ALSO THE MANAGEMENT OP

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STABLING, TRAINING, fe.

By WILLIAM RQPEE^Surgeon, T.C.D.

.��'-'. TW '.f^v

"."to folioNv foolish precedents and w$nk
.-'^Jth bothouf-ejcy,ise>sleV*han to tftifkX

/..'.- a V,�5u<� � "*\

� SECOND EMMk. JSj
Iton&on:-. '.; .

F. W. CALDER, 1C9, OXFORD STREET.

THE EAEL OF CHESTERFIELD
THIS TREATISE

IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
AS A TRIBUTE TO HIS MANY NOBLE QUALITIES AS

A PATRON OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,

HIS OBLIGED AND OBEDIENT SERVANT,

A book, however small, without a Preface, is like a
person entering the world without an introduction :
'tis teue, his own intrinsic merit may eventually gain
him friends, but his progress must be necessarily
slow. On the other hand, a few introductions would
quickly introduce him to a large circle of acquain-
tance ; and thus it is with a book seeking public
patronage. The Title may be alluring, but few like
to venture upon the perusal of a work unless by a
few prefatory remarks, they perceive that it professes
to impart information upon things but little under-
stood, or hitherto treated in a vague and unsatis-
factory manner. The present subject was one that
needed to be considered upon some fixed principles,
for up to the present time all the knowledge that
existed was at best but a mass of opinions, both
contradictory and conflicting, and most commonly
founded on the incorrect practices of long gone
years.

The usefulness and the value of the Horse have
always made him an especial object of our notice
and regard, oftentimes one of affection, from his
many qualities; yet in spite of our solicitude he
becomes often the subject of ill-treatment, not
alone from the brutality of some devoid of good
feeling, but often from those whose desire is to
render him happy and comfortable, from their want
of a proper knowledge of his management. My
present humble effort has been undertaken for this
end, seeing there was no similar work by which the
laws of animal life could be learned so that they
might teach us rightly to shape our course; they
are the rudders by which the machinery of life is
guided, and without them we are at best but like so
many ships at sea without a pilot or a guide. We
may as well attempt to put a watch into proper order
without knowing its mechanism, or the princi-
ples of its movements, as to attempt to put the
beautiful and complicated machinery of animal life in
the horse into full action without a knowledge of the
vital functions; if we know these, they will serve
as guides to all our proceedings. Moreover, they
will teach us to form a correct estimate of the many

dangerous practices that exist among those in whose
care the health of our horses is entrusted, and which
we shall find noticed in their proper place.

In endeavouring to explain many of the pheno-
mena of life, great difficulties will arise from a desire
plainly and succinctly to elucidate them, and I hope,
should they appear abstruse to some of my readers,
their complex and almost miraculous movements
may be taken into consideration, and an allowance
made for the author on that account.

In the treatment of disease no remedy has been
prescribed not in unison with physiological truth,
and its efficacy tested either by myself or some of
the members of the Veterinary College, to whom all
lovers of horses owe much.

To those gentlemen I am especially indebted for
the valuable information derived from their writings,
and particularly so to Mr. Morton for the valuable
aid derived from his Pharmacopoeia, for which I take
this opportunity of returning my thanks.

The prescriptions in this work have been given
with care and after serious reflection; they will, I
trust, be found both sufficient and valuable, so as
fully to answer every reasonable expectation.

The remarks on the subject of training and
trainers may appear severe, hut I think deservedly
so, from the ignorance that characterizes, and from
the gross prejudice that stamps their mode of treat-
ment. The cruelty and barbarity of some grooms
have not been passed by without notice, and I
trust the exposition will serve to correct them. My
chief aim is to convey the greatest amount of infor-
mation, and in the smallest possible compass. I
hope the object will be found to be fully attained, as
prolixity always makes a subject tedious. The sub-
jects discussed are numerous, and therefore T hope
will give the work a pleasing variety, for Pliny has
said�

" Human nature is fond of novelty."

General principles for the management of the

horse in the stable.............................. 1

Proem�Ventilation�Atmospheric Air� Respiration�
Cleanliness�Light.

General rules for obtaining condition ............ 13

Order and Regularity�Exercise�Physicking�Functions
of the Skin�Clipping and Singeing�Exercise ought to he
made agreeable�Good temper necessary�Grooming�
Ill-tempered men about horses�Lord Erskine's opinion�
Errors in grooming�Value of good-tempered grooms.

Diet, and the objects and laws of nutrition........ 30

Errors of trainers�Horse's stomach�Over-feeding, &c.
�Waste of particles in nature�Organs of nutrition�
Hunger and thirst modified by certain conditions, as Age,
Exercise, Clothing�Gastric juice, in proportion to the
quantity of food required�Error of a change of diet sud-
denly�Digestion�Results of digestion�Articles of food.

Necessity for drink................................ 43

Loss of fluids by secretions and excretions�Thirst the
most intolerable of all miseries�Water, a strong digestive
and a prolonger of life�Solid and dry food require plentiful
dilution�Water before meals�Want of water productive of
diseases�Hard and soft water�Circulating fluids of the
body large and require dilution�Fluids absorbed, and not
subject to digestion.

Diseases .......................................... 48

Necessity for a knowledge of them�Costiveness�Di-
rections for physicking, and best forms for aperient medi-
cine�Mode of administering a ball. Inflammation, local
and general�The type of most diseases. Strangles�
Treatment�Plaister for the throat�Embrocation for the
throat�Medicines, &c.

Diseases arising from, or affecting the brain and
its immediate neighbourhood .................... 60

Megrims�Nature and treatment�Form for a diuretic
ball. Apoplexy, like Megrims, but attended with more
danger�Treatment Stomach staggers arise from bad
management. Inflammation of the brain, or mad
staggers, of two kinds, generally terminates in death.
Epilepsy, or Fits, proceeding from two distinct sources.
Madness�treatment. Diseases of the eye�Inflamma-
tion of the haw�Lotions. Simple inflammation of
the eye�Cure. Diseases of the mouth�Lampas.
Diseases of the throat�Roaring.

Diseases affecting the body........................ 66

Catarrh, or common cold�Forms for cough balls.
Chronic cough � Treatment � Cough balls�Drench.
Broken wind and thick wind�Treatment. Wheez-
ing, Piping, Whistling, High-blowers, varieties of
diseased organs of respiration. Influenza, or dis-
temper� An epidemic � Different forms � Treatment.
Inflammation of the lungs � Causes�Symptoms�
Treatment. Pleurisy�Treatment. Bronchitis�Treat-
ment, &e. Diseases of the Intestines�Colic�Symp-
toms�Treatment�Antispasmodic draught. Inflammation
of the bowels�Causes. Inflammation from superpurgation�
Treatment. Diseases of the kidneys�Inflammation of
the kidneys�-Treatment. Profuse staling�Causes. In-
flammation of the bladder�Treatment�Sedative ball.

Diseases of the lymphatics........................ 76

Farcy�Symptoms. Glanders�Symptoms.

Diseases, Accidents, &c, affecting the fore quarters .... 78
The Shoulder�Lameness how detected there. Lame-
ness in the leg�Splints�Treatment�Blister�Stimulant
and absorbing ointment. Windgalls�Liniment. Broken
knees�Treatment�Lotion for a poultice�stimulant oint-
ment�stimulant lotion to increase the growth of hair.
Sprains�Treatment�Forms of cold lotions�mode of
employing them�Stimulant lotions�Ointment�Opodel-
doc. Thrush�Ointment. Stopping for the feet�Pointing
the foot in the stable�Poultice. Bruised feet, Overreach�
Tincture of arnica�Hoof ointment�Friar's balsam�
Tincture for wounds. Brittle hoofs, Sand-crack�Treat-

PAGE,
ment. Corns�Cure. Pricked or gravelled�Treatment.
Shoeing�Faults of the smith�The Life-guard shoe to
nrevent slipping on wood pavement.

Diseases, Accidents, &c., affecting the hind quarters.... 94
Curbs�Treatment. Capped hocks�Causes. Thorough-
pins�Causes. Sprains of back sinews�Treatment. Bog
spavin � Nature � Treatment. Bone spavin � Blister.
Cracked heels�Cure. Swelled legs�Causes�Alterative
powder�Alterative balls�Tonic ball.

Diseases of the skin................................ 102

Hidebound�Causes. Surfeit�Treatment. Warbles�
Lotion. Sitfasts�Cure.

Remarks on hunters .............................. 104

Bad effects of bandaging the legs�Used joints�their
treatment�Sprains�Thickening�Ointment for its remo-
val. Exhaustion from hunting�Blood-letting. Throwing
a shoe�Management of the foot. Management of the
hunter at the close of the season�Turning out�The feet�
Saw-dust to stand in�Blistering�Mode of applying it�
Ointments�Healing ointments. Concluding remarks�
The arrangement of the work�Arguments based on prin-
ciples� Danger of using unknown remedies�Mistakes
made in the management of horses.

The heart is hard in nature, and unfit

For human fellowship, as being void

Of sympathy,'and therefore dead alike

To love and friendship both, that is not pleased

With sight of animals enjoying life,

Nor feels their happiness augment his own.

Cowper's Task, Book vi.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES
FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE STABLE.

The number of books daily issuing from the Press on
almost every subject in this age of " March of Intellect,"
makes it a hazardous undertaking to embark in book
writing unless stimulated by a desire to do good. But
as a hiatus appears to exist in that department of science
which treats of the management of the Horse, I am
induced to offer the following remarks in the hope of
being able to throw light on the subject, and thereby
correct some of the many errors which do dishonour to
the present system of treatment.

I have not, however, commenced the task without
knowing the opposition that will be raised against any

one who enters the province of the trainer or stud-groom �
but where I see ignorance so generally conspicuous, I
shall not be deterred by any feeling, however strong,
which may exist. Were there indeed any similar work,
I would not have ventured to put forth my claim to
public attention; but when I can trace the cause to a
want of information on the matter, my desire is to do
every thing which may lay in my power to assist in
removing the obstacles ; nor do I know a more probable
way than that of giving publicity to my thoughts.

As the quality of the material shall be more regarded
than either volume or quantity, and as a small book is
always preferable to a large one, I shall endeavour to dis-
cuss the subject as briefly as possible; to touch upon
each question, and give the greatest amount of informa-
tion in the smallest possible compass. It will be un-
necessary to trace the origin, clime, and country, which
the horse was supposed to have first inhabited, and I
shall therefore proceed at once to treat of him, as it best
appears he should, in the country in which he now flou-
rishes, and point out the best means for getting him in
condition for work, and for the preservation of his health
at all times. As most of the ills to which the horse is
subject arise when he is stabled to be put into con-
dition for the purposes of work, the first consideration
will be

When horses are intended for hard work, it is necessary
that they should be housed, and it is a matter of great
importance that the house should be so constructed as to

afford the means by which health is to be obtained.
The question naturally arises how is this to be effected.
Two great objects are to be particularly kept in view,
" Ventilation and Cleanliness;" in the consideration of
the former will be involved the question of important
animal functions, and therefore it becomes a subject of
considerable interest.

By the term " ventilation" is meant the circulation
of a current of pure air through the apartment, this
circulation being usually effected by means of an
aperture called a " ventilator," which gives exit to the
deleterious air generated in the stable by the effluvia
arising from the urine, dung, as well as from the air
respired by the animal, i This air having once passed
through the lungs and being there deprived of the oxygen
(or vital principle) is rendered unfit and poisonous to
the lungs when inspired a second time, particularly as
it is then more or less commingled with ammonia,
hartshorn, decomposed animal matter, uric acid, &c, &c.

If I enter rather fully into an explanation on this head,
it is because it is a subject of the greatest importance,
yet one the least regarded of any other; nay, ignorance,
custom, and habit, seem completely to have set the law
of nature at defiance, and have as it were entered into a
compact to exclude that vital principle (the air) which
was destined by an all-wise Providence for the support
of his creatures, and who, knowing our ignorance, endued
it with a power of being every where present in a greater
or less degree, even when denied admittance by the art

4 STABLE VENTILATION.

of man. At this period, men entrusted with the care
and health of some of the noblest specimens of the equine
race, carefully cram the key-hole of the stable against
the air, for fear lest a breath should come against them
and give them cold. Now granting their liability to cold
while in this state, let them ask themselves, why are
they so liable ? The practical proof of the ill-effects of
breathing vitiated air may easily be made the subject of
experiment by confining a mouse under a glass made
air-tight, when it will be seen after some little time to
grow uneasy, and pant as if struggling for air, and in a
few hours it dies. When the air contains 10 per cent
of carbon, carbon being destructive of life, and given
off from the system in respiration, no animal can
breathe it without its proving fatal. In the year 1756,
one hundred and forty six Englishmen were shut up in
the black hole of Calcutta, which was only eighteen feet
square, and badly ventilated. There were but two small
windows on one side, by which air could be admitted,
but there was no ventilation. Scarcely was the door
closed when their sufferings commenced, and in a short
time a delirious and mortal struggle ensued, to get near
the windows. Within four hours those who survived
lay in the silence of apoplectic stupor, and at the
end of six hours, ninety-six were dead.

In order that my subsequent remarks may be
thoroughly understood, and their truth seen, a brief
description of the air will be necessary.

Atmospheric air is composed of two gases, termed
"oxygen" and "nitrogen," which are exactly combined
in that proportion one with the other, as best answers

the purposes of life; this proportion consisting of one
part of oxygen to four of nitrogen.

These two gases essentially differ in their qualities,
for oxygen is a supporter of respiration, while nitrogen
is incapable of supporting life: the former supports
combustion, while the latter destroys it. Another
peculiarity in these gases, is their tendency to combine
with others and their susceptibility of being separated,
as we shall see in treating of Respiration.

Having now become acquainted with the constituent
parts of the atmosphere, and which we know to
be essential to life, the bad effects of a proper want
of ventilation must be evident to the most common
understanding.

The unpleasant, hot, contaminated smell of an unven-
tilated stable must be known to every one who has ever
visited such a stable on its being first opened in the
morning after being closed all night. Can it be then
supposed that the animal compelled to breathe such an
atmosphere is in a state most conducive to health ? In
such ill regulated apartments if the animal is loose and
able to select his own spot for repose, he will invariably
be found with his head towards the door so as to catch
every little puff of fresh air which can enter. In a
stable of this kind the blood cannot undergo its proper
and necessary changes, as we shall see in considering
respiration; digestion cannot be efficiently performed ;
and all the vital functions suffer derangement.

This serious error of an improper ventilation is being
remedied of late, as I recently noticed with pleasure in
the stables of the veteran Dockeray, at Epsom. Having
b 2

had occasion to visit these stables a summer or two ago, I
found what was generally considered to be a great error,
a free and perfect ventilation. Being somewhat surprised
at this change, I requested permission to examine a few
of the horses, and on touching them (among the number
being the renowned Lottery, the Steeple Chaser, who
under this treatment, and under the greatest weights
ever known, directed by the good guidance of his jockey,
J. Mason, conquered every competitor for fame in Steeple
Chasing) their feel gave evidence of beautiful condition,
being firm and hard to the touch, their skin healthy, the
eye vigorous, and presenting a beautiful picture of
health.

Ere I leave the stable of this great reformer, let me
state that the only horse which he has trained for the
Derby for many years was " Gorhambury," he being the
only horse that had any chance with the renowned
"Cotherstone;" in truth, so fine was Gorhambury's con-
dition, that on pulling up after that very severe race
there was hardly an appearance of his having run; so
much was this the case, that it lead to the belief
that he was not made sufficient use of,- be that as it
may, he certainly pulled up uncommonly fresh, and the
day after won a race in the commonest canter.

Occasion took me to another stable, a great one, in
which were I think above a dozen horses; the day was
intensely hot; I arrived, and being popped in the stable
and the door quickly closed, the first respiration, literally
and truly speaking, nearly suffocated me; my lungs,
however, recovered from their first shock, and I beheld
the horse which I had gone to inspect with nearly half a

hundred weight of clothes on his back, a bed up to his
knees, in a low dejected state almost approaching to
syncope. The coat certainly looked very fine, but the
feel was soft and flabby ; no firmness in the muscle, no
life, no animation in the eye, yet that horse was said to
be well; on looking round to discover the cause of dark-
ness, I saw that the rays of light were excluded by
shades over the windows; and here was the scene of
wretchedness, amidst great neatness, in which stood this
high mettled racer. As I was about purchasing him,
having gone for that purpose, and naturally wishing for
a sight, I asked if he could be seen outside the door, but
that was impossible.

From this stable come the finest looking, and as high
and well bred horses as the world can produce, yet they
seldom win; although I know instances where they
have been successful when removed from such a stable
for some time, and placed under a different regime.
From a stable like that I would advise all my friends to
purchase a race horse.

The justification for their not winning is,�because
the master sometimes interferes:

" So let it be with Caesar."

This is not the only instance to prove my position:�
a highly respected friend of mine, and a great judge of
horses, who always kept a fine hunting stud, used to
be particularly unfortunate, although the greatest pos-
sible care and attention was paid them. His own words
were, " I dread to hear the sound of my man's foot in
the morning, for hardly a day passes but something

goes wrong with one of the horses." His stud groom,
though a most attentive man, was a rigid excluder of
air from the stable. Seeing the cause, I argued with
my friend on the matter. Being a highly intelligent
and intellectual person, he adopted the ventilation sys-
tem after his stud groom had left him, and since then
has been more fortunate, being freed from inflammations,
coughs, colds, &c.; and perfectly exempt from sickness,
except from an occasional blow or thorn in the hunting
field, for our friend never looks for a little place when
hounds are running. From example to precept�The
quality of the air, on which depends animal existence,
though impregnated with hurtful ingredients, seems to
be totally disregarded. The poet Armstrong was aware
of its ill effects: he says, �

" Ye who amid this feverish world would wear
A body free of pains, of cares the mind,
Fly the rank city; shun the turbid air j
Breathe not the chaos of eternal smoke
And volatile corruption from the dead,
The dying, sickening, and the living world
Exhaled, to sully heaven's transparent dome
With dim mortality. It is not air
That from a thousand lungs reeks back to thine
Sated with exhalations, rank and fell,
The spoil of dunghills, and the putrid thaw
Of nature; when from shape and texture she
Relapsed into fighting elements.
It is not air, but floats a nauseous mass
Of all obscene, corrupt, offensive things."

In calm, sober prose, " it is not air" but truly�

" The spoil of dunghills, and the putrid thaw
Of nature;"

which taken into the lungs of a horse in high condition,
as regards food, and while in that state naturally in-
clined to inflammatory attacks, produces cough, influ-
enza, cold, and the long catalogue of diseases to which
a horse kept in such an atmosphere is subject. It is
like adding an inflammable element to flame.

A badly ventilated stable is the most fertile cause of
horses being out of condition; next comes excessive
clothing and a scanty supply of water: in proof of
this statement, I have frequently seen horses thus
out of condition, after being purged, bled, treated with
alteratives and tonics, and all to no good purpose, res-
tored to blooming condition by proper diet, moderate
clothing, and a free access of pure air.

To strengthen my argument still more, let us con-
sider the process of respiration, and learn by it' the
necessity for pure air, and a sufficient supply.

Respiration is the act of breathing, and is both a
mechanical and chemical process. Its mechanism con-
sists in the alternate expansion and contraction of the
chest, by which air is regularly admitted and expelled.
The chemical process is the separation of a poisonous
gas from the blood, and the replacement of that gas by
the oxygen of the atmosphere. By a particular motion
of the heart, the blood is propelled through the blood-
vessels of the whole body, and returns again to the
lungs to go through the same process. The vessels by
which the blood is conveyed through the body are
termed arteries; those by which it is returned, veins.
B 3

During its course it undergeos considerable altera-
tions : some of the parts of which the blood is composed
being separated for the nourishment of the body; others
being voided by the skin in the insensible perspiration,
and by the kidneys in the form of urine. In its circu-
lation the scarlet colour of the arterial blood is by
degrees changed to purple,�venous blood; and the
latter, being brought back by the veins, is now unfit
for a second circulation, until purified of the carbon *
which it has obtained during circulation. This purifi-
cation is to be effected by the air, through the act of res-
piration, in this maimer : venous blood enters the heart,
from which it is, thrown into the lungs, where it comes
in contact with the air during the respiration of the
animal.

The relation between the production of animal heat
and the respiratory functions is most direct and remark-
able, so that its consideration in this place seems almost
absolute.

or the heat naturally existing in animals, is produced by
the oxygen of the air combining with the carbon of the
system; hence it is that heat is increased by exercise,
the respiration being then hurried. The circulation of
blood at the same time is quickened, and consequently
a greater quantity of heat (animal heat) is given off,
which is carried away by perspiration, through the me-
dium of the pores of the skin. Having now briefly, and
I hope clearly, pointed out the necessity for a proper

* This is the source of the carbon alluded to, in page 4.

ventilation being enforced, and shewn how two great
vital functions, respiration and circulation, are dependant
on it for their proper fulfilment, I have still to shew,
that the activity of digestion, another great vital func-
tion, appears to be influenced by, and proportionate to,
that of respiration. This is a consideration that natu-
rally arises out of the present subject, and I trust its
great importance will be considered and acted upon.
To effect this purpose will be one great good at which
I aim, and should the object be attained in this alone,
I shall have the satisfaction and consolation of knowing
that my labour is not in vain.

Purity of vesture seems to be a precept of nature,
and if we observe the habits and manners of those
creatures which are more intimately allied to that
power, whether birds in pluming, or beasts in dressing
themselves, we shall be struck with the delight which
they exhibit in the performance of that operation. As
rational beings then, let us not be deficient in so
wholesome a practice, in which we have an example set
us by the children of nature. The necessity for strict at-
tention to cleanliness we have seen in the subject of
ventilation, where we learned that hartshorn, decom-
posing animal matter as dung, urine, &c, tend to render
the air impure and poisonous; therefore, the litter in a
horse's stable ought to be kept dry and sweet, every
soiled particle should be daily removed, and no heap of
dung allowed to remain within the stable. Great care
should be paid to the drains, which should not be suf-

fered to get choked, so as to prevent the free escape of
the animal's urine. The best plan is to have to every
drain a trap, by which no vapour can arise, nor offen-
sive smell. Our remarks on the importance of cleanli-
ness need be but short, as it is certainly not a fault to
which the generality of persons connected with the horse
are addicted. It is true, I have seen dirty stables, but
the persons in whose charge they were had no preten-
sions to the name of groom, and were themselves nearly
as dirty as their stables.

The importance of this subject is one to which suf-
ficient attention is rarely paid, and its neglect may be
productive of many evils, not only in reference to
disease, but in causing vice, as we shall presently see.
The salutary influence of the solar light as a stimulus
to the skin, is another fact which has been quite over-
looked, and yet its good effects upon man and vegeta-
bles are most apparent. Those who live in mines or
dark caves, and in dismal crowded lanes of cities
present a pale, relaxed, sallowness of skin, which
strongly contrasts with the rosy cheeks of country
people, and those living much in the open air. Vege-
tables become pale, watery, and feeble in the dark, and
the tree that grows in the sheltered forest is not so
strong as another of the same kind exposed to the
influence of light; nor is its timber, I believe, as valua-
ble, and certainly not as durable, as the other. In
neglecting the consideration of light we cannot either
remember the sensation a strong light suddenly ad-

EULES FOR CONDITIONING. 13

mitted has upon ourselves, or we should naturally think
of the poor horse kept in his dark stable and then sud-
denly brought into a strong light, and make allowances
for his fear and shying. The want of light is often
the parent of this vicious habit of shying, and it is also
one of the chief causes of inflammation of the eyes,
especially when the animal is well fed. The result of
that inflammation may be total blindness. While guard-
ing against this error let us not run into the opposite
extreme�too great a glare�for too much stimulus is
as injurious as the want of it, therefore if the stable
admits a great quantity of light the walls should be of
a sober hue so as to deaden that glare. Green seems
to be the colour best adapted to the eyes, and from the
works of the Creator we learn this lesson in the colour
of the herbage; so, were all proof except this wanted,
to him who considers the works of the God of nature it
would be quite sufficient. Another fact may here be
stated, that animals rest best in a moderated light.

GENERAL RULES FOR GETTING A HORSE INTO
CONDITION.

Hating enumerated and discussed the leading requi-
sites for a healthy habitation, our next step is to consi-
der the best and most effectual means for getting the
occupant into good condition for work. To obtain this

14 RULES FOE CONDITIONING.

end many things are to be taken into consideration,
among the foremost of which are,�

ORDER AND REGULARITY.

" Order is heaven's first law,"
and in the stable this ought to be considered as a golden
rule, both as regards attention to the animal and the
arrangement of every article for use. There should be
a place for every thing, by which time would not be
lost in looking for objects when required for use. On
the observance of these hints, hinges the great secret of
good stable management.

Is a difficult and important subject to treat, as it is one
to which no single rule can be applied. And that it be
properly performed requires great inflection and obser-
vation in the groom, without which he will not be able
to fulfil this duty correctly. Reflection will lead us to
know the constitution of the horse, his age, the
quantity and nature of the work for which he is
intended, whether it be racing, hunting, or for the road ;
and observation will teach us to notice the present
state of condition, as being above or below par, or as
it is technically called, " above or below himself." All
these things must be considered before we commence
working a horse indiscriminately. We should know
also that if a horse be well-fed, stands idle for a few
days and fills himself, and then is ridden or driven far
and fast, that he will be very liable to an inflammatory

attack, either of the lungs, bowels, brain, or most pro-
bably the feet, therefore regular daily exercise is
necessary on this account. It is a common and great
mistake of some who having a journey to perform, give
their horse a few days rest in order, as they suppose,
to get a stock of strength for the occasion ; it is the sure
way to render the animal likely to knock up, or tire, as
nothing is more conducive to muscular development
than exercise, provided it be given in a rational man-
ner. This is easily learned by the fact, that if a limb
be put out of use for some time, or confined by a
bandage, it will be found to have lost both its size and
strength, and so is it with the whole animal machine.
Moreover, exercise conduces to the formation of an oily
looking substance for the lubrication of the joints, and
if the joints be thrown out of use for some time, and then
called suddenly into action, disease will often result.

Exercise is, in fact, the condition without which ex-
halation and secretion cannot go on sufficiently fast to
clear the system of materials previously taken in; and
where no waste is incurred, there is no need of a fresh
supply, and consequently in a healthy state of the sys-
tem, no natural appetite can exist. To this there may
be an exception in growing animals. Moreover, the
effect of exercise is the absorption of the fat from be-
tween the muscles and their fasciculi, making the marks
termed " water furrows." It seems to arise from the
pressure exerted by the contracted muscle on the soft
tissue immediately around it, and is mechanical. Muscle
increases in volume, firmness, and elasticity, with an
augmentation of strength and power, from frequent but

RULES FOR CONDITIONING.

moderate use, and this effect is organic or vital. More-
over, power is effected through the medium of the ner-
vous centres and nerves; so that the latter are called
into activity, and through them the whole system be-
comes influenced when a number of muscles are exercised.
Action (or exercise) requires the presence of arterial
blood; and in the case of muscles, the circumstance of
their being active, favours the circulation and increases
the supply. This exercise, in its turn, enables the parts
to which it is sent to act with greater energy and effect,
and the augmented action is attended with corresponding
waste and exhalation, and proportionate nutrition to the
parts. To replenish the blood thus exhausted of its
nutritive principles, a greater quantity of food is
required; the appetite becomes keener and more
imperative, and the power of digestion proportionally
vigorous. The food taken is more speedily converted
into chyle, and its absorption from the surface of the
intestines and transmission into the circulating current
more rapid. That the blood so improved may be pro-
perly and quickly animalized in the laboratory of the
lungs, respiration becomes more deep and more frequent,
thus admitting a larger quantity of air and freer cir-
culation through them than before. The blood is in
this way renewed and re-endowed with the pabulum of
life, imparts fresh nutriment and vigour to all the organs of
the body, and fits them for active exertion. The hurried
breathing and quickened circulation of muscular exercise
are, in fact, the beneficent means by which the animal
is fitted to continue exertion. Without a more than
usual rapid flow of blood to the part or parts in use,

the necessary stimulus to their vessels and nerves would
not take place, and their action could not be sustained.

Let us, however, take it for granted, that the good
effects of regular exercise are allowed, and let us en-
deavour to give some general rules and directions for
the best mode in which it is to be performed. I have
before said, one rule cannot be laid down for every
purpose, so we must enquire the age of the horse we
are about putting in work; this is necessary, as young
animals require more exercise and are naturally more
inclined to activity than old ones, yet are unable to
bear severe work, and will be injured materially by it.
The animal's present condition must be considered,
whether he has been highly fed or merely " made up "
with mashes.. This is a mistake that often gives great
dissatisfaction, and produces ill feeling;�thus, a horse
is purchased from a dealer's stable, one that suits the
taste of the purchaser, he is fat and plump, and therefore
he is supposed to he fit for work, and he is at once
required to perform some exertion ; the consequence is,
the animal however good is unable to the task and fails,
and the owner immediately considers himself cheated,
although very possibly the horse was picked by his own
judgment. Now a greater proof of weakness cannot be
found than in that superabundance of fat; the adipose,
or fatty tissue, being the most useless of any that enters
into the composition of either man or horse, and a great
share of it exercises injurious effects on the system by
filling out and rendering unwieldly the intestines, by
loading the kidneys and other vital organs, among them
the heart and the blood vessels, impeding the circulation

18 RULES FOE CONDITIONING.

and producing difficulty of breathing. The whole habit,
in fact, is overwhelmed with an oily fluid filling out
every possible place, by which the circulation throughout
the vascular system is impeded, and also the action of
the nervous and muscular fibre. We all know very
well what are the consequences of excess of fat, and
without being aware of the reason go in training if a
fight or a race or other severe exertion is required of us.
When a horse is taken up from grass or the straw-
yard, or from some dealer's stable, it will generally be
advisable to give a mild physic and gentle walking
exercise three or four hours daily; if the animal is fat,
it will be unable to bear strong medicine; the diet at
first should be moderate, not exceeding two or three
small feeds of corn a day, and the animal should be
clothed very moderately, with free ventilation. After
the physic is quite set, in a few days a diuretic may be
given, and his exercise quickened, not however sur-
passing a walk. In the course of twenty-one days after
the first purgative a second may be given, (we are sup-
posing a strong, healthy, gross horse, with a strong
constitution,) and after the effects of the physic have
passed away, his exercise may be increased; a slow,
long, and steady trot is the best, but not so as to
" wind him," as it is termed, but merely sufficient to
cause him to breathe freely. After a few days, clothes
may be put on him, perhaps a couple of rugs, and a
suit of body-clothes, under the hood of which let another
be placed, especially if the horse is coarse and heavy
about the head and neck, and let him have a slow but
long trot until he is sweated. Exercise up a hill is

most advantageous. Avoid making it too severe, for if
you bring the system suddenly down, it will take a long
time to get the muscles firm. As the horse now begins
to improve in his wind and condition (if intended for
fast work) a canter may be given once or twice a
week, the length of which must depend on his strength,
his age, and his quantity of flesh; but he should never be
made to go fast, as it is better to go three or four miles
at a steady pace, than to " split him along " for even
half a mile. In no case is the last justifiable, except in
the training for a race, when it will be advantageous,
especially if the time be near at hand for him to run.
Constant and severe galloping for this purpose even is
injudicious; it is generally pushed too far, and some times
entirely deprives the animal of its speed and stamina.
Witness the cases of Priam and Plenipotentiary, both
for the Leger; two of the best horses that appeared for
some time.

As an invariable rule, it will not be necessary to
give three doses of physic; it may sometimes be
requisite, but avoid it whenever it is possible. Prior to
this time the animal's corn may be increased, but not too
much, unless we find he absolutely requires it; which can
be determined by observing the avidity with which he
eats his daily allowance, if he is low, and his allowance
properly digested. We are now entrenching on the
subject of diet, so we return to the subject matter more
immediately under our consideration.

Horses in exercise, except for a sweat, should not be
clothed, as nothing renders them more flabby, or is more
injurious to their coats; the stimulus of the air on the

RULES FOR CONDITIONING.

skin is nearly as essential as it is to the lungs, and the
good effect of it will be apparent to any one who tries
the experiment and watches the result.

On this, in a great measure, depends the good derivable
from the operations of clipping and singeing, which,
instead of giving colds, prevent them. The debilitated
state in which an animal with a long coat is kept by
hot stables and excessive clothing, is obviated by depriv-
ing him of his own covering; and that this fact has not
opened peoples' eyes to the error, appears to me strange.
One argument raised against the system is, " that it is
contrary to nature." True, but are horses in a state of
nature when stabled ? That there are some great func-
tions of life dependent on the skin is learned by the
experiment, that animals whose skins were rendered
impervious to the air by a coat of varnish died. Also by
the fatal consequences which have repeatedly followed
the use of a close water-proof dress by sportsmen and
others. I am perfectly aware that I am running in op-
position to general usage, but acting on the principle,
the plan was tried and found to answer; it was truly
tested, as it was in training the race horse, and ex-
perience teaches us that it is correct. I believe there is
no structure or tissue of the living animal that has not
some decided office to fulfil, and I believe the skin not
only gives off perspiration, but receives a Jiealthy
stimulus from the air ; and whether that belief be
correct or not, the principle of exercise without clothes
is right. One thing is certain, that the use of clothes
prevents the free exit of the insensible perspiration.
And when such perspiration is brought to the surface

of the skin, and confined there by the injurious use of
clothing (or by a want of cleanliness), there is strong
reason for believing that its residual particles are again
absorbed, and act on the system as a poison of greater
or less power, according to its quantity and concentra-
tion, so as to produce fever, inflammation, and even
death itself. Observation has established the fact, that
concentrated animal eifluvia form a most energetic
poison. And when we consider some other of the phe-
nomena of the skin, we shall see the truth of our ob-
servations. A great proportion of the substances taken
into the body pass out again by the skin. It is cal-
culated that five out of every eight pounds pass out by
this organ, consequently leaving only three to pass by
the bowels and kidneys.

The skin, bowels, lungs, liver, and kidneys, sympa-
thize readily, because they have all the common oifice
of throwing waste matter out of the system, each
in a way peculiar to its own structure. We can there-
fore readily believe, that if the function of one be dis-
turbed, its duties will devolve on some other, the
harmony of action will be destroyed, and the health
become impaired. Besides the other oificesof the skin, it
is the regulator of the bodily (or animal) heat, and were it
not for this regulation, man, as well as animals, would be
compelled to live in the climate in which they happened
to be born.

'Tis true we cannot reduce a horse so quickly without
clothes, but such an outrage on nature is unjustifiable ;
all sudden changes are wrong, and, if continued, will
eventually injure the constitution. We are aware that a

RULES FOE CONDITIONING.

host of objections will be brought against this mode of
discipline, but will they hold good if tested ? Positions
will be advanced that do not apply, and one argument
against it will be, that horses are more liable to get cold
by its adoption ; that I deny, unless it be caused by the
negligence of the person entrusted with the exercise, by
standing about, particularly after being warmed. The
same cause will produce the like effect, even with
clothes on. But we find by direct experiment (now
common usage) that the horse deprived even of his own
covering by clipping or otherwise, not only is less
liable to cold, but thrives better, and can do more
work, thus establishing the truth that excessive clothing
enervates the system, A horse properly managed has
no business to get coughs and colds, unless there be a
strong predisposition for them in the animal, who is
then unsound. They arise from bad ventilation, sud-
den changes from heat to cold, and from cold to heat;
as a horse standing about in a cold morning in winter,
after being taken from a stable considerably above the
temperature of summer, or brought into such a stable
after coming in cold. When a horse goes out to exer-
cise the windows and doors, if possible, should be
thrown open, and the litter taken up and neatly
placed under the manger, there to remain until he is
dressed. Exercise ought to be given at a regular hour,
but not at too early an hour in a winter's morning, nor
just aftar the animal's feed. A proper regard to good
temper is essential, as scolding and beating the animal
injure his temper, and disgust instead of delighting
hira: varying the scene is desirable, so as not to

render it monotonous, as is almost always the case in
the training stables. And to shew that this is not mere
fancy, facts illustrative of the influence of mental, co-
operating with and aiding muscular activity, will be
given. Take nature first and examine her ways, and
remark the playful gambolling so characteristic of
young animals, thereby showing exercise to be benefi-
cial, and naturally connected with amusement and
sprightliness of mind. Every one knows how weari-
some and disagreeable a long walk is without some
object in view, in comparison with the same exertion made
in pursuit of an object on which we are intent. The
difference is simply, that in the former case the muscles
are obliged to work without that full nervous impulse
which nature has decreed to be essential to their healthy
and energetic action; and in the latter, the nervous
impulse is in full harmony with the operation. Hence
the necessity of making exercise agreeable, for it is a
positive misnomer to call the solemn parade or proces-
sion of race-horses by the term exercise. Nature will
not be cheated; and the healthful results of complete
cheerful exertion will never be obtained when the
nervous impulse which animates the muscle is denied.
The advantages of combining harmonious mental ex-
citement with activity, has not escaped the sagacity of
the late Dr. Armstrong, in his poem on " the Art of
Preserving Health;" this is equally applicable to the
horse in work :�

" In what'er you sweat
Indulge your taste. Some love the manly toils,
The tennis some, and some the graceful dance ;

RULES TOR CONDITIONING.

Others more hardy, range the purple heath

Or naked stubble, where, from field to field

The sounding coveys urge their lab'ring flight,

Eager amid the rising clouds to pour

The gun's unerring thunder; and there are

Whom still the mead of the green archer charm.

He chooses best whose labour entertains

His vacant fancy most. The toil you hate

Fatigues you soon, and scarce improves your limbs."

For true and beneficial exercise, there must be harmony
of action between the moving power and the part
to be moved. The will and the muscles must be
both directed to the same end at the same time, other-
wise the effect will be imperfect. If exercise be re-
sumed frequently, and at moderate intervals, with a due
regard to strength, the increased action of the blood
vessels and nerves becomes more permanent, and does
not sink to the same low degree as formerly ; nutri-
tion rather exceeds waste, and the part gains con-
sequently in size, vigour, and activity. But if the
exercise be resumed too often, or carried too far, so as
to fatigue and exhaust the vital powers of the part, the
results become reversed ; waste then exceeds nutrition,
and a loss of volume and of power takes place, with a
painful sense of exhaustion and fatigue. Every intel-
ligent trainer and groom knows the consequences of a
horse being galloped too much. He is, to use their own
expression, " stumped up," and his speed is lost for the
time. All horsemen know that constant sauntering ex-
ercise makes horses " leg weary" and sore, without
doing good, as far as regards getting them " fit."
From these principles it follows�Firstly, that exercise

is beneficial, provided it be proportioned to the strength
and constitution, and not carriedbeyondthat point where
exhaustion takes the place of strength. Secondly,
that it ought to be regularly resumed after a sufficient
interval of rest, in order to insure the permanence of
the healthy impulse given to the vital powers of the
muscular system ; and Lastly, that it is of the utmost
consequence to join with it a mental and nervous sti-
mulus. Those animals that go out only once iu four
or five days are always at work without advancing in
condition, as the increased action induced by previous
exercise has fully subsided long before the succeeding
effort is begun; and so far as increased nutrition,
strength, and greater aptitude for exertion are concerned,
no progress whatever is made.

As soon as the horse returns from exercise, the person
appointed to dress him should at once set to work.
Let the bridle be taken off, and the girths slackened
without removing the saddle, which prevents warbles
and tender skin. Next throw a hood over his loins, and
rub all the loose dirt from his belly and legs with a
wisp of dry coarse straw. Having thoroughly removed
all the particles of dirt, let his head be turned from the
manger, and dress it and his neck; he may then be
turned round and tied up, throwing him a bit of wetted
hay to amuse himself with while his feet are being picked
out and washed: care must be taken that the picker
removes all the dirt from between the shoe and the foot,
and that the feet are washed very clean. If the horse
c

has been hunting or a long journey, and is tired, bathing
down the legs with warm water and applying bandages
will refresh him, and do more good than attempting to
rub them clean without the use of water. This being
done, he may now have a couple of gallons of soft
chilled water or gruel, and the saddle removed, be-
ginning to rub first at either side from whence it was
taken. After his body has been dressed, put on his
clothes without delay, and let him have some gruel,
or water, if perfectly cool; if inclined to break out, it
must be given very sparingly, if at all, as it will in-
crease the likelihood of his again sweating. His drink
being given him, and his clothes on, pull his ears gently
with both hands until quite warm and comfortable;
after which make down his bed, and give him his corn
with a little rearm mash through it, and while he eats,
without annoying him, remove the bandages one by one,
and rub the legs well, especially the heels. When this is
done, put on loosely a dry set, to remain on till night, when
they should be removed, and the legs hand-rubbed. If the
animal is much fatigued, be not in a hurry to give him
much gruel or chilled water, for if he has been severely
ridden and is not in good condition, in spite of every pre-
caution taken he will " break out" after being dressed.
When this occurs it is a bad sign, and requires great at-
tention, particularly to the ears and legs, both of which
will be cold unless well rubbed. One great thing is to
be observed, that the person about him does not ill-treat
him, by scolding or striking, as it is a certain way to
keep him wet, or if dry, to cause him to sweat, and
does more harm than at first would be imagined. Of a

bad ostler there can be no greater proof, for unless he
be an an awkward and stupid clown, the horse will
not resist being cleaned; and if the man be ill-tempered,
he has mistaken his calling, and has no business in
the stable, as there is nothing that ruins a horse's temper
more than a savage of that kind about him. No horse
will thrive under his care�such is the fact, and were it
necessary, proof could be adduced. Some grooms, con-
ceited knaves, think it gives them importance in the sight
of the looker-on, and makes them appear very great
fellows; but wherever it is seen, it is a sure proof of
ignorance, I am fully aware that some horses, whose
tempers are already ruined, require to be kept under
controul; but I also know, that violence is not the way
to effect this. If the animal really deserves it, reprove
him by speaking to him firmly; and if in the act of
dressing him, stop, and look stedfastly at him, speaking
or, as it were, reasoning with him, and he will soon
understand your meaning. If he is inclined to be
vicious, strike him soundly, and scold him for a
moment, but always finish by making friends with him,
and he will eventually shew his affection for you.
Moreover, men are not justified in such outrageous
conduct, either by the laws of God or man; and lest
such arguments should be thought to be singular,
we quote the words and opinion of the late Lord
Erskine: " We are too apt," says his Lordship, " to
consider animals under the domination of man in
no view but that of property; whereas the dominion
granted to us over the animal world is not confided to
us absolutely. It is a dominion in trust; and we

should never forget, that the animal over which we
exercise our power has all the organs which render it
susceptible of pleasure and of pain. It sees, it hears,
it smells, it tastes, it feels with acuteness. How merciful
then ought we to exercise the dominion entrusted to our
care? " "When we have such sentiments from the lips
of an educated man, and such a man as Lord Erskine,
can we doubt their truth; and do we not feel pity
for him whose brutal disposition leads him to exert his
cruelty against a defenceless animal in his power.
What can we expect from a person who is unable
to exercise the better feelings of our common nature ?
How can he expect sympathy from others in the time of
his distress; or can he expect mercy, himself having
none?

" Non ignara mali, disco succurrere miseris."

Good grooming with a soft brush or wisp opens the
pores of the skin, stimulates it, and invigorates the cir-
culation, thereby rendering it healthy, producing a glow
while it rouses the nervous energy. But I am quite at
a loss to account for the strange substitute for rubbing
that exists now, in striking the wisp forcibly and
cruelly against the sides of a horse. It cannot be, and
is not, as good as rubbing, and after a severe day's
work does harm, by injuring the intercostal muscles,
which are often quite sore from the great exertion they
have been compelled to make to keep up respiration.
It is a habit, and a bad one, that must be given up.
Matting (such as is used for packing), made into a roll
or wisp, is an excellent rubber for the skin, as it effec-
tually removes the dust; a hair cloth is also an admira-

ble article, and gloves of that material are made for the
purpose. When the currycomb and brush are used,
the dirt from them should be knocked or rubbed out
away from the manger and from the horse, or it will
get into it, or again into the horse's coat. To be in
good condition the horse should be rubbed over early
in the morning, well dressed after his work, and again
rubbed over at night, prior to being made up; and the
more the better, if not made to interfere too much with
the animal's rest. As soon as the horse is stripped, the
groom should set at him before he gets chilly, for if he
do, in spite of his pains the coat will stare and look
bad until the animal recovers his heat. To prevent his
being unnecessarily exposed, his head, neck, and shoul-
ders should be dressed before the clothes are removed;
and after doing the body, and placing on the clothing,
his legs may be attended to from the knee down. It is
always a good and healthy plan to sponge them over,
prior to using the wisp, but not to wet them too much.
During the time the animal is changing his coat the
brush should be used sparingly, and in fine summer
weather he is best dressed out of the stable. Gentle-
ness about the horse is a quality that will cause admira-
tion wherever it is observed, and there cannot be a
greater recommendation to a man than to be humane,
as it shews him to have a well regulated disposition. I
never hear or see a clown abusing a horse but I am at once
disgusted, especially when he opens his lips, for as sure
as he does, some low expression, characteristic of himself,
will be heard. I would it were in my power to draw
their picture, so that they might know it, and I am
c2

quite sure it would cure them. A man who can so
easily allow his temper to overcome him, must be its
slave, and there is no crime to which it may not urge
him�to drunkenness and every vice the offspring of
our passions. Every person of education knows this�
and what must be their opinion of the man in whom it
is seen ? Some do it from want of thought and habit;
but every one is not obliged to remember that, and
make an excuse for it.

" What'er of earth is form'd, to earth returns
Dissolved: the various objects we behold,
Plants, animals, the whole material mass,
Are ever changing, ever new. The soul
Of man alone, that particle divine,
Escapes the wreck of worlds, when all things fail.
Hence great the distance 'twixt the beasts that perish,
And God's bright image, man's immortal race."

Somerville's Chase. Hook IV.

The importance of this subject is such as to deserve
the attentive consideration of every one who may wish
to know the reasons that prompt him to action, and who
is unwilling to rest satisfied without some knowledge
of the principles of life. There are, however, many
who never seem to exercise those intellectual faculties
with which they are gifted, and which alone serve to

MYSTERIES OF TRAINING.

distinguish man from the brute; but are content to
follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, and thus
perpetuate ancient errors. Such are the trainers of the
race-horse of the present day; they follow up the system
of their ancestors, which has neither novelty nor ability
to recommend it, but on the contrary, possesses much
to reprehend. For their forefathers there was every
excuse; chemistry, physiology, anatomy, and patho-
logy, had not then removed the mysteries that clouded
the phenomena of life, that concealed the beauties of
truth; but now, by their aid, we can comprehend the
working of the magnificent machinery of animal life,
and so regulate and driect it.

There can be now no excuse for the ignorance which
would make the system of training a mysteiy, merely
because those who profess to know its art are unac-
quainted with principles of guidance, and, therefore, to
conceal their own folly try to make it unintelligible. This
is the universal characteristic of ignorance, more con-
spicuous from the fact that there is no work on the
subject from among their own body.

If the public were to know the numbers of colts and
fillies that yearly go into training and are ruined, so
that nothing after is heard of them, they would be
astonished; and yet these wholesale destroyers would
ridicule the idea of any one out of their own immediate
party training a horse. Let us ask the question�How
many colts are there yearly in each Derby, and how
many are brought fit to the post on the day ? But if
such be asked of the colts, how stands the case with
regard to the fillies for the Oaks ?

The want of proper ventilation, and the excess of
clothes usually kept on horses in training, conjoined
with the want of a knowledge of the functions of life,
are the great reasons for so many being unfit when
wanted, and their being ready on the day of a race is
as much a matter of chance as drawing a prize from a
lottery. Hence one of the reasons for the glorious un-
certainty of racing ! It is, therefore, no matter of sur-
prize, that fillies kept in this state are always unfit in
the spring, and that the winning of the Oaks by the
best animal so seldom happens. Every one conversant
with racing knows this to be a fact, and those unac-
quainted with its mysteries can satisfy themselves of the
truth of what has just been stated, by referring to the
betting on the favourites for that race, and then looking
to the result. The scrutiny need not be confined to one
or two years, but may extend over a period of twenty
years, when the truth of these observations will be fully
borne out. These remarks may appear harsh, but they
are deserved, and until some reformer gets among them
there will be no amendment�that is the object I would
fain see attained.* But to the subject.

In our present consideration a knowledge of the
stomach of the horse will be requisite, and I may here
state the fact, that he possesses a smaller stomach, in
proportion to his size, than almost any other animal.
The intestines are not remarkable for their length, but
the caecum and the large intestines are enormously ex-

* See some admirable papers in the " Sporting Review,"
1812, entitled " Thoughts on Racing Stock," by Chiron.

ALIMENTARY CANAL IN THE HORSE. 33

panded in diameter. The CEecum appears intended to
perform the office of a second stomach, and is of fully
equal capacity. The stomach is situated rather to the
left side of the animal, contiguous to the liver, and
lying against the diaphragm, which is the muscle that
divides the thorax from the abdomen, and is the prin-
cipal inspiratory muscle. In the thoracic cavity (or
that nearest the chest) are the heart and lungs, with the
wind-pipe, gullet, vessels, &c, &c.; and in the abdo-
minal cavity is the stomach, among other organs. The
diaphragm, being an inspiratory muscle, moves back-
wards and forwards in the act of breathing, and can be
easily understood to be pressed upon by the stomach when
overloaded so as to occasion that difficulty of breathing
so perceptible after the horse has eaten a hearty meal.
According to the weight of the load in the stomach, the
greater must be the power that the diaphragm exercises
in pushing it back in order that respiration may be per-
formed. To obviate this as much as possible, a wise
provision has been made by nature, which is to contrive
a receptacle, in a part of the intestines far distant from
the diaphragm, for a great portion of the food which
passes after a rapid change quickly into it, whereby the
existence of any pressure is removed. Thus also we can
account for the large quantity of food which we often see
a hungry horse consume in a short time, and which would
injure him materially, and much more often than it
does, were it not for this wonderful and beautiful
mechanism. One simple truth I would here state as a
land-mark for us to steer by. It is not the quantity
of food an animal eats that sustains him ,■ but
c 3

only so much of it as the system requires for nourish-
ment, and for the formation of animal heat. The
Italians have the two following proverbs respecting
food :�

*' Mangere piu, chi maneho mangia,"

" He shall eat much, who eats little at a time."

" Fa piu pro guel che si lascia sul tondo, che guel, che si mette

nel ventre."
" The meat which is left on the plate, profits more than that

These sayings, however, more directly apply to ourselves.
I do not wish to lead to the belief, from these remarks,
that the smaller the quantity of food taken, so much
the more benefit is derived, for under certain conditions
a small quantity would not suffice the purposes of life;
and lest the supposition be entertained, let me state a
few facts to disabuse the mind of that belief. If the
stomach and bowels do not receive a sufficient supply to
maintain a moderate extension of their vascular and
membranous coverings, there will not be a due stimulus
to excite the peristaltic motions, and the secretions
which are required to dissolve and assimilate the food.
" And it is probable," says a writer on the subject of
diet, " if a minute portion only of nutritious particles
were taken, the collapsed organs would cover up and
close the mouths of the lacteals and absorbents," (or in
other words, close the openings into the parts that take
up the nutriment,) " as well as the exhalents, and little
or no chyle, which is necessary to digestion, would be

DIGESTION IN THE HORSE.

sent to the thoracic duct "�(the part where it is re-
quired). Over distention, on the other hand, fatigues
the fibres of the coats of the stomach and bowels, and
presses on and closes the sides of the vessels: it also
prevents the necessary movements of the stomach on
the food. The horse would waste away, if fed alone on
the nutritious extracts which could be taken from his
corn and hay, and if the bulky, fibrous, and woody
parts were rejected: they seem to do good by keeping
the nutritive particles apart, so that the stomach can
act more readily on them, and they perhaps exercise a
mechanical stimulus on the coats of the intestines,
favouring the peristaltic motions.

The instinct of the animal that prompts him to feed
on his litter, when kept on a scanty allowance of hay,
alone seems to shew us, that a certain bulk is absolutely
necessary, and if he is deprived both of a sufficiency of
hay, and of the means of obtaining his litter, it will be
perceived that he does not thrive.

Thus then are we guarded from running into ex-
tremes, by the consideration of what has gone before
and what may follow in the subsequent part of this
article, and as the subject will not admit of being
treated by particulars, I must content myself with
generals, fencing them around, however, as I have en-
deavoured to do, so as to prevent any of my readers
from running into the extremes, either of " Scylla " or
" Charybdis."

As a general principle, the more exercise the animal
gets, especially if the body be exposed to the action
of the air, the greater will be the demand and necessity

for food. Nothing contributes so much to render the
appetite weak than great quantities of clothes in a
hot unventilated stable; in fact, clothes may be counted
as the substitute for so much food, and to a certain de-
gree they do good�beyond it harm, to an infinitely
greater extent than they can do good.

The supply of food, however, ought to depend on the
activity of the digestive organs, as there can be nothing
more injurious than large quantities of food, which
the animal is unable to digest; yet such are often
given in the training stable. It is astonishing how much
some horses will consume more than the system really
requires, simply, I believe, because their stomachs are
larger than they should be, from having fared badly in
their early days, and consequently been obliged to de-
vour great quantities of poor provender to obtain even
a small supply of nourishment. I have seen two re-
markable instances of this in Irish horses, one of which
I knew to have fared ill up to five years old, when
he first tasted corn, and, I believe also, hay. When
we find a weak and imperfect digestion, especially in
the early part of the year, nothing can be better than a
plentiful supply of dandelion, or taraxacum. This
common plant is a wholesome tonic, improves the coat,
and I never knew a horse refuse eating them; whether
the digestion be weak or not, they seem particularly
serviceable to horses, and I would strongly recommend
their use, as they likewise act upon the liver benefi-
cially. In order to become better acquainted with the
principles on which the necessity for diet depends, it
will be necessary to consider its laws.

OBJECTS AND LAWS OF NUTKITTON.

There is nothing in nature that is not constantly
parting with, or losing some of its particles. This fact
is universally admitted, and is well understood; we
have, moreover, a daily perception of its truth in the
various applications of machinery, where a constant ef-
fort is made to avoid the waste consequent on motion.
Entirely to prevent it, is beyond the power of man. Nor
can we wonder when we know that not a breath of wind
can pass along the surface of the earth without effecting
some alterations on the bodies with which it comes in
contact; nor can a drop of rain fall on a stone without
occasioning loss: the smoothest and most beautifully
finished wheel cannot glide along the shining and
polished trammels of a railway, without losing some
portion of its substance in each of its revolutions.

In the vegetable world, again, every leaf of a tree is
incessantly exuding some portion of its fluids; and every
flower forming its own fruit and seed, soon to be divided
from and lost to its parent stem.

The same fact holds good in the animal kingdom.
So long as life continues, a copious exhalation from the
skin, the lungs, the bowels, and the kidneys, goes on
without a moment's intermission, and not a movement
can be made that does not increase the velocity of the
circulation, and add something to the general waste.
In this way, by violent exertion, several pounds of the
body of the horse are sometimes thrown out by perspi-
ration in a few minutes. But this loss can be res-
tored by nutrition. This is not the case in the inani-

mate world, for there what is once lost or worn away is
lost for ever. There is no power inherent in the piston
of the steam engine, by which it can repair its own loss
of particles, and consequently in the course of time it
becomes useless, unless repaired by the hand of the
workman.

Living bodies possess the distinguishing charac-
teristic of being able to repair their own loss of sub-
stance by food, and therefore are endowed with organs
of nutrition. The necessity of a constant change of
place being imposed on some of them is the cause of a
receptacle for food, a Stomach, where the existence of
the materials of sustenance are for a time stored up.

Animals thus carry along with them nourishment
adequate for their wants; and small nutritive vessels
imbibe the food from the stomach and bowels, where
the nutriment passes along.

Co-existing with this Stomach is the sensation of
Hungeb, by which all living animals are put in mind
of the necessity for replenishing the system, for without
hunger they would run into the danger of starvation
without being otherwise aware of their danger.

Thus have all animals an inward monitor that re-
minds them of the necessity for replenishing the system,
and gives them the irresistible desire of making good
by food the loss they have sustained through the skin,
kidneys, and other excretory organs. The greater the
waste that occurs, either through action, exercise, or
otherwise, in a corresponding degree will be the de-
sire for food and drink. The states and conditions of
life also exercise a decided effect upon the feelings;

thus, in youth, when bodily activity is great, a liberal
supply of nourishment is required, both to repair waste
and to cany on growth; the appetite is keener at this
period than at any other, digestion is proportionally
vigorous and rapid, and abstinence is borne with difficulty.

As age advances and growth is finished, the habits
are more sedentary, and the same abundance of aliment
is no longer needed, nor is digestion so complete or so
rapid, and abstinence is more easily supported.

We can now readily learn that certain conditions
modify the necessity for food and drink, or otherwise,
and that the supply ought to be proportionate to the
demand. This is only the case in health, for from any
disease or peculiarity of constitution the healthy action
of the stomach may be lost or impaired, and in its place
a morbid craving substituted oppressive to the stomach by
excess of exertion, and injurious to the vital functions,
especially the bowels and the circulation, producing a
state of bodily weakness. Appetite, it ought to be
observed, may, like other sensations, be trained to con-
siderable deviations from the ordinary standard of
quantity and quality, and made to desire a greater
quantity of food than the wants of the system usually
require. Viewed then in its proper light, appetite is to
be regarded as kindly implanted in nature for the ex-
press end of proportioning the supply of nourishment to
the wants of the system. And if its real indications are
regarded, food should be given moderately, and at such
intervals of time as the previous exercise and other
circumstances render necessary. If these rules are un-
noticed, and more is eaten than the system requires,

mischief will result, either in the shape of indigestion,
or repletion with its concomitant evils. On the other
hand, if neglected, waste continues to progress till
the body is exhausted; in proportion the cravings of
appetite become more and more intense, till they pass
into uncontrollable hunger, which, spurning every ob-
stacle, seeks its gratification at the risk of life itself.
These are facts which teach us the proper mode of
apportioning food to an animal, and may serve as a
guide for the administration of aliment to the crea-
tures under our care. I have now given the principles
upon which the mode of diet must be formed, and
as I have before said, and as must now be plainly
seen, no specific rule can be laid down. Still some will
say, no idea has been given of what a horse ought
to consume, and this, though it appears too simple for
notice to those who already know it, is, I believe, de-
sirable. That it is so, I shall shew by the estimate
that was lately made to a friend of mine, by a disin-
terested person, of the quantity of hay his horse would
probably consume. It was fixed at about a truss per
day! Now this quantity, it will strike the majority
of horsemen, a horse could not possibly consume. But
I can vouch for the fact of my knowing a horse which
would actually consume that quantity, and it will ap-
pear almost marvellous when it is stated to have been
accomplished by a hunter of middling stature, when
he was of advanced age, and without performing any
work. I state the fact with some hesitation as I would
not have believed it myself had I not been satisfied of
its truth upon good authority.

ARTICLES OF DIET. 41

Leaving the cart-horse out of the question, a horse
will consume from a truss, to one and a half per week,
of hay, varying according to circumstances, but under
any conditions one truss will be as little as can be cal-
culated. Whatever may be the general opinion among
trainers, I feel almost satisfied in saying, hay one year
old is as good, if not better, than when used after the
lapse of two or three years from the date of its being
made. For horses in hard work, strong, coarse-looking
hay is best; but for fattening and slow work, the short
hay appears to be best relished by the horse. The
greatest fault in hay is being mouldy or Mow-burnt,
and that it has grown upon good land is of no little im-
portance.

Oats, weighing from 40 to 44 lbs. per bushel, ought
always be used in the hunting or training stable, and
the heavier they can be obtained the better; their quality
is a matter of importance, also their colour and smell,
which must be learned by examination and comparison,
with the aid of a corn-factor; new oats are difficult of
digestion, and are apt to occasion colic, and I believe
even staggers. A book cannot teach this; for if it is
said that the oat should not be too brown or high-coloured,
as it is then a proof of being kiln-dried, our reader
bearing this in mind would be tempted to select oats
that have been bleached, to get rid of their bad colour,
and thus run into a greater error than before, for if such
were used they would possibly produce inflammation of
the eyes, and diseases of the skin. Every horse in
work requires at least three feeds per day, each feed

42 DIET. BEANS. CLOVER. BRAN.

measuring a quartern, and given at different times, and
in regular quantities.

Beaks, as likewise Peas, seem to be highly requisite
for horses in hard work; and the reason seems to be,
that they contain nitrogen which is the principle of flesh
�there is in vegetables a great want of this, and they
are consequently not so well adapted to afford nourish-
ment. Beans should be old, dry and mealy, so as to allow
of their being split; they should never be given whole,
and where a horse does not do much work he may not
require them; but the Racer and Hunter will always
have occasion for them. Horses not being either for
racing or hunting will not require above a handful in
each feed, unless they be severely worked, as some post
and job horses are, when the demand upon them will be
as severe as falls to the lot of either Racer or Hunter.

Oxd Peas, split, are in my opinion even better than
beans, as they contain a greater excess of nutrient
particles. They are to be used as Beans would be.

Bablet is very stimulating, and requires to be used
with great judgment: it is said to produce inflammation
of the eyes; but to a delicate horse, boiled barley in a
mash is useful; as malt it is very strengthening and fat-
tening.

Cloves, cut with hay into chaff, is good for those
horses that may have chaff; but it is not used in the
racing or hunting stables: under every other circum-
stance the use of chaff is advisable.

Beak, wetted and made into a mash, is a useful
article of diet occasionally, as it prevents the animal

CRUSHED GRAIN. DRINK.

from becoming costive. Its rigid scales and parti-
cles act mechanically on the intestines, and stimulate
them to motion. The occasional use of a mash very
often prevents the necessity for physic, particularly when
a little salt is blended with it.

Linseed, boiled and mixed with a bran mash, will
often improve the condition of an animal when other
things fail, and by its use horses will become fat quicker
than by any other substitute.

Caekots are too valuable an article of diet to omit,
and in moderation would neither injure the Race horse
or Hunter. When they can be obtained they are ex-
cellent articles of food, and serve as a change, which I
have shewn to be absolutely required occasionally.

To every horse owner I would recommend the pro-
priety of having an instrument for crushing the grain,
and I do not know a better than the one that obtained
the patent from the Agricultural Society, two or three
years ago, as it will easily grind oats, beans, peas, &c.
The saving of diet effected by it is considerable, and
requires only to be better known to be more appreciated.

In other places in this work I have already shewn how
necessary is drink; but as it is itself an important con-
sideration, let us now proceed to its examination.
When we reflect on the copious secretions which take

44 NECESSITY FOR DRINK.

place internally from so many glands and serous mem-
branes, and the great expenditure of fluid by insensible,
as also from profuse perspiration, in an animal accus-
tomed to work, the urgent necessity for supplying a due
quantity of fluid must be apparent, as by all the above
named sources the blood is deprived of its requisite
fluidity. Yet although it was said�if we will reflect,
the necessity for drink would be apparent, how many
are there that do not take that trouble, and consequently
how small must be the existing chance for observing
what is now advocated? Thus from culpable negli-
gence are poor animals often compelled to suffer the most
intolerable of all miseries, thirst; and a still greater
number from the ignorance of those professors of train,
ing, who fancy that giving a horse a sufficient supply of
water will spoil his condition. What cruel and lamen-
table ignorance! yet such is the opinion and practice of
these self-taught trainers, and we shall presently see
how great are the evils to which this practice gives
rise.

Experiment has proved water to be capable of sup-
porting life, and of prolonging it for some time when an
animal is deprived of every thing else; and experience
has shewn that it is the strongest digestive, and the
best vehicle for our nourishment.



	12
	12	LIGHT.
		LIGHT.

fered to get choked, so as to prevent the free escape of the animal's urine. The best plan is to have to every drain a trap, by which no vapour can arise, nor offen- sive smell. Our remarks on the importance of cleanli- ness need be but short, as it is certainly not a fault to which the generality of persons connected with the horse are addicted. It is true, I have seen dirty stables, but the persons in whose charge they were had no preten- sions to the name of groom, and were themselves nearly as dirty as their stables. LIGHT. The importance of this subject is one to which suf- ficient attention is rarely paid, and its neglect may be productive of many evils, not only in reference to disease, but in causing vice, as we shall presently see. The salutary influence of the solar light as a stimulus to the skin, is another fact which has been quite over- looked, and yet its good effects upon man and vegeta- bles are most apparent. Those who live in mines or dark caves, and in dismal crowded lanes of cities present a pale, relaxed, sallowness of skin, which strongly contrasts with the rosy cheeks of country people, and those living much in the open air. Vege- tables become pale, watery, and feeble in the dark, and the tree that grows in the sheltered forest is not so strong as another of the same kind exposed to the influence of light; nor is its timber, I believe, as valua- ble, and certainly not as durable, as the other. In neglecting the consideration of light we cannot either remember the sensation a strong light suddenly ad-



		15
	EXERCISE.	15
	EXERCISE.

attack, either of the lungs, bowels, brain, or most pro- bably the feet, therefore regular daily exercise is necessary on this account. It is a common and great mistake of some who having a journey to perform, give their horse a few days rest in order, as they suppose, to get a stock of strength for the occasion ; it is the sure way to render the animal likely to knock up, or tire, as nothing is more conducive to muscular development than exercise, provided it be given in a rational man- ner. This is easily learned by the fact, that if a limb be put out of use for some time, or confined by a bandage, it will be found to have lost both its size and strength, and so is it with the whole animal machine. Moreover, exercise conduces to the formation of an oily looking substance for the lubrication of the joints, and if the joints be thrown out of use for some time, and then called suddenly into action, disease will often result. Exercise is, in fact, the condition without which ex- halation and secretion cannot go on sufficiently fast to clear the system of materials previously taken in; and where no waste is incurred, there is no need of a fresh supply, and consequently in a healthy state of the sys- tem, no natural appetite can exist. To this there may be an exception in growing animals. Moreover, the effect of exercise is the absorption of the fat from be- tween the muscles and their fasciculi, making the marks termed " water furrows." It seems to arise from the pressure exerted by the contracted muscle on the soft tissue immediately around it, and is mechanical. Muscle increases in volume, firmness, and elasticity, with an augmentation of strength and power, from frequent but



		19
	EXERCISE-	19

most advantageous. Avoid making it too severe, for if you bring the system suddenly down, it will take a long time to get the muscles firm. As the horse now begins to improve in his wind and condition (if intended for fast work) a canter may be given once or twice a week, the length of which must depend on his strength, his age, and his quantity of flesh; but he should never be made to go fast, as it is better to go three or four miles at a steady pace, than to " split him along " for even half a mile. In no case is the last justifiable, except in the training for a race, when it will be advantageous, especially if the time be near at hand for him to run. Constant and severe galloping for this purpose even is injudicious; it is generally pushed too far, and some times entirely deprives the animal of its speed and stamina. Witness the cases of Priam and Plenipotentiary, both for the Leger; two of the best horses that appeared for some time. As an invariable rule, it will not be necessary to give three doses of physic; it may sometimes be requisite, but avoid it whenever it is possible. Prior to this time the animal's corn may be increased, but not too much, unless we find he absolutely requires it; which can be determined by observing the avidity with which he eats his daily allowance, if he is low, and his allowance properly digested. We are now entrenching on the subject of diet, so we return to the subject matter more immediately under our consideration. Horses in exercise, except for a sweat, should not be clothed, as nothing renders them more flabby, or is more injurious to their coats; the stimulus of the air on the



		27
	GKOOMING.	27

bad ostler there can be no greater proof, for unless he be an an awkward and stupid clown, the horse will not resist being cleaned; and if the man be ill-tempered, he has mistaken his calling, and has no business in the stable, as there is nothing that ruins a horse's temper more than a savage of that kind about him. No horse will thrive under his care�such is the fact, and were it necessary, proof could be adduced. Some grooms, con- ceited knaves, think it gives them importance in the sight of the looker-on, and makes them appear very great fellows; but wherever it is seen, it is a sure proof of ignorance, I am fully aware that some horses, whose tempers are already ruined, require to be kept under controul; but I also know, that violence is not the way to effect this. If the animal really deserves it, reprove him by speaking to him firmly; and if in the act of dressing him, stop, and look stedfastly at him, speaking or, as it were, reasoning with him, and he will soon understand your meaning. If he is inclined to be vicious, strike him soundly, and scold him for a moment, but always finish by making friends with him, and he will eventually shew his affection for you. Moreover, men are not justified in such outrageous conduct, either by the laws of God or man; and lest such arguments should be thought to be singular, we quote the words and opinion of the late Lord Erskine: " We are too apt," says his Lordship, " to consider animals under the domination of man in no view but that of property; whereas the dominion granted to us over the animal world is not confided to us absolutely. It is a dominion in trust; and we



	48
	48		DISEASES OF THE HORSE.
			DISEASES OF THE HORSE.

suffering and parched with thirst, we cannot be sur- prised to see a poor creature unwilling to remove its head from the pail, so long as a drop of water remains.

		CHAPTER V. DISEASES. In the consideration of diseases, I will not pretend to enter fully or minutely, merely noticing the characters of each, so as to make them known when seen, in order that we may adopt the best mode of procedure until the advice of a veterinary surgeon can be obtained. Whenever any thing beyond a common casualty occurs his aid should be obtained; this is generally my practice, although possessing as great a share of veterinary knowledge as the majority of persons not actually brought up to the profession. And, in general, as their charges are very moderate, there is more saved in this way than in the tampering of a quack, as the horse will be treated on scientific principles, and his recovery will be more speedy. Still ought we to know the proper remedies in different diseases, more particu- larly in minor cases, as we cannot always have a veterinary surgeon just when he is wanted, especially in the country, and we do not like to see our horses en- during torment without endeavouring to relieve them. It would, besides, be ridiculous to demand the aid o



	THE HORSE'^^/r/ omrha ALSO THE MANAGEMENT OP THE HUNTER: WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR STABLING, TRAINING, fe.

By WILLIAM RQPEE^Surgeon, T.C.D. .��'-'. TW '.f^v

		"."to folioNv foolish precedents and w$nk .-'^Jth bothouf-ejcy,ise>sleVhan to tftifkX /..'.-* a V,�5u<� *� "\ � SECOND EMMk. JSj Iton&on:-.** '.; . F. W. CALDER, 1C9, OXFORD STREET.



		TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE EAEL OF CHESTERFIELD THIS TREATISE IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, AS A TRIBUTE TO HIS MANY NOBLE QUALITIES AS A SPOKTSMAN, AND AS A PATRON OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,

			HIS OBLIGED AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, S5R. 3R.



			PKEFACE.

		A book, however small, without a Preface, is like a person entering the world without an introduction : 'tis teue, his own intrinsic merit may eventually gain him friends, but his progress must be necessarily slow. On the other hand, a few introductions would quickly introduce him to a large circle of acquain- tance ; and thus it is with a book seeking public patronage. The Title may be alluring, but few like to venture upon the perusal of a work unless by a few prefatory remarks, they perceive that it professes to impart information upon things but little under- stood, or hitherto treated in a vague and unsatis- factory manner. The present subject was one that needed to be considered upon some fixed principles, for up to the present time all the knowledge that existed was at best but a mass of opinions, both contradictory and conflicting, and most commonly founded on the incorrect practices of long gone years.



		VI PKEPACE. The usefulness and the value of the Horse have always made him an especial object of our notice and regard, oftentimes one of affection, from his many qualities; yet in spite of our solicitude he becomes often the subject of ill-treatment, not alone from the brutality of some devoid of good feeling, but often from those whose desire is to render him happy and comfortable, from their want of a proper knowledge of his management. My present humble effort has been undertaken for this end, seeing there was no similar work by which the laws of animal life could be learned so that they might teach us rightly to shape our course; they are the rudders by which the machinery of life is guided, and without them we are at best but like so many ships at sea without a pilot or a guide. We may as well attempt to put a watch into proper order without knowing its mechanism, or the princi- ples of its movements, as to attempt to put the beautiful and complicated machinery of animal life in the horse into full action without a knowledge of the vital functions; if we know these, they will serve as guides to all our proceedings. Moreover, they will teach us to form a correct estimate of the many



	PREFACE.
		Vll


dangerous practices that exist among those in whose care the health of our horses is entrusted, and which we shall find noticed in their proper place. In endeavouring to explain many of the pheno- mena of life, great difficulties will arise from a desire plainly and succinctly to elucidate them, and I hope, should they appear abstruse to some of my readers, their complex and almost miraculous movements may be taken into consideration, and an allowance made for the author on that account. In the treatment of disease no remedy has been prescribed not in unison with physiological truth, and its efficacy tested either by myself or some of the members of the Veterinary College, to whom all lovers of horses owe much. To those gentlemen I am especially indebted for the valuable information derived from their writings, and particularly so to Mr. Morton for the valuable aid derived from his Pharmacopoeia, for which I take this opportunity of returning my thanks. The prescriptions in this work have been given with care and after serious reflection; they will, I trust, be found both sufficient and valuable, so as fully to answer every reasonable expectation.



			/

		Viii PKEFACE. The remarks on the subject of training and trainers may appear severe, hut I think deservedly so, from the ignorance that characterizes, and from the gross prejudice that stamps their mode of treat- ment. The cruelty and barbarity of some grooms have not been passed by without notice, and I trust the exposition will serve to correct them. My chief aim is to convey the greatest amount of infor- mation, and in the smallest possible compass. I hope the object will be found to be fully attained, as prolixity always makes a subject tedious. The sub- jects discussed are numerous, and therefore T hope will give the work a pleasing variety, for Pliny has said� " Human nature is fond of novelty."



			CONTENTS.

		CHAPTER I. I-AGE. General principles for the management of the horse in the stable.............................. 1 Proem�Ventilation�Atmospheric Air� Respiration� Cleanliness�Light. CHAPTER II. General rules for obtaining condition ............ 13 Order and Regularity�Exercise�Physicking�Functions of the Skin�Clipping and Singeing�Exercise ought to he made agreeable�Good temper necessary�Grooming� Ill-tempered men about horses�Lord Erskine's opinion� Errors in grooming�Value of good-tempered grooms. CHAPTER III. Diet, and the objects and laws of nutrition........ 30 Errors of trainers�Horse's stomach�Over-feeding, &c. �Waste of particles in nature�Organs of nutrition� Hunger and thirst modified by certain conditions, as Age, Exercise, Clothing�Gastric juice, in proportion to the quantity of food required�Error of a change of diet sud- denly�Digestion�Results of digestion�Articles of food.



		CONTENTS.
X


	CHAPTER IV. PAGE. Necessity for drink................................ 43 Loss of fluids by secretions and excretions�Thirst the most intolerable of all miseries�Water, a strong digestive and a prolonger of life�Solid and dry food require plentiful dilution�Water before meals�Want of water productive of diseases�Hard and soft water�Circulating fluids of the body large and require dilution�Fluids absorbed, and not subject to digestion. CHAPTER V. Diseases .......................................... 48 Necessity for a knowledge of them�Costiveness�Di- rections for physicking, and best forms for aperient medi- cine�Mode of administering a ball. Inflammation, local and general�The type of most diseases. Strangles� Treatment�Plaister for the throat�Embrocation for the throat�Medicines, &c. CHAPTER VI. Diseases arising from, or affecting the brain and its immediate neighbourhood .................... 60 Megrims�Nature and treatment�Form for a diuretic ball. Apoplexy, like Megrims, but attended with more danger�Treatment Stomach staggers arise from bad management. Inflammation of the brain, or mad staggers, of two kinds, generally terminates in death. Epilepsy, or Fits, proceeding from two distinct sources. Madness�treatment. Diseases of the eye�Inflamma- tion of the haw�Lotions. Simple inflammation of the eye�Cure. Diseases of the mouth�Lampas. Diseases of the throat�Roaring.



	CONTENTS.
		XL


CHAPTER VII. PAGE. Diseases affecting the body........................ 66 Catarrh, or common cold�Forms for cough balls. Chronic cough � Treatment � Cough balls�Drench. Broken wind and thick wind�Treatment. Wheez- ing, Piping, Whistling, High-blowers, varieties of diseased organs of respiration. Influenza, or dis- temper� An epidemic � Different forms � Treatment. Inflammation of the lungs � Causes�Symptoms� Treatment. Pleurisy�Treatment. Bronchitis�Treat- ment, &e. Diseases of the Intestines�Colic�Symp- toms�Treatment�Antispasmodic draught. Inflammation of the bowels�Causes. Inflammation from superpurgation� Treatment. Diseases of the kidneys�Inflammation of the kidneys�-Treatment. Profuse staling�Causes. In- flammation of the bladder�Treatment�Sedative ball. CHAPTER VIII. Diseases of the lymphatics........................ 76 Farcy�Symptoms. Glanders�Symptoms. CHAPTER IX. Diseases, Accidents, &c, affecting the fore quarters .... 78 The Shoulder�Lameness how detected there. Lame- ness in the leg�Splints�Treatment�Blister�Stimulant and absorbing ointment. Windgalls�Liniment. Broken knees�Treatment�Lotion for a poultice�stimulant oint- ment�stimulant lotion to increase the growth of hair. Sprains�Treatment�Forms of cold lotions�mode of employing them�Stimulant lotions�Ointment�Opodel- doc. Thrush�Ointment. Stopping for the feet�Pointing the foot in the stable�Poultice. Bruised feet, Overreach� Tincture of arnica�Hoof ointment�Friar's balsam� Tincture for wounds. Brittle hoofs, Sand-crack�Treat-



		xii CONTENTS. PAGE, ment. Corns�Cure. Pricked or gravelled�Treatment. Shoeing�Faults of the smith�The Life-guard shoe to nrevent slipping on wood pavement. CHAPTER X. Diseases, Accidents, &c., affecting the hind quarters.... 94 Curbs�Treatment. Capped hocks�Causes. Thorough- pins�Causes. Sprains of back sinews�Treatment. Bog spavin � Nature � Treatment. Bone spavin � Blister. Cracked heels�Cure. Swelled legs�Causes�Alterative powder�Alterative balls�Tonic ball. CHAPTER XI. Diseases of the skin................................ 102 Hidebound�Causes. Surfeit�Treatment. Warbles� Lotion. Sitfasts�Cure. CHAPTER XII. Remarks on hunters .............................. 104 Bad effects of bandaging the legs�Used joints�their treatment�Sprains�Thickening�Ointment for its remo- val. Exhaustion from hunting�Blood-letting. Throwing a shoe�Management of the foot. Management of the hunter at the close of the season�Turning out�The feet� Saw-dust to stand in�Blistering�Mode of applying it� Ointments�Healing ointments. Concluding remarks� The arrangement of the work�Arguments based on prin- ciples� Danger of using unknown remedies�Mistakes made in the management of horses.



		THE HORSE.

	The heart is hard in nature, and unfit For human fellowship, as being void Of sympathy,'and therefore dead alike To love and friendship both, that is not pleased With sight of animals enjoying life, Nor feels their happiness augment his own. Cowper's Task, Book vi.

CHAPTER I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE STABLE. The number of books daily issuing from the Press on almost every subject in this age of " March of Intellect," makes it a hazardous undertaking to embark in book writing unless stimulated by a desire to do good. But as a hiatus appears to exist in that department of science which treats of the management of the Horse, I am induced to offer the following remarks in the hope of being able to throw light on the subject, and thereby correct some of the many errors which do dishonour to the present system of treatment. I have not, however, commenced the task without knowing the opposition that will be raised against any B



	2
	2	STABLE MANAGEMENT.

one who enters the province of the trainer or stud-groom � but where I see ignorance so generally conspicuous, I shall not be deterred by any feeling, however strong, which may exist. Were there indeed any similar work, I would not have ventured to put forth my claim to public attention; but when I can trace the cause to a want of information on the matter, my desire is to do every thing which may lay in my power to assist in removing the obstacles ; nor do I know a more probable way than that of giving publicity to my thoughts. As the quality of the material shall be more regarded than either volume or quantity, and as a small book is always preferable to a large one, I shall endeavour to dis- cuss the subject as briefly as possible; to touch upon each question, and give the greatest amount of informa- tion in the smallest possible compass. It will be un- necessary to trace the origin, clime, and country, which the horse was supposed to have first inhabited, and I shall therefore proceed at once to treat of him, as it best appears he should, in the country in which he now flou- rishes, and point out the best means for getting him in condition for work, and for the preservation of his health at all times. As most of the ills to which the horse is subject arise when he is stabled to be put into con- dition for the purposes of work, the first consideration will be STABLE MANAGEMENT. When horses are intended for hard work, it is necessary that they should be housed, and it is a matter of great importance that the house should be so constructed as to



		3
	STABLE VENTILATION.


afford the means by which health is to be obtained. The question naturally arises how is this to be effected. Two great objects are to be particularly kept in view, " Ventilation and Cleanliness;" in the consideration of the former will be involved the question of important animal functions, and therefore it becomes a subject of considerable interest. VENTILATION By the term " ventilation" is meant the circulation of a current of pure air through the apartment, this circulation being usually effected by means of an aperture called a " ventilator," which gives exit to the deleterious air generated in the stable by the effluvia arising from the urine, dung, as well as from the air respired by the animal, i This air having once passed through the lungs and being there deprived of the oxygen (or vital principle) is rendered unfit and poisonous to the lungs when inspired a second time, particularly as it is then more or less commingled with ammonia, hartshorn, decomposed animal matter, uric acid, &c, &c. If I enter rather fully into an explanation on this head, it is because it is a subject of the greatest importance, yet one the least regarded of any other; nay, ignorance, custom, and habit, seem completely to have set the law of nature at defiance, and have as it were entered into a compact to exclude that vital principle (the air) which was destined by an all-wise Providence for the support of his creatures, and who, knowing our ignorance, endued it with a power of being every where present in a greater or less degree, even when denied admittance by the art



		4 STABLE VENTILATION. of man. At this period, men entrusted with the care and health of some of the noblest specimens of the equine race, carefully cram the key-hole of the stable against the air, for fear lest a breath should come against them and give them cold. Now granting their liability to cold while in this state, let them ask themselves, why are they so liable ? The practical proof of the ill-effects of breathing vitiated air may easily be made the subject of experiment by confining a mouse under a glass made air-tight, when it will be seen after some little time to grow uneasy, and pant as if struggling for air, and in a few hours it dies. When the air contains 10 per cent of carbon, carbon being destructive of life, and given off from the system in respiration, no animal can breathe it without its proving fatal. In the year 1756, one hundred and forty six Englishmen were shut up in the black hole of Calcutta, which was only eighteen feet square, and badly ventilated. There were but two small windows on one side, by which air could be admitted, but there was no ventilation. Scarcely was the door closed when their sufferings commenced, and in a short time a delirious and mortal struggle ensued, to get near the windows. Within four hours those who survived lay in the silence of apoplectic stupor, and at the end of six hours, ninety-six were dead. In order that my subsequent remarks may be thoroughly understood, and their truth seen, a brief description of the air will be necessary. Atmospheric air is composed of two gases, termed "oxygen" and "nitrogen," which are exactly combined in that proportion one with the other, as best answers



		8
	ATMOSPHERIC AIR.	8

the purposes of life; this proportion consisting of one part of oxygen to four of nitrogen. These two gases essentially differ in their qualities, for oxygen is a supporter of respiration, while nitrogen is incapable of supporting life: the former supports combustion, while the latter destroys it. Another peculiarity in these gases, is their tendency to combine with others and their susceptibility of being separated, as we shall see in treating of Respiration. Having now become acquainted with the constituent parts of the atmosphere, and which we know to be essential to life, the bad effects of a proper want of ventilation must be evident to the most common understanding. The unpleasant, hot, contaminated smell of an unven- tilated stable must be known to every one who has ever visited such a stable on its being first opened in the morning after being closed all night. Can it be then supposed that the animal compelled to breathe such an atmosphere is in a state most conducive to health ? In such ill regulated apartments if the animal is loose and able to select his own spot for repose, he will invariably be found with his head towards the door so as to catch every little puff of fresh air which can enter. In a stable of this kind the blood cannot undergo its proper and necessary changes, as we shall see in considering respiration; digestion cannot be efficiently performed ; and all the vital functions suffer derangement. This serious error of an improper ventilation is being remedied of late, as I recently noticed with pleasure in the stables of the veteran Dockeray, at Epsom. Having b 2



		9
	RESPIRATION.	9

which taken into the lungs of a horse in high condition, as regards food, and while in that state naturally in- clined to inflammatory attacks, produces cough, influ- enza, cold, and the long catalogue of diseases to which a horse kept in such an atmosphere is subject. It is like adding an inflammable element to flame. RESPIRATION. A badly ventilated stable is the most fertile cause of horses being out of condition; next comes excessive clothing and a scanty supply of water: in proof of this statement, I have frequently seen horses thus out of condition, after being purged, bled, treated with alteratives and tonics, and all to no good purpose, res- tored to blooming condition by proper diet, moderate clothing, and a free access of pure air. To strengthen my argument still more, let us con- sider the process of respiration, and learn by it' the necessity for pure air, and a sufficient supply. Respiration is the act of breathing, and is both a mechanical and chemical process. Its mechanism con- sists in the alternate expansion and contraction of the chest, by which air is regularly admitted and expelled. The chemical process is the separation of a poisonous gas from the blood, and the replacement of that gas by the oxygen of the atmosphere. By a particular motion of the heart, the blood is propelled through the blood- vessels of the whole body, and returns again to the lungs to go through the same process. The vessels by which the blood is conveyed through the body are termed arteries; those by which it is returned, veins. B 3



	10
	10	ANIMAL HEAT.

During its course it undergeos considerable altera- tions : some of the parts of which the blood is composed being separated for the nourishment of the body; others being voided by the skin in the insensible perspiration, and by the kidneys in the form of urine. In its circu- lation the scarlet colour of the arterial blood is by degrees changed to purple,�venous blood; and the latter, being brought back by the veins, is now unfit for a second circulation, until purified of the carbon * which it has obtained during circulation. This purifi- cation is to be effected by the air, through the act of res- piration, in this maimer : venous blood enters the heart, from which it is, thrown into the lungs, where it comes in contact with the air during the respiration of the animal. The relation between the production of animal heat and the respiratory functions is most direct and remark- able, so that its consideration in this place seems almost absolute. ANIMAL HEAT, or the heat naturally existing in animals, is produced by the oxygen of the air combining with the carbon of the system; hence it is that heat is increased by exercise, the respiration being then hurried. The circulation of blood at the same time is quickened, and consequently a greater quantity of heat (animal heat) is given off, which is carried away by perspiration, through the me- dium of the pores of the skin. Having now briefly, and I hope clearly, pointed out the necessity for a proper * This is the source of the carbon alluded to, in page 4.



		U
	CLEANLINESS.


ventilation being enforced, and shewn how two great vital functions, respiration and circulation, are dependant on it for their proper fulfilment, I have still to shew, that the activity of digestion, another great vital func- tion, appears to be influenced by, and proportionate to, that of respiration. This is a consideration that natu- rally arises out of the present subject, and I trust its great importance will be considered and acted upon. To effect this purpose will be one great good at which I aim, and should the object be attained in this alone, I shall have the satisfaction and consolation of knowing that my labour is not in vain. CLEANLINESS. Purity of vesture seems to be a precept of nature, and if we observe the habits and manners of those creatures which are more intimately allied to that power, whether birds in pluming, or beasts in dressing themselves, we shall be struck with the delight which they exhibit in the performance of that operation. As rational beings then, let us not be deficient in so wholesome a practice, in which we have an example set us by the children of nature. The necessity for strict at- tention to cleanliness we have seen in the subject of ventilation, where we learned that hartshorn, decom- posing animal matter as dung, urine, &c, tend to render the air impure and poisonous; therefore, the litter in a horse's stable ought to be kept dry and sweet, every soiled particle should be daily removed, and no heap of dung allowed to remain within the stable. Great care should be paid to the drains, which should not be suf-



		EULES FOR CONDITIONING. 13

mitted has upon ourselves, or we should naturally think of the poor horse kept in his dark stable and then sud- denly brought into a strong light, and make allowances for his fear and shying. The want of light is often the parent of this vicious habit of shying, and it is also one of the chief causes of inflammation of the eyes, especially when the animal is well fed. The result of that inflammation may be total blindness. While guard- ing against this error let us not run into the opposite extreme�too great a glare�for too much stimulus is as injurious as the want of it, therefore if the stable admits a great quantity of light the walls should be of a sober hue so as to deaden that glare. Green seems to be the colour best adapted to the eyes, and from the works of the Creator we learn this lesson in the colour of the herbage; so, were all proof except this wanted, to him who considers the works of the God of nature it would be quite sufficient. Another fact may here be stated, that animals rest best in a moderated light.

	CHAPTER II. GENERAL RULES FOR GETTING A HORSE INTO CONDITION. Hating enumerated and discussed the leading requi- sites for a healthy habitation, our next step is to consi- der the best and most effectual means for getting the occupant into good condition for work. To obtain this



			EXERCISE. 17

		the necessary stimulus to their vessels and nerves would not take place, and their action could not be sustained. Let us, however, take it for granted, that the good effects of regular exercise are allowed, and let us en- deavour to give some general rules and directions for the best mode in which it is to be performed. I have before said, one rule cannot be laid down for every purpose, so we must enquire the age of the horse we are about putting in work; this is necessary, as young animals require more exercise and are naturally more inclined to activity than old ones, yet are unable to bear severe work, and will be injured materially by it. The animal's present condition must be considered, whether he has been highly fed or merely " made up " with mashes.. This is a mistake that often gives great dissatisfaction, and produces ill feeling;�thus, a horse is purchased from a dealer's stable, one that suits the taste of the purchaser, he is fat and plump, and therefore he is supposed to he fit for work, and he is at once required to perform some exertion ; the consequence is, the animal however good is unable to the task and fails, and the owner immediately considers himself cheated, although very possibly the horse was picked by his own judgment. Now a greater proof of weakness cannot be found than in that superabundance of fat; the adipose, or fatty tissue, being the most useless of any that enters into the composition of either man or horse, and a great share of it exercises injurious effects on the system by filling out and rendering unwieldly the intestines, by loading the kidneys and other vital organs, among them the heart and the blood vessels, impeding the circulation



	�-20
	�-20	RULES FOR CONDITIONING.
		RULES FOR CONDITIONING.

skin is nearly as essential as it is to the lungs, and the good effect of it will be apparent to any one who tries the experiment and watches the result. On this, in a great measure, depends the good derivable from the operations of clipping and singeing, which, instead of giving colds, prevent them. The debilitated state in which an animal with a long coat is kept by hot stables and excessive clothing, is obviated by depriv- ing him of his own covering; and that this fact has not opened peoples' eyes to the error, appears to me strange. One argument raised against the system is, " that it is contrary to nature." True, but are horses in a state of nature when stabled ? That there are some great func- tions of life dependent on the skin is learned by the experiment, that animals whose skins were rendered impervious to the air by a coat of varnish died. Also by the fatal consequences which have repeatedly followed the use of a close water-proof dress by sportsmen and others. I am perfectly aware that I am running in op- position to general usage, but acting on the principle, the plan was tried and found to answer; it was truly tested, as it was in training the race horse, and ex- perience teaches us that it is correct. I believe there is no structure or tissue of the living animal that has not some decided office to fulfil, and I believe the skin not only gives off perspiration, but receives a Jiealthy stimulus from the air ; and whether that belief be correct or not, the principle of exercise without clothes is right. One thing is certain, that the use of clothes prevents the free exit of the insensible perspiration. And when such perspiration is brought to the surface



			GROOMING. 25

		is beneficial, provided it be proportioned to the strength and constitution, and not carriedbeyondthat point where exhaustion takes the place of strength. Secondly, that it ought to be regularly resumed after a sufficient interval of rest, in order to insure the permanence of the healthy impulse given to the vital powers of the muscular system ; and Lastly, that it is of the utmost consequence to join with it a mental and nervous sti- mulus. Those animals that go out only once iu four or five days are always at work without advancing in condition, as the increased action induced by previous exercise has fully subsided long before the succeeding effort is begun; and so far as increased nutrition, strength, and greater aptitude for exertion are concerned, no progress whatever is made. GROOMING. As soon as the horse returns from exercise, the person appointed to dress him should at once set to work. Let the bridle be taken off, and the girths slackened without removing the saddle, which prevents warbles and tender skin. Next throw a hood over his loins, and rub all the loose dirt from his belly and legs with a wisp of dry coarse straw. Having thoroughly removed all the particles of dirt, let his head be turned from the manger, and dress it and his neck; he may then be turned round and tied up, throwing him a bit of wetted hay to amuse himself with while his feet are being picked out and washed: care must be taken that the picker removes all the dirt from between the shoe and the foot, and that the feet are washed very clean. If the horse c



		ae
		ae		GROOMING.
				GROOMING.

		has been hunting or a long journey, and is tired, bathing down the legs with warm water and applying bandages will refresh him, and do more good than attempting to rub them clean without the use of water. This being done, he may now have a couple of gallons of soft chilled water or gruel, and the saddle removed, be- ginning to rub first at either side from whence it was taken. After his body has been dressed, put on his clothes without delay, and let him have some gruel, or water, if perfectly cool; if inclined to break out, it must be given very sparingly, if at all, as it will in- crease the likelihood of his again sweating. His drink being given him, and his clothes on, pull his ears gently with both hands until quite warm and comfortable; after which make down his bed, and give him his corn with a little rearm mash through it, and while he eats, without annoying him, remove the bandages one by one, and rub the legs well, especially the heels. When this is done, put on loosely a dry set, to remain on till night, when they should be removed, and the legs hand-rubbed. If the animal is much fatigued, be not in a hurry to give him much gruel or chilled water, for if he has been severely ridden and is not in good condition, in spite of every pre- caution taken he will " break out" after being dressed. When this occurs it is a bad sign, and requires great at- tention, particularly to the ears and legs, both of which will be cold unless well rubbed. One great thing is to be observed, that the person about him does not ill-treat him, by scolding or striking, as it is a certain way to keep him wet, or if dry, to cause him to sweat, and does more harm than at first would be imagined. Of a



		28 GROOMING.

		should never forget, that the animal over which we exercise our power has all the organs which render it susceptible of pleasure and of pain. It sees, it hears, it smells, it tastes, it feels with acuteness. How merciful then ought we to exercise the dominion entrusted to our care? " "When we have such sentiments from the lips of an educated man, and such a man as Lord Erskine, can we doubt their truth; and do we not feel pity for him whose brutal disposition leads him to exert his cruelty against a defenceless animal in his power. What can we expect from a person who is unable to exercise the better feelings of our common nature ? How can he expect sympathy from others in the time of his distress; or can he expect mercy, himself having none? " Non ignara mali, disco succurrere miseris." Good grooming with a soft brush or wisp opens the pores of the skin, stimulates it, and invigorates the cir- culation, thereby rendering it healthy, producing a glow while it rouses the nervous energy. But I am quite at a loss to account for the strange substitute for rubbing that exists now, in striking the wisp forcibly and cruelly against the sides of a horse. It cannot be, and is not, as good as rubbing, and after a severe day's work does harm, by injuring the intercostal muscles, which are often quite sore from the great exertion they have been compelled to make to keep up respiration. It is a habit, and a bad one, that must be given up. Matting (such as is used for packing), made into a roll or wisp, is an excellent rubber for the skin, as it effec- tually removes the dust; a hair cloth is also an admira-



			GROOMING. 29

		ble article, and gloves of that material are made for the purpose. When the currycomb and brush are used, the dirt from them should be knocked or rubbed out away from the manger and from the horse, or it will get into it, or again into the horse's coat. To be in good condition the horse should be rubbed over early in the morning, well dressed after his work, and again rubbed over at night, prior to being made up; and the more the better, if not made to interfere too much with the animal's rest. As soon as the horse is stripped, the groom should set at him before he gets chilly, for if he do, in spite of his pains the coat will stare and look bad until the animal recovers his heat. To prevent his being unnecessarily exposed, his head, neck, and shoul- ders should be dressed before the clothes are removed; and after doing the body, and placing on the clothing, his legs may be attended to from the knee down. It is always a good and healthy plan to sponge them over, prior to using the wisp, but not to wet them too much. During the time the animal is changing his coat the brush should be used sparingly, and in fine summer weather he is best dressed out of the stable. Gentle- ness about the horse is a quality that will cause admira- tion wherever it is observed, and there cannot be a greater recommendation to a man than to be humane, as it shews him to have a well regulated disposition. I never hear or see a clown abusing a horse but I am at once disgusted, especially when he opens his lips, for as sure as he does, some low expression, characteristic of himself, will be heard. I would it were in my power to draw their picture, so that they might know it, and I am c2



		30 DIET.

	quite sure it would cure them. A man who can so easily allow his temper to overcome him, must be its slave, and there is no crime to which it may not urge him�to drunkenness and every vice the offspring of our passions. Every person of education knows this� and what must be their opinion of the man in whom it is seen ? Some do it from want of thought and habit; but every one is not obliged to remember that, and make an excuse for it.

CHAPTER III. DIET. " What'er of earth is form'd, to earth returns Dissolved: the various objects we behold, Plants, animals, the whole material mass, Are ever changing, ever new. The soul Of man alone, that particle divine, Escapes the wreck of worlds, when all things fail. Hence great the distance 'twixt the beasts that perish, And God's bright image, man's immortal race." Somerville's Chase. Hook IV. The importance of this subject is such as to deserve the attentive consideration of every one who may wish to know the reasons that prompt him to action, and who is unwilling to rest satisfied without some knowledge of the principles of life. There are, however, many who never seem to exercise those intellectual faculties with which they are gifted, and which alone serve to



33
			DIET.


	The want of proper ventilation, and the excess of clothes usually kept on horses in training, conjoined with the want of a knowledge of the functions of life, are the great reasons for so many being unfit when wanted, and their being ready on the day of a race is as much a matter of chance as drawing a prize from a lottery. Hence one of the reasons for the glorious un- certainty of racing ! It is, therefore, no matter of sur- prize, that fillies kept in this state are always unfit in the spring, and that the winning of the Oaks by the best animal so seldom happens. Every one conversant with racing knows this to be a fact, and those unac- quainted with its mysteries can satisfy themselves of the truth of what has just been stated, by referring to the betting on the favourites for that race, and then looking to the result. The scrutiny need not be confined to one or two years, but may extend over a period of twenty years, when the truth of these observations will be fully borne out. These remarks may appear harsh, but they are deserved, and until some reformer gets among them there will be no amendment�that is the object I would fain see attained.* But to the subject. In our present consideration a knowledge of the stomach of the horse will be requisite, and I may here state the fact, that he possesses a smaller stomach, in proportion to his size, than almost any other animal. The intestines are not remarkable for their length, but the caecum and the large intestines are enormously ex-

		* See some admirable papers in the " Sporting Review," 1812, entitled " Thoughts on Racing Stock," by Chiron.



		34 DIET.

			only so much of it as the system requires for nourish- ment, and for the formation of animal heat. The Italians have the two following proverbs respecting food :� ' Mangere piu, chi maneho mangia," " He shall eat much, who eats little at a time." And " Fa piu pro guel che si lascia sul tondo, che guel, che si mette nel ventre." " The meat which is left on the plate, profits more than that which is eaten." These sayings, however, more directly apply to ourselves. I do not wish to lead to the belief, from these remarks, that the smaller the quantity* of food taken, so much the more benefit is derived, for under certain conditions a small quantity would not suffice the purposes of life; and lest the supposition be entertained, let me state a few facts to disabuse the mind of that belief. If the stomach and bowels do not receive a sufficient supply to maintain a moderate extension of their vascular and membranous coverings, there will not be a due stimulus to excite the peristaltic motions, and the secretions which are required to dissolve and assimilate the food. " And it is probable," says a writer on the subject of diet, " if a minute portion only of nutritious particles were taken, the collapsed organs would cover up and close the mouths of the lacteals and absorbents," (or in other words, close the openings into the parts that take up the nutriment,) " as well as the exhalents, and little or no chyle, which is necessary to digestion, would be



			36 DIET.

		for food. Nothing contributes so much to render the appetite weak than great quantities of clothes in a hot unventilated stable; in fact, clothes may be counted as the substitute for so much food, and to a certain de- gree they do good�beyond it harm, to an infinitely greater extent than they can do good. The supply of food, however, ought to depend on the activity of the digestive organs, as there can be nothing more injurious than large quantities of food, which the animal is unable to digest; yet such are often given in the training stable. It is astonishing how much some horses will consume more than the system really requires, simply, I believe, because their stomachs are larger than they should be, from having fared badly in their early days, and consequently been obliged to de- vour great quantities of poor provender to obtain even a small supply of nourishment. I have seen two re- markable instances of this in Irish horses, one of which I knew to have fared ill up to five years old, when he first tasted corn, and, I believe also, hay. When we find a weak and imperfect digestion, especially in the early part of the year, nothing can be better than a plentiful supply of dandelion, or taraxacum. This common plant is a wholesome tonic, improves the coat, and I never knew a horse refuse eating them; whether the digestion be weak or not, they seem particularly serviceable to horses, and I would strongly recommend their use, as they likewise act upon the liver benefi- cially. In order to become better acquainted with the principles on which the necessity for diet depends, it will be necessary to consider its laws.



			37

		OBJECTS AND LAWS OF NUTKITTON. There is nothing in nature that is not constantly parting with, or losing some of its particles. This fact is universally admitted, and is well understood; we have, moreover, a daily perception of its truth in the various applications of machinery, where a constant ef- fort is made to avoid the waste consequent on motion. Entirely to prevent it, is beyond the power of man. Nor can we wonder when we know that not a breath of wind can pass along the surface of the earth without effecting some alterations on the bodies with which it comes in contact; nor can a drop of rain fall on a stone without occasioning loss: the smoothest and most beautifully finished wheel cannot glide along the shining and polished trammels of a railway, without losing some portion of its substance in each of its revolutions. In the vegetable world, again, every leaf of a tree is incessantly exuding some portion of its fluids; and every flower forming its own fruit and seed, soon to be divided from and lost to its parent stem. The same fact holds good in the animal kingdom. So long as life continues, a copious exhalation from the skin, the lungs, the bowels, and the kidneys, goes on without a moment's intermission, and not a movement can be made that does not increase the velocity of the circulation, and add something to the general waste. In this way, by violent exertion, several pounds of the body of the horse are sometimes thrown out by perspi- ration in a few minutes. But this loss can be res- tored by nutrition. This is not the case in the inani-