiration. Does cow-dung do any good ? It 
 enables the smith, without hard labour, to cut away 
 that block of horn on the sole, and pare the frog into a 
 nice shape, so that if the horse, in trotting over rough 
 roads and loose stones, puts its foot on a stone, it becomes 
 bruised, and may fall down and break its knees, and 
 sometimes its owner's neck. The reader may ask, do I 
 use hoof-dressing ? I tell them candidly " Yes," then 
 you may well ask why do I use it ? " Because my 
 employer likes to see it; " and with the groom as well 
 as the smith, it is often doing things to their employer's 
 whim, or losing his work. So much for the use of 
 hoplemuroma and other mixtures of its class. Now* 
 what about paring away the sole and frog? The 
 prevalent idea of old writers was that one pair of bones 
 are attached to a larger one by a yielding medium 
 substance, which by stretching admits of their descent, 
 and that another pair — the sessanoide — are suspended 
 by an elastic ligament, endowed with considerable 
 elongating properties ; that the navicular bone is pressed 
 
 G 
 
9tS The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 down on to the tendon beneath it, which in its turn 
 reposes on the frog; and lastly that the coffin-bone is 
 slung by elastic medium bands to the inner surface of 
 the wall of the hoof; that these bands (the lamina?) 
 allow by their stretching properties for the hones to 
 descend, to admit of which the sole of the hoof must be 
 cut away and otherwise weakened to avoid obstruction. 
 Can any rational man believe that this is the material to 
 harbour in men's brains as a foundation to build a 
 superstructure of any kind, either of normal actions 
 or diseased conditions ? No ; the anatomy of the loot 
 must be understood, from phenomena we must arrive 
 at systems, and then we may learn pathology. 
 Knowledge of healthy actions first, then altered states, 
 diseases, causes, and sequences may be understood, 
 hence the necessity of a class in the Royal Veterinary 
 College, where the aspirant groom and smith could 
 study and pass an examination in the anatomical 
 structures of the horse, the foot in particular. 
 
 Such a class would go further towards a rational 
 mode of shoeing being adopted than all the abusive 
 works upon the groom and blacksmith ever written. 
 Teach the blacksmith and groom first, then if they do 
 wrong blame them, but do not blame a man for his 
 ignorance if you do not try and teach him. It is easy 
 to call a man a fool, but, as daft Will Perkins, of 
 Melton Mowbray, once said, what God left out no man 
 can put in ; and depend upon it that those writers who 
 are ever ready to call all grooms and smiths fools, only 
 do so from being so familiar with their own names. . . 
 . . As I have said, bad shoeing: and bad management 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 91) 
 
 of the foot of the horse lead to and are the primary cause 
 of many diseases, amongst which none are worse than 
 navicular joint disease ; and as my writings are only 
 meant as a sort of pilot to guide the groom in his pursuit 
 of knowledge under difficulties, I would here impress 
 upon his mind that although I from time to time give 
 the symptoms and treatment of different diseases, yet they 
 are only to enable him to become a good nurse, and be 
 the right hand of the practical veterinary surgeon ; 
 for if the veterinary surgeon finds an intelligent groom, 
 he will most assuredly be able to leave his medicine with 
 confidence, and the groom should always bear in mind 
 that practice makes perfection, — that however well 
 versed a groom may be, the veterinary surgeon has the 
 best of him in practice as he is enabled to see a hundred 
 cases to the groom's one. Calling in the aid of the 
 veterinary surgeon is not a sign of the groom's ignorance, 
 as some are too prone to remark, but to any man of 
 common sense, it would prove that the groom knew he 
 had a bad case, and also that his treatment was the right 
 one to adopt under the circumstances, and that by calling 
 in the aid of the joractical veterinary to consult with he 
 was doing his best for the benefit of his employer. It 
 always gives the author great pleasure to call in such 
 men as Professor Pritchard, of London ; Mr Wadlow, of 
 Oxford ; Mr Stanley, of Leamington ; or Mr Broad, of 
 Bath ; to consult with in difficult cases ; they are men of 
 knowledge and do not call grooms and blacksmiths fools, 
 but will kindly point out the quicksands under their feet, 
 and help them on to firm ground and sound judgment. 
 It is owing to the friendship of those men and Mr 
 
100 The Management and Treatment of the Morse, 
 
 Gamgee, Mr Varnell, and the late Professor Dick that the 
 author has been able to obtain knowledge, and by the 
 advice given him by those gentleman he is enabled to 
 pen these papers for the benefit of his less fortunate 
 fellow- grooms, and for younger men having horses under 
 their care. 
 
 NAVICULAR DISEASE 
 
 Is chiefly met with in the fine breeds of speedy horses, 
 with which and in their special kind of work a more 
 constant energetic pressure is kept up in the region of 
 this bone. The causes of this disease, like most others, 
 are essentially of two kinds, viz., predisposing and actual 
 or direct causes. The first consists of the management 
 of horses from the time they are foals to adult age. Weil- 
 formed strong feet, all other things being the same, with- 
 stand the effects of after-causes longest. Bad shoeing and 
 fast work under weight or draught are the common excit- 
 ing causes of this disease and most other diseased 
 conditions of the foot of the horse. Bad shoeing is a 
 vague expression, but I call all bad in degree that is not 
 done by system, subordinate to the necessary knowledge 
 of the foot. There are some bad habits which have found 
 their way into the shoeing shop, and which it is almost 
 impossible to obliterate from the mind of the smith ; 
 amongst which none are worse than paring the frog 
 and sole ; weakening the wall of the foot with the 
 rasp, and softening the foot with any mixture should 
 also be avoided. As no skill is needed in attending to 
 this step, alike conservative and remedial m tendency, 
 I submit it with recommendation that it be taken as a 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 101 
 
 rule applicable to all classes of horses. Navicular 
 disease never occurs suddenly, is never caused by 
 bruises from stones as alleged, nor does it appear as 
 a primary affection. The coffin-bone having the 
 whole weight and exertion to sustain is always the 
 first to suffer, and it is when an alteration from the 
 normal state takes place in the coffin-bone and the 
 other component structures of the foot, that derange- 
 ment of functions and stress of pressure is imposed upon 
 the navicular bone. The coffin-bone undergoes more 
 change in physical formation and far more rapidly 
 than occurs in other bones, I may say of any animal, 
 for the reason that no bone is placed under so 
 many complications of influence and misapplied art 
 and exertion combined. The semiluna crest and the 
 normal asperities of the coffin-bone become absorbed 
 under the influence prevalent by which the attacking 
 processes for the tendon, the planta band and the frog, 
 are all weakened and their positions become altered. 
 The navicular-bone is more and more called upon to bear 
 pressure when its normal bulk would lack space, therefore 
 absorption of its substance takes place from within, until 
 at length the outer surface breaks down ; being always 
 on its lower and posterior surface where the ulcerated 
 apertures one or more are seen, whence lymph issuing 
 becomes attached to the tendon, by which effort of 
 nature the structure becomes in some measure fixed 
 together, and the otherwise unsuppor table friction is 
 diminished. For the treatment of this disease I repeat 
 the words of Professor Gamgee, in a lecture upon this 
 subject delivered by him at the New College of Veterinary 
 
102 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 Surgeons. He said, " Our treatment is all of a 
 prophylactic kind ; firstly preventive measures are the 
 great resource, the taking care of the stable ere the steed 
 is lost is our watchword; but cases will make their 
 appearance, and although not one case in ten of those 
 pronounced to be navicular disease are of that type, yet 
 in various stages of progress cases of the navicular disease 
 frequently appear. My remedies," said the Professor, " in 
 these cases consist in taking very much the same 
 measure as I adopt for the prevention or rather the 
 maintenance of healthy action regardless of any particular 
 disease. I remove causes, i.e., in the first place the shoes 
 and withdraw all ascertainable causes of pain as soon as 
 possible ; rest and some fomentation to the feet are 
 amongst the most effective means. Continued rest in a 
 loose box for two or three weeks may be necessary, during 
 which time the feet will acquire form and strength from 
 the treatment I carry out, viz., no softening application 
 after the first two or three days when circulation of the 
 blood will have found its equilibrium over the foot, after 
 which cleanliness and care, and abstaining from 
 debilitating the hoof is observed. But we may say this 
 is not surgery ; would you not blister, bleed, insert setons, 
 and if lameness continued persistent unnerve the horse ? 
 I shake my head and say — No. It is not pretended that 
 I can cure all cases submitted to me of the character, 
 under notice. Then what is to be done with the 
 incurables ? are they not to be submitted to the ordinary 
 routine of successive operations ? I can hardly be made 
 to reply ; and for the following reasons. I saw so much 
 of what is called the surgery of these cases in my early 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 103 
 
 days, such torture, butchery, and sacrifice of property, 
 that I tried what I believed then the most rational mode 
 of procedure, and have been rewarded with great success. 
 The few cases of protracted and advanced disease, which 
 after due observation and trial I diagnose as incurable, I 
 advise to be put out of their miserable state." Such is 
 the opinion of Professor Gamgee upon this terrible disease. 
 We have still yet another complaint of the feet of the 
 horse, and though it has but a simple name, yet it is a 
 painful and troublesome disease. I am speaking of 
 
 CORNS, 
 
 And those of my readers who are troubled with them 
 can sympathise with the horse when it is afflicted with 
 corns. This disease in the foot of the horse has acquired 
 a name which but ill expresses its nature. It bears but 
 little affinity to corns of the human foot ; instead of 
 being hard as in the human subject they are thin and 
 very weak, and caused by pressure on the sole at the 
 angle of the bars of the feet, the horn becomes more 
 spongy and soft than at other parts, and it is so sensitive 
 that upon the slightest pressure the horse indicates that 
 he feels pain. When the foot becomes contracted, that 
 portion of the sole intervening between the external crust 
 which is wiring in, and the bars which oppose that con- 
 traction are squeezed very severely, which induces inflam- 
 mation, and hence it is that feet that are contracted 
 are almost alw T ays subjects that are afflicted with corns. 
 The effects of this pressure induce a small quantity of 
 extravasated blood, and the horn being secreted in less 
 quantities and being more spongy it has a tendency to 
 
104 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 inclose in it a portion of this extravasated blood. 
 Another, and the most common cause of corns, is 
 allowing the shoes to remain too long on the horse's 
 feet ; nothing is more injurious than to allow a shoe 
 to remain too long on the foot, yet many owners of 
 horses, to save a few shillings per year, will let the 
 shoes remain on the horse for six weeks and two 
 months at a stretch, at the risk of producing corns, 
 and spraining the back sinews by an extra amount of 
 leverage caused by the lengthened growth of the toe. 
 The shoe remaining on too long is sure to become 
 embedded in the heel of the foot, consequently the 
 hoof grows down on the outside of the shoe and the 
 bearing is thus thrown on to the angular portion of 
 the sole. Continual pressure on the sole is sure to 
 induce inflammation and corns, the shoe being on a 
 loner time sets loosened at the heels, which admits of 
 
 O ft ' 
 
 gravel between it and the crust, which having accumu- 
 lated at the angles naturally insinuates itself into 
 the heels and produces a sore. As I said before, 
 nothing can be more injudicious than to allow the shoes 
 to remain too long on ; even if they are not worn out 
 they should be taken off every twenty-one days and 
 re-adjusted to free the feet from long continued 
 pressure. In shoeing, too, tlie blacksmith will often 
 resort to that injurious and ridiculous cutting and 
 shaping of the foot, and cutting away the bars. This 
 renders it necessary that the shoe should be levelled 
 inward, so as to accommodate it to their senseless 
 cutting and shaping of the foot; consequently an 
 unnatural disposition to contraction is induced by this 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road, 105 
 
 slanting inward direction of the shoe. There can be 
 but little doubt but corns are mainly owing to the 
 faults of shoeing, as well as to the fact of shoeing 
 itself, however well performed, preventing the due ex- 
 pansion of the horn when the sole is growing down- 
 ward. The treatment of this disease, like all others 
 and the diseases of the foot in particular, must be 
 begun by removing the cause. The first thing to do 
 with a corn is to remove the shoe and pare out the 
 corn ; do not cut the bars or heels ; pare the corn until 
 it will bend under the pressure of the finger. 
 Veterinary surgeons adopt different modes of treat- 
 ment of corns, but the writer, having after many ex- 
 periments adopted the following with great success, 
 sometimes from continual pressure upon the heels 
 by a bad-made shoe, or by neglect in not having the 
 horse's shoes taken off at proper intervals, the corn, or 
 the foot between the horn of the heel and the bars, 
 will become festered ; if in paring out the corn 
 matter is observed, open the sole to allow of free 
 suppuration, then poultice the foot with warm linseed 
 meal for two or three days ; after the suppuration has 
 ceased dip a piece of cotton wool into carbolised oil 
 (strength five parts oil to one of acid), and insert it 
 into the hole in the foot ; in a few days the foot will 
 have become sound, and by good shoeing and care the 
 corn will cease to trouble, as we have set up a healthy 
 reaction of the food. If the corn is only of the 
 ordinary kind, after the horn has been pared away, 
 hold up the foot and pour a small quantity of 
 muriatic acid upon the corn, keep the foot up 
 
106 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 until the acid has ceased to hiss, then have the shoe 
 put on, but mind it has a fair and level bearing 
 and broad enough at the heel to cover the point 
 of the bar at its juncture with the heel. Never 
 allow the smith to spring the heel, as they say " to 
 take the pressure off the heel," for by so doing they 
 avoid one trouble and cause two. If the shoe is sprung 
 at the heel there is no level bearing, and great leverage 
 is given to the shoe which unduly bears upon the 
 quarters of the foot, the quarters being the weakest 
 part of the foot it is easily injured, and thus to avoid 
 a corn we do our best to set up inflammation. Another 
 evil is, that by an uneven bearing and great leverage 
 we put too much strain on the nails, causing them to 
 break and loosen the shoe. la cases of bad corns, if 
 you want the pressure taken off the heel, make the 
 smith thin out the heel of the shoe to one half the 
 substance of the shoe for about one inch and a 
 quarter from the point of the heel ; this should be done 
 on the wearing surface next the ground, and upon 
 no account on the side next the foot. If these in- 
 structions are fully carried out, the author is confident 
 that the worst corns can be cured in twice or three times 
 shoeing, much annoyance to master and man saved, and 
 relief given to the poor horse. This being a disease 
 brought on entirely by man's ignorance, stupidity, and 
 neglect, it is time we turned our attention to the subject, 
 and by careful shoeing and common sense to atone for 
 the suffering of the past, by studying the comfort of the 
 horse in the future, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 107 
 
 THRCJSH 
 
 Is another disease of the foot of the horse, which, 
 however much veterinary surgeons and other writers 
 may say to the contrary, the author is satisfied is mainly 
 caused by man's neglect. It is a disease that is observed 
 in horses of all ages, the colt in the farm-yard and the 
 old and worn-out carriage horse. Thrush in the foot of 
 the colt is produced by pressure and contraction of the 
 quarters, which is thereby diminished in size, and the 
 lower portion of the fleshy or sensitive frog being 
 confined is irritated and inflamed, which induces ulcera- 
 tion, and when matured is manifested by matter being 
 discharged from the cleft of the frog. The cause of this 
 contraction is attributable to neglect in not having the 
 colt's feet examined regularly, and the heels rasped down 
 and the toe shortened. We never see thrush in the foot 
 of a thorough-bred colt, from the simple reason that their 
 feet are not neglected. It would not pay, for who would 
 o-ive four or five hundred guineas for a thorough-bred 
 colt, however good-looking he may be, if his feet were 
 rotten with thrush ? If neglect will not pay in the race- 
 horse, neither will it do so in the hackney, carriage, or 
 cart horse, yet many farmers and owners of young horses 
 will risk contracting thrush and numerous other diseases 
 of the foot lor the sake of saving a few shillings ;— and 
 few indeed it is, for the foot if looked to once a month 
 would become sound and well formed, instead of weak, 
 diseased, and malformed. During the stage of in- 
 flammation the lower surface of the sensible frog, 
 secretes pus, instead of the horny substance which is 
 
108 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 its proper function. When a frog is in a healthy con- 
 dition the cleft sinks but a small way into the foot ; 
 contraction, however, or any other disease, often 
 affects the cleft so that it extends in length and often 
 penetrates deep into the sensitive frog, and it is 
 through this deep and diseased fissure that the matter 
 from the thrush discharges itself. Any complaint 
 which affects the healthy condition of the foot will 
 induce thrush, which, differing from most diseases of 
 the foot, is mostly the worst in the hind feet, especially 
 in horses kept in the stable. This can be accounted 
 for by uncleanliness and bad stable management, and 
 that the hind feet aie subject to the baneful effects of 
 being immersed in the dung and urine, producing 
 irritation and generating disease. Besides the hind 
 feet are farther removed from the centre of circulation 
 than the fore feet, which consequently subjects them 
 to an accumulation of matter and grease, as well as 
 other affections to which they are liable. Contraction 
 is generally the cause of thrush in the fore feet, and 
 contraction is caused chiefly by bad shoeing and neg- 
 lect of the foot of the unshod colt, therefore I contend 
 that I am within bounds when I assert that thrush is 
 caused by man's neglect. A horse may have thrush 
 without being lame, as it often happens that no 
 alteration whatever is to be seen on the foot thus 
 diseased, and it may require a close inspection to 
 detect that it is diseased, but it will always be 
 manifested by the disagreeable smell that invariably 
 accompanies this complaint. In some cases no ten- 
 derness of the frosj attends thrush, and the horse 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 109 
 
 would be considered legally sound. This, however, 
 seems strange, as a horse with thrush may, and indeed 
 is likely to assume a worse aspect, particularly if not 
 remedied in time, and hence it may lead to positive 
 unsoundness. The remedies of this complaint are 
 undoubtedly by astringents. The foot should be pared 
 of all the loose and rotten horn, then cut away the 
 diseased portion, wash with warm water strong with 
 soda, after which it may be dressed every day with the 
 following put on a pledget of tow: — Blue vitriol two 
 ounces, white vitriol one ounce, tar one pound, hog's- 
 lard one pound. The vitriols to be finely powdered 
 and mixed with the lard and tar, or instead of the 
 former carbolised oil may be used with good effect. 
 It is not judicious to stop the running of thrush quickly, 
 as by so doing the humour may ascend to the heels 
 and leave the animal with bad heels and swelled legs. 
 During the treatment of thrush the horse's feet should 
 be kept dry and clean. 
 
 SEEDY TOE 
 
 Is another disagreeable and ofttimes troublesome com- 
 plaint. Seedy toe and its companion canker are to all intents 
 and purposes one disease, only having different situations 
 in the foot. This complaint is met with in horses of all 
 aofes, and mostlv in well-bred horses. There is a wasting 
 or decay of the fibres of the hoof, between the outside 
 horn and the sensitive lamilla of the foot, often becoming 
 hollow up to near the coronary ring. Horses that have 
 been lying in fields of damp black vegetable soil are the 
 most subject to seedy toe, and others that are turned 
 
110 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 into a dung-yard upon hot dung will become affected. 
 Many writers say that seedy toe is caused by the shoeing 
 smith putting the hot shoe upon the horse's foot to burn 
 it to a level bed, thereby depriving the horn of its 
 natural elasticity. I have never seen a case of seedy 
 toe that I could trace to that cause, and am of opinion 
 that we must look to other sources for the true cause. 
 After numerous experiments, I have come to the con- 
 clusion that seedy toe is, if I may use the term, a 
 vegetable disease, being caused by moisture fostering 
 the growth of a minute kind of fungus, which lives upon 
 the horn, just as dry rot is caused by a fungus living 
 upon the wood. Having arrived at that conclusion, I 
 have always resorted to the following treatment, and 
 never had a case that did not succumb after twice or 
 thrice dressing. First take a small searching knife and 
 cut away all the rotten horn as far as you can between 
 the sole and crust; cut away the crust to prevent it 
 breaking, then pour into the affected part carbolic acid 
 one part, sweet oil three parts, dip a piece of tow into 
 the oil, and fill the hole with it, then put on the shoe, 
 and in two or three times dressing the foot will have 
 become sound. I had a patient last summer, an ass, 
 which had its hoofs entirely eaten away with disease of 
 the seedy toe type. I dressed its feet firstly with pure 
 carbolic acid, the next day I dressed them with carbolised 
 oil, filling the space between the little outside horn it 
 had left with tow, and turned it out into the field. In 
 twice dressing I had lulled the fungus, and now its feet 
 are perfectly sound. Perhaps some of my readers who 
 have seedy toe among their horses, will place a portion 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Roctd. Ill 
 
 of the bad hoof under a powerful microscope, and 
 ascertain if my theory as to fungus is correct ; but, let 
 it be fungus or what it may, it cannot stand carbolic 
 acid. My reason for first trying the acid was that it 
 possesses the power to prevent decomposition and de- 
 stroying minute animal and vegetable organism. 
 Perhaps other substances possessing similar properties 
 may be as effective in seedy toe, but the writer, 
 being satisfied that he can cure every case of 
 seedy toe that comes under his care with carbolic acid, 
 is quite content with it without further experiment. 
 
 CANKER, 
 
 Unlike seedy toe, is mostly met with in the low breed 
 of horses, heavy cart and dray horses being most subject 
 to it. By some writers it is considered of an hereditary 
 nature, but I am inclined to look upon it as upon thrush, 
 which is in itself almost always the true cause of canker ; 
 and as thrush is the offspring of neglect of the foot and 
 bad shoeing, so is canker the offspring of a neglected 
 thrush ; or, I may say, thrush is the primary cause, and 
 canker the secondary. Still there are cases where the 
 canker is caused by puncture, bruise, corn, or quittor, 
 yet it is mostly thrush that is its primary cause. Canker 
 consists of a separation of the horny substance from the 
 sensible fleshy and bony portion of the foot, caused by 
 the growth of fungus matter shooting up and occupying 
 parts of, or the entire sole of the foot and frog. The 
 cause of this disease, like many others incidental to the 
 cart horse, is negligence in the master and groom and 
 the shoeing smith combined. The chief cause of canker 
 
112 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 is produced by ponderous heavy shoes with which they 
 are shod, and the large nails with which they are neces- 
 sarily attached to the foot; these produce contraction, 
 which produces thrush, and thrush produces canker. 
 Thus neglect is the primary cause of nine-tenths of the 
 so-called hereditary diseases of the foot. The dirty 
 state of the stables and the neglect of the feet are a 
 fertile source of this complaint. Cleanliness and atten- 
 tion to the horse's feet are a preventive which is far 
 before all known methods of cure. When once this 
 disease has been induced it is extremely difficult to 
 cure, and it is advisable to call in the aid of the veteri- 
 nary surgeon. Although I have found the same treat- 
 ment I adopt for seedy toe to be very effectual, I will 
 here quote a few words from Mr Brown upon this 
 disease. He says, " Besides the hereditary predisposition 
 of work-horses to canker, in order to give them foot- 
 hold it becomes necessary to raise the heels of the hind 
 feet so much that all pressure on the frog is done away 
 with, which has the effect of destroying its functions, 
 and consequently rendering it liable to disease." This 
 is most erroneous, for I contend it is not necessary to 
 put heavy shoes on the cart horse, neither is it necessary 
 to put on large caulk ings to give him a foot-hold ; the 
 animal has a far better foot-hold if shod plain with his 
 frog on the ground, to allow that natural wedge to take 
 the place that nature evidently intended it for, i.e., the 
 expansion of the toot, and to prevent the horse slipping. 
 
 The American farmer does not have his horses shod 
 upon the absurd principle of high caulkings as we find 
 them in this country, yet their horses have as heavy 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 1 1 3 
 
 loads to draw and as steep hills to climb. They study 
 their horse's comfort much more than is done by the 
 farmers and carters of this boasted Christian land. 
 How much straining, fear, torture, and misery, would be 
 taken away from the poor horse if brains were more 
 plentiful in men ! By the very simple contrivance of 
 brake-power to every cart, the horse could go as easily 
 down a steep hill as on the level road. I have seen 
 such a contrivance in Scotland upon the carts drawing 
 stone from quarries. It is simply a piece of wood 
 attached to the after-part of the cart with two short 
 pieces of chain ; in the centre of the wood a small rod 
 of iron passes through to the axletree to which it is 
 attached, on the end which projects through the wood 
 a screw-handle is attached, with which the carter can 
 screw the block of wood so that it has a bearing upon 
 both wheels. The contrivance is very simple and the 
 cost trifling, as any country smith could make it and 
 put it on, and the saving in wear and tear of horse 
 flesh must be enormous. This simple break would be 
 far superior to the skid pan and chain upon our 
 waggons, as the power is upon both wheels at once, 
 and the pressure can be put on without the horses 
 being stopped and can be taken off without backing 
 the load. If owners of waggons and carts would have 
 them put on, their carters would soon appreciate 
 them ; for as a rule they are very fond of their horses, 
 especially if the farmer does not half-starve them. 
 The late Mr Mechi used to jocularly say that "the 
 ploughmen were more fond of their horses than their 
 wives ; they love to see them fat, with skins as glossy as 
 
 H 
 
114 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 velvet and as sleek as moles." No man knew more 
 about the ploughman than he, or was more beloved 
 by (to use his own words) his old and trusted servants, 
 many of whom had worked lor him for twenty years 
 and upwards ; one of his great secrets of successful 
 farming was to get good men and keep them. He 
 studied the welfare of his men, and his men repaid him 
 by faithfully doing their duty, and loving and caring for 
 his horses and stock, because he loved and cared for 
 them. 
 
 I now come to another troublesome complaint of 
 the foot. Ah ! how many are there who can tell ? only 
 the man with large studs under his care. The diseases, 
 modifications, and complications are truly amazing and 
 fearful to contemplate. Who will say that 
 
 SANDCRACK 
 is not as bad as any other disease of the foot, and quite 
 as painful to the animal ? Who of my readers has torn 
 the nail of his finger down to the quick, and experienced 
 the pain when he has touched anything with the injured 
 finger ? He at least will know something of the pain 
 the poor horse has to suffer when his feet are afflicted 
 with sandcrack. Sandcrack is a disease that is mostly 
 met with in horses working upon hard roads and drawing 
 heavy loads. In the cart horse it is chiefly found in the 
 hind feet, but in the lighter breed of horses it is mostly 
 confined to the fore feet. Sandcrack is simply a bursting 
 of the horny matrix that holds together the horn fibres 
 or horn tubes of the hoof. It may only reach to a very 
 limited extent at the coronet, or it may extend from the 
 coronet to the ground surface. It may come on gradually, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 115 
 
 or it may come on suddenly. When it comes on sud- 
 denly it is attended with great suffering. Occasionally 
 we have suppuration in the fissure, sloughing of the 
 laminae, caries of the bone, superfluous granulation, and 
 in very severe cases the animal gives up, refuses all food, 
 sinks, and dies. Mr. Greaves, in a letter in the Veteri- 
 narian, vol. 48, p. 72, says, " I fully believe that in many 
 cases there is a constitutional tendency to sandcrack, for 
 if we get the fissure to grow out and entirely disappear 
 in one place another crack will make its appearance in 
 another part of the hoof. We often notice that the horse 
 with a sandcrack in one foot, whether it be hind or fore, 
 will sooner or later have another sandcrack in one of the 
 other feet." The author cannot fall into the view of Mr. 
 Greaves upon the constitutional point of the disease, 
 unless, indeed, the patient has an hereditary mal- 
 formation of the foot, as some horses have. Colts 
 by Snowstorm, for instance, have most of them one club 
 foot. I am more in favour of the view taken by my 
 friend Mr. Broad, of Bath. In a conversation I once had 
 with him about this disease, he said, " The majority of 
 cases of sandcrack that came under his notice for treat- 
 ment were those that occur in the toes of heavy cart 
 horses ; they do not arise as the effects of dryness or the 
 defects of the horn itself, as, on the contrar}^, they occur 
 in the strongest and thickest of hoofs which are de- 
 fective in shape, being mostly very upright, so that 
 when the horse is shod with high caulkings — the 
 principal cause — and put to excessively heavy pulling, 
 the front part of the hoof gets more strain upon it than 
 it can sustain, the result being a fracture of the horn. 
 
116 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 High caulkings, and indeed caulkings of any kind, 
 are a curse to the horse, and until a class is opened for 
 instructing the blacksmith in the fundamental principles 
 of the foot, the absurd, foolish, and ridiculous system of 
 shoeing will not improve. The old smiths will tell us 
 that they have shod horses upon that principle all their 
 lives, and their fathers did so before them, so they must 
 know ; and they instil this doctrine into their ap- 
 prentices, and after they have served their time they in 
 their turn become as pig-headed as their teacher, and 
 strongly opposed to any alteration of the system. The 
 man who dares to assert that there can and ought to be 
 improvements made is considered a raving lunatic. The 
 treatment I have always adopted in sandcrack is that 
 which was recommended to me by Mr. Broad, of Bath, 
 and his brother in London. If my patient is lame I im- 
 mediately put on a bar-shoe. A bar-shoe is a round 
 shoe, not a common shoe made of bar-iron, fitted full at 
 the toe with a clip on each side, but having no bearing 
 opposite the crack. The shoe is fitted long, and made 
 thin at the heel, the object being to enable the horse to 
 bear his weight on the heels, which he can do better in 
 this shaped shoe than any other, or indeed even without 
 a shoe, at the same time applying plenty of cold water to 
 the coronet. Nothing will make the horn grow so fast 
 as plenty of cold water. Some people order poultices, 
 but they are difficult to keep on; holes are sure to wear 
 through the bag, the poultice falls through, and the loot 
 becoming dry, they do more harm than good. Give 
 physic, and in nine cases out of ten the patient in a few 
 days is free from lameness. I then adopt a practice 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Eoad. 117 
 
 recommended by Mr. Broad, of Star-street, Edgware- 
 road, London, upwards of thirty years ago, and practised 
 by him and his brother at Bath with success up to the 
 present time. It consists in cutting a notch with a 
 drawing-knife, about half an inch from each side of the 
 crack as near the coronet as possible, and about a quarter 
 of an inch deep, sufficiently large to allow the embedding 
 of the head of small horse nails. If the crack is long, 
 cut two others an inch lower down, then have a nail 
 prepared in the ordinary way, with the exception that 
 they are pointed on the reverse side to prevent punctur- 
 ing the quick, a case of which I never had. Never make 
 a hole with a pricker or bore it with a redhot wire. 
 Before using, the nails are put into a vice and the head 
 hammered to form a shoulder, to prevent it being driven 
 too far into the wall and breaking out the hold. After 
 being driven carefully through the notches, a long clinch 
 is left, the crack is then drawn closely together with the 
 pincers, and all made smooth with the rasp to prevent 
 the nails being trodden out. Then with the use of the 
 bar-shoe, and a constant application of cold water with 
 a linen bandage round the coronet, the hoof will soon 
 grow sound, and in course of time grow out. Before 
 quitting the subject of diseases of the foot of the horse, 
 there is yet one more, no better than the others I have 
 described, but, if possible, it is worse. Those of my 
 readers who have had the misfortune to have a horse 
 lame with 
 
 QUITTOR 
 will be able to endorse my remarks, as no man is 
 anxious to have a second case after experiencing the 
 
118 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 first. A wound of the coronet, whether it proceeds 
 from a tread or otherwise, should be carefully and im- 
 mediately attended to, because if sand or gravel get into 
 the wound it is likely to produce those deep-seated 
 ulcerations that are termed pipes or sinuses, which 
 constitute the disease called quittor. It may also 
 proceed from any wound of the foot, and in any part of 
 it. In all ulcers matter is secreted, and the part affected 
 cannot possibly heal until the matter is discharged. In 
 wounds of the foot there is much difficulty in the matter 
 proceeding from ulceration finding its way from under 
 the hoof, which covers the foot with its various com- 
 plicated parts. The consequence is, it accumulates under 
 the hoof until it has increased to such an extent that it 
 must find an escape in some way, and frequently forces 
 itself out in all directions, separating the little fleshy 
 plates from their connexion with the horny ones of the 
 crust, or disuniting the fleshy sole from the horny one, 
 and in extreme cases eats its way deeply into the internal 
 parts of the foot, forming pipes and sinuses, which run in 
 all directions. If quittor arises from a wound in the 
 lower portion of the foot, the matter which is collected 
 in it after the ulcer has ripened, being confined there 
 issues from it, and induces a separation between the 
 horny and fleshy sole, and having accumulated in con- 
 siderable quantities, at length discharges itself at the 
 coronet, generally close to the quarter. This, however, 
 does not manifest itself to any extent, as both the 
 aperture and quantity of matter that oozes out are 
 apparently so insignificant that they would lead an in- 
 experienced person to suppose the discharge of little 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 119 
 
 consequence. In this, however, they will be sadly 
 mistaken, for the most serious mischief lurks within, 
 and the difficulty of removing it is extremely great. In 
 this state of the disease, although the fistula is of very 
 small dimensions, the effect of this confined matter will 
 have extended almost all over the entire quarter, and 
 the horny sole may be separated from the foot. The 
 matter may have penetrated and lodged beneath the 
 ligaments and cartilages of the coffin-joint; and besides 
 the pressure of the matter, wherever it has forced its 
 way to, will have formed ulcerations which are most 
 difficult to heal, and the horn which has been separated 
 from the sensible parts below will never unite with them 
 again, thus producing an evil of the worst description. 
 Quittor often proceeds from neglected bruises and 
 injuries to the sole of the foot. When horses have flat 
 feet, and are ridden over a rough, uneven, stony road, 
 the feet are very liable to be injured, and especially by 
 getting a small stone under a shoe, between it and the 
 sole where broad web shoes are used, to give what the 
 smith calls "cover" to the sole, which he has pared away, 
 leaving only the sixth of an inch of horn on the sole to 
 protect it against stones, so that the poor animal 
 cannot step upon a stone without seriously bruising 
 the foot. Animals also shod with the broad web 
 shoe are much more likely to get stones fast between 
 the frog and the shoe, and are by some men driven long 
 journeys with a stone in the shoe, because they either 
 do not see it or are too lazy to get down and take it 
 out. When narrow web shoes are used, we are told 
 by the smith that the horse is sure to hurt its feet on 
 
120 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 the stones, as they have no cover to the sole. In this 
 instance they are strictly true, for they, by a free use 
 of the knife, have taken away all the true cover with 
 which Nature had fortified the foot, seeing the nature 
 of the work the horse was destined to fulfil. If the 
 horse is shod with narrow web shoes, and the smith 
 forbidden to touch the sole or frog with the knife, the 
 horse will be much less liable to receive injuries from 
 treading upon stones, as the shoe is less liable to pick 
 them up, and Nature has herself put a protection on 
 the sole to prevent injury of a far superior material to 
 any of man's invention. It must be evident that this 
 is a case which can only be successfully treated by a 
 veterinary surgeon or a man well versed in the 
 superstructure of the foot. In most instances it 
 becomes necessary to cut away the greater portion of 
 the horny sole of the foot, and thereafter to restore 
 the healthy state of the tender surfaces beneath. 
 When this has been effected the horn will be quickly 
 reproduced, but when much of the horn of the sole 
 has had to be cut away, it will take at least six months 
 to restore fully that which had been removed so that, 
 the horse may be again fit to work. To restore the 
 healthy condition of the foot very active means must be 
 adopted ; caustic applications alone will destroy the 
 ulcerated surface. To ascertain the state of the disease 
 a probe must be used, and if it touches any of the bones 
 it is doubtful if a cure can be effected even by the most 
 skilful. One thing is certain, if it is found when the 
 probe is inserted into the fistulous openings on the 
 coronet that the direction of the sinuses is backward, it 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 121 
 
 is highly probable that a cure may be effected ; but if 
 the pipes have a forward direction there is great doubt 
 of a cure being effected. The treatment I have always 
 adopted with quittors is to open the hoof in the diseased 
 part, and allow of free suppuration ; wash clean with 
 warm soda and water, dress, and inject into the pipes 
 carbolised oil, strength four oil, one acid ; this requires to 
 be done three times each day. Carbolic acid, being a 
 powerful caustic and an antiseptic, has the power of 
 destroying the ulceration, and its antiseptic properties 
 prevent suppuration. In most cases of quittor after 
 carbolic acid has wrought its work in the healing process, 
 we often find a superfious growth of flesh, and it becomes 
 necessary to apply nitrate of silver to remove it. This 
 must be used with great caution, as it is of the utmost 
 importance in this stage to check the superfluous growth 
 without retarding the consolidating and healing pro- 
 cess, and this cannot be done without a knowledge of 
 the fundamental principles of the foot ; therefore it is of 
 the utmost importance to call in the aid of the veterinary 
 surgeon in this disease. 
 
 Before leaving the foot of the horse it will be well to 
 consider how our horses are shod, the kind of shoes that 
 are used, and the class of men who make them ; whether 
 they are the shoes best adapted for the comfort and 
 profitable working of the various kinds of horses, and if 
 any improvement is possible to be made, for if a good 
 system of shoeing is universally adopted we shall have 
 given the death-blow to nine-tenths of the diseases of the 
 foot of the horse, and the groom's millennium will have 
 arrived. It is a generally acknowledged fact that large 
 
122 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 numbers of horses' legs and feet are worn out before the 
 animals have arived at a mature age, and it has almost 
 become a proverb that one horse could wear out three 
 sets of legs. This is a very unsatisfactory state of things, 
 the more so as nine-tenths of the diseases of the foot of 
 the horse are the result of bad management in youth, 
 and ignorance and neglect in after-life. Nor is this to be 
 wondered at when we consider who our shoeing-smiths 
 are, and the qualifications that are considered necessary 
 for a man to shoe a horse. I do not think that I shall ex- 
 ceed the truth when I say, that hundreds of men are 
 working in large shops as shoeing-smiths, who know 
 nothing about the structure of the horse's foot. When 
 we look to the rotten system in our army of making 
 shoeing-smiths of tailors, plasterers, and bricklayers, 
 labourers, is it any wonder that our shops are overrun 
 with the so-called " shoeing-smith ? " Mr. Douglas says, 
 "In my own regiment (the 10th Hussars), just before 
 they went to India, out of fifteen farrier-sergeants and 
 shoeing-smiths, there were only the farrier-major and 
 two others who had been farriers before they joined the 
 army. One of the twelve had been a tailor, and as such 
 had worked in the regime at, a second had been a collier, 
 a third a haberdasher, the fourth a groom, and the re- 
 mainder clodhoppers." The writer is able to prove that 
 the 10th Hussars is not the only regiment in the same 
 fix ; indeed, the Scots Greys and the Household Brigade 
 a few years ago were in equally as bad a state. Y et 
 these are the men who are held up to our eyes as pattern 
 smiths. Go into the large shoeing establishments in 
 London, Manchester, Nottingham, &c., and enquire of 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the hood. 123 
 
 the men and their employers, and you will find that the 
 principal recommendation of half their men is that they 
 were farriers in our army, and being so, must understand 
 their business. From these large shops emanate from 
 time to time libels upon their brother Vulcans, the 
 country shoeing-smiths, who are held up to ridicule by 
 the gentlemen of large shops in town, where they are 
 under the hallowed protection of having served in the 
 army, and their employers have tacked to their names 
 M.R.C.V.S., which may be literally read, " makers of 
 rough, coarse, vexatious shoes." The writer's experience 
 has led him to the conclusion that if you wanted your 
 horses well shod, and thought of taking them to these 
 large shops, and asked his advice upon them, he would 
 give you the same advice that Punch gave to the young 
 man about getting married, " Don't." As a general rule, 
 these large firms turn out the worst work ; they do not 
 take time enough to fit the shoes, but cut and rasp the 
 foot to fit the shoe. In justice to the village smith, he, 
 as a rule, will shoe the gentleman's horse better than at 
 the large shops in town. If he has my lord's or the 
 squire's horses to shoe, he is looked upon by the 
 villagers as a man of great skill, and he devotes much 
 time and labour to shoeing them, knowing that if they 
 are not shod well he will in all probability lose most of 
 the work in the village, as where the squire's horse goes 
 the farmer follows ; and, radical though it may appear, 
 yet the writer can positively assert that the best shoeing- 
 smiths he has met with in England had been in the 
 village smithy, and men who could not boast of a 
 military training, but brought sound common sense to 
 bear upon their work. 
 
124 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 Now we come to the much- vexed question of what 
 is the best system of shoeing our horses. The writer 
 does not advocate one system more than another, but 
 will try and point out the faults in most of them, and, 
 contrary to most writers, will begin with the cart horse 
 first, because he is the worst shod, unless it is indeed the 
 blacksmith's own horse. What class of shoe is best 
 adapted for the ordinary use of the farm horse ? Most 
 smiths and farmers like putting on heavy wide-web 
 shoes — the farmer, from the belief that the heavy shoe 
 has most wear ; and the smith, who generally contracts 
 for farm horses by the year, thinks that the more iron 
 he puts on the horse, the less times he will have to shoe 
 hirn during the year. This is a system void of economy, 
 both to the shoeing-smith and farmer, as proof is not 
 wanting that tlie narrow- web light shoe will wear longer 
 and the horse will go easier than with broad heavy shoes. 
 Mr. Douglas some years ago tried the experiment of 
 shoeing the heavy van horses of one of the London 
 railway companies with light narrow shoes. He took 
 off one horse a set of shoes that after they were 
 worn out weighed 71b. 14oz , and put a set o± 
 new narrow-web shoes on the same horse which only 
 weighed 71b. 4oz., or lOozs. less than the old worn-out 
 shoes. The horse was put to the same work, with a 
 result that the new narrow-web shoes wore four 
 weeks and two days, and the broad heavy shoes only 
 wore three weeks and four days. Mr. Douglas did not 
 know what was the weight of the old shoes when put 
 upon the horse, but it is only reasonable to think they 
 would weigh 16 lb. the set, as thev would no doubt be 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 125 
 
 half worn away before they were termed worn out. Nor 
 was this all ; the horse did not slip half as much with 
 the narrow shoe, and it entirely altered the horse's 
 action. With the heavy shoe, he drove his feet along 
 the road ; with the light ones, he lifted his feet free 
 from the ground, and put them down evenly and firmly. 
 The author has had many cart horses shod for farm 
 purposes, and found that if a horse with a foot 6i in. 
 across was shod with shoes weighing 5 lb. the set of four 
 shoes, they would last as long as any shoe ought to 
 be kept on, and in many instances Avhere the horses 
 have been working on the land they would be good 
 enough to remove after a month's work. This is proof 
 that heavy shoes are more expensive than the narrow- 
 web, light shoe, and it is false economy to load horses' 
 feet with iron. The carriage horse requires for its work 
 a different kind of shoe, yet whether the horse is shod 
 for cart, carriage, or hacking, the one principle should 
 rule all, viz., lightness of shoe, with true, even bearing 
 upon the wall of the foot ; as few nails as possible should 
 be used, and each shoe made to fit the foot, not the foot 
 to fit the shoe. Upwards of forty kinds of shoes have 
 been made from time to time, each possessing some real 
 or imaginary advantage, many of them being good, and 
 one in particular, called the " Goodenough," which is 
 good enough to lame half the horses with its ponderous 
 weight and softness of metal. Another shoe has been 
 before the public from time to time during the last 
 twenty years, named the"Charlier," after Mons. Charlier, 
 the inventor of that system of shoeing. It has many 
 advantages over the old-fashioned shoe, but it again has 
 
126 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 its drawbacks ; it is a shoe that cannot be adapted to 
 every class of foot, and above all other class of shoe 
 requires great skill, care, and patience to fit and put on 
 with success. No smith, however skilful he may be at 
 the foro^e, can succeed with the " Charlier " shoe unless 
 he has a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the 
 structure of the horse's foot. The foot itself requires 
 much time before it becomes again naturalised after it 
 has been under a course of barbarous shoeing with the 
 cutting, paring, and rasping so often practised in the 
 shoeing-shop ; and before the horse can be safely shod 
 with the " Charlier " the feet must be allowed time 
 to grow, and the sole and frog must on no account 
 be touched with the knife, the principle of the "Charlier" 
 shoe being to insert a narrow rim of iron round the wall 
 of the foot to prevent its breaking away, and leave all 
 the remainder of the foot as God formed it. If the 
 unshod colt is shod in this way from the first it can 
 do any kind of work over the roughest roads with 
 ease and safety, and the writer is of opinion that that 
 is the right time to begin with the " Charlier " shoe. 
 As it is with the faults of shoes and shoeing I am 
 dealing, I may here state that the two objections I 
 have found to the " Charlier " shoes is the difficulty 
 of getting them shod properly, and the fact that they 
 require a long time before the horse's feet become 
 naturalised. Another fault I have found in hunting 
 with them is that the horse cannot grip a bank. The 
 Toe Tip in many respects is like the " Charlier " shoe, 
 and is a plate of iron about five inches long and 
 three-quarters of an inch wide, and has generally a 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 127 
 
 clip at the toe which is put upon the horse with 
 only four nails ; the loot is lowered at the bed of 
 the shoe and the toe shortened; the sole and frog 
 are never touched with the knife. The lowering of 
 the sole at the bed of the shoe is to bring the surface 
 of the shoe flush with the sole, so that the animal 
 has a level bearing upon the whole of its foot, and 
 brings it as near to its natural formation as possible. 
 This system of shoeing with tips has all the advantages 
 of the "Charlier" without its drawbacks; they can be 
 made and put on by any smith of ordinary skill, and 
 there is not the danger of drawing the shoe too close to 
 the sensitive lamillaB and setting up inflammation. That 
 horses can do ordinary work in them is certain, and horses 
 shod with the " Charlier" or tips are seldom known to 
 sprain their back sinews, and never become afflicted with 
 navicular disease. The horses of one of the coaches 
 running from the White Horse Cellar used to be shod 
 with tips, and many gentlemen use them exclusively for 
 horses for all purposes, yet in the hunting field they have 
 the same fault as the " Charlier" — want of grip at a bank 
 Of the ordinary hunting shoe I need scarcely speak, as it 
 is a given fact that they require to be light, made short 
 with the heels bevelled to prevent them being torn off 
 when jumping into deep land. The hind shoe of the hunter 
 should always be rounded at the toe both inside and 
 outside, to prevent the horse cutting its heels off should 
 he over-reach. Many horses injure themselves when 
 running, which is called cutting, or brushing. Many 
 methods are resorted to to prevent its occurrence, but in 
 nine cases out of ten the horse always cuts worse in new 
 
128 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 shoes ; indeed many horses that are habitual cutters never 
 cut themselves when the shoe is worn out. With horses 
 of this habit there is one general rule which is very 
 difficult to get the smith to follow, i.e., get the smith to 
 make a shoe like the worn-out one, let him place a piece 
 of iron the thickness of a shoe on the inside of the 
 old worn-out shoe, and then he has a pattern of a new 
 shoe that the horse can go comfortably in. lie will find 
 that the nearer he makes the new shoe to the shape of 
 the old worn-out one (upon the ground surface) the less 
 the horse will cut. This rule is applicable to all horses 
 of all gaits of going, and especially with trippers or 
 stumblers. The feather-edge shoe is largely used for 
 horses with a close gait of action w r ith their hind legs ; 
 they are intended to throw the weight of the horse more 
 on the outer splint bone, thereby causing a wider gait of 
 action, yet we find many smiths who are but imperfectly 
 acquainted with their business will make a feather-edge 
 shoe, and absurdly make a caulking upon the outside 
 heel to bring it to a level with the hammered-up inside 
 feather-edge, and they are surprised to find that the horse 
 cuts or bruises as bad as before. If they had left the 
 heel on the outside the same thickness as the shoe from 
 the toe, they would have made, by the propping up of 
 the inside with a feather-edge, the horse have a wider 
 gait, and thereby prevented its cutting. The seated shoe 
 is the best of the common class of use for roadsters and 
 hackneys, and it is but seldom that we see one well 
 made. The seating of the shoe is generally un level, with 
 the outer edge the highest, whereas the seated shoe should 
 be of an equal thickness from toe to heel, perfectly flat 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 129 
 
 and parallel, only varying in width according to the for- 
 mation of the hoof to which it is to be applied, and 
 similar to the ordinary shoe in the fullering. The foot 
 surface, however, differs in having a narrow plain rim 
 about the same width as the thickness of the crust, 
 extending round the edge of the shoe, except at the heel, 
 where it presents a flat surface, to the extent of an inch ; 
 the other part of the shoe is hollowed out, bevelling from 
 the inner edge of the seat, making it thin except at the 
 heel, which is the same thickness throughout, the inten- 
 tion being that the crust of the foot should bear upon 
 and be supported by the seat of the shoe. The advantage 
 of this shoe over the ordinary one is that of the crust 
 resting on a flat surface instead of on an inclined plane, 
 and as it bears on the edsfe it is less liable to induce 
 contraction. The heel of the shoe should have a fair 
 bearing upon the heel and bars of the foot. The bars 
 should upon no account be cut away. Almost all smiths 
 have a fancy for opening the heels, from the idea that it 
 does good by rendering the foot neater, which is a com- 
 plete fallacy, as they ought seldom or never to be 
 touched ; as I have already shown in my description 
 of the anatomy of the foot, the bars are the only 
 check in preventing contraction. Nothing, therefore, 
 should be removed but the ragged and detached 
 portions. . . . It is intended that the shoe should 
 rest partly on the heel and partly on the bar of 
 the foot, consequently the bars should be alloAved to 
 remain nearly in its original condition from its first 
 inflection, and extending down to the frog. From what 
 we have shown it will be sufficiently evident that some 
 
 I 
 
130 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 skill is required to make this shoe, and properly fit and 
 put on, yet no skill is required to cut and pare the 
 horse's foot, that being a part of the smith's performance 
 which is best left undone. ..." Free Lance," in 
 his writing, strongly advocates horses going without 
 shoes of any kind, and tells us that the Arabs never 
 shoe their horses, yet they perform long journeys with- 
 out injury to the feet. He also tells us that he has seen 
 thousands of unshod horses bringing cotton some three 
 hundred miles up the country in South America over 
 bad roads, and not one per cent, ever went lame or 
 became foot-sore. '• Free Lance " evidently is labour- 
 ing under a mistake as regards the Arab and his horses, 
 unless, indeed, they have much altered since the author 
 was in their conntry ; they do not shoe their horse unless 
 they are going long journeys, then they are not shod 
 with iron, owing to the difficulty of obtaining that 
 metal ; but they make a shoe of raw-hide which they 
 nail to the feet ; this shoe will wear for a week or ten 
 days, quite long enough to enable them to perform a 
 long journey. The pack horses again in South America 
 are certainly driven in droves to the Coast, with about 
 one hundredweight of cotton on each horse, over roads 
 bad enough for anything ; yet they have never been shod, 
 and consequently they are as Nature lormed them, and 
 on the other hand they do not travel fast, and not 
 compelled to go as men may guide them, but arc 
 perfectly at liberty to pick their way, and, sensible 
 beasts that they are, will not put their feet upon 
 anything likely to hurt them. Although horses may 
 perform long journeys without shoes in America, South 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 131 
 
 Russia, and in Asia Minor, yet the author does not 
 believe in unshod horses for general use in England ; not 
 that our roads are worse, but we drive them much faster, 
 consequently the horse has not a chance of picking his 
 way, and therefore requires some protection to the crust 
 of the foot. The tip being by far the best and safest of 
 all the shoes that are made, Mr. Douglas found by care- 
 ful experiment that light shoes will wear longer than 
 heavy shoes. The contract farrier, by putting on heavy 
 shoes, is wrong again, and, as I have said before, he 
 begins his economy from the wrong end. I think 1 
 have said enough about the faults of shoeing, yet when 
 I view the horse's foot with its beautiful structure and 
 combinations, and see how it is cut, rasped, pegged 
 to pieces with many and large nails, the heels cut open, 
 sole and frog cut away, and last, but not least, heavy 
 cumbersome lumps of iron put on for shoes, I cannot 
 but come to the conclusion that although horses have 
 been shod in England since the days of William the 
 Conqueror, yet upon the whole our shoeing-smiths as a 
 rule have not advanced in the art of shoeing, and many 
 of our horses are shod now with as bad shoes as in the 
 days of the Conqueror. 
 
 RANUNCULACsE, OR BUTTERCUP POISONING. 
 
 June is the month in which fair flora puts forth all 
 her charms, and although she clothes our fields and 
 hedgerows with beauty of colour of every shade and 
 form, yet her beauty may become fatal to man and 
 beast if they do not understand the nature of the plants 
 
132 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 that are given them for food. Such is the instinct of the 
 horse, that if left to roam in the field, and that field is 
 overflowing with noxious herbs, he will refuse to eat 
 them. Although the horse will eat hemlock with 
 impunity, yet the common buttercups, R. Jiammula, R, 
 bulbus, R. sceleratus, R. acris, and R. arvensis, are all of 
 them injurious to the hungry horse, and many cases 
 occur of serious illness which cannot be accounted for in 
 any other way but from eating grass containing abund- 
 ance o± buttercup. It is a common practice with people 
 who have one or two horses and a lawn for them to give 
 their horses lawn-mowings to eat; and as most lawns are 
 mown by the machine, the sweet and good herbage 
 becomes inseparably mixed with that of the ranunculacce, 
 and is given to the horse when it is hungry, when it will 
 often eat it greedily, and in a short time alarming 
 symptoms are set up. Buttercup poisoning is well 
 known on the Continent, but happily it is not often 
 met with in England, unless under exceptional circum- 
 stances. On the Continent it occurs by the horse eating 
 the buttercup in the field, but in England it is never 
 found unless the horse has had an abundance of cut 
 grass given it when very hungry, after long journeys, or, 
 as I have said, had lawn-mowings given it, especially if 
 the season is dry, when the buttercup is much more 
 acrid. The species of this plant popularly known as 
 buttercup abounds everywhere in our pastures, and is so 
 inextricably mingled with the herbage in some places as 
 to make it appear doubtful Avhether it contains any 
 acridity or causes the least annoyance to cattle, which 
 must of necessity consume more or less of it while 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 133 
 
 browsing in meadows where the plant is most abundant. 
 Horses with their keen discriminating faculty uniformly 
 avoid it, and hence its effects have rarely been observed 
 unless it was given chopped up and mixed with corn. 
 There are no less than fifteen species of ranunculus or 
 crowfoot, natives of these islands, and common in our 
 meadows and pastures, and most of them have more or 
 less irritating properties ; those that are esteemed most 
 irritating I have named above. The genus ranunculus is 
 characteristic of a cold damp climate, poor wet soil, and 
 is less acrid when grown in such situation than when 
 grown in warm climates. It is asserted that an annual 
 species, the B. avensis, has been proved to be fatal to 
 sheep in Italy. Every part of the plant is pervaded by 
 an acrid principle, which is volatile, and dissipated by 
 heat or drying. The juice ol the plant is a powerful 
 vesicant, and prior to the introduction of cantharides, 
 was used by medical men for that purpose. Owing, 
 perhaps, to its universality and abundance in our 
 pastures, it has become to be regarded as innocuous, or 
 at least without suspicion of being productive of any bad 
 effects. No cases, so far as I am aware, are recorded of 
 its effects on cattle or sheep in this country, although 
 its effects upon the latter have been observed on the 
 Continent. Cases crop up from time to time in which 
 horses are thought to be suffering from influenza, when, 
 after a thorough investigation, the mischief is found in 
 the horse having had lawn-mowings given it in which 
 was an abundance of buttercup. The symptoms of 
 poisoning by buttercup are first, a spasmodic action of 
 the glottis, shortening and rigidity of the muscles of the 
 
134± The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 neck, and violent contraction of the abdominal muscles, 
 followed by a discharge of fluid through the nostrils ; 
 indeed, all the phenomena usually present in a complete 
 act of vomitiOD. In cases of vomiting, from rupture or 
 overgorging with other kinds of food, the act is much 
 more of a passive kind. There is a stretching out of the 
 head and neck, little, if any, abdominal effort, and the 
 peculiar spasmodic action in the pharyxis not observable 
 until the return of the ingesta from the stomach, when a 
 choking sound is heard during its passage through the 
 posterior nares, when generally some of it falls back into 
 the trachea, causing a fit of coughing, after which the 
 head is extended, and the watery fluid trickles through 
 the nostrils. I am inclined to believe that the action of 
 the stomach is sufficient to effect this, and that a 
 ruptured stomach is the result of vomiting, and not the 
 cause of it. This, however, is a disputed point. 
 
 Mr. John Gerrard, M.R.C.V.S., of Market Deeping, 
 gives us the following case, which I insert for the benefit 
 of my readers. He says — " A five-year-old half-bred 
 cob mare, the property of Sisson Martin, Esq., of Help- 
 stoneheath, had been put to light work in the field from 
 seven a.m. to three p.m. on the loth of May; a quantity 
 of lawn-mowings and hedge-side chippings were placed 
 in the manger, of which she ate greedily, also a quartern 
 of oats and beans and some chaff ; the usual quantity of 
 water was given, and in about half-an-hour after she was 
 placed in the stall she showed symptoms of abdominal 
 pains, getting up and lying down and rolling violently. 
 The usual colic drink was given, which temporarily 
 relieved her. Two hours after she began to retch, and , 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road, 135 
 
 as they thought, vomit ; in consequence, I saw her at 
 eleven p.m., and no particular decided symptoms were 
 manifested; the pulse was 48 and soft, there was slight 
 tympanitis, the breathing was slightly accelerated, and 
 the temperature was normal. At intervals it was 
 seized with a peculiar spasmodic action of the throat, 
 as of difficulty of swallowing, and the eructations 
 occurring at intervals of fifteen minutes, and continuing 
 a few minutes, increasing in severity each time, until 
 the third occurrence, when a quantity — probably half-a- 
 pint of sour smelling fluid, mixed with portions of 
 badly masticated food was discharged through the 
 nostrils. This was followed by a fit of violent cough- 
 ing, caused evidently by the passage of some fluid 
 into the larynx. I mentioned the probability of rup- 
 tured stomach to the owner ; but from the absence of 
 any urgent symptoms always present in cases of rupture, 
 I thought it possible that the emesis might have 
 either been induced by the nature or more probably the 
 quantity of food consumed by the mare while in a 
 hungry and exhausted condition. I administered spirit 
 nitre aBther two ounces, spirit ammonia aromat, one 
 ounce, ext. hyoscyomi one drachm, aq. menthge. pip. two 
 ounces. This seemed slightly to allay the irritability of 
 the stomach, but the coughing and spasms continued for 
 some time, and about half-an-hour afterwards the mare 
 lay down. The spasms with occasional discharge of watery 
 fluid through the nostrils continuing, she lay quietly on 
 her left side for an hour, when she got up, seemed easier, 
 and drank water. The pulse was GO and full. I then 
 gave tinct. opii. two ounces in linseed gruel, and some oil- 
 
136 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 cake gruel to drink. At four o'clock she seemed much 
 better, so I gave a four-drachm physic ball and left. At 
 eleven o'clock next day all the bad symptoms had dis- 
 appeared. She would eat nothing, but drank small quan- 
 tities of gruel, purging took place in twelve hours and 
 continued for twenty-four, after which she gradually 
 recovered. My attention was not directed to the character 
 of the food until nineteen days afterwards, ond when I 
 visited the place where the grass had been cut from, it was 
 a complete thicket of flowerless branches and roots of 
 ranunculacee, the characters of which I was unable to 
 determine ; from the absence of flowers and fruit, I was 
 convinced that the food in question was largely composed 
 of common buttercup, which the hungry, exhausted animal 
 had greedily devoured. That the ranunculacee possess 
 acrid properties no one will deny, and that they are capable 
 when taken in large quantity of inducing vomition in the 
 horse may be fairly inferred. No other article of provender 
 with which we are acquainted being capable of producing 
 similar symptoms, even when the stomach is filled to 
 repletion, and when rupture occurs through any other 
 kind of food, there is never the same train of symptoms 
 as are observed in all cases of ranunculacee poisoning." 
 The author has during the last few years met with many 
 cases similar to the one above quoted, and has always 
 adopted, the same mode of treatment with the exception 
 of administering one pint and a-half of linseed oil instead 
 of a physic ball, and if there seems much irritation of the 
 throat and coughing, stimulate the throat with white oils 
 or Gregory's Versico Sudorific. 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 137 
 
 STOMACH STAGGERS. 
 
 This complaint, like the former, is often attributable 
 to acrid substances taken into the stomach when the 
 animal is in an exhausted state from long-continued 
 labour. It is most frequently met with in the farm 
 or cart horse, and is often the result of overfeeding", 
 especially if the horse is fed upon food of bad 
 quality. Farmers often resort to the false economy of 
 selling all their good hay and corn, keeping only the 
 worst for home consumption, and then are dreadfully 
 disappointed when they find their stock in an unhealthy 
 condition, and attribute the cause to everything but 
 the right, viz,, their own foolish greed, grasping 
 the shadow and losing the substance. Careless ser- 
 vants will too often neglect their horses, and after- 
 wards, when food is placed before them while they 
 are ravenously hungry, they swallow it rapidily and 
 in too large a quantity without being properly masti- 
 cated, consequently it swells in the stomach and stretches 
 it far beyond its natural capacity; its action bein^ 
 thereby impaired, the brain is unduly acted upon, and 
 giddiness and drowsiness induced, which occasion 
 staggering. Too often the horse is kept short of 
 water while abundance of food is placed before it, and 
 instead of giving a little water before feeding and a small 
 quantity of food at first to assist the animal in converting 
 its food into a pulp and facilitating the operation of diges- 
 tion, without a judicious quantity of water is given to the 
 exhausted horse with its food, the stomach becomes gorged 
 and the natural juices are inadequate to the performance 
 of their office. It is no uncommon occurrence for farmers 
 
138 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 and others keeping a number of horses to lose several of 
 them within very short periods of each other with this 
 malady, from which an opinion prevails that this staggers 
 is contagious. Nothing can be more erroneous than this 
 belief, as it is quite certain it is the result of bad stable 
 management or by overfeeding the horse with unwhole- 
 some food, or by the horse feeding too voraciously as already 
 mentioned. This disease is much more common with old 
 horses than young ones, owing to the want of vital energy 
 in the digestive organs. Prevention in this complaint is 
 again better than cure, and therefore 1 would strongly 
 recommend owners of horses to look to them, and give 
 some attention to the following :— Too much food given 
 at one time after long fasting or hard work, or neglecting to 
 give the animal water, is certain to produce staggers. 
 
 The hours of labour should be for limited spaces of 
 time, with proper intervals of rest allowed, and the 
 horse regularly fed during these intervals. Every man 
 must have felt the effects of going without his dinner 
 for three or four hours beyond the accustomed time. 
 Exhaustion is sure to follow, which is produced by the 
 juices acting upon the coating of an empty stomach. 
 From five to six hours is the usual time between the meals 
 of a labouring man, and with a horse that is worked no 
 longer interval should elapse without feeding and water- 
 ing. When persons are occasionally so situated that 
 they cannot unyoke their horses at stated times for food 
 and rest, they ought to carry hay and a nosebag with 
 a supply of corn with them. Indeed, it is surprising, 
 if they do not do it on the score of humanity, that they 
 should be so blind to their own interests as to neglect 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 139 
 
 having their horses watered and fed at proper intervals, 
 and save the trouble, annoyance, and expense of having 
 to call in the aid of the veterinary surgeon for a malady 
 which by a trifling expense and a little judgment could 
 be prevented. If nothing else is effective, self-interest 
 ought to induce proper treatment. Staggers are said by 
 some writers to often affect the horse when at grass. If 
 the horse has previously been stinted with food, the author 
 has never seen a well-defined case of staggers at grass 
 and feels inclined to think that the so-called cases ot 
 stagers have been mistaken cases of ranunculacce 
 poisoning, especially as he can find no case recorded of 
 an animal dying of staggers at grass. Horses that have 
 stomach staggers repeatedly are almost sure to go blind 
 either partially or totally, from the effect of the gases 
 engendered in the stomach acting on the nervous system 
 and the optic nerve in particular. The symptoms of sleepy 
 or stomach staggers is indicated by the dull, stupid, sleepy 
 appearance of the horse, and the manner in which it stag- 
 gers about in its stall. It seems unconscious of what it is 
 doing, and if roused from its lethargy will probably take a 
 mouthful of hay, and in a few seconds will desist from 
 chewing it, the hay falling from its mouth. Many 
 instances have occurred where the disease has been 
 allowed to acquire such an ascendancy that the horse 
 will drop down and die while in the act of eating. In 
 other cases the drowsiness goes off, and is succeeded by 
 delirium, and after falling, rising, and staggering about^ 
 will die in convulsions. The stomach staggers are in- 
 dicated by a twitching of the muscles of the breast, and 
 a yellowness of the eyes. Before a remedy is attempted, 
 
] 40 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 it must first be ascertained what has been the cause; 
 the more so from the fact that mad staggers, in its early 
 symptoms, are exactly the same. In this disorder it 
 may be well supposed that medicine will have but little 
 effect from the gorged state of the stomach. Some 
 veterinary surgeons recommend bleeding, but for why it 
 is impossible to tell, as no benefit is derived from it. 
 That which debilitates the system can hardly be expected 
 to assist the action of the stomach. Probably the best 
 thing to do is to let nature work its own cure, by 
 abstaining from giving food. As no certain cure is 
 known, it is best to use prevention, and guard against 
 it. The author has always adopted the following plan — 
 Take away every particle of food, tie the horse's head up 
 so that it cannot get at anything to eat, dissolve six 
 drachms of Barbadoes aloes in warm water, and drench 
 the horse with it ; keep giving warm water at intervals, 
 and when the stomach is relieved of its load, it may 
 recover. Many instances occur of rupture of the stomach 
 from expansion by confined gases. In every post-mortem 
 I have made of subjects dying from stomach staggers, 
 the stomach has been full of improperly masticated 
 food ; in some cases pieces of hay and straw were found 
 in the stomach six inches long, that the hungry animal 
 had swallowed without chewing. 
 
 MEGRIMS. 
 
 This is a malady occasioned by pressure on the brain 
 caused by an unusual flow of blood to it. The How of 
 blood through the brain is quite ten times greater in 
 quantity than through any other portion of the body 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 141 
 
 of equal bulk. To prevent as far as possible any 
 unusual flow of blood to this part, Nature has adopted 
 a curious but, as usual, wise plan. The arteries are 
 made to pursue an extremely winding and circuitous 
 course, and enter the skull through small holes in the 
 bony process. These holes are so small that they admit 
 of but little enlargement of the blood-vessels, and 
 thus to a great extent the chances of inflammation are 
 lessened. Yet, notwithstanding this beautiful provision 
 of an all-wise and far-seeing Creator, the horse is 
 liable to be afflicted with disease of the brain, often 
 from the want of brains in the so-called superior 
 animal, man, by his subjecting the horse to violent 
 and injudicious exercise and hard driving or riding in 
 warm weather. It is but seldom that we find horses 
 attacked with megrims when riding, and it seems 
 principally horses in harness that are subject to 
 this disease. Hard driving in warm weather forces 
 the blood to the head, and distends the arteries of the 
 head more than the veins, the consequence being that 
 the small vessels covering the brain get gorged with 
 blood, and then its bulk is increased to such an extent 
 that it produces undue pressure upon the organs of 
 the nerves, which is followed by loss of power and 
 even consciousness. Frequently the horse will stagger 
 backwards and fall, the result being disastrous to the 
 horse and all who may have the misfortune to be 
 sitting behind it. A tight curb or collar with over- 
 driving is too often the cause. It is a disease that is 
 rarely met with except in the months of June, July, 
 and August. Megrims is the name of the simplest 
 
142 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 form of inflammation arising from the above causes, 
 and, as I have said before, it most commonly appears 
 when the horse is over-driven. When attacked it will 
 suddenly stop and shake its head, having been seized 
 with giddiness and a slight degree of unconsciousness. 
 If allowed to stop for a few minutes this will go off, 
 and it will be enabled to proceed on its journey, but it 
 not unfrequenlly happens that the attack is of a more 
 severe kind, and under such circumstances will fall 
 suddenly or run round two or three times and then fall. 
 Sometimes it will lie quite quietly in a state of com- 
 plete torpor, at other times it will struggle with great 
 violence, yet still be unable to rise. In either of these 
 conditions it will lie from five to ten minutes, when it 
 will gradually resume sensibility, and then will be able 
 to get upon its feet and proceed on its journey. After 
 these attacks it generally exhibits symptoms of dullness 
 and exhaustion. Immediately after the first attack of 
 this disease resource should be had to bleeding, and that 
 right plentifully. Three or four quarts of blood should 
 be taken from the neck, which generally has the effect of 
 arresting the symptoms. I am induced to the belief 
 that in staggers there is an excess of fibrine in the blood, 
 consequently copious bleeding will reduce the quantity 
 of blood in the system at the time and allow nature to 
 regain its equilibrium, and by the judicious administra- 
 tion of medicine enable the horse to make a fresh supply 
 of pure blood. For this purpose give nitrate of potass 
 three drachms every time the horse drinks ; give a physic 
 ball composed of the following : — Barbadoes aloes six 
 drachms, ginger two drachms, calomel two drachms, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 143 
 
 made with honey. When the horse is on a journey, 
 
 and is attacked with this complaint, it is necessary to 
 
 bleed from the bars (but this should not be resorted to 
 
 unless the driver does not possess a lancet at the time 
 
 the horse is attacked.) The bleeding-place in the 
 
 palate is the third bar, in a direct line between the 
 
 middle and second cutting teeth, and situated a little 
 
 more than an inch within the mouth. Here the vein 
 
 and artery make a curve, and a sharp penknife may be 
 
 used and cut down upon the spot where they intersect 
 
 each other, and the result will be a plentiful flow of 
 
 blood, which will stop of its own accord when two or 
 
 three quarts have issued forth. Jn consequence of the 
 
 artery being cut across it will speedily shrink and cease to 
 
 bleed, and the application of a piece of sponge or ra^ 
 
 with cold water will stop the bleeding of the vein. In 
 
 this operation the nerve is generally divided, but no evil 
 
 effects will result from it. If the cut is made a little too 
 
 much on one side, and nearly opposite the second incisor 
 
 tooth, it is possible that the artery may be wounded 
 
 longitudinally, but not divided, in which case there is 
 
 great difficulty in stopping the flow of blood; the most 
 
 effectual method of stopping which is to make a large 
 
 pledget of lint or tow, as thick as a man's arm, roll it 
 
 round a piece of string, put it across the horse's mouth 
 
 and tie the string across its nose. Then take a strap, and 
 
 buckle it tightly round the horse's jaw, to prevent its 
 
 opening its mouth and using its tongue to displace the 
 
 pledget. This is sure to stop the bleeding. It is only 
 
 when the horse is on a journey that the above mode of 
 
 bleeding by cutting the bars should be resorted to, because 
 
i44 The Management and Treatment of the Hoi 
 
 'se } 
 
 there is no way to ascertain the quantity of blood taken, 
 nor can the degree of inflammation be satisfactorily 
 investigated, therefore it is only in cases of necessity that 
 it is to be applied, as it may not only occasion much pain 
 to the horse, but also a great deal of trouble to the opera- 
 tor. 
 
 The megrims is a very dangerous disease, not only to 
 the horse, but to the driver, and in many instances the 
 horse will die instantaneously, and frequently drop with- 
 out the slightest previous indication of illness. If a horse 
 has had one attack of this malady he is liable to a return 
 of it, and is never to be trusted afterwards, although 
 proper means have been adopted to prevent a recurrence 
 of it. The most prudent plan is to part with the animal. 
 
 STAGGERS OR APOPLEXY. 
 
 This disease, like sleepy or stomach staggers, is 
 caused by a deranged state of the digestive organs, 
 and this m too many instances is the result of over-feeding 
 and feeding with unwholesome food ; some persons are so 
 foolish as to suppose that the horse may eat as much grain 
 as it can consume, and that it will do no harm ; this is a 
 serious mistake, for even without water the grain will 
 swell in the stomach, and being over-loaded indigestion 
 follows, the stomach being too much distended to allow it 
 to perform its natural office, hence the head is affected. 
 As in the animal economy a very intimate connexion exists 
 between the brain and the stomach, each reciprocally 
 influencing the other. The want of fresh air and 
 exercise with horses that are over well-fed also tend 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 145 
 
 strongly to derange the stomach, especially in warm 
 weather. Ihe bracing influence of exercise being 
 wanted to give energy to the actions of the intestinal 
 canal, the food frequently lodges there. This is 
 also caused by the food being bad. Another cause is 
 neglecting to water horses at regular intervals. This 
 element is peculiarly necessary to animals living upon 
 dry food. Every horse, as I have said before, should be 
 watered regularly, cart horses at least four times 
 each day, and in some cases when working very hard 
 even more frequently in small quantities. In staggers 
 of the apoplexy type, the symptoms are a low hanging 
 of the head, either supporting it on the manger or 
 extending it nearly to the ground ; it moves to and fro 
 while standing, and seems liable to fall at every move- 
 ment. Its sight and hearing are much impaired, it 
 will remain in this position from one to twelve hours, 
 and then falls ; its eyes are open and protruding, with 
 a fixed seemedly unconscious stare, with the pupils 
 much dilated; it grinds its teeth, the whole frame 
 manifests twitchings, the vein of the neck is much 
 inflected, its muzzle cold, and in attempting to swallow 
 the drink is returned through the nostrils and mouth, 
 and it dungs involuntarily ; strong convulsive twitch- 
 ings follow, and these are the certain prelude to death. 
 In the first stage of this disease it comes on progres- 
 sively with depression, sleepiness and feebleness, which 
 is indicated by dulness of the eye, as it increases it 
 presses its head against the wall or rack, and when 
 aroused from this position it seems alarmed. In this 
 complaint the remedies require to be prompt and 
 
146 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 severe, as any hesitation might prove fatal, therefore 
 the veterinary surgeon should be called in at once, and 
 while he is coming the vein of the neck should be 
 opened, and as much blood taken as the animal will 
 b ear _from eight to ten quarts— according to the size of 
 the horse. After some time has elapsed this should be 
 repeated, only a less quantity of blood taken, as in 
 this complaint the animal makes blood fast. If the 
 lower intestines or rectum are overloaded with dung, 
 the hand should be forced up the rectum, and the 
 bowels relieved in this way. If the animal exhibits 
 symptoms of relief the following may be given in the 
 form of a ball — Barbadoes aloes ten drachms, calomel 
 two drachms, ginger ihree drachms, jalap half a 
 drachm, mixed with honey to form a ball. To many 
 of my readers this will appear a large dose to give, but 
 we must bear in mind that desperate diseases require 
 desperate remedies, and unless the medicine in this case 
 is sufficient to act at once on the nerves of the stomach, 
 and thereby relieve the brain, our chances of success are 
 small. It is hardly necessary to remark again that this 
 disease is in general very rapid, and the utmost prompti- 
 tude must be exercised in the remedies. In some 
 instances the horse dies instantaneously whenever he 
 falls, but whilst he lives there is hope ol a cure, however 
 severe the symptoms may appear, if we do not hesitate 
 with our remedies. In cases of this kind, where the 
 symptoms are well defined, as I have stated above, the 
 groom or farmers should act, for whilst they wait for the 
 arrival of the veterinary surgeon, the horse may become 
 past hope, and when the veterinary surgeon arrives he 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 147 
 
 will find a dead horse. In these cases it is always 
 advisable to give clysters which should be repeated 
 every half-hour, until the bowels operate ; the best 
 and handiest clyster is composed of oatmeal gruel, three 
 quarts, common salt three ounces, and olive oil half-a- 
 pint. Some old writers recommend blowing cayenne up 
 the nostrils, as well as powdered bark and spices, given 
 internally, and blisters behind the ears ; but these are 
 perfectly useless, indeed, the former are perfectly 
 ridiculous. Should the horse sufficiently recover to 
 be able to take food, boiled barley, scalded bran, 
 oatmeal, and lukewarm water may be given until he 
 has recovered enough to eat hay, when the hay should 
 be given in small quantities and of the best quality. 
 After the horse has been subjected to the scouring-out 
 principle, it is necessary to give medicine to give a tone 
 again to the stomach, and set the digestive organs 
 performing their offices ; for this purpose the following 
 will be given with advantage — lenetive electuary four 
 ounces, cream of tartar four ounces, purified nitre two 
 drachms, treacle two ounces, to be dissolved in hot ale, 
 and given the first thing in the morning in a tepid state. 
 This may be repeated two or three times, allowing two 
 or three days to elapse between them. If the horse 
 after this should not feed well, it may be necessary to 
 give tonic medicine, and for this purpose obtain half a 
 dozen tonic balls. I said in an early page of this work 
 that I had placed a valuable receipt for tonic balls in the 
 hands of Messrs. Perks and Llewellyn, chemists, Hitchin, 
 which they will supply with full instructions, and they 
 will be found all that are required to perfect a cure. 
 
148 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 MAD STAGGERS OR BRAIN FEVER. 
 
 This disease is most frequently met with in the 
 heavy breeds of horses such as are used by millers, 
 brewers, and for farm purposes, and is caused by the 
 animals being too fat and too full of blood, by the chyle 
 having too strong a tendency to widen the vessels, and 
 especially so when the horse is overheated during warm 
 weather. The fever produced thereby causes a deter- 
 mination of blood to the brain, and thus terminating in 
 what is generally denominated brain fever. This dis- 
 ease proceeds from inflammation of the brain, and in its 
 earlier symptoms it cannot be distinguished from sleepy 
 or stomach staggers ; it soon, however, assumes a 
 different character, the nostrils become distended, and it 
 commences to heave at the flanks, its eyes assume a 
 fixed vacant and wild stare, which is followed by com- 
 plete delirium ; it becomes furious and dashes about in a 
 violent manner from side to side, being quite unconscious 
 of its actions. The mad staggers are considerably alike 
 in their symptoms to rabies or common madness, and 
 also to colic. In the former of these maladies the horse 
 retains it consciousness, and the violence of its actions 
 will depend upon the peculiar character of its madness. 
 In some instances a desire to be mischievous is mani- 
 fested; in colic the horse rises and falls, although not in 
 a violent manner. Sometimes, however, it plunges, but 
 in most cases it rolls itself about, and frequently looks 
 towards its flanks with an evident expression of suffering 
 from pain. The treatment o{ this disease is at all times 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 1-49 
 
 extremely uncertain, profuse bleeding is strongly recom- 
 mended by most writers ; open the jugular vein on both 
 sides and take as much blood as will cause the horse to 
 fall, or if it is down at the time, until it manifests 
 evident signs of exhaustion; after this give newly- 
 powdered croton nut half a drachm, or croton oil 20 
 drops. Upon no occasion give more than half a drachm 
 of the nut or 20 drops of the oil, as cases are not wanting 
 where SO drops of croton oil have killed heavy powerful 
 horses, which were previously in good health. The 
 croton should be given in a drink of oatmeal and water 
 every six hours, after which ten grains of nut or five 
 minims of oil may be given until the bowels are freely 
 moved ; to assist in which, injections of warm soap and 
 water should be often used. In using croton nut or oil, 
 from its acrid properties, we make the horse's throat and 
 mouth very sore, therefore it should never be used unless 
 in a case of extreme necessity. I have no doubt but the 
 following would have quite as beneficial an effect without 
 the irritating effects : — One ounce of aloes dissolved in a 
 pint of water, afterwards two drachms every four hours 
 until it operates, after this such medicine should be given 
 as has a tendency to diminish the quantity of blood sent 
 out from the heart. Foxglove in drink doses of one 
 drachm each every six or eight hours, or tartar emetic 
 can be given alternately with the foxglove in one drachm 
 doses. 
 
 If the above treatment does not arrest immediately 
 the disease, death is sure speedily to follow. Some- 
 times cases occur with horses at grass which are 
 mistaken for mad staggers, but, although producing 
 
150 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 alarming symptoms, is of an entirely different nature, 
 being no other than poisoning by the bearded darnel 
 (Lolium temulantum). Doubtless much mischief is 
 caused by this grass to horses, sheep, and cattle — firstly, 
 by an improper quantity after long confinement to other 
 food ; and secondly, by the irritation caused by the rough 
 bristles or styles with which these are armed. The dar- 
 nel grass, however, possesses also narcotic as well as 
 irritant properties, the seeds especially being prolific in 
 their soporific powers. This species of darnel grows 
 wild in many parts of England in fields among wheat 
 and barley, and flowers early in July ; it varies greatly in 
 appearance so as sometimes to be confounded with rye 
 grass, Lolium jperenne, which is a useful and wholesome 
 fodder. Many undoubted cases of injurious consequences 
 following from eating bread in which the seed of the 
 darnel has been ground up with corn are on record. It 
 is stated in the Medical and Surgical Journal that 
 about eighty persons in the poor-house at Shefheli, after 
 breakfasting on oatmeal porridge, in Avhich it appears 
 that the seeds of the darnel had been ground, were 
 seized with the usual symptoms of poisoning; violent 
 agitation of the limbs, convulsive twi tellings, con- 
 fusion of sight, and extreme pains in the forehead, 
 were observed in nearly all those persons. It seems 
 they were relieved with copious draughts of vinegar 
 and ultimately recovered. When a person is supposed 
 to be poisoned by eating darnel the best thing to do is to 
 give an emetic, and afterwards partake freely of acidulated 
 drinks* The signs of poisioning by darnel in the horse 
 are abdominal irritation with occasional diarrhoea, tenesmus, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 151 
 
 tucked-up appearance of the flanks, anorexia, nausea, 
 irregular respiration, slow and soft pulse, decline of animal 
 heat, vertigo, staggeiing gait with crossing of the legs, 
 amaurosis, listlessness, coma, and death. These signs are 
 sometimes mistaken again in their turn for acute indiges- 
 tion and nervous apoplexy. When the horse has eaten 
 darnel and produced the effects of poisoning there is no 
 antidote known to counteract its effect that we can use with 
 reliance ; for empty its stomach we cannot with an emetic, 
 therefore reliance must be placed upon powerful catharties, 
 stimulants, and the treatment of apoplexy and narcotic 
 poisoning generally. The first thing to do is to empty its 
 stomach, which must be done by the slow process of 
 purging, and nothing is better than one pint and a-half of 
 linseed oil, given milk warm. After that has purged give a 
 four-drachm aloes ball, then tonic medicine to restore the 
 appetite. The difference between darnel poisoning and 
 nervous apoplexy is known by the absence of all cerebral 
 disturbance, weak pulse which is sometimes small but 
 not usually rapid ; the appetite remains, there is also a 
 general vivacity, but the bowels are usually constipated and 
 there is little fever present. The limbs do not always lose 
 their powers of movement although the ability to stand is 
 absent. These cases are best treated by the practical 
 veterinary surgeon, as it is necessary to use nox vomica 
 in minute doses, and also strychnine, which being very 
 dangerous drugs should only be used by practical men. 
 
 rhei'6 is yet another disease with which the horses is at 
 times affected, which is sometimes mistaken for mad staggers. 
 The cases are rare ; happily it is so. This disease is 
 
152 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 RABIES OR MADNESS. 
 
 The symptoms of which are that while the horse is 
 apparently in good health it will stop all of a sudden, be 
 seized with a trembling all over its body, will paw the 
 ground violently, heave heavily, stagger, and fall 
 down ; in a few seconds it will rise again and proceed 
 a little way on its journey, when it will again stand 
 still, look anxiously about and will again come down, 
 it will again get up and is then seized with a paroxysm 
 of frenzy, attempting to bite everything that comes in 
 its way, and will kick and plunge in a most fearful 
 manner, and if in a stable will strike the wall or the 
 sides of its stall, or indeed any object that may be 
 near, until the perspiration stands upon its whole 
 body like foam. The animal is seized with almost 
 insatiable thirst, and will remain in a quiescent con- 
 dition for some hours, when another paroxysm will 
 ensue; these fits will succeed each other at intervals 
 for two or three days, when a termination will be put 
 to them by death. It is neither safe nor wise to keep 
 the horse alive under such circumstances. If the 
 owner is uncertain if it is rabies, the animal should be 
 slung ; this will prevent it injuring itself or others who 
 have the charge of it. The symptoms, however, are 
 well marked, and the sooner the animal is dead and 
 buried the better, as there is no chance of its recovery. 
 When symptoms of rabies have manifested themselves it 
 is in vain to attempt a cure, but in cases where horses 
 have been bitten by dogs, whether they appear harm- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 153 
 
 less at the time or not, they should have the wound 
 deeply burned out with lunar caustic. This incurable 
 complaint is caused by the bite of a rabid animal of 
 some kind, generally a dog. Horses have been known 
 to be seized with rabies simply from having licked a 
 mad dog after death. The writer once saw a mad 
 horse in Knightsbridge Barracks, which broke both 
 jaws in biting the manger, and when found the next 
 morning was trying to seize the manger with the broken 
 stumps of the jaw, all its top teeth being knocked out 
 and its bottom jaw broken off just below the tusk. The 
 animal was of course instantly shot. 
 
 TETANUS OR LOCK-JAW. 
 
 This disease to human beings as well as to the horse 
 generally proves fatal, yet as the writer has been success- 
 ful in two cases, the mode of treatment adopted will not 
 be out of place in these pages. This disease does not 
 manifest itself of a sudden, but generally steals over the 
 system by slow and insidious means. It first develops 
 itself by the animal appearing heavy, dull, and unwell 
 for a day or two. It feeds sparingly, frequently half 
 chewing its food, then letting it drop from its mouth. 
 When it drinks, the water is gulped instead of the 
 ordinary mode of taking it. The action of the jaw be- 
 comes extremely imperfect, and the saliva trickles from 
 the sides of its mouth. The mouth at length can be but 
 imperfectly opened, and ultimately the whole of the 
 voluntary muscles of the neck and upper portions of the 
 shoulders become immovably fixed. After this there is 
 
1S4 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 no hope of the mouth being opened again, and the 
 horse, if not killed, must die of starvation, in a short 
 time nearly all the muscles of the body becoming spas- 
 modically affected. The cause of this disease proceeds 
 from the nerves being injured in consequence of a 
 wound having been received by one of the ligaments or 
 tendons. It sometimes comes on by an injury to 
 the foot from the puncture of a nail ; nicking and dock- 
 ing are often the cause of it. One case that I had was 
 caused by the waggoner cracking his whip in front of 
 the horse's head, the point of the lash striking the 
 horse on the ball of the eye, hurting the optic nerve. 
 It sometimes comes on instantaneously after the in- 
 fliction of the wound, and sometimes not until a con- 
 siderable time after. It is caused sometimes by the 
 animal being allowed to cool too suddenly when very 
 warm ; worms have also been known to be the remote 
 cause of tetanus ; bots have also produced it. 
 
 The usual way in which this disease comes on 
 seldom leads to no suspicion of what it is, as few who 
 have not previously watched its progress can trace its 
 character. Hence it has assumed its climax before 
 persons are aware of it. In this condition it can seldom 
 be cured, from the difficulty of administering medicine. 
 In this affection the endermic method of administering 
 remedies bids fair to become beneficial ; prussic acid, 
 morphia, atropine, conium, &c, or tinctures of plants 
 containing the last three substances are readily brought 
 to bear upon the system by the endermic syringe. 
 Injections also per anum of chloric ether and its allies 
 prove serviceable, and in the trassmatic form the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road.. loo 
 
 benumbing effects of carbolic acid, as used in the 
 antiseptic treatment, are frequently of great service in 
 reducing the intensity of the paroxysms. It is not 
 prudent to rely upon the one uninterrupted exhibition 
 of one agent beneath the skin ; they should be alternated 
 with each other, and used occasionally as mixtures, 
 where no risk of chemical union and destruction is 
 feared. That neglected branch of veterinary therapeutics 
 — galvanism, should be tried, as much benefit is derived 
 ofttimes from it, opposite poles of the instrument being 
 placed at the extremities of the spine, and maintained 
 there with wet sponges or cloths for some hours ; where 
 these measures are insisted upon, that former sine qua 
 non — catharsis, is dispensed with. 
 
 The symptoms in the first case that came under my 
 care were very intense, and the temperature ascended to 
 103 degrees and ultimately to 104 degrees. The treat- 
 ment consisted in administering muriate of morphia, 
 introduced by injections into two subcutaneous pouches, 
 formed by a seton-needle in the masseteric region, or 
 what most of my readers would call its cheek. The 
 seton-needle was passed under the skin from above in 
 an oblique form, from about three inches under the eye ; 
 these subcutaneous pouches were about four inches deep, 
 one on each cheek. The quantity of the alkaloid injected 
 each day at various times was one gramme in 50 
 grammes of distilled water ; a liniment composed of 
 turpentine and liquid ammonia was rubbed into the 
 skin across the loins, and enemas of soap and water, each 
 containing twelve grammes of laudanum, were frequently 
 given. Hot fomentations were constantly applied clay 
 
156 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 and night, for which purpose two thick horsecloths were 
 constantly placed in boiling water, wrung out and put on 
 the horse as hot as possible. Chloroform and sulphuric 
 either were also prescribed ; these were placed on a piece 
 of sponge and held under the nostrils for the horse to 
 inhale its fumes. The animal was placed in a stable and 
 kept moderately warm. This treatment was continued 
 night and day for three days, at the termination of which 
 the animal was better. The muscular tension had 
 diminished, the respiration was perceptibly better, and 
 the jaws could be opened to the breadth of two fingers. 
 With this amelioration in the symptoms the animal gave 
 evidence of relief by frequently drinking oatmeal gruel, 
 in which ^were large doses of tartar emetic and nitrate of 
 potash. This treatment was persevered with for ten more 
 days, and gradually brought about an amendment. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth day from the receipt of the 
 injury, and the thirteenth of medical treatment, the 
 medicines hitherto administered were discontinued, and 
 eight grammes of bromide of potassium was given daily 
 with enemas now and then, and dry frictions were sub- 
 stituted until the thirtieth day. At this time the 
 animal began to eat slowly of bran mash, and afterwards 
 damp forage, but it was not until above two months 
 from the commencement of convalescence that it had 
 perfectly recovered. The old fashioned-method of 
 bleeding for tetanus has almost died out, and many cases 
 are now on record in which the beneficial effects of 
 hydrate of chloral have been proved, in many instances 
 no other agent being used, enemas and hot fomentation 
 excepted. Dr. Coryllos gives us two cases which he 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 157 
 
 cured with chloral ; he administered from one drachm 
 and a-half to two drachms each day. In one case he 
 gave in all three ounces and a-half in twenty days, in 
 another of longer duration he gave six ounces of chloral 
 hydrate, and both cases recovered. M. Verneuil gives 
 two cases in the Societe de Chirurgie de Paris, when he 
 gave a drachm and a-half of chloral in twenty-four hours, 
 and in another case he gave two drachms and a-half in 
 twenty-four hours. He recommends beginning by 
 administering chloral by the mouth instead of intraneous 
 injections. He cured five successive cases of tetanus 
 with chloral hydrate. 
 
 These cases are sufficient to show that with care, 
 patience, and perseverance, tetanus may be over- 
 come ; but without the groom is a good nurse, the 
 veterinary surgeon stands a poor chance of having 
 many successful cases of tetanus. It is mainly to the 
 effects of nursing, combined with a rational admin- 
 istering of medicine, that tetanus can be cured. In 
 administering medicine it is necessary to use consider- 
 able caution, as the rigidity of the muscles of the neck 
 occasion much pain to the horse if the head be elevated. 
 It is always best to give medicine in a liquid form and 
 through a tube ; most practical veterinary surgeons 
 keep a tube made for the purpose. In tetanus the 
 digestive functions are not impaired, and the poor 
 onimal suffers much from hunger, and to keep up the 
 system as much as possible, thick gruel should be given 
 by the aid of a tube, 
 
158 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 GLANDERS. 
 
 Of all the diseases that are incidental to the horse, 
 there is none to compare to this most malignant and 
 most to be dreaded in a steed. The instant there is any 
 appearance of it the horse should be removed to a place 
 by itself, as this malady is extremely infectious, and from 
 want of due caution whenever a suspicion of it is enter- 
 tained, the most disastrous consequences may result. 
 Although glanders has been known to mankind for 
 upwards of 1800 years and the symptoms well described, 
 yet it is lamentable to state that up to the present hour 
 no cure has been found for it. No disease to which the 
 horse is subject has had more experiments made with it, 
 and all have proved equally unsatisfactory, and although 
 many cases are reported of horses having been cured of 
 glanders, yet when the same treatment adopted has 
 been applied to an undoubted case of glanders it has 
 always turned out a disappointment. Many men have 
 also lost their lives by becoming inocculated with the 
 foetid pus from the nostril, and fearful indeed is the 
 death of a man from this loathsome disease. Medical 
 remedies have alleviated the severity of this disease for 
 a time and arrested its progress, but it is certain to 
 return and prove fatal at last, and it is doubtful if ever a 
 case of true glanders was ever cured. There are various 
 diseases which in their early stages have much the same 
 appearance as glanders, and therefore it is necessary to 
 watch them narrowly, as of course perfect recovery may 
 follow. The very first symptoms oi glanders is a constant 
 discharge from the left nostril of mucus, clearer and of a 
 lighter colour than in common cold or catarrh, and more 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 159 
 
 glutinous in its substance. If rubbed between the finger 
 and thumb it has a sticky feel. This discharge also 
 differs from common cold by being continuous, 
 whereas in the latter it is only discharged at intervals. 
 The matter discharged in this disease differs from that of 
 a common catarrh in its specific gravity. If a small 
 quantity is dropped into water it sinks, and it will not 
 mix with water if stirred with it ; whereas the mucous 
 discharge of a common cold swims near the surface, and 
 preserves its slimy consistence although stirred, and will 
 not comingle with it. 
 
 A singular character of the glanders is that it always 
 attacks the left nostril, very few cases having ever been 
 seen in which the horse was glandered in the right 
 nostril. Mr. Dupay, a celebrated veterinary surgeon and 
 director of the School of Surgery at Toulouse, mentions 
 that out of eight hundred cases of glanders which came 
 under his care during his practice, only one was affected 
 in the right nostril. Shortly after the discharge from the 
 nostril takes place, the horse becomes affected in the 
 glands of the lower jaw, which swell to a considerable 
 extent, and ultimately become attached to the bone. 
 Another character by which this disease is well known 
 is, that at no time is the discharge from the nostrils ac- 
 companied by a cough. Some considerable time after the 
 discharge has made its appearance, the gluey substances 
 will be seen accompanying the mucous discharge. It is 
 this pus, mingling with the other gluey matter, which, 
 absorbed by the circulating vessels and carried to the 
 gland, affects it. However, in common cold the gland is 
 sometimes swelled, but in the real glanders the swell- 
 
160 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 ing generally subsides considerably in a short time, and 
 the glands are not in the centre of the channel, but 
 firmly adhere to the jaw. This is a never failing test 
 of the disease, and besides, it is quite certain that if the 
 discharge flows from both nostrils it is not glanders. 
 At this stage of the disease the mucous membrane 
 of the nostril becomes dark purple or of a livid colour, 
 sometimes of a tone intermediate between the two 
 shades. In. some instances there is inflammation of 
 those parts which varies from the common appearance* 
 being of a purple cast instead of the high red which 
 usually accompanies inflammation. This is followed 
 by the formation of small circular tubercles on the 
 lining of the nostrils, and these in a short time ulcerate 
 and discharge puss. When this has taken place, there 
 can no longer be a doubt that the horse is glandered, 
 and care must be taken not to mistake the lacrymal or 
 tear-duct for an ulcer. This duct is a continuation of 
 the skin of the muzzle, which is situated a little way 
 up the nostril, while the ulcerated tubercles are placed 
 upon the mucus membrane above the duct, and well 
 marked by a line of separation. After the formation 
 of tubercles, the animal is sure to have become con- 
 stitutionally affected, its coat will stare and fall off, 
 it will lose flesh, and its belly will be tucked up. 
 Cough will follow, the appetite will be much affected, 
 accompanied by a rapid diminution of strength, the 
 tubercles will multiply, discharge will be more abund- 
 ant, and will assume a purulent and bloody ap- 
 pearance, accompanied by a very foetid smell. The 
 ulceration will extend down to the windpipe, and the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 1G1 
 
 lungs will be in a very short time studded with 
 tubercles, a test that the lungs have become affected ; 
 the breathing will be difficult, and a stifled grating 
 noise accompanies it, which is a certain prelude to death. 
 A common catarrah has often been mistaken for 
 glanders, but a little attention will soon enable any 
 one to perceive the distinction between the two diseases. 
 Catarrh is usually accompanied with fever, sore throat, 
 general cough, loss of appetite, and a discharge from both 
 nostrils, and in most cases very copious, sometimes 
 purulent; the glands are generally swollen on both sides 
 of the throat, and are moveable and hot to the touch. 
 The proper means being adopted all the symptoms are 
 abated. 
 
 Strangles have also been mistaken for glanders, and 
 usually affects young horses only. At first they resemble 
 a comon cold with a severe cough and wheezing, accom- 
 panied with considerable thickening and swelling between 
 the jawbones, the swelling becoming harder towards the 
 middle, a fluid can be felt in the centre, which ultimately 
 breaks, and a discharge flows from it. The mucous- 
 membrane of the nostrils is of a very red colour, and an 
 ample discharge continues which is mixed with pus from 
 nearly the commencement. The remote cause of 
 glanders has hitherto baffled all the members of the 
 veterinary art, its true history being still unknown, and 
 the unsatisfactory theories of medical authors throwing 
 no light on it. All that can be gained by the perusal of 
 numerous works upon this disease by past and present 
 authors is that the disease is highly contagious. All 
 authors agree as to the symptoms, and but little differ- 
 
 K 
 
J 62 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 ence is expressed as to the cause. That it is equally 
 fatal to man is proved by the deaths that take place from 
 time to time of men having become inocculated with 
 the disease through some accidental cause. The South 
 Durham Herald, of March 28th, 1874, alludes to the sad 
 fact that a miner at the Castle Eden Colliery had died 
 from blood poisoning consequent upon the introduction 
 of the virus of glanders into his system. The extract I 
 make relating to this melancholy occurrence says " That 
 Joseph Hall, a miner, washed his hands in a trough from 
 which a pony suffering from this disease had drunk, he at 
 the time having an open wound on his right hand. The 
 day following his hand was much swollen, the swelling 
 gradually increased, and in a short time his whole body 
 was a mass of corruption. He died on Wednesday morn- 
 ing. Dr. Wilson, who had attended him, gave a certifi- 
 cate that the deceased died from blood poisoning, caused 
 by inocculation from a glandered horse. The deceased 
 was only 24 years of age, and had been recently married." 
 In the same month vv T e find this note made in the 
 Veterinary Record, " A veterinary surgeon of the French 
 Army, named M. Nicoulean, had died from acute glanders, 
 the result of inocculatian while dissecting the carcase of a 
 horse which was affected with that disease. The sub- 
 maxilliary lymphatic of the animal was enlarged, and 
 the characteristic discharge and ulceration were present, 
 but the unfortunate gentleman could not trace any signs 
 of the distinctive tubercles in the pulmonary tissue not- 
 withstanding the most careful search, and in cutting the 
 mucous membrane of the nostril his knife slipped and 
 punctured his finger. Notwithstanding that every pre^ 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the lload. 1GB 
 
 caution was taken and everything done for him that 
 medical science could suggest, he died in a few days after 
 suffering untold agony." Numerous other cases can be 
 quoted of men dying of this malignant disease, but the 
 two cases above are enough to show how necessary it is 
 to proceed with the utmost caution, if it is only expected 
 that a horse is inflicted with glanders. The remote 
 cause of glanders is we fear to be found in ill-ventilated 
 and badly drained stables ; there the ammonia from the 
 urine fills the whole atmosphere, which being constantly 
 inhaled ultimately produces a poisonous effect upon the 
 lungs, caused by an undue quantity of ox}^gen being 
 inhaled ; besides the constant irritation which it must 
 naturally produce upon that delicate portion of the 
 mucous membrane, which is the organ of smell, it 
 induces the formation of those tubercles which once 
 formed can never be eradicated. We find that glanders 
 almost always breaks out in ill-ventilated stables, and 
 which are likewise kept too hot. Fracture of the nasal 
 bone has been said to produce it in some few instances, 
 as well as a long continued and inveterate catarrah with 
 a constant and irritating discharge from the nostrils. We 
 find that in the lofty w ell-aired stables of gentlemen this 
 disease is comparatively little known, and when it does 
 shew itself in such it has in all probability been intro- 
 duced by some fresh importation to the stud of one or 
 more horses previously affected. In such a case all the 
 animals in the stable may catch the malady, as 
 glanders is well known to be highly contagious. In 
 many of the crowded and ill-aired stables of London 
 and other large towns this disease is but too often an 
 
lGi The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 inmate, and frequently great havoc is wrought among 
 the horses in consequence. Many horses become 
 affected with glanders by being put into a stall in which 
 a glandered horse has been standing ; this is often the 
 case in a livery stable. The glandered horse is bought 
 at a fair or market and brought to a livery stable to be 
 fed, the pus from its nostrils drops into the manger and 
 the next horse that is fed out of the same manger becomes 
 innoculated with the pus ; especially if it happens to 
 have a slight scratch upon his muzzle, and it comes in 
 contact with the crib on which the mucous of the 
 glandered animal has been left, and is thus carried into 
 the circulation of the blood. All stalls, and especially 
 public stables, should have high divisions between them 
 to prevent the muzzles of horses coming in contact with 
 each other. Horses being very apt to smell each other 
 indeed it is by this faculty alcre they recognise each other 
 and distinguish their companions. From an ill-judged 
 piece of economy many persons, after being aware that one 
 of their horses is glandered, persist in keeping it in the 
 same stable with others and by so doing is every hour 
 risking all they possess. It is the duty of every person 
 as soon as he is certain of his horse having caught this 
 disease to destroy it as speedily as possible, for although 
 a glandered horse may be able to work for a considerable 
 time under the influence of this disorder, he will find 
 ultimately that it is a bad piece of economy to keep it. 
 Many persons who have lost horses by this disease have 
 resorted to extremes to prevent a continuance of it, 
 Some have gone so far as to pull down the stable, and 
 others have taken out all the internal fittings^ putting one 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 165 
 
 in mind of the a Industrious Irishman/' who pulled the 
 stairs down to keep the bugs out of the bedroom. It is 
 quite sufficient if the mangers and other parts which the 
 nostril of the gland ered horse has touched, be 
 thoroughly scrubbed with hot water and strong soda, 
 and afterwards with chloride of lime ; the proportion of 
 which should be one pint and a half to a pailful of water ; 
 or carbolic acid and hot water, which should be in propor- 
 tion of half-a-pint to two gallons of water. The walls 
 should be limewashed, and all the cloths, headstalls, 
 and halters destroyed, and the iron-work painted. We 
 have already said that we cannot find a well-authenticated 
 case of cure of the glanders. Hinde says : " Glanders 
 has been cured spontaneously on a largp scale, under his 
 own inspection solely by regular and good living, a fine 
 seaside country and moderate work being the only 
 adjuncts, with such an auxiliary as Venice turpentine 
 diftused in steam up the nostrils have removed recent 
 cases of glanders, wherein the skankers were already 
 visible, the discharge foetid, and the glander hard and 
 fixed. To apply this remedy make a bran mash hot in 
 which is mixed the turpentine, attach this to the 
 horse's head by means of a nose bag, and in a quarter 
 of an hour renew the heat by means of a pailful of 
 hot water in which the bag is to be partially immersed, 
 afterwards cover the body, head, and neck, so as to 
 promote perspiration ; but if it does not come on by 
 these means, cover the body first in a blanket that 
 has been immersed in hot water and wrung out, rub 
 dry, cover up, and repeat the same daily. In all such 
 cases we have given salt in every way the patient 
 
166 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 could take it in its food and water, and wash its nose 
 and legs with salt and water. With the same view we 
 hear of sulphate of iron being given in tiie water, the 
 pail being suspended in the stable for the animal to 
 drink at pleasure. I have given the above upon the 
 authority of Mr Hinde, but w T e have known it tried 
 without effect. Whether this loathsome and fatal 
 disease has its origin in the deteriorated atmosphere of 
 stables is a problem that has not yet been solved, there 
 is little doubt, however, that a strong preventitive is 
 found in a clean, cool, well-aired stable, and exposing 
 the horse as much as possible to the influence of the 
 atmosphere. The glanders is unknown among the 
 Arabian horses, in South America, and in Circassia, 
 where horses are not confined in stables. As a word of 
 caution to all my readers who may have to buy horses 
 at fairs from dealers of whom they know nothing, it 
 is necessary they should have their eyes open because 
 by infamous trickery they too frequently use means 
 to deceive the purchaser. Tt is a well-known fact 
 that if a glandered horse is galloped hard the increased 
 action of the lungs in breathing will thoroughly drive 
 the mucous substance out of the nostrils, and to make 
 it continue dry for a time they blow up the diseased 
 nostril (the left) powdered allum, or white vitrol, but 
 a little attention will enable anyone to see that the 
 animal is in pain and will make ineffectual attempts to 
 sneeze. The foetid smell, so different from any other 
 discharge, will convince even the inexperienced person 
 that the horse is glandered. 
 
 A favourite trick of the horse dealer is to gallop the 
 horse in the morning before brinedno" it to the fair. 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 167 
 
 blow vitrol up its nostril, and then force a pledget of 
 cotton wool a considerable way up its nostril, they will 
 try to destroy the foetid smell b}^ syringing a solution 
 of carbolic acid up the right nostril. In buying a 
 horse at a fair always lay hold of its nostril and pinch 
 both together so as to stop the horse's breath, hold it 
 so for a few seconds, then let go your hold and the 
 horse will blow its nose violently; if it has been 
 " plugged" the horse will blow the pledget out, and if it 
 does so it is olandered without a doubt. 
 
 FARCY. 
 
 This disease is nearly allied to glanders ; some have 
 supposed it to be a modification of that malady. This, 
 however, is a great mistake, they are essentially different, 
 as I will endeavour to point out. It is the decided 
 opinion of every eminent veterinary surgeon that 
 glanders is incurable ; farcy, however, is not so. The 
 first symptoms manifested of farcy are the appearance of 
 small tumours, popularly called farcy buds or buttons, 
 situate close to some of the veins, and following their 
 
 7 o 
 
 courses, being connected together with a kind of cord — 
 
 7 o o 
 
 hence they are called corded veins by farriers and 
 veterinary surgeons. At first they are generally small, 
 and consequently may not be noticed for some weeks, until 
 they have attained their full size, after which they 
 usually increase more rapidly, become hot, and cause 
 considerable pain, and at length ulceration ensues. 
 They first make their appearance about the face, neck , 
 and throat, sometimes extending to the inside of the 
 thigh, and produce lameness and considerable swelling 
 
1GS The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 of the limb. A foetid discharge generally proceeds from 
 both nostrils (in glanders only one, and that the left), 
 which, in the process of time assumes all the malignant 
 characters of glanders, and is equally contagious. It 
 sometimes happens that farcy is progressing in the con- 
 stitution long before the buds make an appearance or 
 swelling along the course of the absorbent take place ; 
 in some instances the buds are not ulcerated, but assume 
 a callous texture, in which case they are very difficult to 
 reduce. At this period a check of the disease takes 
 place, and many persons are led to believe that the 
 disease is cured, as the horse seems to have quite 
 recovered. This, however, is only a delusion, and 
 though no symptoms of the complaint manifests itself 
 for months, it is working in secret, and its malignant 
 effects are sure to show themselves sooner or later, and 
 all at once break out in a most malignant form, and in 
 all probability in a few days death will close the scene. 
 Sometimes a considerable swelling takes place about the 
 head, especially in the region of the muzzle, and from 
 which an extremely foetid mucous fluid is discharged, 
 various portions of the body will assume a mangy 
 appearance, swelling in the limbs will follow, the heels 
 will become cracked, and exhibit all the appearance of 
 grease, the animal in most cases becoming emaciated 
 and weak. Farcy assumes many different appearances 
 in its various stages. It is no uncommon thing for one 
 hind leg to swell suddenly to a large size, accompanied by 
 abrupt projections and depressions, and which the poor 
 animal will be unable to move. This is generally ac- 
 companied with a considerable degree of fever. The 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 160 
 
 above swelling differs considerably from that which is 
 usually called farcy humour ; in this the skin presents a 
 red and shining appearance, from the whole surface of 
 which exudes a thin fluid, accompanied by great lame- 
 ness, the fetlock is round, tumid, and smooth, and 
 swollen as far as the heel. This disease is in 
 consequence of being over fed, and the want of 
 proper exercise at the same time. Painful and 
 disagreeable as this malady is, frequent fomenta- 
 tions of a decoction of marsh-mallows, and smart 
 doses of medicine will speedily reduce the swelling, 
 and especially if the swollen part is well rubbed and 
 the horse subjected to exercise. There is no doubt 
 that the cause of farcy is to be looked for in bad stable 
 management, want of exercise, and infection. There 
 have been many cases in which it could not be accounted 
 for upon any other principle than that it was con- 
 tagious. In certain localities it has been known to be 
 prevalent where horses could not have come in contact 
 with one another, yet, strange as it may appear, we 
 have it upon good authority, that horses in the field 
 have taken glanders from affected animals which were 
 in the fields half-a-mile away. A few years ago a 
 number of horses became affected with glanders in a 
 field which had a swift running brook passing though 
 it. After a thorough investigation it was found that a 
 badly-glandered horse was turned out in a field half- 
 a-mile up the stream, and no doubt the pus from its 
 nostrils falling into the stream was carried down by 
 the current, and the horses lower down became innocu- 
 lated with it, thus spreading this foul disease in all 
 
170 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 directions. In the early stages of farcy, the horse 
 should be subjected to gentle doses of medicine. The 
 following is often given for this disease : — Barbadoes 
 aloes eight drachms, Castile soap two drachms, 
 liquorice powder half an ounce, made into a ball. 
 Others recommend the following in its stages: — 
 Corrosive sublimate half a drachm, powdered aniseed 
 one ounce, mixed with syrup into three balls ; these to 
 be continued for ten days in succession. These balls 
 containing a preparation of mercury (corrosive subli- 
 mate), it is necessary to keep the animal warm while 
 this medicine is being given. With some constitutions 
 it does not agree, and in such cases I have found half a 
 drachm of opium given in a ball have good effect, but 
 should it not prove effectual, the same quantity may 
 be given twelve hours afterwards, that is if purging 
 and staleing is produced in too strong a degree. The 
 above quantity is a dose for a horse of a delicate con- 
 stitution, and should always be given first. If the horse 
 is of a more robust habit, the dose may be increased 
 after a few clays to double the quantity. 
 
 The above applies to the stage of this disease when 
 the farcy buds are unbroken ; if any of them have begun 
 to ulcerate the welding iron should be brought to a dull 
 red heat and gently applied to them, but if upon feeling 
 you find they are filled with matter even although they 
 have not broken, they should have an application of the 
 iron. This should be carefully examined for some days 
 afterwards, and if they exhibit an unhealthy spongy 
 appearance, and a thin gluey matter issues from them, 
 they should be frequently washed with corrosive subli- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road, 171 
 
 mate two drachms, spirit of wine four ounces, or, what I 
 have proved equally as good, carbolic acid one ounce, 
 boiling water one quart, well agitated ; this should be 
 continued until the bottom of the ulcers assume a 
 healthy colour, of a clear red appearance, and the spongy 
 foul look has disappeared. When this is the case the 
 matter discharged will have completely changed its 
 aspect, and instead of being thin and glary, it will have 
 become thick, and of a white or yellowish colour. 
 At this stage some writers recommend an application of 
 Friar's balsam, but I have quite discarded that, as I find 
 a much better substitute in carbolised oil. Luring this 
 treatment other buttons may be found to contain matter, 
 and these should be subjected to the same treatment. 
 This is a nasty disease, and requires great attention and 
 a long course of treatment to insure a cure. At this 
 stage the disease will have attacked the constitution, it 
 will therefore be necessary for a more rigid medical treat- 
 ment, and it may be found necessary to give an altera- 
 tive composed of corrosive sublimate ten grains, gentian 
 two drachms, ginger one drachm ; to be given morning 
 and evening until the ulcers, have dried up. Sometimes 
 this acts violently as a purgative, at other times the 
 horse's mouth becomes sore, in which case one drachm of 
 sulphate of copper should be substituted for the corossive 
 sublimate. It not untrequently happens in this disease 
 that one kind of medicine when administered loses its 
 effect, and it may be necessary to give medicine alter- 
 nately or a combination of medicines, such as the follow- 
 ing : — Sulphate of copper three drachms, corrosive subli- 
 mate one scruple, powdered bark two drachms, powdered 
 
172 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 ginger two drachms, mixed with Venice turpentine, to 
 form three balls, and give morning and evening. 
 
 Probably in a few days the above may have to be given 
 in two balls to produce the desired evacuations, but should 
 the intestines be moved too freely, recourse must be had 
 to the opium ball as given above. During this treatment 
 the horse should be kept apart from the other, and the 
 stable disinfected with carbolic acid, and its food should 
 consist of green provender, carrots, turnips, mangolds, 
 mash or any other soft food, but corn should upon no 
 account be given except in moderate quantities. It should 
 be freely exposed to the air, and if in the summer season 
 it should be turned out in the field for four or five hours 
 daily; it should be carefully stabled during the night, as 
 its system, with the above course of treatment, will be 
 open, and will be very liable to take cold. In the winter, 
 when the weather is fine, it should be walked out for an 
 hour or two in the middle ol the day regularly. 
 
 Some people prefer the following instead of the 
 firing iron, but its effects are not so certain. Muriatic 
 acid two drachms, muriate of mercury one drachm, to 
 be well mixed, then add pure water four drachms, 
 spirit of wine six drachms. Should this be found to 
 cause too much irritation more water must be added. 
 In applying the above it should be done with a small 
 piece of sponge tied on the end of a piece of stick ; 
 as it is a powerful caustic and will blacken the hands 
 of the operator ; if touched with it should be washed 
 off immediately, as the skin will continue black until 
 it is worn away. In cases which severe salivation 
 ensues from the use of corrosive sublimate (which 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 1*73 
 
 is in fact a preparation of mercury) which not unfre- 
 quently happens with horses of delicate constitution, 
 the following purgative should be given : — Kochelle 
 salts seven ounces, sulphur two and a-quarter ounces, 
 mixed with liquorice powder and treacle, and formed 
 into a ball, to be repeated for two or three days. 
 If the limbs are much swollen the carbonate of potass 
 may be given every time the animal drinks. Warm 
 fomentations should be constantly applied to the limbs 
 with cloths, as hot as the animal can bear it, or flannel 
 bandages, put on and kept constantly wet with hot water, 
 as hot as a man can bear his hand in it. After all 
 treatment, even the most successful kind, I doubt if it 
 is entirely got out of the system, as all animals, having 
 once had farcy, are liable to a return of it at any time. 
 
 NASAL GLEET. 
 
 This is another disease that has sometimes been 
 mistaken for glanders, but it is quite distinct from it in 
 its affecting both nostrils, and also being a discharge of 
 clear pus. There is a constant discharge of a thickish 
 fluid from the nostrils, proceeding from the mucous 
 membrane which lines the nostrils in the internal 
 cavity. This disease is frequently brought on by the 
 effects ol a long-continued discharge from catarrh or 
 cold. It is unattended with any feverish symptoms ; 
 the flow of this thick mucous gleet is often very con- 
 siderable and variable in colour. When the horse is 
 living upon green food it often assumes a greenish hue, 
 and sometimes even a grass-green colour. If its diet is 
 of dry food, and it is kept in the stable, then it assumes 
 
174 The Management and Treatment of the Morse, 
 
 a very different hue, varying from cream -white to brown 
 or straw colour, and mixed with pus ; in some instances 
 this is mixed with blood. This discharge is sometimes 
 continuous, and at others it is only occasionally squeezed 
 out : in the latter case it is generally thick, and when so 
 the disease is generally on the wane. If, however, it is 
 of long duration, it sometimes assumes a serious aspect, 
 and may ultimately prove fatal. Sometimes this 
 disease is accompanied with cough, and when it is so, 
 the writer has found very good results from the 
 following pectoral balls, given every day for a week. 
 They are also very good for horses suffering from 
 asthma or chronic cough: — Balsam of capivi, Barba- 
 does tar and Castile soap, of each four ounces, prepared 
 kali one ounce, beat them together in a mortar, then 
 add carraway seed, aniseed, grains of paradise, and 
 liquorice powder, of each four ounces, sufficient honey 
 or treacle to form it into a stiff paste. Give two ounces 
 each day for three days, then every other day for a 
 week, and afterwards one or two a week. The writer 
 frequently stimulates the nostrils with the fume of 
 vinegar, and for this purpose make a brick red hot, and 
 put a horse cloth over the horse's head, holding the 
 brick on a shovel under the cloth, and pouring gently 
 the vinegar on to the brick. The fumes are confined 
 in the rug, and the animal is forced to inhale it. This 
 will be found to cleanse the nostrils and heal the 
 irritation of the mucous membrane. If the disease is 
 of long standing it may be as well to use Venice 
 turpentine alternately with the vinegar. For this 
 purpose the turpentine should be mixed with bran, 
 
In the Stable,, Fidel, and on the Road. 173 
 
 and put into a nose-bag, boiling water poured 
 upon it, and then put upon the horse's head ; when it 
 begins to get cool the bag should be immersed again in 
 hot water to keep up the steam. In slight cases the fol- 
 lowing may be found to be all that is necessary to effect 
 a cure : — One ounce of sulphate of copper made into a 
 ball with linseed meal and treacle, twice a day. This 
 disease, although discharging a quantity of mucous and 
 pus, is neither infectious nor contagious, although if left 
 unattended to it may assume in a secondary stage a 
 serious aspect. 
 
 STRANGLES. 
 
 This disease is incidental to all horses in their youth, 
 and indeed looked upon as a baby's complaint. It attacks 
 the colt generally between the age of two and three years, 
 though sometimes the colt may escape until it is four or 
 even five years old ; in some few cases old horses will 
 have it, when it is very difficult to cure. High-fed colts 
 generally have it sooner than those which are fed upon a 
 lower diet. Neither the remote nor the approximate 
 cause of this complaint is known. It appears to be in 
 some degree analogous to the small-pox in the human 
 being, and the colt having passed through it, the consti- 
 tution seems to have undergone a purification and im- 
 provement. In some instances it has affected the animal 
 in so mild a form that it has passed through its various 
 stages, and gone off without much inconvenience to it, 
 or any remedial moans being employed. Contagion 
 seems to have nothing to do with this disorder ; every 
 horse has this complaint once in its life and only once. 
 
176 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 This, like many more complaints, commences with 
 the animal coughing, and differs but little from a 
 common cough, and is often mistaken for it in its 
 early stages. It, however, differs from common 
 catarrh by a more abundant discharge from the 
 nostrils, which is of a yellowish colour, and unac- 
 companied by any disagreeable smell ; it is also in 
 most cases mixed with matter. There is, besides, a 
 profuse discharge of slimy stringy fluid from the 
 mouth. The membrane lining of the nose is intensely 
 red. It will be found that a considerable swelling 
 has taken place between the jaws, accompanied by 
 fever, which is distinguished by want of appetite, a 
 quick pulse, and a hot mouth, with a general weakness 
 of the whole frame producing a dejected appearance. 
 There is likewise a quick motion of the flanks and a 
 coldness of the leofs and ears. The swelling is in the 
 form of a tumour between the jaws, increasing with 
 various degrees of rapidity, occupying in some instances 
 the whole of the space between the jaws, giving great 
 pain to the horse while eating; it besides manifests a 
 great disinclination to feed. This is accompanied by 
 much, thirst, but the swelling prevents him drinking, 
 and having diank a mouthful or two it desists, after 
 which, and even after eating, it is frequently seized 
 with a spasmodic cough with suffocating symptoms. 
 The swelling is of one uniform body, and therefore 
 differs from the swelling of the glands in common 
 catarrh and the glanders. As the principal source of 
 this complaint consists in the swelling between the 
 jaws, the first thing to be attended to is to bring the 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 177 
 
 tumour to a suppuration. The first thing to be done is 
 to apply a sharp blister over the tumour between the 
 jaws, and for this purpose use Stevens' blister, or 
 biniodide of mercury. This administered in time will 
 facilitate the discharge a week or two sooner than it 
 would otherwise take place if allowed to come to a 
 period naturally. It will also have a tendency to draw 
 out the inflammation from the mucous membrane of 
 the throat, and consequently greatly ameliorate the 
 cough. The old practice of fomenting and applying 
 poultices to the tumour has almost passed away, as 
 they often proved ineffectual from the great thickness 
 of the horse's skin. Shortly after the blister has been 
 applied, a hot linseed meal poultice may be added, and 
 repeated twice a day until the tumour has become full 
 of matter and is quite soft. The tumour frequently 
 breaks of its own accord, but I do not like to do so as 
 the lips of the wound in that case become jagged, and 
 take a longer time to heal. I prefer to take a lancet and 
 insert it in the bottom of the tumour and cut upwards, 
 making a cut an inch or an inch and a-half in length. 
 The matter must be well squeezed out, and the lips of 
 the incision kept open with a piece of lint, which 
 should be kept in the wound for at least a week to keep 
 up the suppuration, otherwise a second tumour may 
 be formed which frequently proves very difficult to 
 cure. After the matter has been discharged, a small 
 quantity of carbolised oil may be injected into the 
 wound daily. At this stage of the complaint, if there 
 is no unusual degree of fever, it is advisable to give a 
 laxative, and the following will be found very good for 
 
 L 
 
178 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 the purpose : — Barbadoes aloes two drachms, Castile soap 
 one drachm, common salt four ounces, water one pint. 
 If there is much fever with difficult breathing, proceeding 
 from an affection of the chest, it will be necessary to 
 resort to aconite in ten-drop doses. Old veterinary 
 surgeons used to bleed for this complaint, but the writer 
 is inclined to think that it does more harm than good, 
 as it has a tendency to retard suppuration, and in this 
 complaint all our efforts are to promote abundant sup- 
 puration. 
 
 Cooling medicine will be found of great benefit in 
 this complaint, and two or three doses of the following 
 will be found very beneficial : — Nitre one ounce, tartar 
 emetic two drachms. If there is no fever the animal will 
 soon manifest a desire to eat, and his food should chief! v 
 be oatmeal gruel, bran mashes, and green food if it can be 
 obtained. Should these not keep the bowels sufficiently 
 open, which is of great consequence in this complaint, 
 then the above laxative must be given, which will have 
 the effect of preventing eruptions, which often occur 
 after this complaint, and nothing more will be required 
 if it operates freely. If, however, the complaint is 
 followed by weakness it will be necessary to have 
 recourse to tonic medicine, which should be repeated 
 daily, until the horse has recovered strength. The 
 following is a beautiful tonic :— Quinine twenty grains, 
 gentian two drachms, calomel two drachms, ginger 
 two drachms ; this should be made into a ball and given 
 every day. In bad cases of strangles, the parotid 
 gland will swell to a great size, and even become 
 ulcerated, and in other cases an accumulation of fluid 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 171) 
 
 will take place from the swelling of the duct, and 
 cause the vessel to burst ; in this event a fistulous ulcer 
 will follow, which will be found very difficult to eradicate. 
 In such a case it will be necessary to call in the aid 
 of a practical veterinary surgeon, as an operation must 
 be had recourse to which can only be performed 
 by an experienced and practical veterinary surgeon. 
 Strangles seem incidental to the horse in all countries, 
 and foreign veterinary surgeons conceived the idea 
 of innoculating to produce a milder degree of this 
 disease, which they performed with either part of the 
 discharge of the nostril or matter from the tumour; 
 in many cases this had a most beneficial result, being 
 both shorter in its duration and milder in its results, 
 but English practitioners seem to entirely neglect this. 
 
 CANKER IN THE MOUTH. 
 
 It is but a too common occurrence for the mouth of 
 a horse to become wounded by the bit, which may be too 
 acute at its edges or fit badly, and often I am sorry to 
 say by rough usage from both groom and master. It is 
 no uncommon occurrence to see a so-called gentleman, if 
 his horse is a little skittish, pull at its mouth with a 
 sharp bit with sudden jerks, or saw its mouth from side 
 to side with a sharp twisted bit ; this treatment fre- 
 quently wounds deeply, especially between the grinders 
 and tusk where the bit rests, and it is no uncommon 
 occurrence for the entire flesh to be torn off. The writer 
 has had cases where the jawbone has been injured and 
 pieces of the bone splintered off, and done by men who 
 would be shocked at the idea of not beinsf considered 
 
180 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 Christian gentlemen, and who would be quite ready to 
 punish severely any slight act of cruelty done by an 
 ignorant drover. It may be easily conceived the great 
 pain this causes to the poor animal, and those who have 
 had the slightest touch of inflammation of the gums will 
 have some idea of its sufferings. Every man with any 
 feeling will make it his first study to see that the bit 
 fits the horse, does not hurt its mouth, and can in no 
 way injure the sides of the mouth or the palate. Even 
 his own comfort ought to dictate this, as no horse can 
 perform its work pleasantly while it is suffering from 
 an irritation of the mouth. When the owner or groom 
 finds the bone injured he should at once send for a 
 veterinary surgeon, as it may be necessary to perform 
 an operation to remove the shattered portions of the 
 bone, but if the wounds are only of a fleshy nature 
 they may be cured by the parts being frequently 
 washed with alum, one ounce to one quart of water. 
 If the wound has become ulcerated it may be necessary 
 to touch the parts affected with lunar caustic or liquid 
 nitrate of silver, to stimulate and cause them to 
 heat ; at tbe same time the wash is being used it will 
 be proper to give a laxative such as has been re- 
 commended for farcy. This complaint is one that 
 could be entirely prevented by a little care and patience 
 on the part of the rider or driver, yet we often see men 
 pull at the sensitive mouth of a horse as if they had a 
 bull by the horns, and this frequently happens from 
 some fault of their own. The horse may be nervous 
 and shy at some object it does not thoroughly under- 
 stand, when, instead of a gentle word and a slight pull 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. LSI 
 
 of the head in an opposite direction, down comes the 
 whip or in go the spurs, when the animal plunges 
 forward, and is then met with a chop in the mouth with 
 the bit and pinched underneath with the curb, or sawn 
 from side to side if driven with a snaffle. No man should 
 " saw " a horse unless it is in the act of running away. 
 
 DISEASES OF THE TEETH OF HORSES. 
 
 Very little is known about the teeth of the horse 
 as far as regards their diseases, yet the writer is we 
 convinced that the horse, like man, often suffers con 
 siderably by disease of the teeth. Many horses have 
 come under his observation that were reduced to mere 
 skeletons through bad teeth. This is a part of 
 veterinary work that is often overlooked when examin- 
 ing a horse, and many horses are physicked and 
 drenched with medicine for imaginary complaints of the 
 liver, when with a little careful examination the evil 
 would be found to be the result of a hollow tooth. 
 Horses that have bad teeth generally have a dull, heavy 
 appearance, frequently taking a mouthful of hay or corn 
 and partly chewing it, then let it drop ; they will open 
 their mouth and move the tongue about from side to 
 side, and let the corn fall out as if they had got a stone 
 in with the corn. It is not often that rot takes place, 
 from the fact that the constant use of the grinders in 
 chewing grain or straw wears them down to their natural 
 form, yet many horses are found by that same practice 
 with their teeth as sharp as a lance on the edges, and 
 the edges worn unevenly. This cuts the inside of the 
 
182 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 cheek or the tongue, to prevent which the teeth should 
 be filed down. If from the above cause the cheek or 
 tongue has been cut, and an ulcer formed, the mouth 
 should be washed with alum and water, as much alum 
 being used as the water will dissolve. Sometimes the 
 teeth grow irregularly in length, more especially the 
 grinders ; this proceeds generally from their not being 
 immediately opposite each other. Instances are not 
 wanting where the teeth have grown an inch or more 
 above the general level of the grinders. Indeed, the 
 writer lately had a case of this sort at Wellbury, 
 and it became necessary to cut away above an inch 
 of the tooth, to enable the animal to grind its corn. 
 Horses often fall out of condition from these causes, 
 therefore it becomes the careful groom to look well 
 to his horse's teeth. If the horse is off its feed, try 
 and find the cause ; it is often that the teeth are either 
 decayed or have met with an injury, or become rough 
 at the edge. Some years ago the writer had a horse 
 which fell off its feed, and he could find no cause for it, 
 until he examined its mouth, when, to his surprise, he 
 found a hollow tooth, and a lath nail sticking fast in 
 the tooth up to its head. The nail must have been in 
 the corn, and in eating it become fast embedded in the 
 hollow tooth. He extracted the nail with great difficulty, 
 and afterwards punched out the tooth, and never had 
 any more trouble with the horse. Another subject of 
 decayed teeth came under his care in 1871; it was a bay 
 gelding, six years old, and was in very bad condition 
 when brought. Upon carefully examining the mouth, 
 it had six hollow teeth in the top jaw, four incisor and 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 183 
 
 two molar teeth, and upon cleaning out the teeth, he 
 found oats that had sprouted to the extent of a quarter 
 of an inch. He cleaned all the teeth out and then 
 filled the cavities with warm gutta-percha, and smoothed 
 the surface with a hot iron ; after this the horse fed 
 well and soon got into good condition, and remained so 
 for two years afterwards. The writer occasinally looked 
 to the teeth, and if any of the gutta-percha fell out lie 
 replaced it. When horses are out of condition from 
 had teeth it is always advisable to put them through a 
 course of medicine, as they often suffer from indigestion 
 consequent upon swallowing food in an unmasticated 
 state, and for this purpose nothing is better than that 
 recommended earlier in this work for canker in the 
 mouth. The lips of the horse are often lacerated and 
 become sore by the smallness of the bit, or by the un- 
 merciful rough hands of the rider or driver, and also 
 from the shortness of the snaffle. Some people are 
 foolish enough to gag the horse with the snaffle, and will 
 give as an excuse for such cruel treatment that they 
 do not like to see the bridle hang loosely on the 
 horse's head. This wretched system often results in the 
 horse having sores at the angle of the mouth, and some- 
 times poll-evil is the result of their foolish fashion. The 
 severe excoriation of these parts produces deep ulcers, 
 which cannot be removed while the animal is at work. 
 Washing the mouth with alum and water is the best 
 curative which we know ; if the sore becomes callous, it 
 may be necessary to touch the sides of the wound with 
 nitrate of silver. Few persons are aware of the very 
 great importance of the lips of the horse ; they are the 
 
184 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 same to the horse as hands are to man. Without their 
 aid it could not collect its food in the field, nor even 
 convey the corn down its throat. To prove this the 
 writer will give an account of an experiment which was 
 tried with an ass, to ascertain the extent of the use of 
 these important organs. The nerves which give feeling 
 and sensation to the lips were divided, and instantly it 
 was perceived that it was not aware when it touched its 
 food with them. They were entirely divested of motion, 
 and it was in consequence unable to convey the oats with 
 which its manger was filled to his teeth, and by hunger it 
 made a violent effort to lick up a few with its tongue, 
 but they were nearly all rubbed off before they could be 
 conveyed to its mouth. 
 
 THE EYE 
 
 of the horse is certainly the most important organ 
 possessed by that animal, yet how little we know of it 
 with its multitude of nerves and muscles. We fre- 
 quently meet with cases of disease of the eye which are 
 a great trouble to cure. The most common is inflam- 
 mation, which generally makes its appearance un- 
 expectedly, accompanied by considerable swelling of the 
 eyelids, partially closing them, and causes a discharge of 
 watery matter or tears. The lids exhibit inflammation, 
 and some of the vessels of the eyeball are gorged with 
 blood ; there will also be a dimness in the cornea. This 
 usually accompanies a catarrh, but is also caused by 
 substances getting into the eye, such as a hay seed, or it 
 may be the result of a blow. When inflammation occurs, 
 the eye should be carefully examined to ascertain if any 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 185 
 
 foreign substance has got into it, and the true case dis- 
 covered. This seldom affects the health of the horse, or 
 prevents its feeding. After examining the eye, it should 
 be bathed with warm water for half an hour, then bathed 
 with the following : — Tincture of opium half an ounce 
 water one pint ; or the following is equally as good : — 
 Powdered leaves of foxglove one ounce, boiling water 
 one quart. It is always advisable to give mashes for 
 food, and mild doses of physic. Three or four days 
 should be enough to remove this complaint. If it does 
 not, you may infer that instead of common inflammation 
 you have a case of opthalmia, and should call in the 
 aid of the veterinary surgeon, as it will, if not properly 
 treated in its first stages, end in total blindness. 
 Opthalmia is manifested by great inflammation in 
 the eyelids as well as in the cornea, and a watery 
 humour and iris, all of which assume a dim appearance, 
 and lose their transparency. The animal can hardly 
 open its eyelids from the pain produced by exposure 
 to the light. This disease is extremely difficult to 
 combat, and after a month's constant treatment the 
 eye will exhibit an alternation of remission and 
 increase of inflammation day after day. One day 
 it will have all the appearance of being nearly well, 
 and on the next exhibit more unfavourable symptoms 
 than it has before assumed. The gorged appearance 
 of the inner membrane of the eyelid will be much 
 abated, and the inflammation on the white of the 
 eyeball will have nearly quitted it, the hazy aspect 
 of the cornea will have assumed a certain degree 
 of clearness, and to all appearance the malady will 
 
180 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 have taken its departure. This appearance is deceptive ; 
 it is only the lull before the storm ; it seldom happens 
 that it is gone, for in six weeks or two months we too 
 frequently find the eye again affected with all its former 
 redness, and often worse than on the first attack. Some- 
 times both eyes are affected ; indeed, from time to time a 
 succession of these abatements and attacks will have 
 succeeded one another until a cloudy appearance and 
 permanent opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye has 
 taken place, and confirmed blindness in one or both eyes 
 has resulted. The cause of this complaint is to be 
 looked for in bad ventilation of stables. The constantly 
 heated air of the stable may be considered the remote 
 cause of this disease, to which all horses seem to be 
 predisposed. The poisoned air is a powerful agent in 
 propagating ophthalmia, yet how few pay any regard 
 to their ventilation, and what are generally con- 
 sidered the best stables are oftentimes the worst 
 ventilated. To this may be added the too frequent 
 use of stables which are totally dark, so that when 
 the animal is suddenly brought to the light, the 
 abrupt transition produces spasmodic effect on the 
 muscles and vessels of the eye, and causes that excessive 
 inflammation which accompanies this disease. When 
 this disease first makes its appearance, the inside of the 
 eyelids should be freely lanced, which often has the effect 
 of stopping the complaint. The horse should be put 
 upon low diet, and gentle purgative medicine given. 
 Bleeding at the temporal artery has often been beneficial 
 in diseases of the eye. When the cornea presents a 
 cloudy appearance, bleeding and cooling medicine are 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 187 
 
 most likely to relieve it, after which use some exciting 
 means to give energy to the absorbents, and for this 
 purpose nothing is better than corrosive sublimate in 
 solution, two grains in an ounce and a-half of water will 
 be found quite strong enough. This should be syringed 
 into the eye twice or three times a day. If opacity of 
 the lens has taken place we are not aware of anything 
 that will remove it, indeed it is a given fact amongst the 
 veterinary surgeons of note that no cure has been found, 
 yet it is always advisable to call in the aid of the veteri- 
 nary surgeon in diseases of the eye, for although they 
 are few in number they are of vital consequence, as the 
 least mistake in the treatment terminates in total blind- 
 ness. 
 
 THE HAW. 
 
 It is not an unusual thing for a thickening of this 
 part of the eye to take place, and protrude on the fore 
 part of the eyeball ; in this disease the retractor muscle 
 pulls back the eye to protect it from the irritating effect 
 of the light, and the thickening of the haw pushes it 
 forward, and in consequence of the adjacent parts being 
 thickened no retraction can take place. In former times 
 the old veterinary surgeons used to cut out the haw of 
 the eye, but that cruel, useless, and absurd practice is 
 now abandoned by the enlightened veterinary surgeon, 
 who knows the use of the haw of the eye of the horse, 
 and allows Nature's handiwork to remain intact. Nature 
 evidently intended the haw of the eye to protect the eye 
 from dust and insects. The horse has no hands to take 
 out dust or insects that may get into the eye, so Nature 
 
188 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 provided him with the haw, which it can draw over the 
 eye at pleasure, and remove any dust or insect that may 
 have lodged there. In former times few farriers under- 
 stood the use of the haw, and even yet it is surprising 
 the amount of ignorance displayed by many who ought 
 to know better, but yet cannot tell of what value it is 
 to the horse- In cases of inflammation of the eye it 
 sometimes becomes much inflamed and increased in 
 dimensions, and the contiguous parts likewise thickened. 
 This sometimes forces it out of its place, but mostly it is 
 voluntarily produced to protect the eye from the action 
 of the light. In some cases it does not return into its 
 place, and has been mistaken for a tumour or extraneous 
 excrescence, and has been cut out by ignorant persons, 
 and the eye consequently left unguarded. 
 
 In some instances where inflammation has a long 
 continuation, ulceration of the haw and the destruction 
 of the cartilage ensue. If the above does not stop the 
 ulceration, then the following must be used : — White 
 vitriol half an ounce, water three ounces ; and if it 
 becomes callous, a weak solution of nitrate of silver 
 should be applied to it, but in any case it is much better 
 for a practical veterinary surgeon to be called in, as a 
 mistake is easily made, and the result is a blind horse. 
 
 ERUPTIONS OF THE EYELIDS. 
 
 This irritating complaint is very common to the 
 horse, and consists of a scale-like eruption. This is 
 always attended with great itching, which causes the 
 horse to rub its evelid on the stall, or anything it comes 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road.. 18 ( J 
 
 io contact with, in the performance of which the animal 
 often injures the eye itself. The edges of the eyelids 
 should be anointed with the following ointment, which, 
 after two or three applications will invariably effect a 
 cure : — Hog's lard half an ounce, beeswax half an ounce, 
 nitrated ointment of mercury half an ounce. 
 
 WARTS. 
 
 These are ofttimes a troublesome thing on the eye- 
 lid, and indeed on any part of the horse. Many different 
 modes are resorted to to take them away, such as tying a 
 piece of silk tightly round them and allowing them to 
 rot off, but the quickest, most simple, and effective, is to 
 take a pair of sharp scissors and cut them off close to the 
 skin. Then touch the roots with nitrate of silver or 
 lunar-caustic, and they will heal up in a few days and 
 cease to trouble. They seldom come again when once 
 cut off and caustic is applied. 
 
 GUTTA SERENA. 
 
 This is another disease of the eye which happily is 
 not often met with, and exhibits itself by an extraordinary 
 dilation of the pupil, which becomes immovable and has 
 a bright glassy appearance. This is caused by a paralysis 
 of the optic nerve, or the surface of the retina, or what is 
 often called the mirror of the eye, occasioned by a deter- 
 mination of blood to the brain, and its consequent 
 pressure on the optic nerve thus destroying its functions. 
 Cures in this disease are very rare ; indeed I doubt if any 
 well-authenticated cases really exist. Of the three cases 
 which have come under my observation during the past 
 
11)0 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 15 years, neither of them were cured, although bleeding, 
 medicine, the rowel and seton were tried, and from the 
 nature of the disease I have but little faith in all I have 
 read as to a cure having been effected in a single con- 
 firmed case of gutta serena or glass eye. 
 
 GENERAL BLINDNESS AND IMPERFECT 
 
 VISION. 
 No subject is of greater importance than the state 
 of the organs of vision of the horse, which ought to 
 occupy the first attention of a purchaser. Blindness or 
 a partial defect of the eyes often leads to many unpleasant 
 consequences to the proprietor, whether he is riding or 
 driving. It requires considerable knowledge of the 
 anatomical construction of the eye to enable anyone to 
 judge correctly of its perfection or defects ; and I am 
 sorry to say that not half of the members of the veteri- 
 nary profession pay due attention to the eye, and do not 
 make it so much of a study as should be devoted to it. 
 We have many disputes about the eye of the horse ; one 
 in particular occurred at a recent show at Islington, 
 where Professor Pritchard disqualified the winner of the 
 first prize in consequence of cataract in the eye. This 
 is one of the most difficult diseases of the eye for a 
 practical man to detect, and unless the practitioner is 
 himself blessed with good eyesight, and has been taught 
 by a thoroughly practical man how to stand, and how 
 to place the horse's eyes to the light, the chances are 
 that he will pass the horse as sound while it is in 
 fact suffering from imperfect vision. When living 
 in the neighbourhood of Hitchin, my employer had 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 191 
 
 a horse that he had hunted for some years, yet this 
 horse had as bad a cataract in the near eye as any 
 horse I ever saw that was not blind with it. This 
 horse was passed as sound, and the owner never 
 knew that the animal had a bad eye, yet to a minute 
 observer of small things the horse told instantly, 
 upon going up to it on its near side, that its vision 
 was impaired with that eye, as it always held its 
 head from you if approached on the near side, and 
 did not do so if approached on the off side. Dealers 
 in horses know well what a cataract is, and are 
 always anxious, if the horse has a defect in the eye, 
 to bring it at once into a strong light, so that the 
 purchaser or the examiner may be unable to detect 
 this disease. The cause of cataract is, in most in- 
 stances, from inflammation, or the result of a blow ; 
 this causes a light cloudy appearance of the retina, 
 which cannot be seen unless the examiner brings 
 the horse out gradually from the dark to the light, and 
 places his own face to the cheek of the horse and looks 
 stedfastly into its eye, and watch minutely the contrac- 
 tion of the pupil when brought to the light, The 
 examiner should be very careful and observe if both eyes 
 contract alike, or if in the retina there is a dull blueish 
 white appearance ; if there is, the chances are that the 
 horse has imperfect vision, if not cataract. Indepen- 
 dently of the beauty of a prominent eye, it is of much 
 importance that the cornea should possess considerable 
 convexity, but this must have a limit. If very 
 prominent, the rays of light will be too convergent, 
 which will cause indistinct vision, and the animal 
 
 
192 The Management and Treatment of the Ho 
 
 rse, 
 
 will prick its ears forward and look at any object it is 
 about to pass in a nervous manner, being unable 
 to determine what the object may be. Thoughtless 
 drivers will whip the horse for this, causing the 
 animal to have two fears to contend with instead 
 of one ; its indistinct vision makes it fear passing 
 objects, and being nervous at the object it also expects 
 the whip, will start suddenly on one side and then 
 set off at a gallop. On the other hand, if the cornea 
 be flat and small the rays may not be sufficiently 
 convergent, and consequently will render the vision 
 imperfect, and as it cannot see distinctly it will 
 suddenly stop upon coming unawares upon any 
 object it does not understand, and in all proba- 
 bility bolt round to the danger of the rider or driver's 
 neck. A horse is unsafe with either of these defects, 
 both in riding and driving. The cornea should there- 
 fore be moderately convex, perfectly transparent, and 
 totally free from all opacity or cloudiness over its entire 
 surface. As I have said before, the best method of 
 examining the eye ot the horse is to place the cheek 
 of the scrutinizer close to the cheek of the horse, both 
 behind and under the eye. The latter position is the 
 most advantageous to see it thoroughly. The open 
 air is not favourable for the examiner (hence 
 dealers knowing the horse has defective vision are 
 always anxious to bring them out to the light). The 
 head of the horse should be a little within the door of 
 the stable, and by looking outwards, any defect is 
 rendered more visible. If any faint, whitish, milk- 
 like streaks be noticed passing over the cornea, it is 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 193 
 
 certain the animal has had inflammation in that 
 portion of the eye ; but should the centre part of the 
 cornea be perfectly transparent, and yet the margin of 
 it where it unites with the sclerotica have a hazy ring, 
 it may be concluded that this has been occasioned by 
 recent inflammation, and consequently the eye is pre- 
 disposed to a return of it. During the operation of 
 thus inspecting the eye, mind that no white or pale- 
 coloured object be near, as its form and great trans- 
 parency are very likely to reflect these rays, and 
 deceive the person making the examination. Atten- 
 tion to the dilation and contraction of the pupil will 
 materially aid a person in the detection of blindness 
 or otherwise. When the cornea and crystalline lens 
 are quite transparent, with the retina paralysed and of 
 course not liable to be affected with the light, it is 
 extremely difficult to detect blindness either in one or 
 both eyes. It generally happens that when a horse is 
 totally blind, * he has a constant and rapid motion 
 with its ears, it also lifts its feet high as if some 
 obstacle presented itself, and puts its feet down 
 with cautious uncertainty. Do not forget to pay 
 particular attention to the pupil of both eyes, and 
 notice if they are both of a size while it is in the stable, 
 and as it approaches the door observe whether both 
 pupils contract equally as tbey are subjected to a 
 stronger light. If, however, the horse is in a fair or at a 
 distance from a stable, place the crown of a black hat 
 over the eye, and then observe after it has obscured it 
 from the light for a little while whether the pupils con- 
 tract. Repeat the experiment on both eyes, and you will 
 M 
 
19-t The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 be able to judge if both present the same appearance. 
 Dishonest dealers and horse-copers will not like you to 
 examine their horses minutely, but as my writing is for 
 the instruction of my readers and for the younger mem- 
 bers of my profession, I shall still continue to point out 
 the tricks of the " professional " horse-coper, as a guide 
 and warning to all who may want to buy a horse, not 
 caring for the discomfort of the few if I can benefit the 
 many. Being " proud to praise yet not afraid to blame " 
 is a motto I hold by, and in future pages I will devote a 
 chapter or two upon the tricks of horse-copers, so that 
 my readers may then see it is not a wonder that many 
 persons are deceived when buying a horse, the only 
 wonder being that any escape who have any dealings 
 with them. Before leaving the horse's head, there is one 
 disease I must not overlook, viz., 
 
 POLL-EVIL. 
 
 This disease consists of an inflammation of the 
 muscles of the neck over the poll-bone, and the first 
 vertebra of the neck. It generally extends under the 
 ligament of the neck, which passes over the atlas-bone. 
 This ligament is not attached to the bone, consequently 
 the disease is deep-seated, being situate between that 
 ligament and the bone itself. It is being thus deep- 
 seated which frequently renders it difficult to cure, the 
 bone itself being frequently diseased before suppuration 
 is set up. Before the swelling becomes very conspicuous, 
 the part is very hot and painful to the touch, which can 
 easily be noticed by the motion of the horse. That it 
 has all the painfulness of a whitlow in the human 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 195 
 
 subject, the symptoms fully bear out, therefore those 
 who have had a whitlow on their linger will have some 
 sympathy for the horse when suffering from poll-evil. 
 This disease is the result of a blow en the head between 
 the ears, often caused by leading the horse out of 
 low stable doors, when the horse will at times throw up. 
 its heal and strike it upon the door-frame with great 
 force. If this is not attended to at the time, the blood 
 becomes congealed, suppuration sets in, the matter finds 
 its way between the bone and muscles, and a deep 
 sloughing wound is the result before it is fully recognised 
 by the owner. Sometimes this is the result of a blow 
 given by an unmerciful rider, at other times it is brought 
 on by the horse striking its head upon the under-part of 
 the manger ; it is also often brought on by the ligaments 
 being stretched by that horrible piece of torture, a tight 
 bearing-rein ; but from whatever cause the malady pro- 
 ceeds, it is frequently exceedingly troublesome and 
 tedious to cure. If noticed before suppuration takes 
 place, every means should be adopted to suppress the 
 inflammation, and if possible to disperse the swelling. 
 Medicine of a laxative kind should be given, and hot 
 fomentations should be constantly applied, afterwards a 
 piece of sponge or linen cloth should be placed upon the 
 part affected, and kept constantly wet with arnica lotion, 
 one part arnica (British proof) to forty of pure spring 
 water. If the swelling remains hard for two or three 
 days in spite of the above treatment, then use strong 
 tincture of iodine ; this should be painted upon the part 
 with a soft brush, and will frequently take away the 
 swelling by absorption. If it is found that the swelling 
 
106 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 continues in spite of this treatment, then other means 
 must be resorted to, and applications to facilitate the 
 ripening of the tumour must be adopted. This is best 
 effected by poultices of hot linseed meal, warm fomenta- 
 tions, and dressing with stimulating oils, such as soap 
 liniment or Elliman's embrocation, or, what is better 
 still, Gregory's Vesico Sudorific. Care must, how- 
 ever, be taken not to allow suppuration to break 
 out of its own accord, as this will leave a very ugly 
 sore, and the wound will be long healing. The 
 progress of the disease must be very narrowly watched, 
 and when the tumour becomes soft to the touch it must 
 be opened with a lancet and afterwards kept open with a 
 seton. A needle with, the cord attached must penetrate 
 the apex of the tumour, and be brought out a little way 
 below the tumour, and the incision with the lancet 
 should be large to allow of free suppuration, for if the 
 matter cannot run freely away it will set up a great 
 amount of irritation. Gentle pressure must be used to 
 squeeze all the matter out of the wound, after which 
 nothing more will be required for three or four days. 
 After the seton has set up a healthy reaction, which may 
 be known by the matter discharged being of a light straw 
 colour and of the thickness of thick cream , the seton 
 may be removed, and the wound dressed with carbolized 
 oil, five oil to one acid. It may be necessary to divide 
 the ligaments of the neck with the lance to expose the 
 bottom of the abscess to the action of the acid, but 
 no evil effects will result from this, as both ends of the 
 ligaments will unite again in a few days. It often 
 happens that the wound will fill too rapidly with new 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 197 
 
 flesh when using carbolized oil, and it may be necessary 
 to touch the parts with nitrate of silver or lunar caustic 
 to consolidate the parts. This is a good omen ; but 
 should this treatment not have the effect of setting up a 
 healthy condition, then it will be necessary to call in 
 the aid ot a practical veterinary surgeon, for in all 
 probability the bones of the neck are fractured, and as 
 these can only be successfully treated by a practical 
 man it is useless giving my readers the mode adopted. 
 The cord of the seton should be dressed every morning 
 with carbolized oil or corrosive sublimate half a 
 drachm, spirit of wine two ounces, but in most cases 
 carbolized oil is best. Setons are largely employed in 
 the management of domesticated animals in disease 
 and even in health. They consist of pieces of tape or 
 cord, which are carried for some distance under the 
 skin and allowed to remain in a considerable time to 
 keep the passage open for the draining away of some 
 morbid product, or to establish some curative or 
 prophylactic process by the local irritation which they 
 produce. The word seton is no doubt obtained from 
 the Latin seta, coarse hair or bristles, which were the 
 original agents for this purpose; at the present time 
 the material in common use is coarse tape varying 
 according to the requirements of the case or the whim 
 of the operator. It is introduced by means of an in- 
 strument called the seton needle, and is formed of 
 a Hat piece of steel varying from four to eight inches 
 in length. The one end has a square aperture or eye, 
 while the other end is flattened out at the edges which 
 join each other at an acute angle. The point is often 
 
198 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 made sharp to allow of its being pushed through the 
 skin : sometimes, however, it is left blunt, and it is then 
 passed through the skin by an opening made with a 
 lancet. They are often used with a handle, into which 
 they are screwed, and in this way their course is more 
 certainly directed. In introducing a seton the skin is 
 first punctured transversely with a lancet, and the seton 
 needle is directed between the skin and muscles, its 
 course being favoured by the pulling out of the skin 
 by the left hand in front of the point of the instru- 
 ment. It is usually carried from a point above down- 
 ward to permit of a free discharge of the matter, 
 and when carried far enough a fresh incision 
 is made with the lancet to allow of its exit. This 
 is preferable to penetrating the skin simply with 
 a sharp needle, as the wounds thus made are often 
 so small that the pus cannot escape freely, and 
 becoming imprisoned produces a source of irritation. 
 The seton having been introduced, it is necessary 
 to fix it by some means ; the most common way of 
 doing this is to tie both ends together, but this is 
 objectionable, as the animal may by rubbing get 
 the loop fast and tear it out, leaving an ugly tear. 
 The best way is to make a large knot at each end 
 of the tape, which should be about four inches longer 
 than the wound on each end, so that the matter 
 can be worked out by pulling the cord up and down. 
 In spavin and vaiious other forms of lameness they 
 are at times employed with great benefit in the 
 neighbourhood of the malady. Their effect is some- 
 times increased by smearing the seton with an 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 190 
 
 irritant such as a preparation of black hellebore j 
 turpentine, iodine, euphorbium, &c. A peculiar 
 system sometimes employed successfully in spavin 
 is the introduction of a thread, medicated in this way, 
 deeply into the soft parts over the seat of the bony 
 tumour. This is chiefly recommended by the fact 
 that if well managed it leaves no bluish marks on the 
 hock. 
 
 SORE BACKS. 
 
 In most cases these are attributable to two causes, 
 ignorance and a want of cleanliness. The skin of the 
 horse is subject to many diseases, and is very sensitive ; 
 the cuticle or outer skin is often subject to injury through 
 careless and ill-fitting harness, especially cart saddles, 
 which are the chief cause of bad backs, coupled with 
 unskilful loading. Everyone knows that it is necessary 
 to load a cart forward to enable a horse to draw a load 
 up-hill ; but how few do we see who shift the load back- 
 ward when the horse has to go down-hill. The carters 
 in Scotland are very particular in these matters, and 
 when carrying stone from quarries will always have some 
 large stones which they can move to balance the load. 
 Another thing they always use, plenty of grease to the 
 backhand or chain which runs through the saddle, to 
 enable it to run easily through, as the shafts vibrate 
 from side to side over the inequalities of the road. 
 These things are often neglected, especially in Kent, and 
 consequently the load, bearing with undue weight upon 
 the horse's back, and the backhand not being greased, 
 every time the cart vibrates the saddle rocks upon the 
 
200 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 horse's back. The constant friction sets up inflammation 
 of the cuticle, which closes the pores of the true skin, 
 and prevents a healthy perspiration, and causes small 
 pustules. These are aggravated by continual pressure, 
 and the irritation is kept up by the rocking of the 
 saddle. An abscess forms, breaks, and ultimately 
 becomes a bad back. Here want of cleanliness becomes 
 a tyrant ; as no attention is paid to the lining of the 
 saddles, sweat accumulates, and the lining becomes as 
 hard as a board. Some horses are more liable to sore 
 backs than others ; but a little care will always prevent 
 them becoming ulcerated. The first thing which should 
 be done when a horse has chafed his back is to wash it 
 clean with warm water and soda, not soft soap, and after- 
 wards apply strong salt and water, or, what is far better, 
 a strong decoction of oak bark. This, with a day or 
 two of rest, will be all that is required. But should the 
 sore be of a deep nature, it will be necessary to dress the 
 parts with carbolic acid one part, sweet oil seven parts, 
 which, with rest to the part afflicted, will cure it in a 
 few days. Sore shoulders are caused by the same 
 neglect of cleanlines and badly fitting collars, and require 
 the same treatment. 
 
 KOARING. 
 This is a disease that is too well known in this 
 country, yet, strange as it may appear, the Arab does not 
 know of it in his stud ; and of the thousands of horses 
 of that class that came under my observation, when 
 buying horses for the Spanish Government, during the 
 Don Carlos war, I do not recollect one that was affected 
 as a roarer ; and the author is of opinion that the Arab 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 201 
 
 and barb are free from this complaint, and no doubt our 
 climate has something to answer for in this respect. 
 This is a disease arising from an affection of the larynx 
 and superior portion of the windpipe. When a horse so 
 affected has been hard trotted or galloped, he may be 
 heard at some distance to utter a grunting sound, or 
 when he is standing if touched suddenly with a stick or 
 whip he will grunt or groan. Dealers are often seen to 
 lay hold of the horse by the head with the left hand, 
 while with the right hand they feign to hit the horse ; 
 he will cringe away from them and utter a loud grunt if 
 he is a roarer. This disease is supposed to be produced 
 by a thickening of the larynx and upper portion of the 
 windpipe, in consequence of previous inflammation, and 
 thus obstructing the passage and limiting its action. 
 After strangles this disease frequently follows, and it is a 
 noticeable fact that horses whose sires or dams were 
 affected with this disease are predisposed to the com- 
 plaint. Another great cause of this complaint, in the 
 carriage or harness horse, is the cruel and absurd 
 bearing-rein, which gags the horse's head out of its 
 natural form, and the constant strain on the muscles of 
 the neck set up inflammation in the region of the 
 maxillary gland, the larynx becomes affected, thickening 
 takes place, and for our foolisii fashion, a horse that 
 would have been worth a hundred guineas becomes fit 
 only for a cab horse. By this action the larynx and 
 superior muscles of the windpipe are circumscribed and 
 ultimately become semi-paralysed with consequent loss 
 of power and action ; therefore the opening not being 
 sufficiently capacious during the rapid breathing oc- 
 
202 The Management and Treatment of the Borse, 
 
 casioned by violent exercise, the pressure of air rushing 
 through the circumscribed space, the sound is produced 
 (in much the same manner that a boy makes a noise 
 through a lark-call) which has been absurdly called 
 " roaring." The practice of what is termed coughing a 
 horse to ascertain the state of his wind is apt to cause 
 this complaint ; this is performed by subjecting the 
 larynx or trachea to violent pressure by squeezing with 
 the fingers. A horse so affected may be considered as 
 decidedly unsound. In this disease there are little 
 reliable remedies to be had ; blisters have given relief, 
 but after a horse has once become a confirmed " roarer " 
 nothing we can do will cure him. When, as it some- 
 times happens, this disease has been of the character to 
 threaten suffocation, the part supposed to cause the 
 difficulty of breathing by obstructing the passage of the 
 air has been cut down upon, and a portion of one of the 
 rings of the windpipe cut out and a breathing tube 
 inserted. This is one of the first operations I ever 
 recollect seeing my deceased father perform ; this was 
 cutting a horse's throat to save its lite. 
 
 INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS. 
 
 Of all the diseases incidental to the horse, there is 
 none which we have more to dread than inflammation 
 of the lungs ; it is the most prevalent, and at the same 
 time the most fatal. Sometimes this disease comes on 
 so suddenly that the horse is almost dead before the 
 attack is discovered. Many horses are left at night to 
 all appearances well, and in the morning are found 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 203 
 
 either dead or dying from this disease, but in the 
 greater number of cases fever is a premonitory symp- 
 tom. In most case in the early stages of the disease 
 it is not very rapid, but it is heavy in its action and 
 indistinct, feeling vibratory under the pressure of the 
 finger ; in other cases it is hardly to be jierceived, so 
 languid is its motion. These are the cases that generally 
 prove fatal, as many men do not understand this disease, 
 and take no notice of it in its early stages, so that the 
 attack assumes a violent form before remedies are ad- 
 ministered. In many cases that have come under the 
 author's observation, the horse has been noticed to be 
 dull and off its feed for a day or two before anything was 
 thought wrong. Such is the ignorance of many men, 
 that they do not know that a horse is ill until it falls 
 down at plough or in its harness, then they think there 
 must be something the matter, and send for the 
 veterinary surgeon, who often arrives in time to see the 
 animal die, and he then gets the credit of not being able 
 to save the horse. We often hear cases of this sort 
 being talked about by those who have charge of horses. 
 This disease in its early stages is not very rapid, and is 
 followed by dilated nostrils, coldness in the extremities, 
 and heaving at the flanks, which clearly indicate an op- 
 pression in the breathing, differing, however, from the 
 hard laboured action of horses in fever, and also the 
 irregular breathing of broken-winded horses, appearing 
 as if two respirations were required for every inspiration 
 of air to the lungs. In inflammation the pulse is quick, 
 hurried, and irregular, caused by the pain which is felt 
 by the animal at each attempt to draw in the air, giving 
 
204 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 the appearance of something being imperfect in the 
 respiratory organs. The animal thrusts out its head, 
 the mucous membrane of the nose becomes very red, 
 especially in the inside angles of the nostrils, where it 
 continues, although at times it extends further up, 
 from which position it may disappear, but still main- 
 tains its chief position in the lower portion of the 
 nostril. The animal expresses great anxiety in its 
 look, and turns its head frequently and hurriedly 
 round to its flanks, more especially to that side where 
 the inflammation has settled. It stands in a straddling 
 manner, with its fore legs generally apart ; it seldom 
 lies down, and when it does it is but for a 
 few minutes, remaining for days on its legs. It does 
 not, however, always happen that the premonitory 
 systems are the same, for in many cases inflam- 
 mation comes on sloAvly and in an insidious manner ; 
 perhaps the horse may be off its feed and its coat 
 will stare, its breathing may be bat slightly 
 accelerated and abbreviated, with the legs a little 
 colder than usual. Sometimes inflammation of the 
 lungs is preceded by symptoms which are attendant 
 upon common fever, catarrh, or the distemper. In 
 such instances the true disease manifests itself in full 
 force before the groom or master of the horse in the 
 least suspect it. The first manifestations are 
 coldness in the limbs and ears, accompanied by a 
 flurried pulse and anxious look, with a seeming dread 
 of lying down. This is soon followed by an irregu- 
 larity and indistinctness of the pulse, and extreme 
 coldness of the leofs and ears. The nostrils become 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 205 
 
 livid and it scarcely seems to breathe; it grinds its 
 teeth, and this may be regarded as a certain symptom 
 of dissolution. Staggering ensues, and it finally 
 sinks in its stall. Sometimes if in a loose box or yard 
 it will continue to walk round and round in a circle, 
 with its head slightly sideways. If the left lung is 
 aftected it will walk round on the right circle, always 
 keeping the left side on the outside of the circle, but 
 if the right lung is the seat of the attack it will walk 
 in a circle quite the reverse. When the horse begins 
 walking 1 in this manner it is a bad siom, not one in 
 fifty ever recovering. This last is a picture of that 
 kind of inflammation that has lurked in the system 
 without exhibiting premonitory symptoms, and which 
 in most cases proves fatal. Again, there are cases in 
 which the disease is so rapid that it will have under- 
 gone its entire stages in twenty-four hours, and in 
 this short time the entire mass of the lungs will have 
 suffered complete destruction. Such a case has been 
 satisfactorily proved not to proceed from long and 
 deep-rooted inflammation, but assuredly from tiie 
 very reverse. It has been caused by the extraordi- 
 nary degree of inflammation bursting the coating of 
 the vessels and filling the air-cells with blood, thus 
 instantly destroying their functions. There are bad 
 cases which are not so rapid in their termination, but 
 which are nevertheless equally fatal. This happens 
 when no rupture of the vessels has taken place, and 
 although means have been adopted to take off the 
 pressure of the inflammation, yet they have been 
 insufficient to produce the desired effect. In such a- 
 
206 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 case the breath of the horse will be extremely dis- 
 agreeable, with a running at the nostrils, and is a sure 
 indication that mortification has taken place in the 
 substance of the lungs, and that death will soon follow. 
 Inflammation of the lungs will be distinguished from 
 inflammation of the bowels by the pulse, in the latter 
 case being small and wiry, the mucous membrane of 
 the nose not being so red, and by pain in the belly, 
 which is indicated by kicking, pawing, stamping, &c • 
 This malady is brought on in most instances by the 
 numerous and sudden transitions from heat to cold, 
 and more often from cold to heat, to which most horses 
 are subjected. They are, under the careless and 
 wanton folly of masters and grooms, often galloped or 
 otherwise over-heated and permitted to cool in the 
 open air or in the draught of a stable. The stable 
 itself is often too hot, frequently from twenty to thirty 
 degrees above the atmosphere, and most stables are 
 but ill- ventilated, consequently the air is of an impure 
 kind, and being breathed over and over again, affects 
 the membrane which lines the cells of the lungs. The 
 constant irritation from ammonia, which the horse is 
 compelled to breathe in a foul, ill-ventilated stable, 
 weakens the membrane of the lungs, hence the sus- 
 ceptibility of irritation and inflammation from breath- 
 ing an atmosphere which is impregnated with 
 ammoniacal gas, generated by manure and urine. It 
 is quite evident, from the dangerous nature of this 
 complaint, that the treatment must be immediate 
 and decisive, and as the disease is rapid, so also must 
 be the treatment, as every minute is of vast importance, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 207 
 
 and the life or death of the animal depends upon the 
 treatment first adopted. Although the first symptoms 
 may be of a mild character, yet we have seen how 
 rapid they become in their after-effects ; to palliate 
 this would be absurd, the iron must be struck while 
 it is hot, and in this case we cannot hit too hard if we 
 mean to defeat the enemy, therefore the first remedy 
 is too clip off all the hair from the sides, mix mustard 
 with turpentine and vinegar into a thin paste, rub this 
 well into the sides from near the back all over the 
 ribs, in a circle at least of eighteen inches in diamater ; 
 the whole of the horse's chest and windpipe should 
 be also subjected to the beneficial effects of counter 
 irritation. In olden times farriers used to bleed freely 
 for inflammation of the lungs, but it is seldom re- 
 sorted to now. If the horse is costive, which is fre- 
 quently the case in inflammation of the lungs, the first 
 thing is to get its bowels open ; for this purpose (never 
 give aloes in inflammation) the best purgative to give 
 is three half-pints of linseed oil. Some give castor-oil, 
 but that mild aperient in the human being is both 
 uncertain and unsafe when administered to the horse. 
 Instead of bleeding we resort to the use of digitalis, 
 aconite, and acetate of ammonia. Tn the early stages 
 of inflammation of the lungs, give digitalis one drachm 
 morning and night. If the fever runs very high give 
 belladonna in drachm doses, alternately with digitalis. 
 If the pulse is high, up to 80 or 100, give aconite in 
 ten-drop doses every quarter of an hour, enemas of 
 warm soap and water, with two ounces of linseed oil, 
 which should be given every half-hour until the 
 
208 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 bowels are freely open. It often happens that horses 
 are known to be a little ill, and no notice is taken of 
 them until inflammation has set in ; then the owner or 
 groom does not known if it is inflammation of the lungs, 
 bowels, or colie, in which case it is always safe under 
 the circumstances to administer the following, which 
 often has the effect of arresting what would otherwise 
 have been a case of severe inflammation : — Warm ale 
 one quart, ginger one ounce, powdered aniseed one 
 ounce, and tincture of opium one ounce. After the 
 mustard has been on from ten minutes to a quarter of 
 an hour, it should be carefully washed off, and the sides 
 wiped dry with a soft cloth; no good is attained by 
 leaving the mustard on. 
 
 If the horse still continues to blow, the mustard must 
 be repeated, as it is only by severe treatment that we can 
 pull him through. Some veterinary surgeons use Spanish 
 flies for blistering the sides, but this I do not like as the 
 system absorbs the fly, and leaves bad effects afterwards. 
 During the time the fever is at its height the blister will 
 seldom rise, the internal excitement overcoming the ex- 
 ternal one, and a failure in its operation also accompanies 
 exhaustion. In this case there is danger to be appre- 
 hended, and it is always by far the safest to use mustard 
 and turpentine freely; they are more rapid in their effects, 
 always handy to get, and can be repeated from time to 
 time to keep up the excitement, and at the same time 
 the inflammation can be kept down by means of digitalis 
 and aconite. After the inflammation has subsided, cool- 
 ing medicine must be given, and the following also until 
 an intermediate state of the pulse has been attained ;-— 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road, 209 
 
 Nitre three drachms, emetic tartar one ami a-half drachm, 
 and digitalis one drachm. This medicine should be per- 
 sisted in until the horse hangs its head and becomes 
 half stupid, having a flow of saliva from its mouth. In 
 less than twenty-four hours after this condition has been 
 effected the disease will be found to have completely sub- 
 sided. It is a great mistake in this complaint to suppose 
 that the stable should be kept very close and warm, as 
 the very cause which in a great measure operated remotely in 
 inducing the disorder is again brought into play ; rather 
 keep warm clothing on the horse, which will have a ten- 
 dency to keep up insensible perspiration. After this the 
 horse should he well rubbed down, the legs in particular 
 should have a smart application of the brush to set up a 
 circulation, after which they should be well wrapped in 
 ilanne I bandage to keep up the action ; the rubbing should 
 be repeated from time to time. The less the animal eats 
 the better; corn should in no case be given; green food 
 and mashes may be set before him, but this in only small 
 quantities. If the oppression in breathing now subsides, 
 heat be restored to the limbs, and the animal lies down, 
 these are sure indications that the horse is better, and 
 that the symptoms have abated. The strength and 
 appetite will now gradually improve, but much caution 
 must be exercised in not allowing the animal to take too 
 much food, which might have the effect of inducing a 
 return of the malady. Green food, or, if that cannot be 
 had, bran mashes and oatmeal gruel, and a little sweet 
 hay should compose its food, but to restore strength 
 where much exhaustion prevails, tonic medicine should be 
 given. The mildest should be first administered, and this 
 N 
 
210 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 is camomile in doses of from one to two drachms ; after a 
 day or two following may be given : — Camomile two 
 drachms, ginger two drachms, and gentian two grains. 
 Should the animal continue to improve, the diet may be 
 extended, and probably in three or four days it may have 
 a small quantity of corn, which may be increased until 
 its strength is restored. A clean, cool stable is the best 
 means of preventing predisposition to diseases of the 
 lungs, both of which should be scrupulously attended to. 
 The heated air of a stable and the poisonous gas arising 
 from dung and urine prove most injurious to the horse. 
 Bad ventilation and bad drains have much to answer for. 
 
 LOCAL INFLAMMATION. 
 
 The symptoms of local inflammation are redness of 
 the parts, heat, pains, and swelling. The redness is 
 induced by the increased flow of blood through the 
 vessels of the parts affected, in consequence of the 
 increased action of the blood-vessels. The heat arises 
 from the change gradually taking place in the flow of 
 the blood passing from the arterial to the venous con- 
 dition, so that if more blood be propelled through the 
 capillaries, more heat will consequently be produced in 
 that situation. Swelling is induced by the same means 
 as the redness, viz., from a fluid being deposited in the 
 contiguous substance, and pain must be the effect of dis- 
 tension and pressure produced, and the consequent dis- 
 arrangement of the nerves of the parts affected. Inflam- 
 mation of every kind is caused by an increased flow of 
 blood through the vessels of the part affected ; conse- 
 quently the remedies must be to reduce the circulation 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 211 
 
 to its ordinary and healthy action ; therefore if the 
 inflammation has located itself in any of the vital 
 organs, the remedies must be prompt and severe. 
 Bleeding from the nearest vein is often very beneficial 
 in reducing inflammation, but it must always 
 be borne in mind that bleeding only gives temporary 
 relief, and reduces the inflammation at the time, 
 and is sure to return a2fain in all its virulence if 
 medicine be not given to keep it in check, therefore 
 aconite, belladonna, and digitalis should be given. 
 If fever is high give aconite; if the pulse is high, 
 hard, and lull, give digitalis. If the eyes are much 
 dilated, belladonna is required. For instance, if the 
 eye is the subject of inflammation, the gorged vessels 
 should be scarified, which will have more effect than 
 bleeding from the jugular vein, especially, as I have 
 said before, if medicine is judiciously administered. 
 A quart of blood taken from the toe of a horse 
 suffering from acuter founder will have more effect 
 than four quarts taken from the neck. Old writers, 
 and, indeed, all the veterinary surgeons of the old 
 school, used to bleed in inflammation in every part, 
 from whatever cause. The use of such drugs as 
 are named above has to a great extent superseded 
 the use of the lance. Whenever it is considered 
 necessary to have recourse to blood-letting in cases 
 of local inflammation, the stream of blood should flow 
 freely ; and to effect this the broad-shouldered lancet 
 should be used, so that the wound in the vein may 
 be ample. In whatever situation the inflammation 
 occurs, and blood-letting is resorted to, the bleeding 
 
212 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 should be immediate and ample ; and after bleeding, 
 purgative medicine must next be administered, because 
 the mucous membrane of the bowels and coating 
 o± the stomach are in most instances affected sym- 
 pathetically by a deranged action in any other 
 part of the system. Should this not be the case 
 they may be otherwise irregular, which invariably 
 increases all kinds of inflammation, and fever is 
 induced more especially when there is much 
 retention. In any case purging has the effect of 
 lessening the quantity of blood, by removing from it the 
 serous or watery portion, and by determinating the blood 
 to the bowels. The pressure is necessarily removed from 
 the inflamed vessels, as it is a law of the animal economy 
 that where the circulation is directed to one set of vessels 
 it proportionately diminishes the flow in other parts of 
 the system. Purging, by producing languor and sickness, 
 lessens the general excitement, and hence the pressure 
 upon the circulation is circumscribed. In administering 
 medicine in cases of internal inflammation much caution 
 and consideration is required, because what would be 
 beneficial in some cases may be prejudicial in others. 
 Thus in inflammation of the lungs aloes may be given as a 
 purgative, but in inflammation of the bowels it would be 
 decidedly wrong, from its tendency to gripe, and even in 
 inflammation of the lungs purgative medicine should not 
 be given until after the inflammatory symptoms have 
 abated. In external inflammation, great difference of 
 opinion prevails as to the treatment ; some recommend 
 cold embrocations as the most proper mode of treatment, 
 being most likely to allay the heat in the part, and there 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road,. 213 
 
 can be but little doubt but they will speedily lessen the 
 heat, from the well-known principle that coloric has a 
 strong tendency to equalize itself or to quit any substance 
 that is surcharged with it, consequently by these ap- 
 pliances the increased temperature is reduced in the part 
 inflamed. Thus when using arnica lotion in cases of ex- 
 ternal inflammation the effect will be considerably 
 heightened by dissolving two ounces of nitre in a quart of 
 lotion, which should be composed of one ounce of arnica 
 b.p. to forty ounces of water. When nitre is used with 
 the lotion it should be used as soon as fairly dissolved, 
 the inflamed portion being completely exposed to the pro- 
 cess of evaporation. Nitre has the effect of reducing the 
 temperature of the lotion many degrees below its natural 
 condition, but it is questionable whether permanent bene- 
 fit is derived from cold applications in cases of inflamma- 
 tion. My own experience lead me to believe more in 
 warm fomentations. Although not so grateful as cold 
 ones to hot swellings, they will be found to produce better 
 results, as they open the pores of the skin, and if applied 
 as hot as the animal can endure, it will more readily take 
 off the tension that has been produced by inflammatory 
 swelling ; poultices will have much the same effect. 
 Blisters have often been applied with great success in 
 deep-seated inflammations, for by creating inflammation 
 on the surface on the principle of counter-irritation, it 
 will have the tendency to lessen it in other parts, as great 
 inflammation cannot exist in two places close together at 
 the same time. 
 
214^ The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 PLEURISY. 
 
 This disease, which unhappily is too common, is 
 entirely confined to inflammation of the pleura or mem- 
 brane which lines the chest — hence its name — and has 
 connection with the substance of the lungs. The pulse 
 is hard, but not oppressed, the extremities are cold, 
 although not so much so as in common inflammation, 
 nor is the membrane of the nostril very red. If pressure 
 on the side is applied the horse will express pain by a 
 sharp grunt. The unwillingness of the horse to lie down 
 will soon manifest itself in this as in violent inflam- 
 mation of the lungs. This disease, like inflammation of 
 the lungs, is generally caused by sudden transitions from 
 heat to cold. In this complaint bleeding is generally 
 adopted, followed by a course of sedative medicine, ad- 
 ministered in the form of a gentle purgative, which may 
 be given with more safety in this disease than in inflam- 
 mation of the lungs. If pleurisy is violent, it frequently 
 induces dropsy in the chest, which, having no means of 
 escape, lodges itself in the cavity of the chest. When 
 this is the case little good is to be expected from the 
 animal, and it is very seldom that a cure can be effected. 
 Sometimes the chest is punctured for it, which has the 
 effect of carrying off the fluid; but it too frequently 
 happens that it is an ineffectual remedy. Whenever it 
 is suspected that water is forming, puncturing should be 
 had recourse to, the opening to be made by an instrument 
 called the trochar. The cavity Avhere it is inserted is 
 the intercrostal membrane between the seventh and 
 eighth rib, and as close to the cartilage as possible. 
 Diuretic medicine in combination with tonics should be 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 215 
 
 administered. The following should be given : — Turpen- 
 tine one ounce, ginger half a drachm, and linseed meal 
 half an ounce ; this to be made into a ball with syrup or 
 treacle. Some prefer resin instead of turpentine. When 
 attended with fever aconite and digitalis may be given, 
 but a veterinary surgeon should be called in. 
 
 INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. 
 
 The intestines are subject to two different kinds of 
 inflammation, namely, that of mucous membrane or 
 internal lining of the gut ; the second is in the external 
 coating of the bowels. These are very different in their 
 character, and consequently in their mode of treatment. 
 Inflammation of the mucous membrane is accompanied 
 with violent purging, too often from overdoses of physic 
 beincc administered, or from acid generated in the bowels 
 
 CD ' CD 
 
 by a bad quality of food, or from other unknown causes. 
 In addition to purging, considerable pam attends this 
 disease, which is indicated by the animal looking round 
 at its flanks, with a heaviness in its breathing, accom- 
 panied by quick, feeble pulse, and hot mouth, ears, and 
 legs. This is a complaint mostly met with in high-fed 
 horses, as indeed are most cases of inflammation. High 
 feeding has a tendency to induce inflammation. The 
 sudden exposure of high-fed animals to a warm from a 
 cold atmosphere, and being allowed to drink plentifully 
 of cold water when in a heated condition, or having 
 their bellies and legs wetted when in an overheating 
 condition, are all causes that induce this complaint. 
 This is a point in the management of the stable that 
 the groom should never overlook. The horse should upon 
 
216 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 no account have a quantity of water given it directly 
 after a hard journey ; one quart of water is quite enough 
 until the animal has had some corn or sweet hay, then 
 more water and more food may be given with safety. 
 Again, in washing the horse it is always better to let the 
 dirt remain on than to wash it and not rub it perfectly 
 dry. Many owners of horses will not allow their horses to be 
 washed after a hard run with the hounds, upon the 
 ground of preventing the chances of inflammation. It is 
 not the washing that induces it so much as the neglect 
 of rubbing dry. When this complaint is accompanied 
 by excessive purging with great pain, astringent medicine 
 should not be administered. All kinds of food should 
 be denied it, and in its stead mve gruel a decoction of 
 linseed, thin starch or arrowroot, and a strong solution of 
 gum-arabic ; clysters of warm gruel should also be given, 
 in which a quarter of an ounce of aloes is mixed. Some 
 prefer from six ounces to half-a-pound of Epsom salts. 
 Those should be administered with the clyster-pipe ; 
 Heid's patent pump is by far the best, but a good and 
 cheap pipe can be made of a piece of elder and an ox- 
 bladder. Take a piece of elder about a foot long, and 
 after taking out the pith, tie the bladder on one end, 
 and pour your gruel into the bladder, then force the 
 stick of elder up the rectum and withdraw gently, the 
 suction will nearly empty the bladder. If the irritation 
 and continuation of pain continue after twelve or four- 
 teen hours have elapsed, it will be necessary to give the 
 following gruel in two quarts :— Prepared chalk one 
 ounce, catechu four ounces, opium two scruples. This 
 should be repeated every four hours until the purging 
 
In thfi Stable, Field, and on the Road. 217 
 
 and pains are allayed, after which the doses should 
 be lessened in quantity, and given at greater intervals. 
 If the inflammatory symptoms are very great, it may be 
 necessary to blister the belly and sides with mustard, 
 and in extreme cases recourse must be had to bleeding, 
 but this must only be resorted to when accompanied 
 with general febrile symptoms. The horse must be kept 
 well clothed, and its legs thoroughly rubbed and ban- 
 daged. The next disease of the bowels is 
 
 SPASMODIC COLIC. 
 This disorder generally comes on very suddenly, 
 without any premonitory signs. The horse becomes 
 very restless, shifts his position, paws the ground, and 
 looks round at its flanks Avith great anxiety, sometimes 
 raising its foot as high as its belly, and strikes it 
 violently. It will also lie down and roll about on its 
 back ; in a few minutes the spasm will subside, 
 and the animal after shaking will resume feeding; 
 at longer or shorter intervals the attack is renewed, 
 but with increased violence, when it will throw itself 
 on the ground with considerable force, will break into a 
 copious perspiration, and heave greatly at the flanks. 
 The spasms are renewed at intervals, and gradually 
 become less frequent and less severe, or if on the contrary 
 they are more frequent and acute, and at length mani- 
 fest an almost uninterrupted series, then it may be 
 suspected that violent inflammation and mortification 
 have taken place, and that death will speedily ensue. 
 Stones and large earthy lumps in the intestines cause 
 colic pains, but we cannot tell why they are present. 
 
218 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 Drinking cold water when over-heated is frequently a 
 cause of this complaint ; green food is also apt to in- 
 duce these pains. Worms and bots are frequently the 
 cause of spasms. A combination of opium and turpentine 
 is a valuable specific in this disorder, in the following 
 quantities : — turpentine three ounces, laudanum one 
 ounce, warm ale one pint, or toe following, which the 
 writer prefers -.—Spirit of pimento half-ounce, laudanum 
 one ounce, ginger one ounce, warm ale three half-pints, or 
 if pimento is not at hand spirit of nitrous ether one 
 ounce instead. If in half-an-hour after the above has 
 been administered no visible mitigation of the complaint 
 exhibits itself, it will be necessary to repeat the dose, this 
 time with a drachm more pimento. The belly of the 
 horse should be well rubbed with a brush and moderate 
 exercise given. Never allow the horse to lie down and 
 roll, for by doing so when the spasm is on, the bowels 
 will contract with cramp and become tied in knots, and 
 we then have a case of twisted gut, for which there is no 
 relief. In an hour after the above has been given, if no 
 relief is afforded, the belly and sides should be rubbed 
 with the following: — Mustard in powder eight ounces, 
 camphor one ounce, oil of turpentine two ounces, water 
 of ammonia one ounce, and three half-pints of linseed oil 
 may be given as a drench. If the animal is costive with 
 the colic, he should be back-raked, and enemas of warm 
 soap and water with linseed oil injected every half-hour. 
 This disease is often mistaken for inflammation of the 
 bowels, which is caused by the general appearance being 
 somewhat similar. If my readers will follow me in the 
 following description of these two complaints they will 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 219 
 
 be able to detect at a glance the difference between the 
 two. In spasmodic colic we have the following symptoms : 
 — Pulse natural or lower than its natural state, but 
 accelerated and fuller during the spasm ; second, sudden 
 in its attack but destitute of febrile symptoms ; third, 
 lies down and almost invariably rolls on its back ; fourth, 
 legs and ears of a natural heat ; fifth, rubbing the belly 
 gives relief to the animal; exercise evidently gives 
 relief; seventh, intervals of iest ; eighth, strength hardly 
 affected ; ninth, mucous membrane of the nostril of an 
 ordinary colour ; tenth, lining of the eyelids of a natural 
 colour ; eleventh, slight motion of the intestines unless 
 by purgative medicine. 
 
 Now, mark the difference of symptoms of inflamma- 
 tion of the bowels ; first, considerable acceleration of the 
 pulse, but very indistinct; second, gradual in its ap- 
 proach, with febrile indications; third, lies down but 
 seldom, rolls on its back, starts on its legs suddenly ; 
 fourth, legs and ears cold; fifth, belly exceedingly 
 tender, and when rubbed causes great pain; sixth, 
 exercise increases the pain ; seventh, constant pain ; 
 eighth, rapid prostration of strength ; ninth, the mucous 
 membrane inside the nostrils very red; tenth, lining 
 of the eyelids unusually red; eleventh, peristaltic 
 motion of bowels excited, with the anus hot. Pawing 
 the around is common to both complaints, but in cases 
 of entanglement of the gut it desists from pawing. It 
 is that portion of the intestines called the ileum, which 
 by the horse throwing itself about during the continu- 
 ance of the spasm, that becomes twisted and knotted 
 together with astonishing firmness ; for this there is no 
 
220 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 cure, and death soon closes the scene. Horses that 
 have frequent attacks of colic may he suspected of 
 having stone in the intestines, most probably in the 
 caecum or colon. Sometimes they are of several pounds 
 weight. Professor Pritchard showed me one this sum- 
 mer as large as a full-sized cocoa nut, which was taken 
 out of a horse that had died of spasmodic colic. These 
 obstructing the passage of the gut produce colic pains, 
 and at other times, when exceedingly large, by pressing 
 upon the mucous membrane produce inflammation- 
 But as yet Ave know of no distinctly marked symptom 
 to tell us of their presence, and no certain mode has 
 been discovered for their removal. Another evil aris- 
 ing out of long-continued spasmodic colic is interrup- 
 tion of the intestines ; this from long-continued spas- 
 modic action on the ileum sometimes causes an inverted 
 pressure upon the caecum towards the stomach, which 
 overcomes the natural action and forces this contracted 
 portion of the intentines into a portion above it which 
 retains its natural calibre. The irritation thereby pro- 
 duced increases the upward action, and causes still more 
 of the intestine to be forced inward, until an obstruction 
 of an insurmountable character is produced. We have 
 nothing to indicate that this incurable malady has taken 
 place but the long-continued pain. 
 
 INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 
 
 This is not a common complaint, yet occasionally 
 
 cases of this kind crop up, and are usually produced by 
 
 fever, and when completely formed the horse stands with 
 
 its hind legs wide apart, and has an awkward gait in its 
 
hi the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 221 
 
 walk. It withdraws from the pressure of the hand upon 
 the loins, which also indicates an undue heat, considera- 
 bly above that of its natural condition. When turned 
 with moderate quickness it feels pain, and looks back wist- 
 fully at its flanks, as suppression of the action of the 
 urinary organs takes place and is followed by a difficulty 
 in voiding urine, which comes off in small quantities and 
 is generally high-coloured, and not unfrequently mixed 
 with blood. Strong efforts are made by the horse to 
 void it in larger quantities, but at length it is almost 
 entirely suspended. Hence it will be manifest that 
 there is an affection of the urinary organs, but at first 
 it will be difficult to say whether it is the kidney or the 
 neck of the bladder. At this stage of the disease, ac- 
 cording to Brown, the pulse is hard and accelerated ; it 
 soon after becomes small, although retaining its cha- 
 racter of hardness. In order to find the seat of the 
 disease, the hand must be forced up the rectum, and if 
 the bladder (which is situate under the rectum) feels 
 distended and hard, then it is certain that the disease 
 is in the neck of the bladder. If, on the other hand, 
 it is soft and feeling empty, with heat in the intestines 
 over it, then there is inflammation in the bladder itself ; 
 but if there is no unnatural heat over it, then you may 
 infer that the inflammation is in the kidne} T s. Musty 
 or mowburnt oats and hay are often the cause of 
 inflammation in the kidneys. Farmers in these hard 
 times turn all their good oats and hay into money and 
 keep only the inferior for their horses, and pay the 
 piper accordingly. Another cause of this complaint is 
 giving too strong doses of diuretic medicine, esj)ecially 
 
222 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 if the medicine is largely made of turpentine. This 
 will bring on an attack of inflammation of the kidneys 
 as well as weakness in the parts. A sprain in the loins 
 by a horse falling with a loaded cart, or jumping short 
 in the hunting-field into a ditch with its hind feet, 
 causing a sudden check to the muscles of the loins, is 
 another cause ; exposure to the cold rain, and being 
 allowed to cool and dry without being rubbed down, 
 will too often cause inflammation of the kidneys. 
 In this disease much difference of opinion is expressed 
 as to the treatment to be adopted ; some advocate 
 bleeding, others affirm that bleeding does no good, but 
 this is certain that as much counter irritation should be 
 given with mustard as it is possible to produce. Spanish 
 flies should not be used for blistering in this complaint, 
 as they are a powerful diuretic, and a great deal of them 
 would pass into the system by absorption, and cause an 
 increase of the mischief. The horse should be kept 
 warm, plenty of cold Avater given it to drink, its food 
 should be mash, and the following given him three times 
 a day : — White hellebone one scruple, tartar emetic one 
 drachm, linseed-meal two drachms, made into a ball with 
 treacle. If the inflammation is in the bladder and its 
 sphincture we find the same symptoms; the urine is 
 voided in small quantities, and with great difficulty, and 
 in extreme cases there is a total suppression of urine. 
 When this takes place the bladder becomes exceedingly 
 inflated under the rectum, and may be easily felt by the 
 means advised in a former page. It is a spasm that 
 causes the neck of the bladder to contract, which is 
 produced by some acid substance which lins been 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 22.°, 
 
 generated in the system by the use of food of a heating 
 nature, forming a chemical compound of an acrid quality 
 of urine ; stone in the bladder will also produce this 
 disease. Some persons are so absurd as to administer 
 the tincture of cantharides by way of hastening the 
 season of horsing the mare, which is almost certain to 
 inflame the neck of the bladder. Some practical men 
 advocate bleeding until the animal faints for this com- 
 plaint, which they say will cure it at once, but should 
 this not be done, the following should be given every 
 three hours : —Powdered opium one drachm, linseed-meal 
 three drachms, made into a ball or given in a drink. In 
 cases of mares being afflicted, the water can be drawn off 
 easily with the catheter, which would give great relief, 
 but with the horse it is difficult to pass the catheter, and 
 should not be attempted by anyone who is not a practical 
 man. Strong blisters should be applied at the same time. 
 In cases of stone in the bladder, we have no well-defined 
 symptoms, but the irregularity of the discharge of 
 urine with the occasional suppression of it, and fits 
 resembling spasmodic colic, are symptoms which 
 attend this disease and may lead us to suspect that 
 stone exists. To ascertain if it is really stone which 
 produces these symptoms, the horse should be thrown 
 on its back and the hand forced up the rectum, when 
 the stone may be easily felt, and if it is large then an 
 operation is necessary, which can only be performed by 
 a clever practical veterinary surgeon, but if the stone or 
 stones are small, they may be carried away with diuretics ; 
 the best in cases of gravel is carbonate of potass and 
 digitalis ; three drachms of potass and one drachm of 
 digitalis may be given three times a day. 
 
224 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 DIABETES. 
 
 This fortunately is not of such common occurrence 
 with the horse as the human subject. It consists of an 
 excessive discharge of urine, and is often the result of 
 greed on the owner's part, many farmers selling all their 
 good hay and oats, keeping only the inferior for home 
 consumption, and in consequence have their horses taken 
 with this complaint. The fungus of mouldy hay and 
 fusty oats will produce irritation of the kidneys, and to 
 mend the matter they often administer powerful diuretics, 
 which cause inflammation with an inci eased action of the 
 kidneys. The veterinary surgeon is then called in to cure 
 that which ought not to exist, and indeed would not had 
 they really studied economy and their own pockets, and 
 kept good food for their horses. This complaint is very diffi- 
 cult to cure, and the remedies must be with a view of 
 lessening the undue action. Bleeding is sometimes resorted 
 to, but this should not be carried on to the extent that it is 
 sometimes in inflammation. I have more faith in strin- 
 gent medicine, and counter-irritation ; strong mustard 
 blisters across the loins with the following astringent 
 given three times a day will have good effect : — YVortle- 
 berry leaf two drachms, catechu two drams, opium half a 
 drachm. If it can be got green food and carrots should 
 be given as well as bran mashes. 
 
 STALING OF BLOOD. 
 
 This is another disease of the kidneys, and nearly 
 allied to inflammation in its symptoms, and always 
 manifests itself with nighly-eolonrcd urine mixed with 
 Mood. Mostly the bowels are costive, and the following 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 225 
 
 should be given : — Barbacloes aloes five drachms, cream 
 of tartar half an ounce, powdered ginger one drachm, 
 balsam copaiba thirty drops, to be formed into a ball. 
 When this has operated, the following should be given 
 once a day until the urine has assumed its natural 
 colour : — Peruvian bark half an ounce, prepared kali two 
 drachms, antimonial powder half an ounce, nitre in 
 powder one ounce, balsam of copaiba a quarter of an 
 ounce ; let the above be well powdered and given in 
 linseed gruel, three ounces of linseed boiled in half a 
 gallon of water until it is reduced to three pints. This 
 treatment will generally cure this complaint in ten 
 days. 
 
 WORMS. 
 Another tiling which greatly troubles the horse 
 and its owner is worms in the intestines. A variety 
 of worms inhabit the intestines of horses, and when 
 they become numerous, often prove injurious to the 
 constitution. Although some writers say that they 
 are not of much consequence unless they are numerous, 
 yet the author's humble opinion is that an empty house 
 is better than a bad tenant, and he would recommend 
 that the sooner they are expelled the better. If 
 there are only a few settlers they suon gather around 
 them a numerous progeny, for where a single pair 
 exist they will be like Paddy's bugs, become married 
 and have large families, and in a short time they 
 become a numerous colony. It is perfectly true that 
 by what means they first effect a lodgment in the 
 animal system is a problem yet to be solved, but it is 
 equally true that naturalists have detected that these 
 o 
 
22G The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 parasites are formed male and female, and as nature 
 formed nothing in vain, they must propagate in the 
 ordinary manner of reproduction. Very much has 
 been written about the parasite kingdom in relation to 
 the animal economy of late years. I do not intend to 
 enter fully into their organization, but shall be content 
 to turn out the bad tenant, and be glad when I have 
 done so. The general symptoms of being troubled with 
 worms are loss of appetite, griping pains and rough 
 coat, and tucked-up belly are symptoms of worms of 
 the larger species, lumbricus teres, or long white round 
 worm, very much resembling the long earthworm, and 
 varying in length from five to ten inches in length. 
 Itching of the rectum, evinced by quick twitching of 
 the tail, and a small quantity of mucous, which hardens 
 and has the appearance of white powder, at the anus ; 
 this is indicative of the presence of ascarides, small 
 needle-formed worms, which lodge in the larger 
 intestines, and frequently find their way in great 
 numbers into the ca3cum. A third sj)ecies, although of 
 much rarer occurrence, inhabits various parts of the 
 intestinal canal from the stomach downward; this is 
 the tapeworm, which is known from its broad, fiat, tape- 
 like appearance, and consisting of many joints. This 
 species is the most formidable and the most difficult to 
 remove. In No. 3 of the Fifth Series of Science Lectures 
 for the People, the following description of the tape- 
 worm is given : — " There is one group of worms — namely, 
 the cestoidea or tapeworm. Here we have a truly 
 singular series of creatures. Most people have heard of 
 such worms, but comparatively few have seen any. 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 227 
 
 There is one which is called taenia medicanellater ; it is 
 the tapeworm which the human host obtains when it 
 eats underdone beef; it is the most common form of 
 human tapeworm. It is quite a delusion to think that 
 the pork tapeworm is as common as that derived from 
 beef." Professor Cobbold says, " I can speak quite con- 
 fidently on this point, because I have investigated this 
 subject very carefully. The beef tapeworm has four 
 suckers, but no hooks. The one from pork is recognised 
 by its head having a series of hooks in addition to four 
 suckers, taenia solium." The tapeworm is a most 
 remarkable creature ; it consists of a head and a 
 segmented body, which is sometimes twenty feet long 
 or more ; each oi its joints or segments is what Pro- 
 lessor Huxley would term a zooid ; it is a sort of semi- 
 independent whole ; in fact, a tapeworm is not a single 
 creature, but a multitude of creatures, all arranged 
 together in single file. You probably have made 
 acquaintance with those pretty objects which are found 
 on the sea-shore, the zoophyte or polypus, with its 
 numerous heads. Now, the compound polypus is a 
 colony of individuals, branching out like a tree ; but the 
 tapeworm is a colony of polypus ranged together in a 
 single file like a regiment of soldiers, and thus one long 
 creature is produced by a number of little beings ad- 
 hering together. Some 1200 individuals are here joined 
 together so as to form a colony. Professor Cobbold 
 says — " I will explain something specially peculiar and 
 interesting about the tapeworm. I have performed a 
 series of experiments which have resulted in giving us a 
 more perfect knowledge of the entire life, history, and 
 
228 The Management and Treatment of the Hon 
 
 •8C, 
 
 mode of development of the beef tapeworm. I will 
 explain to you one kind of experiment I made. I took 
 a portion of a tapeworm comprising several of the joints 
 or segments towards the tail end, each of these joints 
 when perfectly matured and ripe contain at least 80,000 
 eggs, therefore you can easily reckon up how many 
 there would be in 12,000 joints, supposing all were 
 mature. I took a number of these joints and put them 
 into milk to make them easy of administration, and with 
 the assistance of Professor Simons and other friends, fed 
 a calf with them. Well, they went down, and the calf 
 was none the worse apparently ; however, after a time it 
 was evident that something had gone wrong, and what 
 had taken place was this, some thousands of eggs had 
 been swallowed, and of these eggs all that were perfectly 
 ripe contained in their interior each a little creature 
 called the six-hooded embryo. This small embryo has 
 a round body provided with two needles in front, and a 
 pair of hooks on each side ; with the two little needles it 
 bores, and with a pair of hooks it tears the flesh of the 
 host. After the calf had swallowed the eggs, the shell of 
 each egg was dissolved by the gastric juice of the fourth 
 stomach, all the little embryo thus making their escape ; 
 this, you see, was kindness to the embryo if it was unfair 
 to the calf. The thirty thousand of little creatures, 
 rejoicing in being free, soon made their way through the 
 flesh of the host. The little calf did not succumb to 
 these wounds, as the human bearer often does to the 
 trichime ; by our assistance it recovered. Well, we 
 calculated how lung it would be before these little em- 
 bryos would arrive at the higher level stage of develop- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 220 
 
 ment, and we had indications afforded us that it would 
 be three months, so at the expiration of three months 
 the calf, which was now a strong animal, was slaughtered 
 in the cause of science and humanity, and when we re- 
 moved the external parts it was found that the muscles, 
 especially the superficial one, were filled with the 
 higher larvae of this parasite. The larva measle or 
 bladder worm is called, scientifically, the cysticercus 
 bovis ; thus we reared in this calf many thousands of 
 these parasites. Supposing we had sent this calf to 
 market, what would have been the result? Every 
 individual who partook of the veal, and who did not 
 in cooking, raise the temperature to 1450, would, 
 undoubtedly, have been liable to have developed in his 
 interior the adult form of this particular parasite. 
 How do we know that ? We have experimental proof 
 in various ways. A gentleman in India has lately had 
 the courage to induce a Mahommedan boy to swallow 
 some under-done meat of this description purposely, 
 and the result was that the boy had the privilege of 
 playing host to as many tapeworms as he had 
 swallowed examples of this little cysticercus. Dr. 
 Joseph Fleming brought over from India the largest 
 S2}ecinien ever seen, which was taken from meat served 
 out to our troops as rations. What happens when the 
 measles are swallowed is this, the bladder-like part is 
 immediately digested. These latter pass down from 
 the stomach into the alimentary canal, a process of 
 budding commences, and in three months the worm 
 is fully developed. Such astonishing phenomena as 
 these, are not the result of disease or accident; they 
 
230 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 constitute together the life cycle of a creature ex- 
 pressly organized to lead a parasite life. I have never 
 yet heard of an English butcher who had ever seen 
 one of these parasites, and yet I believe that at this 
 moment at least 10,000 persons in this country are 
 playing the part of host to these creatures. Butchers 
 are profoundly ignorant in this respect. You will say, 
 How do cattle get the parasite ? I will explain : 
 Millions of these creatures pass from their human 
 bearers every day in this country, with other things that 
 are vile, and make their way into the sewage, which 
 it is now the fashion to spread over the land, far 
 and wide, and are thus distributed by millions upon 
 the delightful verdure on which our cattle graze." 
 These eggs are thus often taken into the mouths of 
 animals along Avith green fodder ; every egg swallowed 
 from fresh sewage becomes a measle, and every measle 
 that is in the flesh of the animal goes to market, and is 
 thenceforth liable to be sold and eaten, and will after- 
 wards become a tapeworm, providing the purchaser does 
 not take the precaution of having the food properly 
 cooked. Here is the value of reason — the animal neither 
 reasons about it, nor does it cook its food ; if we would 
 avoid these things ourselves, we must simply have the 
 food well cooked. A temperature of 160°, if continued 
 will be sufficient to kill trichinae, whilst 140° will kill 
 cysticercus bovis. The horse becomes affected with tape- 
 worm in the same manner as cattle. When the symp- 
 toms we have pointed out are noticed, the groom should 
 carefully watch whether worms are voided, to ascertain 
 their existence. Stiil, however, they may be lodged in 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 231 
 
 the intestines without being evacuated, and when there 
 is well-grounded suspicion that they inhabit the body, a 
 dose of some vermifuge should be given. This may 
 consist of eight grains of calomel made into a ball, with 
 oatmeal and treacle, or one drachm of powdered male 
 fern may be given in its stead. For rQund worms the 
 following may be given : — Calomel two drachms, rhubarb 
 one and a-half drachm, soccoline aloes two drachms, 
 ginger two drachms. If it is necessary to repeat the 
 anthelmintic, then the following may be given : — Calomel 
 one and a-half drachm, aniseed in powder half an ounce, 
 powdered scammony half a drachm, to be given at night, 
 and the following purgative in the morning: — Aloes 
 five drachms, ginger two drachms, made into a ball with 
 treacle. When the animal is infested with ascavides, 
 the same medicine should be given as for round worm, 
 but it frequently has not the desired effect. Indeed, 
 I doubt if it is not the best practice to use injections 
 at the first ; these should be of linseed oil one quart, 
 or aloes dissolved in warm water one ounce ; this 
 should be used in combination with the above 
 medicine. If the existence of tapeworm is appre- 
 hended, then the following should be given after the 
 calomel and male fern : — Turpentine half an ounce, 
 castor oil two ounces, gum-arabic in powder one ounce, 
 made into a ball with treacle. Warm mashes should 
 be given for a day or two afterwards. It seldom 
 happens that the animals are entirely expelled with 
 one dose, therefore it is necessary to repeat the doses, 
 for unless we are certain that the entire animal has 
 been discharged, our work is not half complete, as if 
 
232 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 only one link is broken off and left in the intestines, 
 it will be generated into a perfect worm, they 
 having the property of reproducing the parts of which 
 they have been deprived. So much for the tapeworm. 
 May my reader never have the trouble to expel them. 
 
 THE BOTS. 
 These are another and common kind of worm, 
 or, more properly speaking, they are the larvre 
 of the gadfly, oestrus equi. There are two species of 
 gadfly, hence we have two species of bots, which are 
 known under the distribution of red bots and white 
 bots. Their natural history and habits are exactly 
 alike. Horses may be affected by bots without being 
 materially injured by them, but I cannot agree with 
 Mr Bracy Clark that they are essential to the well- 
 being of the horse, or that they were destined by 
 Nature to act upon the food in the stomach by tritur- 
 ation, or as pepper does in the human stomach. Like 
 every other part of the animal's body this organ is so 
 admirably constructed that in its healthy condition no 
 artificial aid is necessary to enable it to perform its 
 office. If, as Mr Brown says, the theory of Mr Clark 
 was correct, what would supply the place of those 
 parasites during the time of year that the grub assumed 
 its nerfect condition ? In post-mortem examinations I 
 have made, proof has not been wanting of their not 
 being inoffensive as Mr Bracy Clark supposed. One 
 subject I opened four years ago— a black cart mare, the 
 property of Frederick Neame, Esq., of Macknade 
 House, Faversham, which died from violent inflamma- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 233 
 
 tion, and the stomach, upon opening it, was found 
 covered with these parasites, So thick were they that 
 you could not see one particle of the mucous membrane 
 of the stomach, they forming a complete lining. Upon 
 removing the parasites the mucous membrane was 
 eaten into holes, in some places nearly through the 
 substance of the stomach. They were also found 
 through the entire intestines so numerous as to leave no 
 doubt that they were the primary cause of the animal's 
 death, and although they were so numerous in the animal 
 no one suspected their existence, as none had been seen 
 in the evacuations. The progress of this disease generally 
 manifests itself slowly ; the horse becomes hide-bound, 
 its coat becomes rough and unhealthy, it loses flesh and 
 strength, although it feeds with its usual appetite, and 
 frequently it has a short tickling cough. The bot, as I 
 have said before, is a species of the gadfly, which may be 
 observed in the months of July flying actively about the 
 legs of horses in the fields, or sticking fast to their ribs 
 when ridden along a road. These are the females de- 
 positing their eggs in the hair of the horse, to which they 
 adhere by a glutinous substance with which they are 
 surrounded, and in a few days the eggs are hatched, and 
 the minute grubs are set at liberty. This is done by the 
 horse licking itself, and the little grubs adhering to the 
 tongue of the horse are carried into its stomach with its 
 food. These small caterpillars are provided with a small 
 hook on each side of the mouth, by means of which they 
 cling pertinaciously to the cuticular portion of the 
 stomach, and so tenaciously do they adhere that the 
 hook will break before they leave their hold. These pests 
 
234 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 contrive to locate during the winter and to the end of the 
 following spring on the mucous of the stomach, by which 
 time they attain a fully-grown size, and must then, ac- 
 cording to the law of Nature, undergo a new transformation. 
 They quit their hold of the coating of the stomach and 
 are carried along with the food, from thence they pass 
 *■'■ into the intestinal canal along with chyme, and are at 
 length discharged with it. These caterpillars thus 
 evacuated seek an appropriate place in the ground, where 
 they assume a chrysalis condition ; remaining in this 
 state for some weeks they at length break out from their 
 swathing and assume the form of a perfect insect ; im- 
 mediately after this the male and female pair. The latter 
 becoming impregnated sets about seeking an appropriate 
 place to deposit its eggs, which in imitation of the parent 
 they fix on the hair of the horses' legs, to become in their 
 turn a pest to the horse. The treatment I have given 
 elsewhere for worms should be adopted for these pests. 
 
 According to my promise in a previous page I will 
 proceed to give a few hints about buying horses, and will 
 endeavour to expose some of the tricks that are resorted 
 to by unprincipled horse-copers and dealers. Little do 
 novices in horse-flesh know or think how many tricks are 
 resorted to by dishonest dealers to conceal the defects of 
 a horse and take in the uninitiated. To exhibit a few 
 of these will be the aim of this paper, and if it is not 
 pleasant to those who make a living by the practice of 
 unfair means to deceive the unwise, I offer no apology to 
 them, for if the cap fits they may wear it. The first 
 thing for a man about to purchase a horse is to attend 
 to its form, which differs materially in various breeds, 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 235 
 
 find its good points will depend upon their adaptation 
 to the particular kinds of work. The head in all the 
 breeds should be fine, broad between the eyes, and 
 tapering towards the nose. The jaws should be clean, 
 and not possessing too much flesh, the eyes full and 
 sparkling, clear and lively, the nostrils rather large and 
 open, and of a clear red colour, the space underneath the 
 jaws should be roomy and free from any glandular 
 swelling or lumps, the ears should be well set into the 
 head and pricked forward, but not large, which is 
 generally a sign of a soft-hearted horse. The neck should 
 be well curved, lightly formed rather than muscular, and 
 considerably arched beneath at its union with the jaws. 
 The shoulders should be high and sloping, the withers 
 should be of a medium breadth, and not too high, as it 
 will be found that high- withered horses are generally 
 narrow in the chest, which is always a bad point in not 
 allowing sufficient scope for the lungs to play, and is 
 never so pleasing to the eye as a broad expanded front. 
 Still some horses have proved both hardy and good in 
 point of action with narrow chests, but these have had 
 depth to compensate for the want of breadth. However, 
 there is a medium in the chest of a horse ; great width 
 is generally accompanied with want of action, and such 
 horses are better used for cart or farm purposes. The 
 back should be short and somewhat arched across the 
 loms, the chest deep and the ribs expanding, especially 
 between the last rib and the hip, so as not to admit of a 
 hollow between them. This is called well ribbed up ; a 
 loose-ribbed horse is always unpleasant to the eye if it is 
 not a physical defect ; no feeding will fill up a horse in 
 
2:16 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 that quarter, nor can a horse be pleasing to the eye that 
 has not good hind-quarters. 
 
 They should be round and full of muscles, the hips 
 well developed ; a low rump is a characteristic of an 
 Irish horse, and is termed amongst dealers a " goose 
 rump ;" many blood horses have this formation. 
 Avoid the purchase of one so formed, as they seldom 
 have good action; horses long in the quarters are 
 seldom serviceable. If a horse is required for field 
 sport always buy one short in the quarters, which is 
 indicative of all good leapers. The thighs should 
 be muscular and extending to the back, from which to 
 the hoof should be clean, flat, and sinewy. The back 
 part of the thigh should have a considerable bend, as 
 a straight-legged animal seldom possesses good action, 
 although there are exceptions to this rule. Avoid 
 those that are "cat-hammed," viz., with their hocks 
 nearly touching each other, see that the fore-legs are 
 muscular down to the knee, and otherwise well 
 formed as I have described in the hind-legs. The 
 fore-feet should be nearly circular, gradually increasing 
 as they descend toward the sole ; their inclination out- 
 ward should not be so great as that of the pastern. 
 The chances are that feet that slope too much forward 
 are diseased or liable to it ; besides this obliquity throws 
 the animal too much on its heels, which produces 
 tenderness of the parts and straining of the back 
 sinews. The position of the legs and feet, or what 
 may be termed their setting-on, is a most important 
 point. Viewing the borse from the front, the horse's 
 legs should be as near straight as possible, its feet 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 237 
 
 neither inclining to the left or right, as feet turned 
 outward are very liable to cut and trip, and the action 
 is seldom good or agreeable to the eye, having an outward 
 movement, and thereby losing ground at every step. 
 Horses with an inward inclination of the feet are said to 
 be " pin-toed " or " pigeon-toed ; " these generally throw 
 their feet outward, exhibiting the sole of the loot whilst 
 in action. Such horses have generally a laboured action ; 
 they soon tire when upon a journey, as the fatigue is 
 equal to a third, more or less, of the journey. The fore- 
 legs should be well set under the fore-part of the shoulder, 
 affording ample support to it. Such as have their legs 
 placed forward have neither support nor action ; when 
 the legs are viewed sideways or profile, they should be 
 nearly straight, but when horses have what is called 
 " calf knees," that is the knees sunk backwards, and with 
 the shank -bone sloping forwards, it is a certain sign of 
 weakness, and such horses will more easily knock up 
 when on a long journey; yet I do not recollect ever 
 seeing a " calf-kneed " horse with a broken knee. The 
 hind -legs should be either straight from the hock down- 
 wards, or have a slight inclination under the belly. 
 Horses so formed are for the most part low in the rump, 
 and will throw out their legs well under them when in 
 action ; on the contrary, horses that throw out their 
 legs are disagreeable to ride and seldom good workers, 
 Horses that stand with their legs much under them, 
 and at the same time droop in the quarters, ma}' be 
 suspected of being diseased in the kidneys or sj)ine, 
 and should be carefully examined upon that point. 
 While doing so on no account let the dealer's servant 
 
2oS The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 held up the horse with a bridle or stand on rising 
 ground ; this should be especially attended to whilst 
 examining the legs. It is invariably the practice of 
 dealers when exhibiting a horse to place it so that its 
 fore-legs are on the highest ground ; this is done to 
 hide the defects of the formation or disease of the 
 horse's legs and feet. Never let a dealer's groom throw 
 the reins over the horse's head and hold it back with 
 the curb while he touches it under the belly with a 
 long whip, which has the effect of putting it on its 
 mettle, and therefore it hardly knows where it places its 
 feet, consequently it will bend both its knees and throw 
 out its feet more than it does in its ordinary style ol going. 
 These wily servants take care to always bring the horse 
 to a stand with its fore-feet on the highest ground, which 
 makes it advance its legs so as to conceal any knuckling 
 of the knees or pastern. If they object to let the horse 
 go and stand naturally, be sure that it is a screw, 
 and has some disease they are anxious to conceal, 
 and that by their placing it with its fore-feet on the 
 rising ground they are anxious to conceal its knuck- 
 ling at the knees or pastern joint, and by doing so 
 they give a " groggy " animal all the appearance of 
 soundness. The first point for a purchaser to attend 
 to is the head at the crown, to ascertain if it has had 
 the disease I described in a former page, called poll- 
 ceil; examine its nostrils carefully, pinch both nostrils 
 close together so as to make the horse blow its nose 
 when you loose your hold ; this will enable you to find 
 out if the horse is " plugged," and if it blows out of its 
 nostril a pleget of tow or cotton wool be sure it is a 
 
In the Stable, field, and on the lload. 230 
 
 glandered subject. Take particular notice if there is a 
 foetid smell from its nostril; this is a point the coper 
 cannot entirely do away with ; the horse's breath 
 should be as sweet as new-mown hay. If it has a 
 fcetid smell and a discharge from the left nostril only 
 then it is glanders without a doubt, but if the discharge 
 is from both nostrils you may conclude that it is a case 
 of nasal gleet The coper will tell you that it is only 
 a cold the animal has, but depend upon it if you buy it 
 you will have bought a handful of trouble. The 
 tongue should be particularly looked at to ascertain if 
 it has met with any injury from the bit. If you find 
 that it has the appearance of having been cut across, 
 make up your mind it is a puller ; if, when examining 
 the mouth, there is a ropy saliva from the mouth hang- 
 ing in strings, be sure there is a wound in the mouth, 
 and examine carefully to find out if it is of a recent 
 date or an old and cankered wound. Next look care- 
 fully at the eyes for gutta screna and other affections 
 of blindness ; see that the withers are not fistulous ; 
 carefully scrutinise the knees by lifting up the legs and 
 bending the knees in an upward form, if they have been 
 broken ever so slightly, this will reveal the scar. If 
 you find a small scar, look to the manner the horse 
 wears its shoes, and if you find the toe worn away 
 and the other part of the shoe in good condition, look 
 out for a stunibler, and a stumbling horse is liable to 
 come down at any moment. Examine the legs care- 
 fully below the knee for splint and grogyness by placing 
 the horse's feet on the lowest ground ; look care- 
 fully to the pastern joint, and notice particularly if 
 
240 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 both bones are alike on each leg ; feel carefully round 
 between the joints of the upper and lower pastern, and 
 if there is any enlargement no doubt there is a ring- 
 bone forming. The hocks should be carefully ex- 
 amined for " thorough-pin." Notice if the point of the 
 hocks are swollen or what is called " capped," if they 
 are look out for a kicker. See if there is any enlarge- 
 ment about half way down the hock on the hinder 
 part of it, if there is he has a " curb," and it is sure he 
 has weak hocks. Examine narrowly the inside of the 
 hocks for bone spavin ; the writer has known some 
 dealers point to a large bone spavin and say the animal 
 had a fine bony hock. Descend to the feet and examine 
 for grease, look out for sand-crack in the horny sub- 
 stance of the hoof; see that there is no canker separating 
 the substance from the fleshy part of the foot. Look care- 
 fully under the heels of the shoes for a small stone ; if 
 you find one, be sure the horse has been "beaned." 
 This is done with a lame horse: — The bean is placed 
 with a pair of pincers under the heel of the 
 shoe of the sound foot; this causing the animal 
 great pain makes it tread heavily on the lame 
 foot, so that it has the appearance of being 
 sound, whereas it is actually lame on both fore legs. 
 A " beaned " horse has always a low action, and the 
 dealers will say it is only a natural low gait of action. 
 Disbelieve all their excuses, and err on the safe side by 
 rejecting the purchase. Sweeping as my readers may 
 think of this condemnation, it is unfortunately too 
 true, that this class of men are not to be depended 
 upon, and considering the risks that they themselves 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 241 
 
 are liable to, it is not to be wondered at. If the less 
 show any signs of having been bandaged a well- 
 grounded suspicion may be entertained that all is not 
 right. Pay particular attention to the state of the 
 animal's wind, for if the animal is touched in the wind 
 he is sure to be " loaded " before going into a fair. 
 Perhaps my readers may misunderstand the word 
 " loaded." This is another trick of the unprincipled 
 professional horse coper. When they have a horse 
 broken-winded which they wish to sell, they generally 
 contrive to get some one to make a " swop," i.e., 
 exchange ; by doing so they steer clear of the law and 
 the animal is not returnable. When they are about 
 bringing the horse out of the stable they load him, 
 this is done by making up a quarter of a pound of shot 
 into a ball with soap, and putting it down the animal's 
 throat. This loading is done to bear down the animal's 
 stomach and give temporary relief to the animal's lungs, 
 and many a poor man has found out next day that he 
 has exchanged a useful horse and given several pounds 
 to boot for an animal that is not worth fifty shillings. 
 Another trick which is carried on to a considerable 
 extent is the art of " bish oping." This is a trick which 
 takes its name from an unprincipled dealer of olden 
 times, who was supposed to be the first man who re- 
 sorted to this piece of roguishness. Bish oping a horse 
 is done by throwing a horse and putting a large wooden 
 roller into its mouth while the operator files down its 
 teeth ; then, with irons made for the purpose, he pro- 
 ceeds to burn the centre of the teeth, making them 
 resemble the natural marks in a young horse, so that a 
 p 
 
242 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 horse that has fresh legs and is nearly as old as Old 
 Parr, in an hour is brought out as a seven-year- old and 
 sold as such. Old horses are generally sunk in the eyes, 
 but after the coper has bishoped his animal he is quite 
 up to the mark to make the horse have a younger ap- 
 pearance, so he proceeds to another trick known as 
 " puffing the glims." This is pricking the hollow above 
 the eyes with a needle to cause local inflammation and 
 swelling of the part. The swelling" rills up the cavity 
 above the eye, and gives the horse a younger appear- 
 ance, but this only lasts for a day or two, and often ends 
 in ophthalmia, from the inflammation affecting the optic 
 nerve. Other dealers who have young horses wish to 
 pass them off as older than they are for the extra profit 
 they obtain, and many three-year-old horses are sold as 
 four-year-olds, and the writer has known them passed 
 off as five-year-olds. This is done by punching out their 
 sucking teeth and lancing their gums above the tusk; 
 when the suckers are punched out the cutters soon 
 make their appearance, and by lancing the gum it falls 
 back, and in a few weeks the tusk has made its way 
 through, so that the mouth of a three-year-old has 
 much the appearance of a four-year-old colt ; and many 
 persons not well up with the mouth of a horse are 
 imposed upon in this manner. This trick is known in 
 the trade as " yorking the horse." In purchasing a 
 horse the physical signs of age must be also looked 
 to, because a young horse may have been too early 
 put to hard work, and to that extent that it is to all 
 intents and purposes an old horse in strength and action ; 
 when heated by being trotted or galloped all his infirmi- 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road, 243 
 
 ties disappear, but these will re- appear whenever it is 
 again cooled down. A horse with an upright shoulder 
 is more fitted for driving than riding, a sloping 
 shoulder is best adapted for riding, for they have 
 generally better action and less of its own weight to 
 sustain on its fore legs ; a long-necked horse is 
 generally admired for its graceful form, but Ave consider 
 this a fault, as such are generally weak and are predis- 
 posed to roaring. Short-necked horses are for the most 
 part clear-winded, but one of medium length should be 
 preferred. Horses whose limbs have been fired should 
 never be purchased only at a small price, as it is a sure sign 
 of disease, although many horses work well after being 
 cauterized ; indeed scores of hunters and race horses 
 have been subjected to this operation. Thanks to the 
 French, the old system of firing will soon disappear, as 
 their patent firing apparatus can be used without the aid 
 of fire and irons, and Professor Pritchard informs me 
 that he has fired upwards of 200 animals with it and has 
 not had one slough, which is a very great recommenda- 
 tion for it, as with the old iron and the most careful 
 operator it was impossible to prevent some from slough- 
 ing. When the cornea of the eye is of a yellowish tinge 
 it is indicative of liver complaint ; this being observed, 
 turn up the lips and notice if the under portion of the 
 lips are of the same colour ; if so avoid the purchase 
 of the animal. If the coat of a horse stares it is a sure 
 sign that the animal is not in good health ; it will be 
 noticed that their dung is either hard, dark-coloured, 
 foetid, and slimy, or thin and washy like a cow. When 
 not disturbed such animals have a languid and sleepy 
 
24-t The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 appearance, but dealers take care before showing them 
 to temporarily rouse them from their lethargic condition 
 by what they term " figing " them, that is by forcing 
 ginger up the anus, putting salt into its mouth, and an 
 application of the whip. Go through a dealer's stable, 
 and as soon as the voice of the dealer is heard all the 
 horses are on the alert; they know he does not carry his 
 whip in his hand for nothing. Who ever saw a dealer 
 without a whip ? No, without his whip he would be 
 like a pump without a handle. No sooner does the 
 master or one of his men enter the stable than the horses 
 begin to raise their tails, champ at their hips, and assume 
 all the appearance of good health and spirits ; in the 
 meantime the dealers use all their claptrap eloquence to 
 induce the novice to believe the animals are the best in 
 Britain, and they are too often successful in inducing 
 their intended victim into that belief. The writer once 
 heard one of these men say " That he did not mind what 
 they called him as long as they did not call him a fool, 
 for this world was made up of sharps and flats, and as 
 there were always two flats born to one sharp, there was 
 always a good stock to work upon, and there was no 
 credit in doing a fool." There are so many gentlemen 
 who fancy that they do know what a horse is, and think 
 they cannot be done, who are quite disgusted when they 
 get an animal from one of the professional copers which 
 turns out a rank screw. When I use the term dealers 
 in such a sweeping condemnation, I would have my 
 readers understand that I refer to copers at fairs, and the 
 advertising gentry ; that there are honest dealers is 
 without a doubt, but they are men who have a name at 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 245 
 
 stake, who will have their price for a horse, and do not 
 deal after the Jewish manner of asking twice as much as 
 they intend to take. It is by far the best plan for pur- 
 chasers to go to such men who will let them have a horse 
 on hire with the option of purchase ; if they have to pay 
 a little more at the first (which is doubtful) they have a 
 fair chance of trying the animal. In buying a horse the 
 hand should be drawn over the ribs and the fingers 
 pressed firmly between them ; if the skin appears tight 
 and unyielding it may be inferred that the animal is 
 hidebound, and consequently labouring under some 
 internal disease. I would most particularly draw the 
 attention of the intending purchaser to the fetlock joints 
 of the horse, and if he finds a mark of a cut which may 
 be only an inch long or it may be some inches, situate 
 parallel with the shank bone, and immediately below the 
 pastern joint ; if such a mark is found it is certain that 
 the horse has been nerved, an operation which is per- 
 formed by cutting a portion of the nerve away to render 
 a horse workably sound which has an invariable attack 
 of navicular disease, such horse should be instantly 
 neglected. In examining the foot, if the sides of the 
 hoof are marked with circular depressions running 
 parallel with the coronet, it is certain that severe inflam- 
 mation has existed at some time in the sensible portion 
 of the foot and is consequently liable to a return of it at 
 any time after a little over exertion. See that both fore 
 feet as well as the hind ones are of an equal size, and 
 ascertain that they are quite cool and equally so ; attend 
 to the sole, see that it is of its proper shape ; thrush can 
 be detected by the smell, besides the other symptoms 
 
24G The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 which I have already described. As the feet of horses 
 are of such importance, I would advise every one to 
 acquire a knowledge of them, and to do this there is no 
 better plan than to attend daily a well-employed shoeing- 
 forge, and for a small gratuity the smith will point out 
 the different formations of the feet that come under his 
 observations. If he has had experience he will be able 
 to point out readily the indications of disease ; he will 
 also see why different formed feet require that the shoes 
 should be modified and adapted to the peculiarity of the 
 structure or probably existing disease. The next im- 
 portant thing to study is the wind, for it is this point 
 that the coper knows well how to patch up for twenty- 
 four hours, which is long enough for his purpose ; study 
 all that I have said upon the different complaints of the 
 lungs. The wind may be tested by what is known as 
 coughing the horse, that is by pinching the windpipe im- 
 mediately behind the jaw. If the horse gives a long sharp 
 cough it is an indication that it is sound in that respect, 
 but if the cough be short and hollow it may be inferred 
 that the horse has unsound lungs. Let gentle pressure 
 of the windpipe be frequently repeated in order to fully 
 test this, and be sure to do this with your own hand, as 
 dealers know that by compressing the windpipe with one 
 hand and the forefinger of the other, the horse is forced to 
 cough while doing so and produces that shrill sound con- 
 sidered a test for good wind, by the air rushing through 
 the limited aperture. Having satisfied yourself in this re- 
 spect, proceed to watch the flanks in breathing; if the belly 
 of the animal swells out and the inspirations and the ex- 
 pirations are regular, it may be reasorably inferred that 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 247 
 
 the animal has good wind, and its lungs are sound, but if 
 they are irregular and stops before it is completed, with 
 considerable drawing in of the flanks extending up the 
 sides so as to shew plainly the ribs, then it is certain that 
 the horse is unsound, or, as it is termed, broken-winded. 
 
 The third and final test is to trot the horse smartly 
 and watch the motion of its flanks, and observe if it 
 utters a noise in breathing with considerable blowing ; if 
 it does, reject the horse at once. To examine the horse 
 to ascertain if it is a roarer, whistler, or piper, place it 
 with its side against the wall, hold its head up with the 
 left hand, and with the right hand give it a sharp blow 
 on the ribs, or touch it smartly on the belly with a stick. 
 If it utters a grunt at every blow, it is a sign it is a 
 roarer; if it jumps about in consequence of the blows, 
 sobbing, and drawing its breath quickly, this will be 
 found an indication that it is a whistler or piper. For 
 testing all diseases of the lungs there is nothing like 
 giving a good gallop round a field, beginning slowly and 
 increasing the speed until it is at its top speed, then stop 
 short, dismount, slacken the girths, and place your ear 
 against its chest upon the wind-pipe, and the least defect 
 in the lungs will be apparent. Consider no time wasted 
 that is spent in testing the wind of the horse, and indeed 
 all points connected with its health. There are so many 
 points to be looked at and so many things to look for in 
 buying a horse, that if the purchaser is in a hurry he is 
 sure to overlook some important part, Having satisfied 
 yourself that the wind is all right, next stand behind the 
 animal and carefully scrutinize the prominences of the 
 hip bones, and see if they are on the level, and especially 
 
248 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 mark the round bones which are situated a little posterior 
 to the prominence of the hip. This is liable to lameness 
 from blows, strains, and other causes. If there is any 
 fault here, there will be a wasting of the muscles, and 
 the defect will be more readily detected when the horse 
 is in motion. If any symptom of lameness is observable, 
 pass the hand over the spot, and heat is sure to be found 
 in the part: it may be probably verified by applying 
 your nose to the part, for in all probability there will be 
 the smell of some liniment which has been applied. 
 When examining a horse, never let the dealer's man 
 hold its head high, nor place its feet on rising ground, 
 because, as I have said before, while a horse stands in 
 this position the defects (if he has any) of its fore-legs 
 will not be apparent, whereas if it stands with its feet on 
 the level ground, if the limbs have been shaken from hard 
 work, they will exhibit a tremulous appearance, the 
 knees will be more or less bent, and the heels will not 
 rest firmly on the ground as they ought to do. Horses 
 that have been hard worked will have the fetlocks of the 
 hind legs bent and relaxed, and the natural elasticity of 
 the tendons and ligaments will have departed. The horse 
 that is termed groggy, when standing in a quiescent 
 state, will be found with a leaning posture over the fore- 
 legs, the feet of which will be further under the belly 
 than the upper portion of the limbs, and the entire limb 
 forming a flat semi-circle with the knees at the extreme 
 point of the curve. In looking at the action of a horse 
 6QQ tli at its feet are lifted high, and that all four feet 
 clear the ground. Some horses have high action with 
 their fore-feet, and would scarcely knock over a sixpenny 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 249 
 
 piece with their hind-feet. See that the horse throws 
 out its feet freely and lightly, stand in front of it when it 
 is trotted, and notice if it has an inward gait of action ; 
 if so, it is sure to strike one leg against the other and be 
 liable to fall, and will be a subject for throwing splints. 
 Ii the horse has an inward gait of going, chalk the inside 
 of its hoof and then trot it ; if the chalk marks are on 
 its fetlock it will be a brusher, but if on the knee joint 
 it is a speedy-cutter, which is the worst form of cutting, 
 as the horse is apt to knock one leg from under it with 
 the other, the result being a severe fall and broken knees 
 to the horse, and perhaps a broken neck to the rider or 
 driver. After the horse has been examined in front, 
 stand behind it whilst being walked and trotted, and you 
 will then be able to detect the least uneasiness in its 
 going, and ascertain if it is a loose goer. Some horses 
 have an outward gait of going, and look as if they tried 
 to throw away their feet at every step; this kind of 
 action is objectionable, as a horse with such an action 
 soon tires on a journey. Horses with a short confined 
 step can never have good action, and are always dis- 
 agreeable to ride. In walking, the knee should be 
 moderately bent, but only sufficiently so to enable the 
 horse to walk clear of the stones and other objects he 
 may meet with on the road, and when the foot is set 
 down the foot should fall flat, so that the toe does not 
 strike the ground first. The legs should be thrown 
 straight out, bearing neither to the right or left, nor 
 should the sole be seen by a person standing on either 
 side. In the larger-sized horses the step should be 
 lengthy and regular, in the smaller-sized smart and 
 
250 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 springy, and in either case the horse should tread with 
 its hind-feet upon the footprints of the fore-feet. If the 
 horse steps short with his hind-feet, look for bone spavin 
 in the hocks. Wide hipped horses sometimes tread on 
 the outside of the footprint of the fore-feet, have 
 generally a shaky action, and are unpleasant to ride. 
 Wide hipped horses are almost always heavy in the 
 shoulder, and are therefore more adapted for harness 
 than saddle. Thoroughbred horses generally have low 
 troting action, and therefore are not good backs upon the 
 road, but having a more springy action are much more 
 pleasant to ride. Blind horses always lift their feet high, 
 and have a high uncertain action, therefore when trying a 
 horse which has high action examine its eyes carefully, for 
 perchance it is owing to defective sight that it lifts its 
 feet so high. When speaking of horse coping, I used 
 the term advertising gentry. No doubt most of my 
 readers have had their attention drawn to advertise- 
 ments in the papers of the following style : — " To be 
 disposed of immediately, a pair of handsome bay 
 geldings, 16 hands high, six years old, quiet in double 
 and single harness, constantly driven together, the 
 property of a gentleman who is leaving England, a 
 warranty given, and trial allowed. — Apply to coach- 
 man for price, &c., at Mews, Hyde Park, 
 
 London." This is called doing the heavy to catch a 
 flat, and is generally done by the so-colled gentlemen 
 who buy on commission. It requires three to carry 
 out this trick to perfection, and it is often done. 
 Coper No. 1, 2, and 3, look out for horses of showy 
 action with fresh legs and broken wind, they then 
 
In the Stable, Field, arid on the Road. 251 
 
 engage a stable, hire a carriage and showy harness ; the 
 advertisement is put into one of the principal papers. 
 Coper No. 1 engages apartments in a fashionable 
 quarter, and takes the name of Col. Somebody. Coper 
 No. 2 dons a suit of livery and is for the time being 
 Col. Somebody's coachman. Coper No. 3 assumes the 
 humble grade of helper, which he is in truth. The trap 
 being set the spiders wait for the fly, who in general 
 turns up in the shape of a young Swell, who thinks he 
 knows, and who has never learned the Spanish proverb, 
 " That the man who knows, and knows that he knows, 
 passes a happy life ; the man that don't know, and 
 knows that he don't know, may pass a very tolerable 
 life ; but the man who don't know, and don't know 
 that he don't now, is a fool indeed." The swell 
 arrives at tbe stable and Coper No. 3 opens the door 
 and touches his hat, (they are already very polite), the 
 Swell asks Coper No. 3 " Is this the stable where the 
 horses advertised are to be seen?" at the same time 
 showing the advertisement. "Yes sir'" is the reply. 
 " Are you the coachman ?" " No sir, coachman is gone 
 to the house for orders." " Oh, then, you are helper I 
 suppose," at the time, sliding a shilling into Coper No. 
 3's hand, and thinking he shall get some information 
 out of him respecting the horses. "What sort of 
 horses are they ? are they quiet ? " " Yes, sir ? " " Do 
 you know anything wrong about them ? If you tell me 
 and I buy them I'll make it all right with you." " No, 
 sir, I don't know of anything wrong, but if I tell you you 
 won't let out to master or coachman." Swell thinks he 
 is in for information this time, and promises not to speak 
 
252 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 about what he is told, and Coper No. 3 tells him he has 
 heard coachman say that when they are fresh the near- 
 side horse do pull. Coper No. 2 now puts in an appear- 
 ance with livery hoots and breeches on, and in a great 
 hurry, " Jim, put the harness on at once, govenor wants 
 the landau at once." Then noticing Swell for the first 
 time, says " Good morning, sir," touching his hat in the 
 most approved style. Swell, " Oh, you are coachman. I 
 wanted to have seen these horses out but you seem in 
 a hurry." Coper No. 2 says " Yes, sir, master has 
 had bad news and wants to catch the train, but, sir, 
 you might jump on the box with me and ride round to 
 the door, then you will have a chance of seeing how they 
 move, and could make arrangements with master, when 
 you could come and see the horses tried." Swell thinks 
 this a good chance, and gets on the box and is driven 
 slowly round to the lodgings of Coper No. 1, who 
 is quite the gentleman, and is extremely sorry that 
 he cannot spare time to shew him the horses, but 
 the fact is his dear son is taken very ill at Eton, 
 and he is off to see him, but perhaps he would 
 not mind riding in the carriage with him to the 
 Great Western station, and then, James, the coachman, 
 will drive him back to any part of the town he wishes. 
 The bait is taken, and in jumps Swell and Coper No. 
 1, Coper No. 1 taking care to keep up a conversation, 
 and pointing out the action of the horses as they turn 
 the corners. 150 guineas is the lowest price Coper No. 
 1 can take, he gave 200 guineas for them from Jjord 
 Tom Noddy, and only offers them at the price as he 
 is anxious to get them a -ood home before leaving 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 25.°> 
 
 England to join his regiment. The fly is well into the 
 web, and before parting on the platform a cheque is 
 given by Swell, and a receipt and warranty given by 
 Coper No. 1, and Coper No. 2 receives orders to take 
 the horses home to Swell's stables. Coper No. 1 takes 
 a ticket to Westbourne Park instead of Eton, then a 
 cab to the bank, the cheque is cashed, the carriage 
 sent to the coachbuilder, the hire paid, the stables 
 are left, and the lodgings also. The horses are taken 
 to Swell's stables and a sovereign given to his coach- 
 man, and Coper No. 2 gets one from Swell. The horses 
 are given as much water and hay as they can eat and 
 drink for a day or two, then Swell takes his new 
 purchase out into the park for a drive, and sends them 
 along at a smart rate up the side of the Serpentine to 
 the Magazine, when lie puts his head out of the carriage 
 window and says " John, what is the matter with the 
 horses, they make an awful noise V John says '• I 
 don't know, sir, but I think they must be broken 
 winded." The horses are then taken home, and Swell 
 goes to lodgings of Coper No. 1 and finds that he left 
 them the same day he bought the horses, the 
 stables are next tried to find the birds flown, and Swell 
 then learns for the first time that he does not know all. 
 In a day or two after a carter-looking man with a 
 smock frock on, has heard that Swell has a pair 
 of broken-winded horses for sale, and as he has a bit 
 of land, he thinks he can work them on it, and offers 
 £10 for the pair, which Swell, being disgusted with his 
 purchase, takes, and the horses are then taken, not to 
 work on the land, but next time to be advertised as 
 
254 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 brougham horses, or are put into Tattersalls or St. 
 Martin's Lane, to be sold as the property of a gentle- 
 man. Coper No. 2 looking after them and having in 
 his pockets some weighted balls, which he takes care to 
 give the animals before the show commences. Coper 
 No. 2 runs up the horses until he thinks he has 
 attained enough for them, when they are knocked 
 down to some novice, who thinks because that horsey- 
 looking gentleman bids so much for them he has not 
 given too much by giving a fiver more. There is 
 another class of land sharks in the horse line, and they 
 are as dangerous as the common coper. These are the 
 guinea hunters, or gentlemen who buy horses on 
 commission. Many of them when they know a gentle- 
 man is in want of a certain class of horse will go to a 
 fair or to some coper, and buy a good-looking screw 
 for a few pounds; they will then send it to stand at 
 livery at some respectable livery stable. Coper No. 2 
 is again called in, but this time he takes the part of a 
 gentleman, and Mr. Commission-hunter introduces Mr. 
 Flat to Mr. Sharp, who soon sells him a miserable 
 screw, Mr. Commission taking his share of the 
 plunder, and departing in peace. When the horse 
 arrives in Mr. Flat's stable, they find that if they 
 have bought a horse they themselves have been sold. 
 There is still another class who are the most heartless 
 of all the horse coping tribe ; they are men who sell 
 horses upon commission. If they have a wealthy man 
 they will sell his horse fairly, because they think they 
 can make him pay, but let a man who has come down 
 in the world and is forced to sell his horse and 
 
In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 255 
 
 carriage fall into their hands you will just see the 
 difference of their treatment. They will let the horses 
 stay in the stable and never try to sell them until a large 
 bill has run up for expenses, then they look out for a 
 customer and when they have one, will go to the owne r 
 and tell him things are very dull and that he cannot get 
 a bid for them, but as the captain wishes to part with 
 them he will give 50 or perhaps 100 guineas for the 
 pair and keep them himself in case a purchaser should 
 turn up. The money is handed over, and the next day 
 the animals are shewn and find another master at about 
 £300, thus fulfilling the proverb that when a man is down 
 every one will kick him. Yet the men who do this 
 trickery would be shocked if they were accused of dis- 
 honest dealings. Scores of this kind of cases could be 
 quoted, but I think I have said enough to show that a 
 man when buying a horse at a fair or from an advertise- 
 ment, should not do so with his eyes shut, and although 
 the groom is considered ignorant, yet many gentlemen 
 would have sounder and better studs if the advice of their 
 grooms and coachmen were taken in the selection of them. 
 That there are many ignorant grooms and coachmen 
 there is no doubt, but I contend that there are as many 
 intellectual men to be found among them as in any other 
 class, and if in my writings I have given umbrage to any 
 of my readers by my plain speaking, I am sorry for so 
 doing, but as my motto has been " Proud to praise, yet 
 not afraid t to blame." I could not be truthful unless I 
 blamed the groom for many things, and the masters for as 
 many more. No bad workman ever had a good tool, and 
 no bad master ever got a good man. If, on the other 
 
256 The Management' and Treatment of the Horse, 
 
 hand, my writings have proved beneficial to my readers, 
 and by them I have added one jot more comfort to the 
 horse, my studies are not in vain. Remember always 
 the merciful man is kind to his beast. Treat them kindly 
 and you will find many more good horses than bad ones. 
 In conclusion, I have to thank all those gentlemen who 
 by their kindness to me have enabled me to quote so 
 much from their writings for the information of my 
 readers, and above all, I hope to pay a life-long tribute to 
 the memory of the late Sir Thomas MoncriefF, who en- 
 couraged me as a boy in my studies with the solicitude 
 of a tender father and friend, and but for him I should 
 not have been able to sign myself, 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 A STUD GROOM. 
 
 NORWICH : ARGUS WORKS, ST GILES' STREET. LONDON : 84 FLEET STREET. 
 
HORSE, CATTLE, AND SHEEP MEDICINES. 
 
 c - MAJtSTY THE Q(/ _ _ " , «*.H.™E PRINCE OF* 
 
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 Sprains, Bruises, Inflamed Swellings, are quickly relieved by it. 
 
 Bone Spavin, Curb, Splint, Ringbone, and Bony Formations are rapidly 
 
 removed without leaving any Mark or Blemish. 
 Windgalls, Thorougpnn, Bog Spavin, Capped Hock, &>c, &c, are removed 
 without Injury to the Horse. 
 The application of this Remedy is extremely simple, and can be undertaken by 
 any person. Preparations Nos. 1 and 2 are used as hot fomentations. Preparation 
 No. 3 is an Ointment, which acts partially as a mild blister, and gives very little pain. 
 Price for Sprains, &c, remedy, 6s. Bone Spavin, &c, Remedy, 5s. 6d., post free. 
 Windgalls, Bog Spavin, &c, Remedy (which includes the complete remedies), 10s. 6d. 
 P.O.O. or Cheque to accompany order. Full Particulars and Testimonials Post Free 
 
 on application. o 
 
 BELLAMY'S CONDITION POWDER, 2s. 6d. per Tin (10 full doses). 
 BELLAMY'S COLIC CURE, 2s. 61. per Tin 16 full doses). 
 BELLAMYS GREASE OINTMENT, 2s. 6d. per Tin. 
 
 BELLAMY & CO., 55 Brown-St., Manchester. 
 
 Wholesale Agents:— London— Edwards & Son, Newberry & Sons, Sanger & Sons; 
 Sutton & Co. Edinburgh— Raimes & Co. ; Dublin -M'Master, Hodgson, & Co., 
 Belfast— Clarke & McMullan. 
 
NO STABLE IS COMPLETE WITHOUT 
 
 ELLIMAN'S ROYAL EMBROCATION 
 
 SPECIMEN TESTIMONIALS. 
 From His Grace the Duke of Rutland, Master of Belvoir Hunt. 
 
 Belvoir, Grantham, Dec. ist, 1879. 
 Sirs,— Elliman's Royal Embrocation is used in my stables ; I think it very useful. 
 
 Rutland. 
 From G. C. Carew Gibson, Esq., Sandgate, Pulborough, Sussex. 
 
 October 7th, 1878. 
 Sirs,— Hike your Embrocation very much; we use a great deal ot it. All sorts of 
 cuts, bruises, and slight sprains it does well for; capped hocks and sore throats it is 
 almost certain to cure.— Yours faithfully, G. C. Carew Gibson. 
 
 From Major J. M. Browne, Master of South Staffordshire Hounds. 
 
 Fosseway, Lichfield, Oct. 17th, 1879. 
 Sirs,— I find Elliman's Embrocation exceedingly good for sprains and cuts in horses 
 and also for cuts in hounds' feet. I shall strongly recommend it to all my friends.— 
 Yours faithfully, J. M. Browne. 
 
 From Lieut.-Col. R. H. Price, Master of Radnorshire Hunt. 
 
 Castle Weir, Kingstone, Herefordshire, December, 1878. 
 Gentlemen,— I use the Royal Embrocation in the stables and kennels, and I have 
 found it very serviceable. I have also used the Universal Embrocation for Lumbago 
 and Rheumatism for the last two years, and have suffered very little since using it.— 
 
 R. H. Price, Lieut.-Col. 
 
 From Glass Houghton Colleries, near Castleford. 
 
 Nov. 22nd, 1880. 
 Dear Sir,— Enclosed please find an order for 12 dozen 3/6 size Royal Embrocation 
 for horses as before, which kindly send off at your convenience to our colliery sidings 
 
 near Pontefract. ■ J- D. Thorp's Exors. 
 
 Of Chemists and Saddlers, in Bottles, 2/, 2/6, and 3/6. 
 
 Proprietors — ELLIMAN, SONS, $ Co., SLOUGH. 
 
GERMAN PEAT MOSS LITTER 
 
 AN EXCELLENT SOFT 
 
 BEI>I>IKr<& FOZ& XIOX&SES 
 
 (Very best quality guaranteed J, 
 
 Has many advantages over Straw or anything else, being Infinitely Cheaper, 
 Remarkably Absorbent, and by fixing the Ammonia keeps the Stables Free 
 from Smell. The Saving in Labour is immense, and the Manure Gained most 
 valuable. For price and particulars apply to the Importers, 
 
 O. HILLERNS & Co., 45 High-st., HULL. 
 
 COLTS AND YOUNG UNTRACEABLE HOESES 
 
 Broken by Kind and Gentle Treatment, Temperate and Easy Mouthed, and 
 Exercised by 
 Black-well's Patent Whalebone and Gutta-percha Jockeys, with 
 
 Rubber Spring Reins, 70s. Hire, as. per week. 
 Blackwell's Anti-Crib-biting Straps, 21s.; and various Muzzles 
 Blackwell's Rubber Springs for Saddle Straps, Girths, &c, 2s. 
 Blackwell's Safety Springs to Riding & Driving Reins, 12s. pr. 
 Blackwell's Leg Fomentors, 15s. 
 
 Hock, Fetlock, Leg, and Knee Boots, with Patent Springs. 
 Blackwell's Metal Springs to Chains, Whips, Reins, &c. 
 
 Registered 1870 
 At Stationers' Hall 
 Paris, & Germany 
 
 Patent Saddlery and Harness Manufacturer to her Majesty 
 and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, 
 469 OXFORD STREET, near the Marble Arch. 
 Paris — P. Germain, iS Louis le Grand; and of all Saddlers. 
 
 RACKHAM'S CELEBRATED 
 HORSE AND CATTLE MEDICINES. 
 
 HORSES-Rackham's Condition Balls produce Health, Strength, Condition, and 
 
 a fine Glossy Coat. 
 HORSES — Kackham's Grease Balls, a certain cure for Grease, Farcy, Swelled 
 
 Legs, Humours, Surfeit, &c. 
 HORSES— Kackham's Cough Balls, a speedy remedy for Coughs, Colds, Influenza,. 
 
 Bronchitis, Inflammation of the Lungs, &c. 
 HORSES— Kackham's Diuretic Balls, for all Urinary Diseases, and a safe expellant 
 
 of all Watery Humours. 
 HORSES — Rackham's Physic Balls, invaluable as a General Aperient and Blocd 
 
 Purifier. 
 HORSES— Rackham's Worm Balls speedily extirpate all Worms, Bots, &c. 
 
 Prices il, 2/6, 5/, 10/, and 20/ per packet, with full directions. 1 he small sizes 
 
 post free 15 and 34 stamps. 
 
 HORSES-Rackham's Horse Medicine Chests Complete from 21/ to £10, with 
 
 necessary instructions. 
 
 DOG DISEASES, HOW TO CURE. Rackham's Distemper Balls,. 
 
 Tonic Condition Balls, Worm Balls. Cough Balls, Purging Balls, Jaundice Balls, 
 Diarrhoea Balls, Ear Canker Specific, Katalepra for Red Mange. The above are sold 
 in packets, 1/ (post free 1/2;, 2/6. 5/, 10/, and 20/ each (post free). 20/ equal to 25/. 
 Dog Medicine Chests complete, 10/6, 21/, 42/, 63/, and 105/ each, with full directions. 
 Rackham's Japan Soap for Dogs; tablets, 6d. and 1/ each, post free 8 and 15 stamps. 
 Rackham's Japanese Worm Powders, 6d. and 1/ eacn, post free 7 and 13 stamps. 
 
 . London Agents, — F. Newbery & Sons, Barclay & Sons, Sanger & Son, Edwards 
 & Sons, J. Thompson, Hovenden & Sons. And all Chemists throughout the world. 
 
 RACKHAM & CO., the Depot, Norwich, England. 
 
Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine 
 Cummings School of Veterinary- Medicine at 
 Tufts University 
 200 Westboro Road 
 
ifw*