iiiiiiil iiiiii Piliilliillif ,.„ .„, iiili'' iilillil iiii ■:ii![ii!iiii' iiilliliiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiii^: illllilllli ilit^i liiiiiiiiiii ililili JOHN A. SEAVERNS TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES iiiiiiir!i:iiiiiiiiifi!!iii''ii'i!i'' Veterinary MedicinQ m l-v-^: 1) i^ \aT tub rUESEXT TIME JIT THE THE HOKSF. T>:tKTJF.R- % THE MODERN SYSTEM OF FARRIERY, COMPREHENDING THE PRESENT ENTIRE IMPROVED MODE OF PRACTICE, ACCORDING TO THE RULES LAID DOWN AT THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE; CONTAININa ALL THE MOST VALUABLE AND APPROVED REMEDIES, ACCTJRATELY PEOPORTIONED, AND PROPERLY ADAPTED TO EVERY DISEASE TO WHICH THE HORSE IS INCIDENT. INCLUDING RULES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE HEALTHY HORSE, AS FEEDING, STABLING, GROOMING, AND CONDITIONING : BY GEORGE SKEAVINGTON, VETERINARY SURGEON, M. R. V. C. AXD LATE VETERINARY SURGEON IN THK BENGAL HORSE ARTILLERY. PUBLISHED BY J. & F. T A L L I S, LONDON, EDINBURGH & DUBLIN. LONDOK . PRIiTED B1 R. WII.IX)|;QHBV & CO., 97, »T. JOHN ST.. eSIlTHFIELX). ©EPOg^TIl© TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BERKELEY HUNT. THE VERY GREAT DISTINCTION THE NOBLE MASTER AND MEMBERS THE BERKELEY HUNT HAVE ACQUIRED IN THE ANNALS OF THE CHASE, MAKES IT A GRATIFICATION HIGHLY FLATTERING THAT I HAVE THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY OP DEDICATING THIS WORK TO THEM. ■WITH DUE RESPECT, I HAVE THE HONOUR TO BE, GENTLEMEN YOUR MOST OBEDIENT, AND VERY HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR, S.f S5H PREFACE. It is certain, that at no period of history did the Horse ever rank so high in general estimation, or was rendered of such intrinsic worth, by a display of his various powers, as in the present age of science and refinement. To this cause may, undoubtedly, be attributed the very great attention paid for some years past to the breed of the distinct and separate classes for the turf, field, road, or draught ; and, as their value has, in a very short space of time been absolutely doubled, we ought to be proportionably anxious for their preservation, whether for sport, convenience, or emolument. Well aware of the arduous task of attempting to eradicate habitual prejudices, and the difiiculty of reconciling conflicting views of long standing, we trust that the " Modern Farrier" will be found a book of reference, which the private gentleman, the farmer, the traveller, and all who have interest in the Horse, may find valua- ble. To dispel the gloom of error from the brow of obstinacy, would be a task of Herculean labour ; the object of this work is to save owners from the gross ignorance, which but too generally prevails among mere pretenders to the Ve- terinary art, a set of gentry that have always a vast accumulation of folly to display, as well as a great number of "infallible receipts" which have been handed down to them from their forefathers, and are in fact considered an extremely valuable property by these " kill or cure" practitioners. Fortunately however, for the poor horse, from the indefatigable exertions and 6 PREFACE. scientific knowledge of Professor Colman and Assistant Professor Sewell, of the Royal Veterinary College, London, and the number of veterinary surgeons furnished by that establishment yearly, we hope in a great measure ere long to see the empiric in veterinary medicine totally unknown. This publication is undertaken to render plain and familiar a subject that has been treated upon by some of the most learned veterinary practitioners of the pre- sent day. Notwithstanding the great ability displayed by Mr. Blane, Mr. Clark, Mr. Percival, and others, their works, though of great science, are more adapted to the veterinary student, than to all persons interested in the proper manage- ment of the Horse. The prescriptions we have given will be found applicable to all the disorders to which they are attached, without a long list of articles, which nine times out of ten operate one against the other. In cla'-^' diseases of the Horse, we have somewhat dififered from most ^ ' but it has been done to render the subject more intelhgible to the urJoarned reader. As this is a book of practice, of nearly twenty years experience, we have inserted nothing which is not based on real experience. CONTEN TS Introduction The History jf Farriery Stable Management Condition of the Horse Feeding of Horses Groom's Duty Directions for Dressing Horses PART I. PAGE 7 Exercise ... 8 Physicking' and IMeeding - 14 On the Management of Hunters - 15 On Shoeing ... - ib. On Turning out to Grass or Straw Yard 17 Physick or purging balls - 19 PAR r iL PAOB 23 25 27 41 43 46 CHAPTER I. Of Splent ; Bone Spavin ; Ring Bone ; and Anchy- losis. Splents - - - - - 48 Bone Spavin - - - - 49 Ring Bone - - - - - 51 Anchylosis or Stiff Joint - - - 52 CHiiPTERII. Fractures. Of the Head - - - - 53 Explanation of the Plate - - - 54 Ribs - - - - - ib. Back - - - - - 55 Limbs - - - - - ib. Blade Bone - . . . ib. Arm - - - - - 56 Elbow - - . - ib. Shank Bone - - - ib. Description of the Plate • - - 57 Thigh-bone .... ib. CHAPTER m. Dislocations. Of the Sesamoid Bones «0 CHAPTER IV. Of Grease : Mange : Surfeit ; Mallenders and Sal- lenders ; Warts ; Hide-bound ; and Farcy. Grease ..... Mange ..... Surfeit . . . - - Mallenders and Sallenders . - - Warts . - - - - Hide-bound . . - - Farcy . - - - - CHAPTER V. Of Windgalls; Bog Spavin; Thorough Pin; Capped Hock ; Tumours of the Elbow and the Knee. Windgalls . . - - - Bog Spavin - - Thorough Pin .... Capped Hock . . . - The Elbows .... The Knee . . . - CHAPTER VI. The Eye and its Diseases. The Eye - - - ' - Muscles of the Eye _ - - 63 65 67 69 ib. 70 71 76 77 ib. ib. 78 79 80 ib. TON T EN TS. Of the Eye and its Diseases, {continued.) I,achrymal Glands - - - - The Eye-lids . . - - The Conjunctiva - - - - The Functions of tlie Lachrymal Glands, Tears, Conjunctiva, Eva-lids, Haw, and Retractor Muscle - - - - - The Cornea . - - - The Iris . . - - - The Outer Coats of the Eye - The Chrystalline Lens The Ciliary Processes - _ - Vision . . - » » Sound Eye' - - - - - Diseases of the Eye. Inflammation of the Conjunctiva Cataract . - - - - Gutta Serena _ - - - CHAPTER VII. Of Wounds in General. Of Wounds in General , . - Incised Wounds - . - - Lacerated do. - Contused do. - Punctured do. - - - Poisoned do. - - - Wounds of the Head - - . Chest Abdomen .Joints . . - Sheaths of Tendons Arteries ... Veins . . . Broken Knees . . - - Of Gun Shot Wounds . . - Treatment of do. ... On Sutures - - - CHAPTER VIII. PAGB SI ib. 82 in General ; on Pole-evil ; Fistulous Ulcers in the Mouth ; Strangles ; and ib. 83 ib. 84 86 ib. 87 ib. 88 90 ib. 92 93 ib. ib. ib. 94 ib. 95 tb. 96 98 tb. 100 102 ib. 104 105 Of Ulcers Withers Vives. Of Ulcers in General . . - On Pole Evil . - - - Fistulous withers . . - - Ulcers in the Mouth - . - On Strangles . . _ - On Vives . - - - - CHAPTER IX. Rheumatism ; Anticor ; Lampas ; Warbles ; Sitfasts ; Bruises ; and Barbs. Rheumatism . - . - Lampas . . - - - Warbles - - - - Sitfast . - - Bruises . - - - - Barbs ... - - PAGB CHAPTER X. Stone in the Intestines ; Stone in the Kidneys ; and Stone in the Bladder. Stone in the Intestines - - - 122 Kidneys . _ - ib. Bladder - - - 123 CHAPTER XI. On Worms ; Jaundice, or Yellows ; Diarrhoea, or Looseness ; Crib-biting. Oh Worms in general - - - 125 On Jaundice or Yellows - - - 128 On Diarrhoea, Looseness, or Scouring - 130 On Crib-biting - - - - 131 CHAPTER XIL Dropsy of the Head, of the Chest, of the Pericardium, of the Belly, and of the Skin ; Swelled Legs. Dropsy - - - - - 134 of the Head - - - ib Chest - - - 135 Pericardium -• - 137 Belly - - - 1.38 Water Farcy, or Dropsy of the Skin - ib. Swelled Legs - - - - 139 CHAPTER XIII. Of Diabetes, or Profuse Staling : Bloody Urine and Stranguary, or the Obstruction of the Urine. Diabetes, or Profuse Staling - - 141 On Bloody Urine - - - - 142 On Stranguary, or Obstruction of Urine - 143 CHAPTER XIV. On Castration, or Gelding ; and Hernia, or Rupture. Castration, or Gelding - _ . Hernia, or Rupture - . . 107 108 111 112 113 115 CHAPTER XV. On Strams in General; Strain in the Shoulder; Strain or Clap in the Back Sinews ; Over Step- ping ; Breaking Down ; Rupture of the Back Sinew ; Strain of the Fetlock Joint ; Strain in the Coffin Joint ; Strain of the Round Bone ; Strain of the StiHe Joint ; and on Curb. Of Strains in General - . - Strain in the Shoulder ... Strain or Clap in the Back Sinews Over Stepping ... Breaking-down .... 117 Rupture of the Back Sinew . . - 119 Strain of the Fetlock Joint 120 in the Coffin Joint ib. of the Round Bone . . - ib. Stifle Joint ... 121 1 On Curb . - - - . 14.5 148 150 153 154 156 ib. 157 tb. 158 ib. ib. 159 CONTENTS. Ill PAGB CHAPTER XVI. Of Inflammation Generally. Principles of Inflammation ... 160 Symptoms and Nature of Healthy Inflammation, Phlegmon - - - - 162 Remote Causes - - - - 1 63 Proximate Cause - - - - 164 Symptoms of Inflammation further Considered - 165 Appearance of the Blood in Inflanmiation - 166 Termination of Inflammation - - - ib. Treatment of Inflammation - - - 167 Warm Applications, Emollient Poultices, &c. - 172 CHAPTER XVII. Of Fever in General ; Common Fever; Distemper; or Influenza ; Malio;nant Fever ; Symptomatic Fever ; Catarrh, or Common Cold. Of Fever in General - - - 174 For the Relief of Inllammatory Fever - 17.5 Common Fever - - - - 176 Distemper, or Influenza - - - 178 Malignant Fever - - - - 181 Symptomatic Fever . . - ib. Catarrh, or Common Cold - - - 183 CHAPTER XVIII. On Roaring ; Chronic Cough ; Thick Wind ; Broken Wind. On Roaring - - - - 187 Chronic Cough - - - - 188 Thick Wind - - - - 190 Broken Wind - - - - 191 On Glanders. On Glanders CHAPTER XIX. CHAPTER XX. - 194 On Epilepsy ; Paralysis ; Spasm ; Spasmodic Colic or Gripes ; Locked Jaw, and String Halt. Epilepsy . . - - . Palsy ..... Spasm - - - - Spasmodic Colic, or Gripes On Tetanus, or Locked Jaw On String Halt - - - - CHAPTER XXI. On Inflammation of the Brain, or Mad Staggers : In- flammation of the Stomach, or Stomach Staggers ; Inflammation of the Lungs, Pulmonary Consump- tion. On Inflammation of the Brain, or Mad Staggers Inflammation of the Stomach, or Stomach Stag- gers - . - . , On Inflammation of the Lungs Pulmonary Consumption . , , 202 203 204 ib. 207 210 211 214 217 221 CHAPTER XXII Digestion and Indigestion. On Digestion On Indigestion PAGE - 223 - 224 CHAPTER XXIII. Inflammation of the Heart : of the Bowels ; of the Liver; of the Kidneys; the Bladder; of the neck of the Bladder. Inflammation of the Heart ... 228 Bowels ... ib. Intestines from Superpur- gation - - - 231 Liver - - - 232 Kidneys - - 233 Bladder ... ib. Neck of the Bladder - 234 CHAPTER XXIV. On Morbid Poisons. Hydrophobia, or Madness . . - 235 CHAPTER XXV. On the Feet, and their Diseases. On the Foot in General ... 237 On Corns . - . - . 238 Acute Inflammation of the Feet - - 240 Contracted feet, or the Navicular Disease - 243 Groggy Feet .... 247 Pumiced Foot .... 248 Thrush ..... 249 On Sandcrack - - . - 251 Punctured Foot .... 252 On Over-reaching .... 253 Quittor .... 254 On Canker .... 256 False Quarter .... 257 CHAPTER XXVI. On the Horse's Teeth. Explanation of the Plate ... 238 CHAPTER XXVII. On the Stable and its Ventilation. On the Stable .... 260 CHAPTER XXVIII. Of Operations and Restraints, Broncholomy .... 266 CEsophagotomy .... ib. Neurotomy - - . - - ib. Description of the Plate, Shewing the High and Low Operations .... 268 Description of the Fifjure ... ib. Mode of Performing the Operation - ib. On Docking - . - - 269 iV CONTENTS Of Operations and Restraints, {continued.') Nicking - - . . Cropping - . . . Bleeding - . - . PACK 270 273 274 Of Operations and Restraints, (continued.) On Purging Firing - - - , On Blistering PAGE 27.5 282 28-» PAUT 111. On Trimming. On Trimming CHAPTER I. CHAPTER H. General Observations on ihe Horse, &c. Observations on the Horse - - . Turkish Humanity to Animals CHAPTER III. Early History of the English Horse, Improvements of the breed, &c. Early Histiiry of the Horse - - - Carriage Stock .... The Cart-breed - . . . Thorough-bred Elorses ... The Bedouin Arabs of the Desert, and their Horses - - . - . Horses in Ancient Times ... Wild Horses of South America Wild Horses of North America Capture of the Wild Horse - - - The Horse •" his Native State French Horses . - - . Spanish do. .... German do. - - - - Danish do. - - - - Swedish do. - - - - Pedigree of an Arab Horsi; CHAPTER IV. Observations of tlie Horse. — Supposed Degeneracy of the Racing Breed of this Country, &c. Observations, &c. .... Leaves from the Journal of a Medern Whip - Broad for Cattle and Horses - - . Affection of the Arab for his Horse, &c. Symmetry - - . - . CHAPTER V. Early History of the English Race-course, Race Horse, &c. Racing ..... The Race Horse - - - - The Darley Arabian ... The Devonshire or Flying Childers The Godolphin Arabian EkJipse .... 287 293 302 3J4 305 ib. lb. 307 320 323 t6. 324 ib. lb. 32.5 ib. ib. 326 ib. 327 340 342 344 ib. 346 3';0 3.51 352 lb. 354 CHAPTER VI. Memoir of Dennis O'Kelly, Esq. - King Herod - - . . . Bleeding Childers - - . . Jupiter --.... Marsk ...... Early State of Travelling . . . Address of an Arab Rubber - . . Emulation of the Racer - - . . A Lady's Stud - . . . . Social Feeling in Horses - . . . Extraordinary Performances - - . Ponies ...... The Irish Horse - - . . . Wild Horses of South America . . . CHAPTER Vli. A match between the Tartar and Culinuck Horses, and the English Racer. . . . The Wellesley Arabian .... Matches over the Newmarket Course, &c. The Toorkoman Horse .... The Turkish do. - . - . The Persian do. . - . . The Desert Horse, and Swift Heiries of Africa, &c. Brussels R.ices . . - - . Liege do. - Horses in India ..... Curious Sporting Case - - . . The Late Rev. Mr. Harvey CHAPTER VIII. The Duke of Grafton's Stud ... Winners of the Oaks .... Tregonwell Frampton .... The Horse at a Shipwreck . . . The Canadian Horse .... Instinct .-...- Sagacity in a Horse ..... Racing. — Mounting . - . - Portraits of Race-horse.s .... Lady Bird ..... Horse without Hair .... An Old Horse ..... Sagacity in a Mare .... Affection and Sagacity of a Norwegi;-.': Horse to his Master ..---- A Mare Coursing a Hare ... A vicious Horse - . - - . Horse Leap ... Tiottiiig Matches 357 358 360 ib. 361 362 367 36s 36.-» ib. ib. 370 373 lb 378 ib. 379 ib. 380 3^2 ib. 384 3S5 3»6 387 388 390 ,b. 394 395 396 397 308 ib. 399 401 402 ib. 403 lb. 404 ■;ii.i ib r O N T PAGE CHAPTER IX. Account of the Prince of Wales's Horse Escape running at Newmark't ... 409 Escape, Skylark, Pipator, and Coriander - - ih. Lord Coleraine's opinion of Newmarket Jockies, &c. -116 Comparative merits of Horses and Ponies - -tl8 Extraordinary case of Strangles - - . -(20 CHAPTER X Chifney's reasons why Turf Horses Degenerate, &c. 42 I Ouralsk Races, (Asiatic Russia) - - - 423 Extraordinary Road Match m India - - ib. The late Earl Fitzwilliani ... 4*5 The Judge at Newmarket ... 426 Napoleon's Horse . . . . iij_ The Royal Stables at Brighton - - - 42" Of the Difference of the Price of Horses - - ib. Turned Out for Life . . - . 429 White Legs - - - 430 Tournaments - - - iO. Anecdote of George the Third - 431 CHAPTER XI. Memoir of the Late Earl of nerby, Founder ol the Derby and Oaks, at Lpsoin - - _ 432 Tlie Late .John Mytton, Lsu , of Halslun - - 436 j The BoiuTu.— A .'^portinau's "Turn Out'' in (he [ Penuisula - - . . . 43s ; C K 1 s CHAPTER XIV. Breaking. — Castration. Breaking Castration » 403 JP,7 CHAPTER XV. Directions to the Young Florseman, in Riding, &c. Horsemanship - - - . 409 The Necessity of E.xamining the Horse's Tackle 470 Mounting - - - .471 CHAPTER XVL Remarks on the purchass of a Horse, &c. Remarks on the purchase of a Horse 47,5 Character of Horse Dealers - - 4S2 CHAPTER XVn. On the Restive [lorse : with an Accjunf of Junper and Sullivan, two celebrated Horse-tamer.s. - 4SS C[L\PT£.K NMII. Warranty. — On Soundness of (lie flursc. Warranty Sale at Repositories - 496 - .503 CiLAPTER XIL The Hunter and liaekiiey. The H\inier - - . Riding in I lie I'ield - - - The Hacknev . . . Ladies' Hir^cs - . . Fetding and Miinnyeiiient on the Road Ol; ripeding. '.'11 (breeding ii;;edinsr lor CHAi^iER XHi. 1 f. .Vi -;i :>(> ; j! ' CHAPTER XIX. Reinark.'i o!i the FuuJ of the i!"r;_. — .Manger I'l-.'-l ill;;. Manger Feeding - - - >>0o Proportions of Oats and Bea;.s to the Chaff, f:'r Draught Horses . . - .jOfi Oats .... - .ivl7 Harlev - - - - ■• ib. Grains . - . ■ - h'.is Wheat - , . . - i'j. Beans - - - •-''• Peas - - ■ - -.■.(:) T:,n.s . - - -' CONTBNTS. PART IV The Veterinary Pharmacopeia ; or. Medicines in Horse Practice. . . - Gum Arabic - . . Medicinal Uses . - . Strong Acetic, or Pyroligneus Acid Medicinal Uses . - - Impure Atjtic Acid. — Vinegar Medicinal Uses . - - Muriatic Acid. — Spirits of Salts Decomposition - . - Medicinal Uses Nitric Acid. — Double Aqua Fortis Decomposition - - - Medicinal Uses Sulphuric Acid. — Oil of Vitriol Decomposition - - - Medicinal Uses . - - Super Sulphate of Alimi and Potash Medicinal Uses . - - I,eaf of Aconite, or Monk's Hood Medicinal Uses _ - . Adeps. — The Fat of Hogs Horse Aloas ... Medicinal Uses . - , Muriate of Ammonia, Sal Ammoniac Medicinal Uses . . - Sulphurate of Antimony Medicinal Uses ... Tartarized Antimony. — Emetic Tartar Medicinal Ures Alkanet Root Medicinal Uses Nitrate of Silver. — Lunar Caustic Decomposition ... Medicinal Uses ... Armenian Bole ... Medicinal Uses ... Camphor .... Medicinal Uses ... Blistering Fly ... Medicinal Uses ... Extract df Catechu - - - Medicinal Uses - - - Prepared Chalk ... Medicinal Use* - . - Croton Seeds . . , Medicinal Uses - . . Subacetate of Copper. — Verdigris - Medicinal Uses - - - Sulphate of Copper. — Blue Stone Decomposition . . - Medicinal Uses - . - Fo.x-gl.)ve Leaf, or Digitalis Medicinal Uses ... Extract of Deadly Nightshade Medicinal Uses used PAGE 5(1 ib. ih. ib. 512 ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. 513 ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. 514 ih. ib. ih. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. 515 ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ih. ,b. ih. lb. »I8 ih. ib. ih. ih. ib. ib. ib. ib. 517 lb. PAGE The Veterinary Pharmacopeia ; or, Medicines ised in Horse Practice (continued.) Euphorbium .... Medicinal Uses .... Sulphate of Iron. — SaltofSte Decomposition .... Medicinal Ll'^es .... Liquorice Root - - . . Medicinal Uses .... Quicksilver. — Mercury ... Medicinal Uses .... O.xymuriate of Mercury. — Corrosive Sublimate Decomposition .... Medicinal Uses .... Submuriate of Mercury. — Calomel Decomposition .... Medicinal Uses - - . . Kino ... Medicinal 1 ^ses .... Linseed ..... Medicinal Uses - - - . Myrrh ..... Medicinal Uses .... Olive Oil Medicinal Uses .... Oil of Tar - Medicinal Uses - . . _ Sulphurated Oil - Medicinal Uses - - . - Oil of Turpentine .... Medicinal Uses .... Opium . . - , . Medicinal Uses .... Barbadoes Tar .... Medicinal Uses - . - .. Black Pitch - . . . Medicinal Uses - - - . Tar .... Medicinal Uses Semivitrified Oxide of Lead ... Medicinal Uses .... Superacetate of Lead. — Sugar of Lead Medicinal Uses .... Nitrate of Potash. — Mtre Medicinal Uses ..... Red Saunders Wood Oak Bark - . - . . Yellow Resin - - . Medicinal Uses Castile Soap - • Medicinal Uses .... Soft Soap . - , . Medicinal Uses Rectified Spirits of Wine Medicinal Uses Sublimed Sulphur Medicinal Uses 617 ib. ib. ib ib. ib. ib. ib. ib 518 tb ib. ib^ ih. ih. 519 ib. ib. ih. ib. ih ib. ib. ib ib ib. ib. 520 ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. ib. 521 ib. ib ib ib ih ib ib ih ih ib 522 ib V4. ib. ib iL lb CONTENTS VI 1 PAGE The Veterinary Pharmacopeia ; or, Medicines used in Horse Practice {continued.) Common Turpentine . - - 522 Medicinal Uses - - . - ib. Venice Turpentine ~ . • . tb. Medicinal Uses - . - - ib. White Hellebore Root ... ift. Medicinal Uses ... - 6?.3 PAGB The Veterinary Pharmacopeia ; or, Medicines used in Horse Practice (continued.) Oxide of Zinc - . . . 523 Medicinal Uses - - . ,J. Sulphate of Zinc. — \Vhite Vilrio? - tJ. Decomposition - . fft. Medicinal Uses ... t^_ Ginger Root ^ . tb. Aledicinal Uses • - ib. DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER FOR PLA.CING THE ENGRAVINGS. (Frontispiece, fo face the title,) A Mare defending her colt. Skeleton, or Bony Structure of the Horse Shoes Anatomy of the Horse Splents, &c . Osteology Fractures, &c. Section of the foot Windgalls, &c Capped Hocks, &c 77 Muscles of the Horse PAGE 6 I Diagram of the Horse's eye . 41 46 48 52 .54 CO 76 Viscera of the abdomen of the Horse The organs of the Horse within the thorax. The stomach and intestinal canal The hoof Age of the Horse . Dentition Nerve operation . FA6B . 80 . 95 . 228 . 231 . 237 . 258 . 259 . 268 . 286 PREFACE. It is certain, that at no period of history did the Horse ever rank so high in general estimation, or was rendered of such intrinsic worth, by a display of his various powers, as in the present age of science and refinement. To this cause may, undoubtedly, be attributed the very great attention paid fot some years past to the breed of the distinct and separate classes for the turf, field, road, or draught ; and, as their value has, in a very short space of time, been absolutely doubled, we ought to be proportionably anxious for their preservation, whether for sport, convenience, or emolument. Well aware of the arduous task of attempting to eradicate habitual prejudices, yndthe difficulty of reconciling conflicting views of longstanding, we trust that the " Modern Farrier" will be found a book of reference, which the private gentleman, the farmer, the traveller, and all who have interest in the Horse, may find valua- ble. To dispel the gloom of error from the brow of obstinacy, would be a task of Herculean labour ; the object of this work is 'to save owners from the gross ignorance, which but too generally prevails among mere pretenders to the Ve- terinary art, a set of persons that have always a vast accumulation of folly to display, as well as a great number of " infallible receipts" which have been handed down to them from theu- forefathers, and are in fact considered an extremely valuable property by these " kill or cure" practitioners. Fortunately however, for the poor horse, from the indefatigable exertions and 6 PREFACE, scientific knowledge of Professor Colman and Assistant Professor Sevvell, of the Royal Veterinary College, London, and the number of veterinary surgeons furnished by that establishment yearly, we hope in a great measure ere long to see the empiric in veterinary medicine totally unknown. This publication is undertaken to render plain and familiar a subject that has been treated by some of the most learned veterinary practitioners of the present day. Notwithstanding the great ability displayed by Mr, Blane, Mr. Clark, Mr. Percival, and others, their works, though of great science, are more adapted to the veterinary student, than to all persons interested in the proper management of the Horse. The prescriptions we have given will be found applicable to all the disorders to which they are attached, without a long hst of articles, which nine times out of ten operate one against the other. In classing the diseases of the Horse, we have somewhat differed from most writers, but it has been done to render the subject more intelligible to the unlearned reader. As this is a book of practice, of nearly twenty years experience, we have inserted nothing which is not based on real experience. Yi ;^ THE MODERN SYSTEM OF FAERIERY. PART I. INTRODUCTION, The very great discoveries made in the pre- sent century, have certainly extended to every art and science that could be materially im- proved by intense study and application; and, to none more than the administration of me- dicine, and its effects upon the human body, by some of the most learned men in every part of Europe ; and, from the rapid and univer- sally acknowledged improvements in this sys- tem, the most admirable advantages have been obtained, and incredible cures performed. In an age of such general refinements, the aricient mode of practice is not only exploded, but its origin and advocates nearly buried in oblivion. The voluminous herbals in the libra- ries of the botanical votaries, have been, in the late years of improvement in medical science, such as to render of little use or respect any pre- scription of ancient date, when put in competi- tion with the rational and improved system of modern improvements. Farriery, as well as human surgery, has now been obliged to yield and acquiesce in the change ; for what was not willing to be acknow- ledged, time, truth, and experience have fully confirmed, the very great danger to whiclv some of the finest Horses in the world were ex- posed, by the ignorance and obstinacy of those to whose care they were intrusted — even every stable boy had his remedy for almost every disease : but the education that is now to be obtained at the Royal Veterinary College of London, has introduced something like a rational system of rectification and improvement in farriery, to rescue from the danger of perpetual experiments and torture, the noblest and most valuable quadruped in the creation. It has been hitherto customary, in the intro- ductory part of works on the present subject, to enlarge upon the shape, make, figure, and qualifications of the Horse for the turf, field, road, &c. but, as we have given our opinion at some extent on this subject in the " Horseman's Monitor," it is needless to repeat it here; therefore. We shall confine ourselves to the diseases of the Horse, for which our work is intended. Much mulitfarious matter has constantly 8 THE MODERN SYSTEM been introduced relative to the age of the Horse by his mouth ; where, after all the obser- vations on the subject, it becomes an acknow- ledged fact by every writer, each sign is doubtful, and Uable to deception, and the various arts and designs of the dealers, who, by engraving and burning artificial marks in some teeth, and totally extracting others, render the Horse of any seeming age, most applicable to their purpose. And these faults cannot be easily discovered but by grooms or judges, who are in the con- stant habit and practice of making such re- marks and observations ; nor is there any matter relative to a Horse, requiring a nicer judgment, than to ascertain to a certainty the age by his teeth only, having absolutely seen two men of abilities and experience, on the opposite sides of a horse's mouth, at the same time declare him of different ages ; when, by exchanging sides, each changed his opinion, and the horse proved by the common rule, to be coming a year older on one side than the other. But, as the age of the horse is so distinctly abstracted from, and unconnected with, the description of disease which becomes more immediately the subject of discussion ; 1 shall leave the former to the subtle decision of the stable disputants, to whose province it may be said to belong, and whom it more materially concerns. THE HISTORY OF FARRIERY. The art and profession of the Farrier, which liave comprehended, from the earliest event to the present period, the Medical and Surgical Care of the Horse, as well as that of manu- facturing arid fitting him with shoes. These men, as labourers of iron, were origi- nally termed " ferriers," or •* farriers, from the Latin •woTdferrum, iron ; and their craft " fer- riery ; which word has since, either by a very usual corruption or improvement of ]angua,ge, been changed to " farriery." This term re- mains yet in general use, to its fullest extent, and not inaptly ; since, notwithstanding the laudable attempts of many enlightened men, at various periods, our blacksmiths form a very large majority of horse surgeons and physi- cians. Nor is such defect peculiar to this country, but it prevails in an equal degree throughout Europe ; even in Italy and France — countries which preceded us many centuries in Veterinary science, and from which indeed we have derived its elements. On the establishment of a College, about forty years since, for the instruction of pupils in animal medicine and surgery, under a French professor (Saintbel), we imported also from France the term veterinary, and the veterinary art has since been substituted for farriery by practitioners of liberal education. The sup- posed derivation of the term veterinary is from the participle vectum, of the Latin verb veho, to carry ; quasi, vecterinary, thence applied to the care of animals which carry, or beasts of burden. The change to veterinary was easy, and in course ; and if, according to the opinions of some, we ought to revert to the radical orthography, and write f err iery instead of farriery : a parity of reasoning, and desire of close adherence to the root, would induce us to retain the c, and pronounce the word vecterinary. It is easy to conceive what re- volutions in language such attempts would occasion if generally put in practice ; but by no means easy to discover the utility of a capricious and partial adoption of such change* in particular words. OF FARRIERY. 9 The term veterinary was originally used by the Latins (vegetius), and has a more exten- sive import than our farriery, which relates to the Horse solely ; whereas the former com- prehends the care, both in health and in a state of disease, of all those animals domesti- cated for the laborious service or the food of man. In a history of general science, those branches may, however, be properly consi- dered together. From the manifest great consequences of the services of the domestic animals to man, in a state of civilization, they have, from a very remote period of antiquity, been the object of his study and attention, both as to their ordi- nary management, and that which was requisite for them in a state of disease ; for the latter a peculiar system was formed, including a materia medica and general mode of treat- ment, considerably distinct from those in use with human patients. Of the authors of this system, whether Greek or Roman, nothing worth notice has been handed down beyond an occasional cita- tion of names, to be found in Colliimella, the Roman writer, who livetl in the reign of Tiberius, and treating at large on the general management of cattle ; and in Vegitius Rena- tus, who lived two centuries afterwards, and wrote more professedly on animal diseases. Both these authors have treated their subjects in elegant and classical Latin ; and the latter most particularly has urged, in very eloquent and forcible language, the necessity of a liberal cultivation of the veterinary art, as well on the score of profit as of humanity. It ought to be remembered, however, that neither of these authors had the benefit of any professional acquaintance with medicine . or surgery, obscure and imperfect as were those sciences in their days ; and that no ancient treatise on the diseases of animals, written by a professional man, has descended to posterity. Nor is this in the smallest degree to be re- gretted ; since we not only find, in the authors above-mentioned, a suflficient field for the sa- tisfaction of our curiosity, but also the most ample proofs of the irrationality of ancient principles and practice, and their total inappli- cability to modern occasions. On Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, no attempts at dis- covery or improvement are to be traced in those writers — a singular defect, considering the progress which had been made in Egypt and Greece, in both human and comparative anatomy. Celsus is the only physician of eminence among the ancients who is reported to have written on Veterinary Medicine, a part of his works which has not survived ; nor is it probable that the loss we have thereby suffered is very considerable. Xerio- phon is the oldest writer on record ; but his treatise is confined to the training and the management of the horse for war and the chase. With respect to the fragments of ancient Greek and Latin Veterinary writers, collected and published by Ruellius, Chief Marshal or Farrier, to Francis I. King of France, they appear to have been generally the works of military men, or other lovers of the Horse ; perhaps none of them were of the medical education. We learn from the works of one of them (Theomnestus), which is con- firmed also by others, that the ancients had a knowledge of the disease called the " glanders "' in Horses and other cattle, which was de nominated, in those days, " the moist malady." The chief merit of the ancient Veterinary writers consists in their dietetec rules and domestic management. They were in the 10 THE MODERN SYSTEM habit of purging their animals ; but, in other respects, their medical prescriptions appear to us an inconsistent and often discordant jumble of numerous articles, devoid either of rational aim or probable efficacy. In the operations of surgery, particularly in phlebotomy, and, in- deed, in various methods of manual treatment and control of their animals, the ancients were far more skilful : and what they have left on the symptoms, is of no consequence in the pre- sent advanced state of science, still it serves to demonstrate that they had not been inattentive observers of animal diseases, however inferior they might be in their mothods of cure. These ancient writers are yet to be esteemed superior, not only in learning and eloquence, but in pro- fessional utility, to the majority of their pupils of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth cen- turies. On the revival of learning in Europe, at the above periods, the works of the ancient Veteri- nary writers were eagerly sought after, and translated in Italy and France. At the same dawn of opening light and enthusiasm for the resuscitation and enlar2:ement of the bounds of useful science, the anatomy and physiology of the human body became the grand objects of pursuit in the Italian schools. Veterinary anatomy followed in course ; and the descrip- tive labours of Ruini and others, on the body of the Horse, have not only served for a ground- work to all the schools of Europe since, but succeeding discoveries and improvements, not- withstanding the vast advantage of a general diffusion of light, have not been hitherto suf- ficiently considerable to detract, in any eminent degree, from the well-earned fame of those early and original anatomists. Veterinary medicine was now generally cultivated, and, in some instances, under re- gular medical professors. Every branch of the equine economy, whether relative to har- ness and trappings, equitation and military menage, or riding the Horse, the methodical treatment of the hoof, with the invention of various forms of iron shoes, and their scientific adaptation, were pursued with general assiduitj and success. In this latter department, Caesar Fiaschi distinguished himself, and either in- vented or recommended the welted shoe, pro- posing a substitute for calkins and forknails, which, it appears, were then in use, as well as the lunette, or a short half-moon shoe, which, some few years ago, the learned Professor Coleman was a great advocate for. The new Veterinary science having diffused itself over a great part of the Continent, could scarcely fail of occasional communications with this country, where the care of diseased animals had been committed immemorially to leeches and farriers, persons generally belonging to the most illiterate class of society. It is pro- bable, that such comrauinications became fre- quent during the reigns of the first Tudors ; for we learn from Blundeville, who wrote ir the time of Elizabeth, that French and Ger- man farriers were not only employed by the Queen, but, in general, by the nobility and gentry of the country. Yet, our improvements in this country, in consequence of foreign aid, with regard to the medical and surgical branches at least, were by no means great, extending our view from the period of which we now speak, to the earlier part of the eighteenth century. No medical name appears during that long interval upon our Veterinary list, nor any one of the smallest scientific pretension ; we mean as far as respects the medical, anatomical, or surgical branches ; that of Snape excepted, OF FARRIERY. II who was farrier to Charles II., and whose family, it appears by his book, had served the crown in that capacity upwards of two hundred years. Snape's anatomy of the Horse proves him to have been a well-in- formed farrier. His anatomical system, ar- rangements, and nomenclature, were, of course, drawn from the Italian school ; but he dis- sected, and his descriptions were confirmed by his own observations. His numerous plates are bold, accurate, and handsomely executed. Whether or not he published the book of cures which he promised, we are uninformed ; but he was, doubtless, far better qualified for that task than those of his profession upon whom that branch of the Veterinary art un- fortunately devolved. Stephens, Martin, Clif- ford, Morgan, were very early writers among the leeches and farriers. The book of Mascal, farrier to James I. is most laughably illiterate ; and we cannot help wondering with a late author how such a book could possibly pass through numerous editions in a learned age, and which even possessed learned and rational books on the same subject. The above list may be concluded with De Gray, and the celebrated Gervase Markham, a cotemporary of Blundeville, who continued to publish until after the Restoration, and whose works were stuffed with every absurd, barbarous, and abominable juggling trick, as well as with every usefid invention which had issued from the brains of either ancients or moderns. As a specimen of the medical part of the horse- leech craft of Markham, he prescribes human ordure in certain cases for the Horse, both ex- ternally and internally. Yet this man's works had a most rapid and universal sale, and con- tinued in repute until the days of Gibson, and even long afterwards, among the country leeches and farriers. It must be allowed ihat Markhams book contained the fullest detail of the practice of the farrier, with a delineation of his instruments, not materially different from those of the present day. Blundeville wrote sensibly and respectably on the general subject of the Horse, according to the continental, the then fashionable prac- tice. Baret, in the succeeding reign, that of James I., wrote a learned treatise, entitled, "An Hipponomie, or the Vineyard of Horse- manship," in which he ably, and from obvious great experience, discusses all the relative branches, including the principles and practice of racing, and of that system of equitation pe- culiar to, and so generally prevalent in this country. The huge folio of the Duke of New- castle gives us the regular management of the Horse from the continental schools, with an ac- count of the different races of the animal ; in which his Grace was a connoisseur of high celebrity. Throughout, the same internal Veterinary science in France seems to have remained almost exclusively in the hands of the marshals or farriers, amongst whom Solloysel was the most celebrated writer of the seventeenth cen- tury ; his works were afterwards abridged and translated into English by Sir William Hope. Until the reign of George I. the medical care of Horses and other domestic animals was confined entirely to the class of farriers, leeches, and cow doctors. Considering the superior value of animals in this country, the former neglect of them would appear astonishing, did it not subsist at this moment in so considerable a degree ; and that from causes easily ascer- tainable, but with difficulty to be surmounted. The medical system of the farriers, as de- 12 THE MODERN SYSTEM livered in their books, formed a strange medley of ancient metaphysical notions, blended with deductions from the vague and uncertain ex- perience of illiterate men. Much of it seemed the result of mere ignorance and caprice, no little of pure distraction. For example, in a case oi farcy. Dr. Gray orders the medicine to be administered to the ears of the Horse, and stretched up therein. In case of lameness, a turf was to be cut and secreted ; and, in proportion as the turf de- cayed and wasted, so would the lameness ! Various of their operations, in which no shadow of reason or possible utility seems discernible, were pursued with measures of horrible barbarity : for example, in Markham, the cure by the fire, or knife, for the falling of the crest I These men seem to have exhausted their wits in the discovery of ingenious and knowing feats of cruelty ; and it is a phrase with Markham, " Other torments there are." The art of shoeing the Horse had retrograded from the original practice of the Italian far- riers, which, however imperfect, yet formed a sufficient outline for a rational system. It had become the universal practice to -pare away the frog and soles of the Horse's foot ; and, by way of making amends for such loss of sub- stance, to substitute a shoe of massive iron, so long as to project beyond the heels. It must, however, be acknowledged, that a far moie rational practice obtained amongst those who had the superintendance of that peculiar species of Horses appropriated to the business of the turf, not only with respect to shoeing, but every other branch of management; and, as the foreign and racing species has been the grand source of improvement for our British saddle and coach breeds, so the jockey system of equitation, and general treatment of the Horse, allowing its progressively amending defects, has ever possessed a characteristic and acknowledged superiority in this country. Such was the state of farriery and Veteri- nary practice in the early part of the eighteenth century, when the former, or Horse medicine and surgery, attracted the attention of William Gibson who had acted in Queen Anne's war* as an army surgeon, and appears by his writ- ings to have been a man of much practical knowledge and sound judgment. He was the first professional man who at- tempted to improve Veterinary science, which he effected in a plain and popular way ; grounded on the analogy between the human and brute physiology, of course between the human and animal medicine. The appearance of Gibson's book on far- riery, forms an era in Veterinary annals ; and his system in fundamentals has ever been, and is at this moment, the basis of our superior Veterinary practice. He lived to publish a new edition of his chief work, about the middle of the eighteenth century. Dr. Bracken, a physician of Lancaster, a vulgar, desultory, captious, and petulant writer, yet a profound and enlightened reasoner, and of great ability in his profession, in a few years followed the laudable example of Gibson, and turned his attention to Veterinary medicine. He was an excellent practical judge of the animal on which he treated ; and his work on farriery is a standard with respect to the jockey, or peculiar English system — a branch which had been left untouched by Gibson. Bartlet, a surgeon in Bow-street, Covent- garden, was a most respectable, intelligent, and useful compiler from Gibson and Bracken, whose labours he circumscribed and improved. He also first introduced the new, but Iiypotlie- OF FARRIERY. 13 ticai and impracticable, system of short shoe- ing, which had then lately been promulgated in France by La Fosse, a farrier of consider- able science, and a great practical Veterinary anatomist. Bartlet candidly gave the rules of La Fosse for shoeing Horses, without pretend- ing to any great practical knowledge of the subject ; and these rules, speculative as they were, had yet the beneiicial effect of operating a considerable improvement on English prac- tice. Fortunately, the affair was soon after taken in hand by William Osmer, a surgeon and a sportsman, who had great practical know- ledge of the Horse, and particularly of the race- horse ; that species which, while it improves every other, requires the greatest attention, and in an especial manner with regard to shoe- ing and the treatment of the feet. Osmer commenced Veterinaiy surgeon, and published an excellent and practical, although whimsi- cally written book, on horse-shoeing, in which he reduced the speculative rules of La Fosse to the standard of his own and of English ex- perience. His book has not probably been hitherto excelled in point of utility ; and being- written in a plain and popular way, is adapted to the capacities of shoeing-smiths. The Earl of Pembroke also wrote a short and excellent treatise on the same subject. Practical horse-shoeing, and care of the feet, and on the education of the military Horse. Berenger, about the same time, published a respectable work on the grand manage. Mr. Clarke, the king s farrier for Scotland, has two valuable treatises on shoeing, and on the prevention of the diseases of Horses. The eighteenth century was abundantly fruitful in Veterinary pursuits and publications. France took the lead ; but a zeal foi- the im- D provement ol this branch of science also per- vaded in Germany, and the nortliei n states ; and colleges were established in various coun- tries, wherein the science has been since regularly cultivated. Baron Haller collated the various continental writers on black cattle and sheep : another catalogue of them may also be found in the Giournal di Literati of Italy. Since these collections, the number of Veterinary writers has been immense on the continent, not improbably for a reason already assigned. Few, or none of them, have been translated into our language, excepting de- tached parts of the works of the eminent French writers La Fosse and Bourgelat. Our late professor Saintbel was a disciple of these celebrated Veterinarians. But the contiiieiutal Veterinary system is not altogether calculated for the practice of this country. One great proof of which presents itself in the failure of the celebrated method of shoeing by La Fosse. The French have improved the anatomical and surgical branches of the Veterinary art, rather than the medical ; the English have made the greatest improvements in the latter : it is not improbably a parallel case with respect to hu- man medicine. We now come to the establishment of a Veterinary college at St. Pancras, London, in 1792, for the treatment of the diseases of all domestic animals. But it is to be lamented, that the liffht of Veterinary science has hitherto shined but dimly and imperfectly o» domestic animals in general, excepting th* Horse. A great number of Veterinary publi cations have issued from the press within this last period : from the tw o professors Saintbei and Coleman, Mr. Bracy Clark, Messrs. \V hit*t of the neck, the chest, particularly between the fore legs, down the arms, knees, and the sinews and fetlocks, and well rub out tlie dirt from the heels, where you could not get your curry-comb : proceed on in the order of his carcase, on the back, sides, belly, croup, and so on to his hind legs, wiiich clean as carefully as the fore ones ; you then whisp his off side in the same manner, only chang- ing the whisp from the left to the right hand. You now proceed to brush your Horse over, after having first cleaned your brush well Nvith the curry-comb, begin at the croup or rump, and well brush the Horse's body backwards and forwards, the brush being in the left hand ; for the near side, work your way up in all parts as before, and finish at the top of the neck ; then in leaving it, brush the Hor>e the straight way of the hair, and finish at the near fetlock and heel behind : the same operation must be gone through on the offside, changing the brush to I he right hand. Now, many stable-men attend most to those places that are most conspicuous to the eye, such as tiie fall of the neck, the shoulders, and hind quar- ters ; these places shine the most, and they do not fail to point out these to you, and say how well they look, which may satisfy some per- sons, but a judge will not be deceived by external appearances, lie expects the parts not immediately in view to be equally attended to. After the brushing, which causes much of the dust to be floating about, and a part of it will again settle on the Horse, you should ha\ e a linen cloth to wipe him over with, the linen cloth being much easier washed than any other article ; with this you wipe him all over, beginning, as with the whisp or brush, at the iiead, and so proceeding to every part , which, being done, > on put on his cloatlis before you finish with his head, mane, tail, and legs, that the Horse may not chill or take cold while you are about them. J would have it understood, I am only treating on the method to be pursued in tiie F 22 THE MODERN SYSTExM hackney stable, and not in the racing and hunting stable, though there is very little difference in treating the hunter and the hack, except it be in a greater additiou of clothing and more dressing, the days he may be laying at rest. The cloth being properly on without wrin- kles, but perfectly smooth, and that especially under the roller, loosen the Horse's head, take off his stall-collar, and turn him round in the stall, to give his head and ears a complete rubbing and brushing, which was not so practicable with the stall-collar on. You now brush his head over in every part, particu- larly at the root of the ears, and under the throat; then after, with your dusting cloth, rub and wipe him well ; then pull his ears through your hands, observing they are clean and soft, and moderately cool ; then comb out his mane and foretop, then with a sponge or water-brush, wet the top or roots of the mane, and pass a small cloth for that purpose over it : this cloth being passed from the near side at the top of the mane, and pulled over to the off side, will make the mane lay smooth. You next put on his stall collar, and comb out his tail, wipe away any dirt or filth that may be remaining under the tail with a wet vsponge, and after with your cloth. The Horse's feet are next to be examined, and the dung and litter picked clean out, and if necessary must be washed. And, lastly, the legs are to be rubbed with a clean loose whisp of straw in each hand ; for which purpose, you should go down on both knees, pass the whisp down the legs and tendons, then finish with passing your hands down in like manner, to feel that they are smooth, and no particles of the straw or thistles, which might be Among it, adhei-e or stick in the hair. These rubbings will increase the circulation, and, consequently, will promote the absorption of any fluid that may be detained in those parts, which too frequently occasion swelled legs ; and, if neglected, the heels may crack, and produce grease, which, with a little extra trouble, may at all times be prevented. The morning's business of the stable being thus completed, the Horse will require nothing until noon. Before I proceed further, I shall show the reasons for feeding the hackney ; for I would not have it understood, that this is the manner to feed for extraordinary cases, or hunters. A hackney should be always ready to perform ordinary work, with ease to himself, and com- fort to his rider. I account it moderate exercise for a good hackney, to go thirty or forty miles an end, without drawing bit, at the rate of from eight to ten miles an hour ; this I call ordinary work : but to gallop twenty miles, or trot sixteen in an hour, I call extraordinary work, which re- quires a Horse to go through a regular mode of training. But to return. At noon, give him the like quantity of hay as in the morning, and his feed of corn : set the stable fair, that is, put his litter to rights and remove the dung. This is all that is necessary till watering time, which is about four o'clock, at which time, you strip the horse, and brush him well over. I have had lads that could hardly be per- suaded of the necessity of thi?, alleging that they had cleaned them perfectly well in the morning ; that the Horse had not been out ot the stable, and that the clothing prevented dust from settling on hem ; therefore, they could not conceive the necessity of it ; and maay others may be of the same opinion : but OF FARRIERY. k^ liie imperceptible perspiration, which is always going- on, occasions a scruf, which the Horse is much relieved by ha\'ing it removed ; besides, stripping the cloths off, and brushing him over, greatly refreshes the Horse, and puts the blood into a freer circulation. Wipe your Horse down as before, finishing with rubbing his legs, which must never be omitted, comb- ing the mane and tail, &c., then watering. If there is not a probability of the Horse going out, let him have a greater quantity of water than in the morning, and if he be not a greedy Horse for water, he will not drink more than will do him good ; but, if you perceive his belly gets too large, and he appears washy, you must allowance him. Set your stable fair, and you have done until the final doing up for the night. At about eight o'clock go to your stable, and finish for the night. You must now give him his remaining allowance of hay, being double what you gave in the morning, and his remaining feed of corn. You give more abund- antly at night, because it will be in so forward a state of digestion in the morning, as not to occupy so much room, which, when working, would press upon the lungs, and, consequently, distress the wind ; this will be a guide how you should vary it upon particular occasions, so as to have your Horse in good heart and spirits, but empty, when wanted for expe- ditious purposes. The last thing, is making up the beds, and setting all fair. Now, in making up the beds, you contrive to lay all the worst of the litter hi the middle or bottom, where the Horse is most likely to spoil it ; in throwing down the litter you placed behind the Horse in the ^lorning, reserve the cleanest and driest part mit exercise, not finding time for it. Gentlemen do not like to see or know boys are permitted to ride their horses ; and without they keep grooms of their own, their Horses will go short of exercise. Consider, then, those Horses that are con- fined in a livery-stable from week's end to week's end, and many stables confined and filthy ; if they are sometime /noved about which they call exercise, it it; ,in a ride, per- haps, fifty or sixty yards long, made up of 24 THE MODERN SYSTEM litter and dung, with a smoking dung-hill at some part of" it, so that the Horse literally breathes only air strongly impregnated with the evapo- ration of dung. I think, frequently, it is sur- prising they are so well as they are. The disorders it brings on them are principally cough, not improperly called a stable cough, also weakness in the legs, so that they fre- quently make a drop, as it is termed ; various humorial diseases, such as swelled legs, grease, farcy, and, in all probability, inflamed lungs and glanders. At their best, when they look plump and well to the eye, they are faint, and what is termed foggy, and unable to perform more than would be common exercise for Horses in condition. Since, therefore, exercise and air are so beneficial, let us consider in what manner exercise should be given, this is to be regu- lated according: to circumstances. Where Horses work two or three days in the week, the resting days require no more than airing exercise, for every Horse should have at least two days in the week, such work or exercise that will give him a good sweating ; this throws out through the pores of the skin, what might lodge in the system and create diseases ; it likewise frees the Horse of the scurf, adhering to the skin, and occasions the coat to look fine ; those days, therefore, that the Horse is not wanted for work, he must be exercised for the fresh air, which is bracing and strengthening to his limbs, refreshes the body, and creates appetite ; and the early part of the day is preferable for this, but in wet weather you must embrace the best opportunity you can. It but one Horse be kept by a gentleman, crUer his groom, as soon as the stable has t'eeo cleaned out in the morning, which is while the Horse is eating his first {eed, brush him over, and put on his exercising saddle and bridle ; in cold weather, if you only intend walking him, you may keep the cloth or sheet on him under the saddle ; in warm weather I do not recommend it, for, though a Horse's coat may be something the finer by being kept warm, yet he is certainly the more liable to take cold when he is necessarily deprived of it. The most open and airy places should be taken for exercise, and this is the most favoui'able opportunity to improve a Horse's walk, for when he has only walking exercise, you should at least walk him two hours, which will be sufficient ; and by aiming to extend his walk, you may greatly improve it ; thus, you exercise the Horse and improve him at the same time. At your return thoroughly clean him, give him his feed, &c. If you had convenience, or opportunity, while you were out, you might give him his water. If a Horse is hearty, and inclined to flesh, J would rather recommend the like exercise in the afternoon, where persons have time and convenience, than to shorten his feed for that purpose, it would be much better for the Horse ; but every one cannot allow the time to be so taken up, for it would be nearly equal to training, and may not be thought necessary ; it is more than the generality of Horses require, and many inferior-bred Horses, who look well to the eye, cannot for a continuance stand the ordinary work that a Horse has in training ; such is the amazing difference of Horses : if you enquire of training grooms, concerning some high bred colt or other^ why he is not brought out, they will answer " he would not stand his training ;' though, I think, in a great many ciises, training is screwed up to too tight a pitch in the present day. OF FARRIERY. 25 Should the Horse's work be so moderate as not to occasion a sweat, I think it beneficial, about twice a week, to give exercise strong enough to sweat him ; this may be done in the pace he is mostly rode in, that he may be practised and improved in it ; if he be admired for his trot, it would be wrong to gallop him, which might unsettle him in his esteemed pace, therefore, trot him out for the space of two miles to bring him to a comfortable sweat, and walk him back ; thus, you extend his limbs, supple his muscles, and strengthen his ligaments and tendons ; for we know not our strength, unless we are put to it; inactivity debilitates, and over exertion may sprain and weaken, but moderate exertion is good both for man and beast. Sweating of Horses occasions considerable labour to clean, and indolent grooms, and those who have several Horses to look after, avoid this part of their business as much as possible : some would persuade you, there was no neces- sity for it, but reason and experience teach us otherwise. When a Horse comes in from work or exer- cise, if in a sweat, or wet and dirty with sloppy roads and rain, they should not be left until made completely dry, clean, and comfort- able : some Horses, in good condition, will rub dry and clean in a short time, but others, with long and curly coats, and some from constitution or ill condition are a long time getting dry ; hence, of late years, clipping has been intro- duced ; but this I am decidedly opposed to, as it is to be prevented altogether by good grooming ; besides, dipt Horses are apt so frequently to take cold, if hunters, especially of a slack day. 1 have known an industrious groom to work at a Horse for four hours, and noc leave him until perfectly dry, while others will cover them with a cloth, and leave them to dry, before they will clean them*. Much depends on the habit the Horse has been used to, constitution, condition, &c., whether the Horse will take injury from being left in his wet and dirt ; but those Horses that have been properly groomed, having all care taken of them to keep their coats fine, and on all occa- sions made dry and comfortable, would be liable to take cold, which might be the fore- runner of other diseases, if neglected at these times. PHYSICKING AND BLEEDING. Some persons are fond of physicking or bleeding their Horses, when there is no ap- parent cause or reason for it. Grooms, in general, take upon themselves to bleed and physic at their own discretion ; it is therefore necessary to assign some reason, and to shew when, and for what purpose, such methods are to be pursued. It is best to pursue such methods as to preclude the necessity of either ; for, with proper feeding, exercising, and groom- ing, there will seldom be occasion for physic, but sloth or idleness is the parent of disease ; and thus it happens with Horses, when they are well fed, and have little or no work (Horses not being intended to stand in a stall, and fatten -ike a bullock), the blood-vessels get filled, and overcharged, and a partial stagna- * My old friend, Jeremiah Hawkins, Esq., of the Haw, in Gloucestershire, and, I beheve, the oldest member of the Berkeley Hunt, has a brown Horse, which he has ridden to my Lord Seagrave's hounds about twenty-six years, and always keeps him turned out winter and summer; and on coming home, after ever so hard a day's sport, the old fellow, after he has had a feed of corn, is immediately turned out. I think, if I remember right, he is called Old George. 26 THE MODERN SYSTEM tion takes place, so that the economy of the whole system becomes obstructed, and cannot perform their several functions ; the stomach cannot digest its contents, the lungs become oppressed, and have not that free expansion they require ; consequently, if timely relief be not given, a catalogue of disorders must ensue, for nature always strives to unburthen herself in some way or other. When any symptoms of approaching illness or disorder appears, which may discover itself in various ways, such as refusing his food, languor or dullness, heaviness of the eyes, heat in the mouth, swelling of the legs, itchings, breakings out in various parts, &c., it then will, in general, be proper to bleed, as a check, and also to lessen the irritability of the system, which will arrest the advancing malady ; in these cases bleed according to size, constitution, and nature of the Horse's foreboding attack. If a Horse be very fat, you must not take the quantity from him as if in good working condition ; for his fat, in the first place, debilitates him, and then taking blood in large quantities still increases the debile state. I have frequently known fat Horses fall, in consequence of five or six quarts of blood being taken from them at a time, the idea impressed having been, that because he was fat, he could lose so much more blood. If, on showing any of the pre- ceding named symptoms, and he happens to be over-loaded with fat, be exceedingly cauti- ous of bleeding, as to abstracting too great a quantity ; but with Horses in condition for work, you may take five or six quarts without the least fear. In bleeding, sometimes, after pinning up the orifice, you may perceive the Horse shake himself; you then may be assured you have gained your object, as when this occurs, it is a favourable omen that you have reduced that inflammatory action that tvas going on in the system. But if you compare symptoms and circum- stances together, to account for, if possible, trie cause of complaint; if the Horse has been well kept, consequently full of flesh, and little or no work; for 1 do not call walking a Horse about to stretch his limbs (which lazy grooms will do, and are afraid of sweating them, be- cause of the trouble of cleaning them), sufficient to keep a Horse in health ; you may reasonably conclude, the blood-vessels are prevented from performing their natural functions, and evacu- ations must relieve them. In this case, I prefer a course of alteratives to violently phy- sicking Horses ; it being less dangerous, and more compatible with the opinion of my late respected friend, John Abernethy, who used to observe, '' 1 do not like bullying any man's guts into good order." It may so happen, that a Horse over-fed and too little worked, may not discover any symptoms until after a day's riding, and work as some would call it, and from that circum- stance, you might at first not attribute it to the want of exercise ; but in this you deceive yourself, for disease, or the seeds of disease, might have been lurking in the Horse, and could not develope themselves until the Horse was put to unusual exertion, which might cause the discovery sooner than otherwise it would. if the Horse has been in regular work or exercise, young and tender constitutions will sicken at unusual exertion, which is termed, taking too much out oj him; in this case, the loss of a little blood, with two or three days rest, will restore him. But, sometimes taking too much blood, and, at the same time, when the Horse is very hot, suffering him to cool too OF FARRIERY. 27 fast, will, in all probability, instead of decreas- ing', increase any inflammatory disposition the system may be susceptible of ; but if you notice at the first, that the Horse does not dung, or empty himself freely, as Horses generally do when in health, this will draw your attention to the Horse, and he must have speedy relief, to prevent disease coming on in a more dangerous form *. ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HUNTERS. After what has been said in the preceding article, there remains to be noticed the method to get your hunters into condition, and the care and management of them through the season. Hunters are usually turned into good grass after the season is over, though a great deal has been said by "Nimrod" against such a practice ; still I have seen its good effects as oflen as stabling them ; and, perhaps, it is a sood thins: that we should not all be of the same opinion, and, for this reason, we cannot always tell how to draw the line ; one man may have convenience to stable his hunters all the summer, and ten others not ; consequently, an additional expence would be incurred, and pounds, shillings, and pence, is a material ob- ject of the present day, and with those who it would be the least suspected. But as this treatise on the management of hunters is for the use of hunting men in general, I shall go upon general principles, which I know to be correct, and the manner in which I have treated my own Horses. Grass, it is well known, be it of ever so good * We beg to inform our readers, that when we come to treat of diseases to which the Horse is liable, we shall not *'orget to instruct them how to act in the above cases. in quality, is not a substantial food, it is cooling and opening ; and though it makes a Horse fleshy, it, nevertheless, is not that description of flesh as the Horse could work on : if you were to attempt to gallop him to that excess, as you are necessitated when hunting, you would find the Horse faint and weak, the fat that had accumulated in the cellular mem- branous cavities, which intersect the muscle all over the body, would evaporate in the form of a white lathering sweat ; and, if checked, might produce inflammation of the lungs, and the Horse become a subject for the knackers ; therefore, the first thing to be done to alter this state of the system in the best and most expeditious manner, is to bleed and physic, but that with caution, always paying great attention to the constitution of the Horse. No person has a greater aversion to bleeding and physicking than myself I have been always in the habit of treating my own Horses much after the same maiwier that I would myself; which was, never to take medicine unless I perceived an absolute neces- sity for it ; for I have made a remark, that all medical men that I have been intimate with (and I have known a great many), have prescribed medicine to their patients for the most trifling complaints, but took none them- selves, unless they were extremely ill, and thought there was some danger. Judging I must be right in following their example, I, therefore, never take medicine myself, or administer it to my Horses, unless I am fully persuaded there is a real necessity for it : however, to return to our subject. In the case of Horses being taken up from grass, the warmth of the stable is very apt to make them have an inclination to itch, and. 28 THE MODERN SYSTEM consequently, rub themselves a great deal. When Horses are so inclined, bleeding is liighly neceissary : but we will first proceed o shoeing the Horse, and then give our instructions how to proceed in their due course. The first thing, therefore, to be done, is to get the Horse shod, for Horses usually have their shoes taken off when turned out to grass, and, if not, they generally become loose before they are taken up ; then bleed, accord- ing to the size of the Horse, from two to four quarts of blood will be sufficient, and let him stand quiet, with his head tied up to the rack, without food of any kind for three or four hours. While he is full of grass, he will not drink much water, but after living on dry food, he will drink plentifully if you let him. There is no necessity for your stinting him in water until he has taken his physic. His coat will be exceedingly foul, and full of nits, therefore, he will require some good dressings ; the opening his coat, and taking the dirt out, will require him to be clothed : buckle a cloth on vith a good broad roller, pretty tight, to assist in reducing the size of his belly ; and if he has been in the stable three or four days, and emptied the grass out of him, you may give him his first dose of physic ; preparatory tt which, the day on which he takes his medicine, keep him on cold bran mashes ; then, at night, say an hour before you last visit the stable, give him his medi- cine*. Having done this, either tie him up * My motive for giving medicine at night is this; some Horses having weakly constitutions, the medicine is apt to gripe them, which, on the following day, will be perceplibh-, and with this advantage, it will occur in the day lime, when every Horse may have good attention from any quarter you think proper. close, or put on a muzzle, so that he be kept without food all night ; this will, on giving him a little exercise in the morning, occasion his medicine to operate much quicker than any other way. Immediately on returning to stable, give the Horse a handful of the best hay you have (first having offered him some chilled water to drink), and a bran mash slightly warmed ; for, from the sickness occa- sioned by the medicine, Horses are sometimes with difficulty to be persuaded to eat any thing warm during the operation of physic ; but in such cases, I have invariably horned down about two quarts of gruel at intervals, which has restored the tone of the stomach in a short time. This treatment, and good hay, is the only food necessary till his physic is set, as it is termed, that is, done working ; were you to give more substantial food, it might lessen the effect or operation of the physic, or be thrown out whole and undigested ; conse- quently, it is best not to give any. I would here caution the gentleman or the groom, to be certain that the quality of the drugs, of which the medicine is composed, are genuine and good. I do not know a more serious evil, than the compounding of medi- cines with bad and cheap drugs ; and I have experienced this evil very considerably when in the country ; for, when I have sent a pre- scription to be made up, whether it has been from the ignorance of the quality of the drugs, they might have had imposed upon them- selves, or whether from avarice, thinking a cheap or spurious article might do for a Horse, I will not pretend to say ; but physic, prepared with bad materials, not only deceives and disappoints you, but may do infinite mis- chief, even tho loss of the Horse, be it ever so valuable; theref(»re, I recommend you to OF FARRIERY. 29 procnrp your physic of persons who are res- pectable, and that prepare great quantities. It is most likely, from their using large quanti- ties, that it is not prepared with stale drugs, and also from experience, they are good judges of the quality : but, giving a Horse-prescrip- tion to an apothecary, or a country druggist, it is likely to be made up of drugs that have been years in his shop, and, perhaps, originally, not of the best quality. By the continued use of one person's physic, you will become acquainted with its strength and quality, and may, with confidence, if you think necessary, for either small, young, or weakly Horses, diminish the dose, suitable to the constitution you wish give it to. Every groom should be expert and handy in giving a ball ; for there is an art in giving a Horse a ball, which a looker-on cannot easily discover ; and, it being a material thing to give it well, I shall point out such particulars as may assist the young practitioner. The generality of things may be done with deliberation, but the giving a ball must be done expert and quick ; if not, it becomes dis- agreeable to the Horse, and difficult to the operator. A balling-iron is frequently used by those who are not expert at it, and it may be best for those who are not in the habit of giving balls ; but those who are accustomed to give balls, will do it as well, and sooner, without. First, you should be certain you are tall enough to reach, should the Horse raise his head before you make the attempt ; if so, you must stand on something to raise you. Let the person who stands on the near side, and holds the Horse's mouth open, put the ball partly into your waistcoat pocket, so much remaining out, that you easily take hold of it when you have drawn the Horse's tongue out. Stand before the Horse, and take the farthest hold of the tongue with your left hand, draw- ing as much out of the mouth as it will admit, and in such manner, that you are able to press it against his grinders, which effectually pre- vents him from shutting his mouth, folding your right hand in as small a compass as you can, hold the ball at the extreme end with the three first fingers, and put it over the root of the tongue, thrusting it as far as you can; withdraw your hand, and let go the tongue, and bridle the nose in a little, to prevent his coughing it up : you must wait patiently uatil you see it pass down, and be very attentive, for you cannot be too certain of having seen him swallow it. If he hesitates to swallow it, elevate his head a little, and again bridle in the nose, and that will occasion him to s\^al- low ; for isonie Horses will, if you are not mindful, hold the ball at the top of the throat, till you loosen the head, and then cough it up again ; or it may be lodged at the extremity of the grinders, you will perceive him chewing it, and at last put it out of his mouth. 1 have seen awkward persons spoil several balls, before they could put one fairly dowii : if you are not expert, the Horse will make the more resistance. Water may be given, as much as he will drink; warm water will occasion the physic to operate the sooner, if he will drink it ; but, as before stated, give gruel, if he refuse the tepid water ; and after a few hours, give water that has been standing in the stable some hours, the raw chill will then be taken off, and will not hurt him. If the physic be prepared without calomel, or other mercurials, which is not proper medicine for conditioning of Horses, on such occasions cold water should never be 30 THE MODERN SYSFEM given. If all things go on well, and as much to your wish as possible, you must noi strip his cloth off, nor dress him till his physic has done working, which generally will be about the third day. While his physic is operating, you must not take him out, though, if you have convenience, you may put him in a loose box, which will afford him exercise quite sufficient until his physic is set : be careful in keepin i; his hocks, legs, and thighs clean, for at timt-s, the discharge is very irritating. When the physic has so operated, as to keep the body open for about twenty-four hours, giving him copious and loose stools, you may forbear using means of promoting further operation ; let him stand until his dung is set, you may then give him his corn, strip, and dress him well ; the next day take him out, and give him gentle exercise. About the sixth or seventh day from the time lie took his first dose, you may admini.sfer the second, ordering the Horse as directed before, and again letting the same time elapse between : you may then give the third dose, which, in general, is sufficient to thoroughly cleanse the Horse from that faint or foul con- dition which green food naturally occasions ; and then you will, by proper diet and exercise, get him into wind and condition for hunting : but before I proceed with that part, I shall make some further remarks on physic. I have noticed the manner of ordering a Horse in physic, under the circumstances of the physic properly operating and going on right ; but from various causes, it may so happen that physic does not take a proper, or the expected effect. If physic does not operate in the space of thirty-six hours, some reasons snould be a-ssigned for it. Now, it may pro- ceed from the quality of the physic, it not being good , or it might arise from the ball not being completely administered; for when a ball is not adeptly given, and the Horse gets part of it in his teeth, he may only swallow a part, which you perceiving to pass, may be therewith satisfied, and the residue may be dropped in his litter, and never after be dis- covered ; or it may proceed from the habit or constitution of the Horse, not being easily moved, so that he may require a stronger dose ; and some Horses will keep physic longer in them before it operates than others. Whatever the reason may be, I should not be in haste to administer another dose, until I had used the ordinary expedients, and waited to observe the effects. When physic does not operate in the space of thirty-six hours, keep the Horse warm, for that will assist the operation, and administo about a quart of gruel, into which put about a pint of mild ale ; warm and horn it down ; then, in a quarter of an hour afterwards, let him be moved about at a brisk walk, or gentle trot, but not sufficient to heat the Horse, or in anywise make him sweat. At night, give him a moderately warm mash, into which put about a handful of ground malt ; and if it does not operate the next morning, I should tlien be inclined to doubt whether he had really taken the physic, unless the Horse had appeared sick, which you will perceive by his being heavy and dull, and refusing his hay ; on the other hand, a soft evacuation only, and that may be in consequence of the warm gruel or mash you might have given him. But if he throws out a copious thin stool, having been sick with it, you may conclude, he had all of his physic, or, at least, llie greater part; yet, if his body is not kept open four and twenty hours, having several copious evacuations, f OF FARRIERY . 31 consider his physic not to be sufficiently strong, and sliould increase my next dose accordingly ; for, in general, the first dose of physic operates the most ; I, therefore, increase the second dose a little, if I think necessary, and, particu- larly if I do not exactly know the constitution of the Horse, it being safer to under-do than over-do it ; and by the second dose I can pretty well judge what his constitution will bear, and, of course, proportion the dose ac- cordingly. On the other hand, it sometimes happens, that physic is too powerful, owing to various causes, sometimes the constitution or habit of the Horse's body ; it may, at the time of ad- ministering physic, be weaker than at other times ; and sometimes the drugs may be of a deleterious nature, or a mixture of all the odments the shop can produce, melted to- gether, which is exceedingly injurious: in these cases, you will observe the Horse only partially purge, accompanied by a kind of in- voluntary discharge, and running down his hind quarters underneath, and all down his hocks and legs in a continual wet and slimy condition : you must mind and keep the Hoise still, and take great care he does not at tliis period take cold, wiping him as dry and clean as you possibly can. The evacuations being of a very sharp and acrimonious nature, if you find the purging does not abate in its due course of time, proper remedies must be given, or the bowels may become so much irritated, that superpurgation may be the con- sequence. The best thing you can give him is rice gruel, which is made in the following manner : — take a large tea-cup-full of rice, put it in a good sized saucepan, and boil until the rice is perfectly soft, with two quarts of water. If the whole of the water be ab-orbed by the rice, put in two quarts more, and when this boils, take it off the fire, and strain it through a piece of tamis, squeezing the rice as much as you can. When this is done, break up your rice as fine as possible, and put it back into the gruel ; when at a proper heat, give the Horse about half, and in about an hour tlie remainder. You must desist from oivins: him bran mashts, but give him dry and strength- ening food, if he will eat; if the first quantity of rice gruel does not have the desired eflect, repeat it. You may improve this gruel by dissolving an ounce of gum arable, and give with it, which will tend to remove the irrita- bility, and, at the same time, strengthen the stomach, if impaired by the excessive opera- tion of the purging medicine. When the purging has been thus excessive, I should let a clear week elapse from the time the dung was set, before I gave another dose, to let the stomach and intestines recover their lost tone, occasionally giving the dissolved gum-arabic in his water, which will greatly assist that purpose. You must, consequently, be mindful that your next dose must be less in quantity. Horses having gone through their physic, you proceed, by proper exercise and d'et, to get tiiem into wind and condition for hunting. Your physicking now has taken between three and four weeks, to get the Horses cleansed from their soft foggy food, and now, about the same space of time is allowable to get the fle.sh firm, the coat clean, the limbs strength ened by exercise, and the wind improved by suitable management of diet and exercise foi that purpose. As you have been at so much pains to cleanse the body of soft and foggy food, you must now be careful that nothing but clean wholesome food shall be given the Horse. 32 THE MODERN SYSTEM For this purpose, you must be provided with a rack-rein and muzzle, which must be alter- nately used, when the one is taken off, the other should be put on : for instance, you put on the muzzle when you wish or expect the Horse to lay down ; consequently, you put it on at leaving- the stable at night ; this is to prevent him eating- his litter, which some Horses will do even when it is very foul : and when fresh litter is given, many Horses will prefer it to their hay: and though clean straw is not injurious to Horses that are not required to gallop much, yet hunters and racers are not permitted to eat it, because it oppresses the wind. The rack-rein is an iron chain, fixed at the head of the stall, which passes through a ring sewed in front of the nose-band of the stall-collar ; it is fastened in the same manner as a dog's chain to the ring in the collar, and, when dressing the Horse, you can, after pass- ing it through the collar, fasten him as short as you think proper ; but, at other times, the chain must be long enough to permit the Horse to feed out of his rack, or out of his manger, though not to let his head reach down to his litter. The first thing to be done in U\e morning, on coming to stable, is to take off the muzzle and put on the rack-rein, then throw into the manger about a quart, or a little better, of oats, according to the constitution of the Horse, for some are puny feeders, and must be treated in such manner as will best invite, or occasion them to eat ; while others, on the other hand, will eat all you set before them, and must be stinted to a proper allowance. The oats, for these occasions, should be the best that can be procured ; dry old oats, short and plump, ciean from all kind of seeds, which are fre- 4uently to be found, particularly amongst foreign oats, perfectly sweet, and free froDj dust, and white and clear : sift them well, and blow the husks, chaff, or any light oats away, and be sure to keep the manger very clean. When the Horse has eaten his oats, and during which time you will just clear his dung from behind him, but be careful you do not disturb his wet litter, so as to occasion the vapour or stench to arise, you may strip off his cloths, rub the dung, if any, off his hind quarters, hocks, &c., and giving him a light brush over, put on his exercising cloth and saddle ; then turn him round, brush his head and ears, put on his bridle, and take him out for exercise. The stripping and brushing I look upon to be as refreshing to the Horse ati your washing, when you get out of bed in the morning. While the Horses are out at exer- cise, a person should be left at home to clear away all the wet dung, immediately setting doors and windows open, in order to get the stable sweet against their return, all the stalls set fair, and the stable cleanly swept. For exercise, choice should be made of the driest and most open piece of turf, sod, or heath, that is in the neighbourhood, and, like- wise where there is some gradual ascents, if of half a mile or a mile in length the better, to give the Horse some gentle breathings, in order to bring him into wind. You should walk them the first half hour, letting them empty themselves, yawn, stretch their necks, and enjoy the sweet refreshing morning air, which is invigorating, bracing, and strengthen- ing both to man and beast. So manage your walks, as to bring your Horse about this time to a convenient place to give him a gentle gallop ; begin slow and gradually, increase your pace till you finish at a half or three- quarters speed ; proportion the length of your OF FARRIERY. gallop according to the strength or condition of the Horse ; if he is faint, so as to sweat toon, stop in, time, and walk him, that he may recover his breath, and cool himself; for you must not put him in a thorough sweat ; but on those days which you appoint for that pur- pose, which should be about twice a week, till he commences hunting, and then he will not require any sweating in exercise. In this manner, alternately walk and gallop, so as not to sweat the Horse till you find it time to return, which you should so manage as to keep the Horse out about two hours ; and after the conclusion of the last gallop, the Horse having recovered his breath, and is cool, you should contrive to have water at hand to let him drink, and then have half an hour's walk home. If the water should chill him, and make his coat stare, a gentle gallop to warm him will be proper, but not to siveat him. Horses are most fond of staleing on litter, as it does not then splash them ; and if the wet litter was spread in a convenient place, with- out the stable (some yards are thus purposely strewed), the Horses standing a minute or two before they are put in the stable, or during the time the groom dismounts, will stale, by which means you keep your stable clean and healthy. When put in the stable, a bit of hay should be given, that has been well shaken from dust and seeds. The quality of hay for hunters should be the choicest that can be procured, grown on a rich meadow, and cut before it gets too ripe ; for hay, when it stands too long before it is cut, may answer the farmer's pur- pose by seeding his ground, and wanting less making ; but to be good for a Horse, and es- pecially the hunter, it should be cut when young, before it seeds, and with the sap in ; then, if it is well made, and got in, in the dry. it will, fourteen months after, cut out as green as a leek, and the flowers retain their beauty nearly as when growing, and hay will never be better than when twelve or fourteen months old : but such hay as the above is not always to be procured ; yet hay off good meadows, that has not been heated too much in the stack, may be purchased more fre- quently ; and, indeed, I have heard some ex- perienced followers of the chase say, that they admired it a little brown ; but, I think, if it be twelve months old, having a fragrant sweet smell, it cannot be too green. New hay must not, on any account, be given, there is a faint- ness in new hay that w^ould be as detrimental as giving him grass ; that is to say, if you mean to keep your Horse in good hunting con- dition. Having put your Horse to the rack-rein with a bit of hay before him, go on your knees and whisp his legs, for the legs are always to be the first and last things attended to, and particularly after physic ; then strip his cloth- ing half off , that is, to about the middle of the back, then give the fore quarters a good thorough dressing. This being done, get your dry clothing, and place on the parts cleaned, slip off your exercising cloths, and dress well his hind quarters : this being done, remove your clothing from his fore quarters, and brush him well over, agreeably to the manner I have before directed ; after which, give his feed of oats, being double the quantity, or nearly so, to what you gave before going out ; then having whisped his legs as the last thing, shake up his litter, set the stable fair, if he has cleaned the rack of the hay (for I aKvays recommend to give but little at a time, that he may eat it with better appetite), vou may now give a bit 34 THE MODERN SYSTEM more, if you think it necessary, but never give more than he will clear with a good appetite. According to the time that you should come to stable at this part of the year, which, we will say, is five o'clock, it will now be time for you to breakfast, and you may leave the hunters on the rack-rein, while you have your breakfast, and they finish their hay. On your return to stable, observe that all have cleared their racks, and if they have had sufiicient time, and the racks not clear, take it away, loosen the rack-reins, put on the muz- zles, and leave them for three hours quiet, that they may lay down if they are so disposed : it is a desirable thing, for Horses to rest their legs at all convenient opportunities. This will bring you to what is termed middle day, or it may be one o'clock, for, as the days, at this time of year, are getting shorter, you must be at stable as punctual as the clock, so that you may contrive to be at home from exercise before dark. You should proceed now, in like manner, as in the morn- ing, putting on the rack-rein, giving him a mouthful of hay, and a feed of oats in modera- tion ; for you are not to fill him or encumber him with food, particularly hay, when you are going to take him out. While the Horse is feeding, clear the dung from behind him, as in the morning; then strip and brush him over previous to putting on his exercising cloth and saddle, and take him out, as in the morning. If you are situated in a country that aflfords a variety of suitable places for exercise, vary your places as often as convenient, it will be the more agreeable to both Horse and man : keep off the gravel road, choosing to go on the turf as much as you can. Having been out about two hours, in which time you have given the Horse two gentle breathings, let him have water and return. The stable, as before, in your absence, should be cleared of all wet litter, and aired and refreshed against your return. After giving the Horse the opportunity to stale, bring him into the stable, and repeat the rub- bing of legs, and thorough dressing, having given him a mouthful of hay to amuse him. After his dressing, give him his feed of oats, and give him a bit more hay, if he has cleared the rack of what he had at coming in. This will bring you to about five o'clock in the afternoon, at which time you may leave him on the rack-rein to eat his hay ; and between seven and eight return to finish up for the night. If you gave him a sufliciency at leaving stable at five o'clock, he will need no more, the Horse having had three hours to feed of hay : if he is a slow feeder, he ought to have cleared his rack by this time, and those that have not, I should take it from them ; for the Horse will not have any appetite for hay that is glutted with it ; and as it is always standing by him, you should be always mindful not to give too much, so as to occa- sion him to leave any. You 'have now to feed with oats for the last feed ; see that all their cloths are put on right, not atwist, but smooth, and without a wrinkle about them ; that every Horse finishes his corn, not leaving any, then loosen the rack-rein, put on the muzzle, and make up a good bed : having plenty of dry litter, and a large stall to lay his legs out at full length, leave him for the night. This is the daily duty of the hunting stable, without any material difference, except on the days appropriated for sweating, which must be, at least, two days in the week, till OF FARRIERY. 35 ihe hunting commences ; at which time, if the Horse be hunted twice in the week, there will be no occasion for sweating exercise. 1 do not recommend hunters to be kept over warm with cloths, they are frequently exposed to cold and wet, and the more tender they are kept, the more likely they are to take cold; therefore, hoods and fillet cloths may be dispensed with ; but I think it highly necessary that each Horse should have two cloths, one for exercise, which will occasionally come home wet and dirty, the other cloth being reserved for the stable. Your cloths should be occasionally scoured, and your exercising cloth as often as it gets damp by rain, sweat, or dirt, and then carefully dried. On the days you give your Horses sweating exercise, which may be on Tuesdays and Saturdays, or any other days equally distant, contrive to give his sweats as contiguous to home as you can, particularly if the air should be thin and piercing, for the purpose of getting home to scrape and rub him dry ; for, when a Horse is in a thorough sweat, and a chilling air penetrating under a wet cloth, is almost sure to occasion cold, cough, &c., therefore, the stable or rubbing- house being at hand will be convenient, and prevent such a circumstance taking place. After having walked the Horse for about an hour, bring him to the place you intend to gallop him, and begin very moderately, gradually increasing your speed, till you get him to half or three-quarters speed, if he is hard to sv\ eat ; continue him at that rate, until he is in a proper sweat, which will be sooner or later, according to his condition ; if ne be fleshy and foggy, he will sweat soon, aud his wind will be distressed ; in this case you must gallop the slower, not to distress the wind, but bring him to sweat, which will waste the superabundant fatty matter con- tained in the cellular membrane, and bring him in wind as such fat diminishes. If you find the Horse in good wind, and hard to sweat, his condition is improving, and you may give him stronger gallops without injury. The meaning and intention of these sweats are, to those that are in wind to keep them so ; and to those that are not in wind, by strong exercise, to get into that desirable con- dition, to reduce all grossness arising from too much fat, and get the carcase up ; it like- wise cleanses the coat, making it sleek and soft ; for the imperceptible perspiration con- tinually going on, adheres so closely to the roots of the hair or coat, that it is not easily got out ; but these profuse sweatings bring it away, and you will perceive the coat to be much finer, when well dressed after a good sweating. The condition of the Horse is to be dis- covered and judged of by his sweating ; if he sweats soon, and puts on the appearance of soap lather, he is then what is called foggy, and must have strong exercise to bring it away ; if he requires strong exercise to bring him to a sweat, and the sweat be clear like water, and dries soon, he is then in good condition, and fit for immediate work ; but if he sweats profusely with little exertion, and the sweat thin, though like water, and is a long while drying, it shews a weak faint habit of body ; indeed, we may call it bad constitution, and will not bear much work, especially as hunters Some Horses sweat more profusely than others ; this is not always to be regarded as weakness, if it proceeds from strong exercise, and soon dries. Constitutions differ in HorBe.s as much as ia men. m THE MODERN SYSTEM The Horse having had his sweating gallop, should be brought into the stable, and immedi- ately scraped and rubbed dry, with all possi- ble dispatch, and a clean dry cloth put on him, not the one he was sweated in ; which should be got clean and dry against it is wanted aa-ain. If he had no water while out, now give him some after he is perfectly cool and comfortable, and should the weather be very cold, the chill should be taken off, but not made warm ; water that has stood several hours in a warm stable, is sufficiently chilled, and may be given him, or you may, after rubbing him, walk him about, and give him water, and gallop him gently to warm it, but not to heat him, then bring him home. A Horse treated in the manner I liave directed, will, in three or four weeks, after having been through his physic, be fit for hunting, if proper regaid is paid to his feed- ins:. His food I have directed to be of the best and cleanest quality, and the quantity must be regulated according to circumstances ; such as size, constitution, &c. &c. Now the Horse's daily exercise will be, on the average, not less than twenty miles a day with this exercise, the quantity he eats will not hunt him, if he does not get too fat ; for the Horse, for hunting, must have plenty of good feed in him, but must not be burthened with flesh ; if he feeds heartily, he must have strong exer- cise to keep his flesh down ; if inclinable to run to belly and be fat, he must be stinted proportionably, or occasionally take alterative medicine ; but when he comes to hunt three times a week, there will be no occasion to stint him, he will never be burthened with Aesh with such exercise. The Horse being got into condition, and the hunting commenced, vou are relieved from that part which regards the sweating; and instead of giving exercise, to keep the Horse's flesh down, and keep him in wind your exercise is now for the purpose of walk- ing off stiffness, occasioned by over exertion, bracing the system that has been relaxed by excessive exercise, , and creating appetite ; hard running, anu long distances, continued for many hours, will consequently affect a Horse more or less, particularly at the begin- ning of the season, before they are accustomed to it, so. that their appetites will fail as well as their limbs be stiff; and your atten- tion is now to recover the Horse from that debility occasioned by over fatigue. Young Horses, and those not seasoned to hunting, though in condition, are mostly affected by severe days, and such must not be expected to hunt more than one day in the week ; for it will take nearly that time for them to recover from a hard run, either with fox or stag ; but seasoned hunters will stand their work twice, and in many case« three times a week ; though that, for a con- tinuance, I think too much for any Horse to stand, unless it is with harriers only, where there is seldom much hard running. Now to order your Horses when they hunt you feed and dress much after the same man- ner as before directed, only when you know of going out in the morning, rather shorten your allowance of hay in the evening, and increase his corn, but not to gorge him. He should always have a good bed to invite him to lay down, and stretch his legs; but you must keep his muzzle on, for though mariy do not constantly use the muzzle ; yet, if it be used at all, it is most proper at this time In the morning put your Horse on tlie rack rein, but do not give him ai y hay. This OF FARRIERY. 87 i* vvfiat I have recommended to be your con- stant practice ; for if you make it a rule not to give him hay until he comes home from exer- cise, the Horse will not pine or look for it. If you are going a considerable distance to meet hounds, or to covert twelve or more miles dis- tance, you may give the Horse a moderate feed of oats, but if you are going to turn out a deer, or expect to find near at hand, let the Horse go out perfectly empty, and on no account give him any water; if I just washed his mouth, it should be from a bottle, from which I should be certain he could not drink more than a pint ; let him be thoroughly cleaned, and his legs well rubbed, and his saddle on, moderately girthed, at least an hour before going out, this will cause him to empty himself; for if you observe, most Horses when the saddle is put on, relieve themselves by dunging if they can : a quarter of an hour before wanted, put on his bridle, and have him ready, buckling him to the stall -reins, let him stand till wanted, with a cloth thrown over the saddle. When Horses come home from hunting, it necessarily follows that all expedition should be used to get them clean, and make them comfortable ; if there has been hard running, and the Horse come home leg-weary and tired, cleaning will be more refreshing than feeding, and therefore must be first attended to, not but the Horse may have a bit of choice hay put into his rack to amuse him, if he will cat while he is dressing ; but when it has been a long day, and hard riding, many Horses will be off their feed, particularly youngand unseasoned Horses; this, as amatter of course, is to be expected, though it is most to be desired that the Horse should feed, which shews a fit constitution for extraordinary labour : when you have a Horse of the above description, never leave home without putting in your pocket a ball, composed as follows : Sulphate of iron Ginger , - - Gentian - - 2 drams. 1 do. 1 do. To be formed into a ball with soft soap* ; this ball will act as a toliic, and invigorate the system. Now, on^tlie hounds being drawn off, and the day's hunt finished, if you find your Horse weak, or at all inclined to flag, dismount, and immediately give him the ball ; you will find by so doing your Horse will re- cover his strength, and carry you home plea- santly, even if you have a dozen miles to go; it will also promote his appetite. After a thorough cleaning, in which you must be particular to rub his head and ears well, and get him dry in every part, making him as clean as when he went out in the morning , you should carefully examine him all over, to see if he has received any injuries from stakes, stumps, boughs, brambles, thorns, rails, flints, &c. ; likewise that he has not been galled with the saddle, girths, or breast-plate, if he wore one. When the Horse has been re- freshed with a good cleaning, he will be more inclined 1 3 feed than before ; but if he will not, make yourself easy, for his appetite will return, as his Aveariness wears ofl". On returning home from hunting, it is usual to let the Horse drink (for he is sure to be * Though soft-soap and the mineral tonic will not unite in a chemical point of view, and may occasion some re- marks from the knights of the pestle ; but I beg to inform them, if the}' did unite, it would destroy the power of tha sulphate, consequently, rendering it of no service at all ; for as medicines unite, so their power is reduced. This ii easily explained : if you drink a glass of neat irandy, mark the difference in diluting it with water. 38 THE MODERN SYSTEM thirsty) at some convenient pond. The Horse should not be suffered to drink too much at a time, which his extreme thirst might induce him to do, but letting him have about ten go-downs, ride on to another convenient place, and let him have the like quantity, and thus by degrees, let him quench his vio- lent thirst before he confes home, which will be better than letting him drink a vast quan- tity of cold water at once. Should you not have had an opportunity of giving the Horse water in your course home, he must have water with the chill off; and what is even better than this, will be a bucket of chilled water, into which put about a handful of oatmeal, but not warm, and when his thirst has been partly quenched, he probably will eat. The legs, from excessive labour will, of course, be weary, and often inclined to heat and inflammation, particularly if the Horse has been rode among brambles, thorns, or furze, the greatest attention must be paid to them. Hot water should always be ready against Horses come in from hunting, for the purpose of washing their legs ; for nothing is more grateful and refreshing to our feet and legs, when they burn with heat and Meanness, than soaking them well in hot water j it opens the pores of the skin, and draws the heat and inflammation away, and will be found as Cijualiy salutary to the Horse as to ourselves. Let the water be hot, but not to scald, or endanger bringing the hairs off; bathe the legs well with the hot water, having two pieces of MooUen cloth, one to remain in the water, whilst you are applying the other to the horse's leg, so that by alternately changing them, you keep the leg constantly warm. Apply these well round the fetlock joints and pasterns, and as the heat passes off, renew your cloth with the one in the hot water ; do this for at least three quarters of an hour, after which wipe them as dry as you can, by the application of a dry sponge ; then carefully search with your hands if any bram- bles or thorns are lodged in the skin ; for your feeling will discover what your eye cannot perceive, and the skin being relaxed by the warm bathing, they will be the more easily discovered, and be got out with less diffi- culty. Whatever you discover of this kind, must be picked out with care, so as not to enlarge the apertures they have made, nor break nor leave any part of them in ; for what is left in must occasion inflammation, till nature has expelled it, which she will do by discharging, at first, an ichor from the aper- tures, and consequently forming a wound; so that much greater care is necessary in extracting these foreign bodies than is first thought of; for it frequently produces a blemish from the scab or scratch occasi- oned thereby, that the value of the Horse is greatly deteriorated in consequence ; but if carefully taken out in the first instance, much pain, heat, and blemishes will be pre- vented. In some instances I have known thorns to penetrate so deep as to break within the skin, and if such are not discovered, which I must say is a great difficulty to do, an abscess will form ; if such should be the case, immediately on discovering it, take Linseed meal - - 4 oz. Turpentine common 1 do. Mix well together with scalding water, and apply warm to the part affected, in the shape of poultice : this, in all probability, will occasion OF FARRIERY. 69 the extraction of the ofFcriding particle; after whicli you imist dress as a common wound, with Tincture of myrrh and aloes, three or four times a day. I once knew a case of the above kind, having occurred with a Horse (and a valuable one too), belonging- to a friend of mine, who lived about twelve miles distant from me, and he not thinking' it of the consequence it was, sent for the village farrier, who opened the tumor on the top or upper part, the conse- quence was there was little or no discharge, and introduced a piece of tow saturated with butter of antimony ; consequently a wound of an amazing extent was produced. I was then sent for, and with a few days' poulticing, with cooling medicine, 1 was able to set up the healing process, as above described ; but the Horse had always a blemish, but being a well known good hunter, it did not take so much off his value as at first I should have imagined. Had the stupid fellow punctured below, in- stead of above the abscess, it would have relieved itself, and prevented the blemish, and of course, the disagreeable eye-sore. I mention the above, to shew the necessity of carefully examining for thorns, and should a similar disaster happen, take a middling-sized abscess lancet, and open the abscess at the bottom ; by this m.eans the accumulated pus will discharge itself; then treat as before in- structed ; by which means you assist nature, which is the grand object in all cases. Apply a bandage round the part, whicli will keep the lips of the wound together, and promote the liealing process. Having carefully searched, and extracted brambles or thorns, whisp and wipe the legs perfectly dry, so that when he is thus refreshed and had his water, H' he will not feed, it is most likely for the best ; for extraordinary ex- ertion, more than he has been seasoned to, occasions an inward or sympathetic fever, and until rest, free circulation of air, and a little cooling medicine, the appetite will not return • in such a case as the above, give Aloes, Barbadoes Gin2:er 1 dram. 2 do. form into a ball, with half an ounce of common soap, and give to the Horse if his appetite has not returned by the morning after the chase. Some persons make themselves very uneasy on this account, and wish to administer somethino- : many are for giving a warm mash, which of all things the Horse will not eat ; others are for giving a cordial ball, or something com- fortable in the shape of a warm drink, all of which is no use whatever. I recommend patience until (he morrow, and if t should be deemed necessary, repeat the medicine ; for if nothing of a dangerous tendency exhibits itself, such as inflammation of the lungs, &c., make him up therefore a good bed, and leave him to rest. In the mornins:, I make no doubt you will perceive the Horse will feed a little : you must then proceed as before directed, and take the Horse out to exercise ; after which, take Linseed meal - - 2 oz. Glauber salts - - 2 do. Warm water - - 3 pints. Give this drink the moment he comes in from exercise, and you will find in the course of two days your Horse fit for work agair, ffivins: him sufficient exercise to take off that stiffness which naturally occurs from extra- ordina,ry exertion ; the fresh air will also 40 THE xMODERN SYSTEM greatly contribute to recover his lost ap- petite. Though I term this walking exercise, 1 do not mean you are not to exceed a walk the whole time you are out ; that, perhaps, if the weather was very thin and cold, might in- crease the stiffness ; but I call that walking exercise, which puts the blood in free circula- tion, without overheating it ; you may, there- fore, give the Horse a gentle gallop for a short distance, but not to cause him to break out in a sweat, particularly after giving water : gallop by way of warming it. Choose the airiest place for exercise, such as open downs, or high and dry grounds ; and at your return to stable, your Horses, if they were not very sick indeed, will find their appetite. Horses tha. tecome weary and sicken at a day's hunt, whicM may be the case with good Horses at the commencement of the season, or young Horses, till they get properly sea- soned to their work, will require some days to recover, before they are fit to hunt again. A week's respite may be necessary with some; others will recover in half the time. The sooner the Horse comes to his appetite, the sooner he will be fit for labour, provided you have not been nursing him with warm mashes and comfortable drinks as they are termed, which has a tendency to relax and open the body, and should only be given when the Horse is in reality ill ; but loss of appetite from over-fatigue only requires rest to recover it ; therefore, avoid all the stable nostrums, which we are sorry too many of them abound vv^ith. With regard to heat, or inflammation from the saddle or girths, washing the parts with gonlard, is equal, or I may say, the best thing you can use ; and to the legs, if hot and swollen with fatigue, is the best repellent and cooler, and should be always kept ready at hand for such occasions. To prepare it, get a quart bottle, and take Extract of lead - - 4 drams. Water sufficient to fill the bottle. The stable should never be without this lotion ; it is cheap, efficacious, and ought always to be at hand. Washing the legs which may have received scratches, &c. in hunting with the goulard lotion, will heal them quicker than any other application. The feet are likewise to be attended to at all times ; at the Horse's return home, all road- dirt, or gravel, should be carefully picked out ; and particularly notice that gravel is not lodged under the shoe at the heels and quarters, as by such lodgment of gravel, com may be pro- duced, with all its natural consequences of tenderness and lameness. When you wash the legs with warm water to cool and refresh them, it will also at the same time relieve the feet, which of course must have undergone a considerable quantity of labour; water is be- neficial to the feet ; we find the feet less injured by travelling on wet roads than on dry ones ; and the hoof at grass being continually wet with the dew and moist ground, is in a better state than when kept in the stable ; the casual wet you meet with in exercise on the roads, or the moisture of the turf or grass you exercise on, will contribute to preserve the foot from the injury which continually standing in a hot and dry stable occasions. I have not the 'east doubt that one half of the pleasure Horses kept in London, incur lameness, and are ruined by standing so much in the stable. <^ ft- ^ 5- §^ \^\^:-, "~^\. *^i,. 1 "v^i^ OF FARRIERY. 41 ON SHOEING. Shoeing, like all other appendages to the Horse, has received considerable improve- ments within the last half century. Indeed, the great improvement made in shoeing since the establishment of the Royal Veterinary College, precludes the necessity almost of my giving an opinion at all, and the able works of Professor Coleman, Mr. Bracy Clark, and Mr. Goodwin, goes to sbew every thing necessary on the subject ; but, probably, we might be thoug-ht neglectful, if we did not give our opinion ; we will do it as concisely as we can ; for it would be impossible almost to give in '' structions in shoeing, for the ignorance and obstinacy of the old practitioners in farriery, were difficult to overcome ; but, at length they have in some measure yielded to the superi- ority of study and science. The anatomy of the Horse's foot is now clearly understood, and without such knowledge, no man can shoe a Horse properly ; hence the cause of so much lameness occasioned by shoeing ; the benefit derived from this knowledge cannot but rejoice those who recollect the numbers of valuable Horses that were crippled and spoiled by ignorance and error of shoeing. The post- horses, stagers, and hackney-coach-horses, were compriset; principally of crippled Horses, or such as were termed groggy in the feet ; these poor animals would stand with their feet forward, or as it is called pointing, in the greatest anguish, shifting from foot to foot alternately, to gain a little ease, and their very countenances expressive of extreme pain ; now, comparatively, few such are to be seen. With care, the foot may be preserved to the last; whereas, formerly, a young fresh Horse from the breeder, in the space of two years, his feet getting gradually worse, became unfit ana unsafe for any gentleman's riding, and in his very prime was cast off to hard labour, ren- dered more intolerable by increasing pain. But, though the improved system is now almost become general, that every person employed in shoeing Horses, knows how it ought to be done ; nevertheless, there should be an exactness and care, which some men will not observe ; and, \\ ith all your instruc- tions, these men fancy they know better than all the veterinary surgeons in the world ; and, in spite of all your endeavours to teach them, vh y will have their own way at last. It may be necessary to apprize the man who forges the shoe, if the Horse is apt to interfere, •''.'hich is called cutting ; and, likewise, if he over-reaches with his hind-foot, striking it against his fore-shoe ; which is extremely unpleasant ; these things may be greatly as- sisted, or totally prevented, by making, and placing the shoe accordingly. The interfering is remedied by leaving the inner heel as high as you can, and paring the outer heel in mo- deration, the inner heel of the shoe is made thicker than the outer; this raising of the inner heel throws the fetlock joints outwards, or wider apart ; which, with that part of the toe that is liable to interfere, being pared close, and the shoe no wise projecting, will prevent the interference, or what is called cutting. The hind-shoe, striking against the fore, which some Horses are apt to do, is prevented by shortening the heel of the hind-shoes, so that the hind-foot moves in unison wit'li the fore-foot ; for this striking arises, prmcipally, with heavy forehanded Horses, that cannot get their fore-feet so quick out of the way of the hind ; and, consequently, that unpleasant 42 THE MODERN SYSTEM ooi?e which arises frotn Horses which strike, and which, at times, is almost beyond bearing;. When Horses, newly shod or removed, go unpleasant or unsafe, which before went safe and well, which is frequently the case, it is reasonable to suppose the shoes are not put on properly. I have seen Horses, on being- re- moved from the farrier's shop, go as if crip- pled every step, and, to all appearance, they with difficulty were kept up to prevent them from falling. The slioes, to all appearance, seem well put on, and, to the eye, the nails appeared driven in properly, so as not to touc//, /*///' Hea7rhv Ze/f repre^enfint/ r/if r'n.i'/f/f' delow the knee. Th.e msii/e of tAf Jbrc Icf/ rep7-ese7ttiitf/ t/u; sfMiation of spiint. J/ethofl of trailing SpHntJ of iJir Royut Veterinary College 'S3>^. E SFAVir?^ ilT" 2. Hfpt e^c/tf/ftif ////■ ///i/f/r ft fltf ?/(*rA /f'l/// '^irfjMtiofi of ^^ £<77t.e spav/n. Tli.e Horsrs horJc in //s nfif7/ral e/f hcair/i y staff . Jione spavin . Mer?ir*fl of t^rc^fif/ for Jif/tr s/tayi/i r/i/- 7>r4'sr r/^'fr/7/o/ . V Toot - ]RIMG-B OK E 0:A >/ ftrt'f/fff 'i/ifpiiojif . OF FARRIERY. 49 Bplent, and divide the periosteum, which is that membranous skin-hke substance, imme- diately attached to the bone, and from the stretching of which, in consequence of the bony excrescence or splent forming, occasions the pain and lameness ; but these remedies, though practised at that royal establishment, are not calculated for practice either in town or country, they both leaving a considerable blemish; and where persons have to make merchandize of their Horses, it deteriorates very much their value. My practice lias always been the following, and I never found it to fail or blemish in any one case : if the case is a recent one, Take Spirit Turpentine - - 1 oz. Olive Oil - - - - 2 do. Rub this liniment well on the part, night and morning, and apply a woolen bandage mode- rately tight round the leg; have the shoe re- moved and apply a thick heeled one, it will relieve the parts amazingly : should the lame- ness not be removed in the course of three days, then you must apply some stronger apphcation, and especially if the splcnt be large. Take Mercurial Ointment - - 1 oz. and rub about the size of an hazle-nut well in on the part, morning and night, as long as any remains : then apply Blister Ointment - - - - '2 drams. By this method of practice you will get rid of splents, without the fear of blemish or injury to the Horse's leg : if you are obliged to have recourse to the last remedy above named, do not forget to have a cradle on the Horse's neck, as he may, by biting it, occasion what is so much to be desired keeping him free frono blemish. During the application ot the local remedies, give the following : Take Cape Aloes - - - 6 drams. Resin, powdered - - - 6 do. Common soap, to form into a mass : divide into three balls, and give one every second day ; for food, give half bran and half corn, made moderately wet. BONE SPAVIN. This is also an exostosis or bony enlarge- ment of, or about the inner part, of the hock joint, but more particularly at the lower part of the joint, or, in some cases, only situated at the upper end of the leg bone, though spavin may occur on any part of the hock ; for, from the peculiar construction of the hock joint, and the number of bones nature has placed there, for it to perform its natural functions, added to which, it being the seat from whence the principle propelling motion arises, it is little to be wondered at, that Horses should be so very liable to spavin. Young Horses are extremely liable to spavin, in consequence of farmers and breeders putting them to work at too early a . period ; farmers generally commence using their young Horses in the summer time, to assist in drawing their hay, corn, &c., together. Now, any sudden strain on uneven ground, and colts, as a matter of course, pull awkwardly at first, being frightened at the sound of the carter's vo'ce, much more the crack of his whip, makes a sudden start forwards, and, from the violent exertion he puts on, in all probability strains his hock. This being so complicated a joint, sufficiently to produce considerable inflammation, lameness, and ftO IHE MODERN SYSTEM spavin ; tlioiigh 1 have seen a gneat number of Florses affected with what is termed spavin, A. 1^ 1^. r-r "Nlj i 1 i-m '>^1 ^ •S', '■?. ■y M s 't -M "rt CD f: ■^ 1 ^ eg 1 8 1 i Ti s ,^ (71 ■R t? 1 ^ OT s 9 13 1 •l ■al 'tj ^ « 2 Jtf tlJ fl a> C^ <1> '^ ? (1; ^ V V ^ f^ b^.. tj ^c/- 4 ^^'; al OF FARRIERY. 53 CHAPTER II. FRACTURES. FRACTURES. Fractures mean a dwision of a bone into two or more parts, or fragments. A simple fracture is when the bone only is divided. A componnd fracture is a division of the bone, with a laceration of the integuments ; the bone mostly protruding. A fracture is also termed transverse, oblique, &c., according to its direc- tion. When bones of the Horse are fractured, there is so much trouble in keeping him quiet, and in one position, for the process of union to go on ; added to which, the doubt of being of much use after, that it is generally deter- mined on, that the horse shall be destroyed ; though two cases have come under my notice, which I will relate, when considering on frac- ture of that specific bone. The fractures that most generally occur are in the head, occa- sioned by horses running violently against a post, or bar; likewise the ribs, hip-bone, thigh- bone ; and indeed all bones of the leg ; and these from falls, or kicks from other Horses. FRACTURE OF THE HEAD. This is not a very common case ; but all fractures are in general accidental ; this, like all others, may at some time or other occur. I can best explain the nature of this kind of fracture, by relating a case that occurred in my practice, whilst I was in the army. I must first describe to you the nature of the stables, or lines, as they are called in India (for it occurred when I was there) : they are long ranges of buildings, which contain about one hundred Horses each, all worked open, except the pillars to support the roof, with a wide avenue down the middle ; consequently the Horses stand head to head, divided by the avenue ; this middle space is for the men to have access to their Horses. The Horses feed off the ground, and their corn is given them in nose-bags ; they are tied by the head to a wooden bar, which is fixed into the pillars at the head ; their hind legs are fastened by a long chain, to the end of which is a ring and peg ; the peg is driven into the ground about two or three yards out- side the stable ; there is another wooden bar about the height of the horse's head, fixed into the pillars as the other : this is the ca- valry stable of the Indian army. Now the case I was going to relate was this : — at the usual watering time of the Horses, in the after- noon, about five o'clock, one of the Horses broke loose out of the hands of the man who 41 THE MODERN SYSTEM attended him ; this occasioned a tremendous hue and cry after the runaway, which made the poor animal gallop about mo~t furiously ; at last getting in sight of his standing in the stable, he made a desperate rush into, and fractured liis skull against the top bar of his standing, with that violence, that he was knocked down by the stunning effects of the blow. The farrier-major immediately sent for me. On examining the wound, which was about an inch wide, I could discover no inden- tation or roughness of the bone, and I consi- dered it merely a wound of the skin. Fearing that concussion of the brain might take place, and its effects, I had the Horse bled to the amount of six quarts, the head to be frequently fomented with warm water, and the Horse not to have any food that night. In the morning the Horse appeared better ; kept up the fomenta- tions, and gave him aloes, six drams. This treatment was continued for two days, when we commenced the healing process of the skin, which was accomplished in about a week. It was my usual practice, when a Horse had been sick, or having met with any acci- dent, to keep him under my care for two or three days, before ordering him to work ; at the end of the third day, when I was going to discharge the Horse, to my great astonishment I found him attacked with locked jaw. I was then certain the bone must have been frac- tured, and consequently, pressure on the brain. I had the Horse immediately cast, and taking a scalpal, made two sections in the skin, forming two sides of a triangle. On ex- amining the parietal bone, I found a fracture, perpendicularly, about an inch and a quarter long, with a piece of bone splintered off, about three quarters of an inch long, which I have now by me. I then took a pair of siiarp pointed forceps, and extracted the splintered bone, drew down the skin, and attached it by half a dozen sutures, dressed as a common wound, with digestives, until granulations began to form ; after which it healed com- pletely in aoout three weeks. In the mean- time I had to attend to the locked jaw, w hich yielded by degrees, to copious bleedings and solution of alo-^s, day by day, until purgation was produced. Explanation of the Plate. The letter A gives the situation of the pa- rietal suture, which runs perpendicularly up the front of the head. B, the fractured part, just on the suture. C, the skin dissected and laid back, tlie upper part of which was held in its situation by an assistant. FRACTURES OF THE RIBS. Fractures of the ribs frequently occur, and arise either from kicks from other Horses, and more especially when at grass than at any other time ; though I have no doubt they fre- quently may arise from blows , and very fre- quently amongst poor cart horses, and those in large towns, used amongst the lower cla^s of people that are termed costermongers and dustmen ; for, if a Horse cannot travel at the rate they require, a hedgestake, or large stick is soon made to play a tune on the ribs of the poor animal, who may be doomed to serve such a master. These fractures generally unite of themselves ; Nature being all-bounti- ful, sets up the healing process of herself, and the accident seldom, or never comes to light, until the beast becomes the property of the slaughterman. '^ ^ C/) =^ o < or Li. OF FARRIERY. 55 FRACTURED BACK. Fracture of the back is not infrequent, and that from several causes ; it may arise from T laying clown in a narrow stall, and the diffi- culty of getting up again ; and sometimes from the Horse turning over in the standing, whilst lying down, so that there is not room for him to get his hind legs clear of the stall post ; consequently, from struggling to regain his feet, the ligament of his back be- comes so much strained, that inflammation commences, and in all probability may termi- nate in anchylosis ; in consequence, the Horse puts on a peculiar gait, which by Horse- dealers and grooms is called chinked in the hack ; or, he is tecliuically called a German. It sometimes will occur in casting a Horse, to perform an operation, though the greatest care may have been taken, and you have about you men who understand their busi- ness. An occurrence of this kind took place at the Royal Veterinary College, though the usual great care was taken. I had once a similar case, in casting a Horse for firing ; but there was every possible care taken, and when that can be satisfactorily proved, it amounts merely to accident, which e\ery operator is liable to. 1 need scarcely say, for fractured back there is no possible cure. 1 have tried blisters and charges, but never with any good effect, but running the owner to an expence that might , have been saved ; though some persons will make you attempt at a cure ; but with me it always failed. FRACTURES OF THE LIMBS. These, like all the other cases of fractures the Horse may be liable to, are difficult of cure ; and, in consequence, the Horse is at once destroyed ; but many fractures of the limbs may be so restored, as to become valu- able animals ; especially if it should occur with a good formed stallion, or mare ; the breed of which may not only be kept up, but they may be useful for many purposes besides. FRACTURES OF THE BLADE-BONE. Fracture of the blade-bone is not at all in- frequent, and particularly the neck of the bone. This may occur either from kicks, or the Horse falling when going at a fast trot ; so that when he comes to the ground, one leg is extended before him, the other under his body. With coach-horses, I have known this frequently take place : in this case the Horse draws his toe behind him, cannot bear the least weight on it, and appears in the most excruciating pain. The remedy is, first to take about four quarts of blood from the Horse, at the anterior part of the leg, from tlie plate vein ; have the Horse slung, so that the feet just touch the ground. This being completed, bathe well, with flannel dipped in hot water ; which repeat until the inflamma- tion appears to subside ; feed with cold bran mashes, and give the following — Take Cape aloes - - 4 drams. Linseed Meal - 1 do. Soft soap to form the ball. If this should not be sufficient to keep the system cool, in three days repeat it. Apply the following liniment to the Horse's shoulder : — Take 01 Terebinth 01 Oliva - 2 oz. 2 do. Coi tinue this treatment for about three weeks. 56 THE MODERN SYSTEM when you may give your Horse a month's run at grass, where he will be most likely to lay quiet : you will perceive by this time, if he will be fit for work. FRACTURE OF THE ARM. This bone frequently falls a victim to frac- ture, it being so exposed and so very liable to kicks ; but here in this case you have a much greater advantage of obtaining a cure than the last named fracture ; in this case you must sling the Horse lightly, as in the pro- ceeding case; but, instead of taking blood from the arm, take it from the jugular vein of the neck ; treat in every other respect as ordered for the foregoing ; but here you have an additional advantage, take a piece of tape^ the broadest you can buy, and about four yards long, bind this round the fractured part tolerably tight, let it remain on two days, then remove and apply more of the liniment, after which put your tape on again, and con- tinue in this manner, until the Horse can put his foot to the ground ; when he is able to do so, remove the sling, and let him have a loose box for a week or two before you turn him out. FRACTURE OF THE ELBOW Is one of those fractures that must be united in the same manner as the above; though there is sometimes great difficulty in keeping the limb sufficiently relaxed to obtain your end ; therefore, when you sling the Horse, put a side line on, or to make shift, fasten the end of a halter round the pastern, and pass it up to the sling tackle ; the foot being drawn about four inches off the ground, to relax the flexor muscles, then proceed as in the fore- going article. FRACTURE OF THE SHANK-BONE. When a fracture of this bone takes place, with good management it may be restored, because you can apply bandages and other compresses with more facility, and in greater variety, after securing the Horse by means of assistants ; having first ready a leathern band- age something in the shape of a leathern boot, about seven inches long with holes in it. fSee Plate) so til at when laced up the edges do not touch by a quarter of an inch ; now place the ends of the fractured limb as evenly in contact as you possibly can, then get one of your assist- ants to lace the boot tight on, and by this means it will act as a kind of a splent, to secure the bone in its proper situation ; after having done this, get four yards of bandage, (flannel will be best), and bandage the leg well from the knee to the fetlock ; remove all the straw and litter away from him, and if much irritation appears about him, give him Cape aloes - - 4 drams. Resin - - - 1 do. Soft soap to form the ball. You must not remove the flannel bandage for at least a week ; when you may, if you think proper, pour at the top of the boot, so that it may run down between the boot and leg, a little of the liniment prescribed foi- fractured blade-bone ; you will perceive when the Horse is getting better, by his bringing the leg more into use and bearing upon it : pursue this plan until you can with safety remove the boot, then apply the liniment and the woollen bandage only. For food, if the Horse is accustomed to the stable, give half bran and half oats made damp ; if OF FAKRIERY. 57 the accident occur while the Horse is at grass, give bran mashes only. Description of the Plate. A, the form the boot is to be made in ; B B, the length from top to bottom, about seven inches ; C, the lace to draw the edges too-ether within a quarter of an inch, so that it may be made tight. FRACTURE OF THE THIGH-BONE. The this'h-bone is sometimes fractured at its lower head, where it joins the bones of the hock, though this is not a common case, and ! have only met with two in the course of twenty years practice ; though, I make no doubt, many Horses are killed from the appearance of the fracture ; the leg below the situation of the fracture dangles and shakes about, as if only sustained by the common integuments (or skin), the Horse cannot touch the ground with it, and literally goes on three legs. It arises generally ence of temper of the Horse, or it may occur from a sudden slip of the hind leg on wet slippery stones in going up hill, &c. The first case I saw was a chesnut Horse, one of the rankest kickers 1 almost ever beheld ; but the gentleman to whom he belongred, was exceeding: fond of him for sad- die work, and having purchased a gig was determined to try him in it, having for two or three days previous, had him put to in a cart, where he did not shew the least symptoms of vice ; being so much pleased, he ventured with him in the gig, having a friend with him, who being the best coachman was requested to take the ribbons in hand ; he had no sooner done so, and being both seated for a start, to eii€0urage the Horse on, he drew the whip across his loi ns ; the Horse refused to go, con- sequently, the application of the whip com- menced ; this would no longer do for the chesnut, consequently he returned the com- pliment with interest, until he had kicked the dash-board all to pieces ; in doing which he got his leg entangled between the foot-board and the bar, and so near to the middle that he he could not extricate it, he consequently made a sudden plunge, and snapped the thigh just above the head of the lower end of the thigh-bone ; he was put into a friend's stable, just by where the accident happened, and I was immediately sent for ; 1 found the leg as before dangling as if by a piece of cord ; I confess the case being a new one to me, I was a little taken aback at first ; on examining the .eg, (which took me some considerable time to do, the Horse was so restless, and sweating profusely from the pain he was undergoing) ; at length, having made up my mind, my next attention was drawn how to secure the limb, (not having any tackle with me) ; however, I made shift and completed a cure. 1 first got an old horse-collar and put on him, then a roller, to the roller I fastened the the top of the collar, with a strap I found in the stable, to preventits getting forward on to his neck. I then procured a halter, and taking the end out of the noose, put the bow part round the fetlock joint of the fractured leg, passing the other end between the Horse's fore legs, and into the collar, the end of which I gave to an assistant to hold until I got the Horse's leg into a proper situation ; I then pro- cured a good bandage (woollen), and the gentleman whose house the Horse was taken to, fortunately happened to have by him three parts of a bottle of liniment, composed of ol turpentine, and ol olive ; I rubbed about 58 THE MODERN SYSTEM two table-spoonsful of the liniment sently on the part, then directed the man who held the iialter to draw the leg gently forward, imtil I had brought the parts as even together as possible ; having done so, an assistant with the bandage, bound the parts up tight and firm ; this being done, made the halter fast to the bottom of the collar ; thus ended the replac- ing of the bone. I did not remove the bandage for a week, found things going on satisfactory, continued the liniment and the line to foot for three weeks, when the Horse was able to be moved about a few yards ; as I before stated, through the restlessness of the animal, I had two men to sit with him day and night, (neither cou4d I give him medicine) ; his principal food was bran mashes, as a sub- stitute. This Horse being an entire Horse, and as I observed, a favourite, the owner would have him castrated, which operation I performed for him ; and on getting well, turned out one of the best gig Horses I ever saw. The second case that came under my notice was a fine brown Horse, belonging to a gen- tleman residing in Red Lion-street, Hoi born, and the accident occurred going up Holborn Hill, in the frosty weather of tlie winter of 1836. The Horse was placed under the care of a very skilful Metropolitan Veterinary Surgeon, whom I happened to meet one morning, at Messrs. Tattersal's establishment, Hyde Park Corner ; he mentioned the case to me as quite a new one, and requested me to accompany him to see it ; I did so, and on examining the leg, gave him my opinion, with the method I had treated the last case ; he declared he had never seen a case of the kind, though a gen- tleman of twenty-five years practice. Whilst we were consulting on the proper modeof pio cceding, the owner of the Horse came into the stable, and regretted very much the accident; and particularly so, as he two days before had been offered a good price for the Horse ; but now he wished he could get rid of him at five pounds ; I asked him if he was in earnest ; he said he was. I immediately struck the bargain, stipulating he should give me stable room, and his man to look after him for a month ; 1 paid him the money, and the Horse was mine, and within the month I had him home, and turned him out for another month ; when be became perfectly upright, I drove him about two months, and s^old him at Dixon's Repository for tiventy-Jive pounds. During the month the Horse remained with the gen- tleman who I bought him of, he underwent the same treatment as in the first case. Note. — Since writing the above, I have found amongst my papers a memorandum of a case exactly similar, which occurred during my pupilage at the Royal Veterinary College. It was a Horse belonging to the late Mr. Cline • who, when on his death-bed requested the Horse might not be sold, but turned out to grass for the remainder of his life, as a pensioner on his late owner's bounty, (he being a great favourite) ; however, he was taken up to have his feet pared and shod, and as a matter of course was sent to the Royal Veterinary College, all of which was attended to. Tlie Horse was tied to a ring close to the door that admits you to the paddock, (and where he had been standing for sometime for the groom to take him away) ; some person en- tering the shoe'ng forge hastily through this door, which moves on pulleys, and con- sequently making a noise, added to which. Hashing the light immediately in the Horse's OF FARRIERY. 59 face, he started back, and dragging at the halter, slipped up behind, and brol**^ the thigh-bone ; the assistant Professor was imme- diately sent for, who examined it, and then ordered the Horse to be destroyed. I merely mentioned this, to show we should not give up any case until some means had been tried. FRACTURES OF THE PASTERN BONE, THE COF- FIN BONE, AND NAVICULAR BONE. I have specimens of these by me, but as there can be no probable or possible cure, I do not think it worth time or paper to say much of them; therefore, v/e leave them in other hands. GO THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER III. DISLOCATIONS. DISLOCATIONS. Dislocation of the stifle bone : this fre- quently happens from kicks and sHps out of the hind leg, in consequence of shppery stables, gate-ways, &c., so that the bone becomes thrown out of its socket; in consequence of which, the limb becomes totally helpless, and the Horse draws it after him in the most dis- tressing manner. With care and caution this may be reduced, by extending the limb forward, and fastening it in the same manner, as described for frac- ture of the tibia ; then placing one hand against the bone, and pressing moderately, from you, with the other, take hold of the point of the hock, and you wiif feel the stifle bone snap into its place or socket, and which you can only prevent from a re-ocurrence by using counter irritants all round the joint ; such as Ol Terebinth - - - 3 oz. Ol OlivfE ----- 3 do. apply three or four table-spoonsful of the liniment to the Horse's stifle, all round the joint, morning and night : this will create considerable swelling, and by so doing keep the stifle bone in its socket. Should this be found not sufficiently powerful to retain the I bone in its place, Take Cantliarides - - - 1 oz. Ol Terebinth - - - 4 do. Shake well together when used. This will occasion a considerable swelling, but will have the desired effect OF THE SESAMOID BONES. Before I proceed to state the nature of the disease, it will not be inapt to inform the reader the situation of, and why we use the term sesamoid *. These bones are situated at the back part of the fetlock joint, and aie at- tached at the upper end or point to the sus- pensary ligament, the flexor tendons passin■ ^ *'~.-^. r^m^^ 33 ^ g t^ ^ I K K & ^ 1' 5^ S 3 £^ ts St- df ■^ I (ii ^ i^ n ffi rt 0O, a I 9 1" n 1 Co y ^ S B o P * P* ri d» S — .-i ^ OF FARRIERY. 61 Horses, where the fetlock (hair) almost seems to touch the ground, and if the Horse be overweighted, may be distinctly seen. Now the inelastic connexion these bones have below to the head of the large pastern bone, and tl>e decided elastic connexion they have above to the suspensory ligament, clearly shews how easy these bones may be partially, if not altogether, dislocated ; and that, princi- pally, on the irmer side, in consequence of the superincumbent weight being thrown on the inner side, when the other foot is in the air, or of, perhaps, more plainly speaking, off the ground. For we all know, what a simple thing as treading suddenly on one side, will displace the ancle joint of the human subject, as a slip off a high ground suddenly to lower : instance the sensation in going up a flight of stairs in the dark, and, when at the top, to imagine another step, the concussion is so great, that fracture of the limb has been the consequence. The action of the sesamoids is backwards and downwards ; in doing which, the upper end of its elastic attachment upwards, must, of necessity, expand; and this expansion, driven to excess, either by over weight, heavy ground, or, when a Horse is at his top speed, brings the non-elastic attachment below into such violent action, that they become incapa- able of contending with it ; and, consequently, the hgamentous attachment is ruptured. This is not an infrequent case; for, in racing particularly,- as well as hunting, the Horse makes a sudden drop, and many times it is taken for, for what is termed, " breaking down ; " but it is no such thing : it is the rup- ture of a portion of the lower attachment of the sesamoid bones, and that, principally, of the inner side : consequently, the inner side of the fetlock joint will appear much larger than the outer ; and if you pass your hand down the leg, over the part, pressing gradually as you move your hand down, you will immedi- ately discover the partial dislocation, not only from the projection of the upper end of the bone, but from the heat and pain the Horse will evince, on pressing that part of the bone, which makes the most prominent appearance. I have known this accident occur, and the inflammation run to that height, that the whole of the leg, up to the knee, has been so swollen, that the disease has been taken for strain in the back sinews, when, in fact, it arose from this partial dislocation of one of the sesamoid bones. I have said more on this disease than 1 should have done, according to natural right, but it not having been mentioned by any writer before, to my knowledge, I claim the discovery of it to myself, in which I feel justi- fied, without arrogating too much. With regard to the cure of this disease, it is at all times of long duration ; not but the time may be very much shortened, if persons discovered the part affected at once. All liniments, or blisterings, will never permanently remove it, though they may reheve for a time ; but when the Horse is brought into use again, he becomes lame : therefore, you must have recourse to firing at once, and not in a partial manner, but go a little above the bifur- cation of the suspensory ligament ; say about an inch, and as far as half way done the large pastern bone. Fire all round the leg com- pletely, then lay it on lightly, Canthai'ides Hoir's Lard 4 drams. 2 oz. Take the necessary precaution to prevent the Q B2 THE MODERN SYSTEM Horse either rubbing or biting the leg. Whilst the Horse is in the stable, give him bran mashes cold, and Cape Aloes - - - 4 drams. Ginger - - - - 1 do. Mix, to form a ball, with soap. If he should be costive, which is sometimes the case, re- peat the medicine, before you give him a run at grass ; which do in about nine days after the firing. OF FARRIERY. 63 C H A P T E R IV. OF GREASE, MANGE, SURFEIT, MALLENDERS AND SALLENDERS, WARTS, HIDE-BOUND, AND FARCY, GREASE. The disease of grease was a pest to stables of almost every horse-master in the kingdom ; and though simple in itself, the real cause was not known until within the last twenty years. The disease is not only disagreeable, but pain- ful in the greatest degree, and not unfre- quently lays the foundation of other diseases, such as cracked heels, canker, &c. Nothing was more common than to see it in stage and hackney-coach Horses, farmer's Horses, and indeed, every kind of Horse but the racer. This, at first, appears strange (but I will en- deavour to explain it presently) ; also the projecting and disagreeable appearance of what is called grapes, projections at once un- sightly, hanging at a Horse's heels. Grease, now being better known, is discovered to be an inflammation and suppuration of the ves- sels of the skin, and that, generally, in the hind legs, its circulation being weaker there, being situated at a greater distance from the heart, the circulation becomes, in a great measure, diminished, and for want of uniform power with other parts, a conjestion takes place. The cause of grease is the circulation be- comes quickened by the Horse being brought into a hot stable, most likely with his hind legs wet, the evaporation of which moisture produces cold, and then conjestion follows, as a matter of course, for the warm stable will increase the action of the heart. Grease does not affect all Horses ahke nor all parts alike, a certain description of Horse being more susceptible of taking on the dis- ease, as I before mentioned. Thorough bred Horses, such as the racer, are the least sub- ject to grease, and that, principally, from his skin, added to good grooming; and this is obtained, in a great measure, also, from tem- perature ; lor, if a thorough bred Horse was exposed to cold for years, his skin would be- come thicker, and thicker, and such Horses would degenerate. There are many circumstances which give a predisposition to grease ; the first is, thick skin, white hair, because it is a proof of a weak circulation (hence, grey Horses become white with old age). Another circumstance is the colour and make of the animal ; lio-ht chesnuts with white legs, narrow chests, and long legs. But few Horses have it now, because the existing cause must be applied, which is heat ; but not simple heat, because then we should have it in the summer ; but 64 THE MODERN SYSTEM in proportion as heat follows cold, the effect is produced. Grease often breaks out in October, when the Horse's legs begin to feel the change of season, and their legs become wet and cold ; after coming to stable, the heat occasions evaporation, and that more cold, and in pro- portion as they are cold, so are they suscep- tible of heat, if not governed by specific limits. Grease may be either local or constitutional. I will first speak of grease in its local form, which generally is in proportion to the relative temperature the parts have been exposed to. Heat after cold is then an exciting cause, and according to the previous cold it acts ; the cold being in part governed by moisture, and the length of time occupied in evaporating : if, therefore, Horses' legs with much hair, hold most water, and produce much cold, so will they be liable to grease. From these facts, it is natural to conclude, the practice of washing the Horses' legs, with- out they are afterwards wiped dry, is bad ; for, by rubbing the legs quite dry, you do to the vessels of the heels, what the heart is doing to the arteries, namely, increasing the circulation, and thus preventing conjestion and inflammation ; and if the dirt cannot be perfectly rubbed off, it is better to have a little dirt than a great deal of grease. In order, then, to avoid grease, when Horses go into stable, let them have as much air as you possibly can, by opening the windows, that the increase of circulation may be gradual. Many opinions have been advanced, to show that grease was only local, but I con- sider it, in many instances, to be thoroughly constitutional; and that, from the fact of many Horses having it during a number of years, though the greatest pains may be taken with them to prevent it at any rate. " There is no rule without exception," for impuri- ties of the blood may be lurking in the system, and Nature takes these means to get rid of them, and she wisely selects those parts as remote as possible from the vital principle of action ; for, it is well known, where, from the kind of Horse, and the care constantly taken of him, we are instantly convinced it must arise from diseased blood, or an hereditary retention of taint sire to dam. Having said thus much of the nature of the disease, I shall now endeavour to point out the best method of cure. The first thing you will have to do is, to bleed the Horse accord- ing to size and condition ; take from three to six quarts from him. Supposing this opera- tion to be performed, give him to eat bran mashes only ; indeed, regulate him as directed in the chapter on conditioning hunters : at night, give him one of the doses of physic, as recommended at the conclusion of the same article. Take a bucket of warm water, and some soft soap, and well wash out the Horse's heels ; free them from all skurf aud scabs, dirt, and any other offensive matter that may be lodged in them. This done, get for a poultice four ounces of linseed meal, pour sufficient hot water to make it of a proper consistency ; then, just as you are going to apply the poultice, have ready before a pot of digestive ointment as follows : — Take Common Turpentine - 4 oz. Hog's Lard - - - 12 do. Melt together over a slow fire. Mix about two ounces with your poultice, and fasten round the Horse's legs by means of an OF FARRIERY. 65 olil stocking, vvhicli should first be drawn on the Horse's leg, tied round the hoof, and then turned down to receive the poultice in the hollow of the heel. Poultices do no good ex- cept they are always kept moist ; therefore, at night repeat the washing with the soft soap, &c., and also your poultice : do this until the Horse's heels are thoroughly clean, and ap- pear healthy ; you then may commence healing them, which do with the following. Take Common Turpentine - 2 oz. Hog's Lard - - - 2 do. Alum, finely powdered 3 do. Melt the turpentine and lard together ; then sprinkle in the alum, and stir till cold. Should this not be found sufficiently strong, add to it Sulphate of zinc - - 1 oz. These remedies are generally found sufficient to heal the cracks and sores of the heels ; but you must be careful not to stop the discharge too sudden, and, especially, if of a constitu- tional nature. Some constitutions will not even admit of ointment being applied ; if such be the case, prepare the following : — Take Sulphate of zinc - - - 8 oz. Boiling Water - - - 2 pints. Apply this lotion frequently to the Horse's heels. If you feel inclined to try a mild lotion first, use alum instead of the zinc, varying the dressing, as it may be requisite. At the end of five or six days, give another dose of physic, which manage as directed before. The Horse should have exercise, if the weather be dry, but on no account should his legs get wet : a bandage round them will be found highly beneficial ; and, by all means, put him in a loose box, or bay of a barn, that he may exercise himself at liberty. When the process of physicking is concluded, give the following. Diuretic Sails. Take Resin, powdered ----- 8 oz. Nitre, do. ----- 4 do. Juniper Berries ----- 4 do. Soft soap, to form the mass, and divide into twelve. Give one of these balls every second day. By this treatment you will get rid of grease ; but constantly bear in mind, to prevent grease, there is nothing to equal cleanliness. MANGE. This distemper is so universally known, that a general description of its most predomi- nant features would be a very indifferent compliment both to the time and understand- ing of my readers ; suffice it, therefore, to say, a mere superficial view of it instantly conveys to the spectator a very strong idea of wretched- ness and poverty. For nothing can convey it stronger than nature exhausted, sinking under a complication of disease, debility, and poverty. And in this case, so true it is, one misfor- tune seldom comes alone, that the latter seems in combination to go hand in hand with this distemper, wherever it makes an appearance • and as a proof of the truth of this observation, it is very little seen amongst Horses of any estimation; on the contrary, it is almost en- tirely confined to the lowest stables, and the lowest proprietors. It is observed to fall chiefly upon those the.t B 66 THE MODERN SYSTEM are ill fed, or scarcely know what corn is, at least, by the taste, but are kept entirely on the refuse of provender, barren pastures, musty hay, separated hay-bands, swampy mossy ground, so poor, that quoting the old adage, you may whip a louse over it," rushy moors ; from all of which, nature may receive a wretched existence, but cannot be furnished with support, at least, the support necessary to contribute nutriment for the constant healthy subsistence of so large a frame as the Horse. From this mode of living (or rather starving) originates so severe and inveterate a disease as mange; this the economy and law of nature demonstrates to a certainty, consequently, re- quiring no further animadversion. For the blood, being by this barren source of nourishment, robbed of what it was, by nature, intended to receive, conse- quently, becomes impoverished even to a degree of incredibility : in fact, the blood be- comes thin and weak, debilitated, and loses a considerable portion of its living principle. Thus extravasated and unrestrained, its morbid effects and virulence soon displays itself upon the surface, with a severe and constant irritation and itching, principally about the neck and under the hair of the mane, though all parts of the Horse are subject to it, occa- sioning the poor animal to be constantly rubbing himself, till with this and the loss of hair from different parts, he bears the universal appearance of approaching excoriation. Many persons of the old school are in the habit of applying powerful caustic applications, which may have had the desired effect ultimately, but the pain the poor dejected animal is put to, is not only grievous to behold, but, I should say, six out of every ten become subjects for the dog-kennel. That the poor distressed and emaciated subjects may be in some degree alleviated from their pain, we shall endeavour to point out such methods as will eradicate the disease, with proper attention and observation. The commencement of the treatment is to feed, night and morning, with half bran and half malt, or with equal parts of oats and bran : but I prefer the malt to be made slightly wet, not sloppy ; sprinkle a handful of coarse hroion sugar in it, then mix all together, and give morning and night ; for the middle-day feed, give a quartern of sweet oats, with a handful or two of chaff with it. During this treatment, which must be continued for at least a week, and will begin to soften his skin, and, as grooms say, " begin to loosen it a bit," which will be a favourable sign, give the best and sweetest hay you can procure. At the expiration of a week, when the frame becomes more invigorated, discontinue the mashes, let his diet be changed to good oats, with a handful of bran night and moui- ing, first sprinkled with water, that one of the following powders may just adhere to it. Take Sulphur II b. Prepared antimony - - 1 do. Rub these well together in a mortar, and divide into twenty-four equal parts. For the middle-day feed, continue the oats and chaff, dry. You may now commence your external ap- plications, which are as follows. Procure a pail of warm water, and a quarter or half a pound of soft soap, or more if required, and tie a portion of it in a linen or wo'^llen rag, and with this, let every infected part be thoroughly washed, and we 1 cleansed, by formina; a substantial lather so tliat no scurf OF FARRIERY. 6T or filth remains upon the surface. Then rub tenderly with a linen towel until dry, and, on the following morning, begin to rub in a necessary portion of the following ointment upon every part affected, as the urgency of symptoms may require, and repeat daily until you are satisfied of the cure. Take Mercurial ointment (weak) 8 oz. White hellebore, powdered 3 do Olive oil, sufliicient to make it soft. Or, use the following, which I consider a more convenient application. Take White hellebore, powdered 4 oz. Boil this in three pints of water until reduced to one quart, then add Muriate of quicksilver - 2 drams. that has been previously dissolved in Muriatic acid - - 3 drams. This forms a lotion, and is to be applied to all the affected parts with a small piece of sponge, having first poured a portion of the lotion into a saucer. This is a very efficacious remedy, and I have known the disease perfectly cured with three dressings ; but should not recom- mend it until the Horse is sufficiently strong to bear the application. Continue the use of the powders before mentioned, with occasionally nitre in his water (an ounce is sufficient at one time) for three weeks or a month, and, so soon as it is con- ceived by the Horse's condition, that he is in a state to bear it, take away a moderate por- tion of blood, say between two or three quarts ; then give him afterwards two mild doses of physic, selected from the prescriptions on that article ; this will be found necessarj'^, and renovating. The Horse, from his previously impoverished state, will be much restored by the following Tonic medicine. Take Sulphate of iron - - - 12 drams Gentian, powdered - - 12 do. Ginger, do. - - 6 do. Form into a mass with honey, and divide into six balls, and gire one every day : by these means, you will strengthen the constitution, and beat of that poverty-stricken appearance he had previously laboured under. Now, with regard to the stable, and the Horse's appointments, such as the saddle, clothing, &c., harness, either gig or cart should be well washed and cleaned with soft soap and hot water ; his stable should be well limed and white-washed, so that every particle of the disease be totally eradicated ; this and good keep will prevent a recurrence of so disagreeable a disease. SURFEIT. Of surfeits there are two kinds, originating from different causes ; one being no more than an advanced stage of hidebound, or out of condition, which, having been long neglected, continues to increase, with all its concomitant symptoms, till the blood becomes affected, and Nature sets up this process to relieve her- self, which soon displays itself upon the skin, a degree of virulence, that forcibly appeals to the sensations of the owner. The other kind of surfeit may be attributed to drinking cold water. This kind of surfeit, differing from the former in cause, but very little in effect, is that kind, where, from ignorance or inattention, a Horse is suf- fered to drink immoderately of cold water, when in a violent perspiration, and the blood, consequently, in the highest degree of circu- lation. 68 THE MODERN SYSTEM The shock nature sustains by this revulsion may be instantly imagined, even by a mind not at all accustomed to search into the changes nature may undergo. The blood, in its greatest velocity, is so instantaneously checked by the sudden application of cold to the stomach. The stomach and skin sympa- thizing so intimately together, the pores of the skin become, as it were, instantly plugged up. Now, the acrimony, or serous part of the blood, which extravasates itself, and by an effort of nature, is propelled to the skin for transpiration, where tlie pores (having been instantly collapsed at the time of the water taking effect), are so closely obstructed, that its passage to the surface is absolutely pre- vented, and rendered impracticable. Thus fixed, it becomes united with the perspirable matter already confined there (forming a ■morbid combination), and is, in the course of time, compelled by the progress of internal in- flammation, to make its way through the skin, upon which it at last appears in a variety of forms, and different symptoms, assuming dis- tinct degrees of malignancy, according to the state, habit, and constitution of the subject, at the time of attack. Having satisfied ourselves as to the causes (for this is a very prevalent disease, both with hackney-horses, as well as cart-horses), we next proceed to the cure. For instance, re- move cutaneous obstruction, correct the acri- monious state of the blood, and gently quicken the circulation. The better to gain this object will be, first, to take away a moderate portion of blood, about three quarts, that the impetus may be encouraged ; open the body with warm bran mashes, and according to the mildness, and inveteracy of its appearance, give (as the case may require), either two or three of the following purging balls, allowing sufficient time between each dose, and exerting more than usual precaution on account of avoiding cold ; for though this quantity of mercury is remarkably gentle in the operation, being small in quantity, and may be administered with the greatest safety and effect; still care is required in all cases where you administer mercury. Take Barbadoes aloes - 6 drams. Calomel - - - 1 do. Ginger - - - - 1 do. Soft soap, sufficient to form the ball. After the course of physic is regularly gone through, and properly conducted, let stiict attention be paid to the very necessary direc- tions of food, dressings, and water ; and iii three days after the last dose of physic, begin with the following course of alterative pow- ders. Take Antimony, powdered - 1 lb. Sulphur ----- 1 do. Cream of tartar - - 4 oz. These are to be mixed well together, and divided into twelve equal parts, giving one every night with the feed of corn ; which, being first sprinkled with water, the powders will adhere to it, and insure their consumption. A handful of chaff is excellent to make the powders adhere. During this administration of the alteratives, occasionally give an ounce of nitre in the morning water. Should any trifling eschars, scabs, or exco- riations prove obstinate upon any part of the body they may be washed with a solution of zinc. Take Zinc - - - 1 oz. Boiling water Gdo. OF FARRIERY. 69 Dissolve the zinc in the boiling water, and apply to the sores, with a small piece of sponge ; this you must continue until the sores are healed. MA^.LENDERS AND SALLENDERS. MALLENDERS Are cracks, situate directly upon the back part of "he knee-joint ; occasioned, in general, more by neglect in grooming, than by any casual or constitutional defect in the subject. The matter they discharge is, in some cases, thin, and of an acrimonious nature ; in others, it forms a kind of glutinous discharge, and makes an appearance of small scabs, or scurfy es- chars upon the surface, constituting a want of flexibility, and frequently considerable lame- ness in the leg. The first thing to be done, is, to have the parts well washed with soft isoap and warm water ; repeating the wash- ing night and morning, till the eschars relax from their rigidity, and separate of themselves And this will be considerably promoted by rubbing in lightly, after each washing, a small quantity of hog's lard ; this will loosen the scabs, and they will fall off much easier when you wash. As soon as the cracks are perfectly free from scabs, or scurf, apply the following oint- ment. Take Strong mercurial ointment 1 oz. Hogs lard - - - - 1 do. Gunpowder finely powdered 4 drams. Let these be well worked together, and ap- plied morning and night. This will stimulate the parts to heal quicker than any thing I ever could discover. You must also not forget the washing, morning and night, which should be about an hour previous to applyins: the ointment ; thus you give the parts time to dry. Should a perceptible foulness in the subject justify the measure, take away a proper quan- tity of blood, according to the size of the animal ; and, occasionally, put an ounce of nitre in his water, for a fortnight ; or, give half a dozen of diuretic ballpi, as follows : — Take Powdered resin - 3 oz. Linseed meal - 1 do. Soft soap to form the mass. Divide into six, and give one every mornings the first thing. Should these remedies appear not to assist the cure, and the cracks not heal so fast as you desire, you must then proceed to stronger means. Cape aloes Calomel - 8 drams. - 2 do. Form into a mass, with linseed meal and soft soap, and divide into two balls. Give at intervals of about five days, according to the strength of the Horse. SALLENDERS Are situated upon the fore-part of the hock. Sallenders are to the hind legs what mal- lenders are to the fore legs ; they originate in the same cause, and are cured by the same means ; rendering it unnecessary to make further remarks under this head. WARTS Are troublesome things to the Horse, on ac- count of their itching so ; and very much, to the eye of the owner ; and especially if they are apt to bleed much, and it is highly disagreeable to ride a Horse in such a state. The only means to remove them, is, either by ligature, or tjie s 70 THE MODERN SYSTEM knife. In many cases you will be obliged to have the Horse cast ; some warts are situated in such places, that you would not have an opportunity of properly getting at it, without incurring considerable danger. If it be your intention to remove them by ligature, Take Arsenic 1 dram. Hog's lard - 8 do. Mix, and apply to that part of the ligature embracing the wart, once a day ; or you may apply, in the same manner, butter of antimony, anointing the part with the feather-end of a pen. But, the most effectual manner, and the one I have always ui>ed with success, has been to remove them with the knife ; and im- mediately, but slightly, cauterize the part. This I have found to answer better than any other application. HIDE-BOUND. This is a subject that has hitherto been very little treated of; and, by no means, at all sa- tisfactorily. It has been attributed to many causes ; but, from observations I have been able to make, I must confine it to few. The signs of hide-bound, are, as its name would express, a want of flexibility of the skin, which is pervaded by a general stiffness, that seems to form an entire adhesion to the flesh, with- out the least partial separation or distinction. There is a kind of dusty scurf, plainly per- ceived underneath the hair, that raises it up in different parts, and, giving it another hue, the coat, in many places, forms an appearance of two or three colours, shewing at once the insensible perspiration, which should be always going on, is either retarded, or wholly stopped, either by some internal cause, or forcibly shewing that poverty is no stranger here. The Horse is generally languid, dull, heavy, and weak ; his excrement is dark, foul, and very offensive. He sweats much upon every moderate exertion ; then his coat stares, the hair turns different ways, the effluvia of \\hich is highly disagreeable, and affords evi- dent proof of weakness and debility. The probable cause at once shews itself; such as bad food, and want of the proper care the Horse requires in the stable. These are the principal causes that can be assigned for this complaint or defect ; still there are others, all centering in poverty ; such as long lank grass, in low swampy land in the autumn, and musty hay, or bad oats, at any season, which may in some degree allay the hunger, but not gratify the appetite ; for being in itself desti- tute of the effect and quality of superior food, no nutritive contribution can be conveyed for the generating blood, or rousing the system. The sources for the supply of chyle beins: thus obstructed, the lymphatics are deprived of their due proportion of nutritive fluid that should pass through these smaller vessels, and they become, not only in some measure con- tracted, but in a great degree inactive, in consequence of wanting their natural stimulus, chyle ; which, with the want of external care and dressing, contribute to an almost universal obstruction of the cutaneous pores. These, from the preternatural debility of the general system, are compulsively throvvn open upon the most moderate exercise, when a Horse that is, from excellent food, care, and attention, or in what is termed good condition, will not display the least moisture upon his skin, even in undergoing a much greater fatigue. Thus much has been said to prove its exist- ence as an original complaint, probably caused by these means, when abstracted from its con- OF FARRIERY. 71 sideration as a symptomatic attendant upon any other. And when that is really the case, by effectually removing the cause ; in other words, cure the disease on which it is an at- tendant ; and then, of course, you will get rid of its concomitant likewise. In respect to a cure, very little instructions will be necessary ; for under judicious manage- ment, it IS scarcely entitled to the appellation of disease being in fact no more than a tem- porary niconvenience. Therefore, any way will do to effect some little change in the circulation of the blood ; as for instance, take away about two quarts of blood, and in three or four hours after give a mash of malt, oats, and bran, equal parts, continuing every night for a fortnight, stirring in it one of the following powders, Take Flour of brimstone - 12 oz. Antimony - - - 1 lb. Let these be well rubbed together, and divide into twelve parts. Give his other feeds, morning and noon, equal parts of oats and bran moistened with water : if the continuance of the bran should relax his body more than you approve of, put into his feed a handful of split beans, and the same quantity of chaff. This method of treatment you will find suc- cessful ; but yiu must accompany it with regular and substantial dressing, air, exercise, sound good oats, the best sweet hay, and good soft water. When by these means, he begins Visibly to improve in his hide, coat, and con- dition, let him have twice in the week a l)rushing gallop, to produce a tolerable sweat, and enliven the circulation, taking great care to let him stand still until he is perfectly cold ; when his dressings should be thoroughly gone tftrough with attentio"!, and care, and per- ueyerance, every night and morning. If this method should be unattended with success, there must be some unknown cause uikiu^- in the system, in which case, Take Blue pill - - 2 drams Aloes, Cape - 4 do. Give this at night, and keep all food from tlie Horse during the ni»ht ; in the morning treat as in administering a dose of physic; in the course of four or five days repeat the medicine, and, if a third dose should be required, which you will be able to ascertain from his appear- ance, let him have it, taking care the Horse doesjiot get chilled during the action of the mercury FARCY. It is one of those diseases to which the Horse is liable, and for the cure of which, and its co-disease, glanders, the Veterinary Profession have been more puzzled with than all the diseases to which the Horse is liable. Until of modern date, farcy was not thoroughly known; for all the old writers said it was somethino; the matter w^ith the blood, but could not tell what ; the French writers studied the disease, and its nature, but still we got very little farther on in progressive know- ledge ; however, we are not enabled at the present day always to promote a cure, though it is satisfactory to be able to define the disease in a much more enlightened form. Farcy, then, may be defined to be an inflam- mation and suppuration, attendant with ulcera- tion of the absorbents of the skin. It was formerly thought to be a disease of the veins, from its frequently appearing on the inside vA the thigh, where they are conspicuous and prominent, but the disease does not lay in ine veins. The disea.se beinjj exterior to tne 72 THE MODERN SYSTEM trunks of the veins, and laying in the siiper- ticial absorbents of the skin covering the veins, was not this proved to a demonstration the veins would ulcerate and open, and consider- able bleeding take place, clearly showing the disease is in no wise connected with the veins. Externally the skin may be said to be the only visible part susceptible of farcy ; but when the case runs on and becomes violent, the lungs partake also of it. Every part of the skin is susceptible of the disease, but not all parts equally so ; wherever the skin is thinest, these parts are more liable to become affected than where the skin is thick. ^ The commencement of the disease is gene- rally ushered in with swelling and inflamma- tion, and, at length, single tumour forms; this goes on until matter is formed, suppuration takes place, and of course ulceration ; the tumours do not always suppurate, often becoming hard and schirrous. These, in the old farriers' language, are called " hucls, or farcy buds ;" there are fre- quently many of these, forming a kind of chain : this is an absorbent enlarged and inflamed, and frequently will continue to enlarge to an alarming degree ; these are the common symptoms and appearance of the disease. The cause of its taking place in the hind legs most frequently, is, because the living power of these legs is much less, conse- quently, more liable to be out of repair. This disease, as we said before, is one that less progress towards a cure has been made, than almost any disease of the Horse, and that in consequence of its containi ng a poison ; which poison, if applied to the skin of a sound Horse, will produce inflammation and matter of the same kind ; and in all probability, if the matter becomes absorbed, it will produce ^7«/i- dcrs ; still this may not l)e the case, all constitu- tions not being equally susceptible of taking on the disease, though actually in contact with the poison ; this, like all medicines, have not the same effect on all constitutions, more than this specific poison. However, it proves this matter to be contagious, because it is possible to pro- duce it on a healthy animal. Here is one curi- ous fact also ; if you insert the poison deep below the skin, it does not produce yitrcT/ ; but, being absorbed into the system, it produces glan- ders ; the absorbents do not inflame in this case, clearly proving it a disease of the skin ; so that the deep seated absorbents become affected, and the superficial ones not so. From this cause, if you were to skin a Horse, with farcy, at this stage of the disease, there would not be the least appearance of it under the skin ; nor can it be produced in a sound Horse without an abraded surface ; though I think it may be produced if applied to the membrane of the Horse's nose, if it were carefully done, so that the surface was not abraded. Professor Coleman's opinion, is, that one Horse in a stable cannot communicate it to another, without an abraded surface ; shew- ing, it must be generated, and that constitu- tional diseases cannot be produced except by contact ; if poisoned atmosphere be inhaled, disease may be propagated by breathing it, whilst contagion requires the actual contact of the diseased animal with the sound ; though there is little or no distinction, for the poison does not come in contact with the lungs under infection. For, in propurtion as crowds and filth abound, do such diseases break out. Contagious diseases may be, then, produced without contact ; but not only may be, but as regards farcy, I question whether one in one thousand, ever becomes affected by the actual touch of this matter, showing clearly that it «• OF FARRIERY. 73 not a local disease. I have heard persons say It arises from drinking cold water, and eating beans ; but I cannot see how these wholesome materials for food can produce a poison. ] think it far more probable to be produced by a poisoned atmosphere ; an atmosphere over and over again impregnated with what escapes from the lungs, the skin, the dung, and urine : there is no surprise in the matter, if we examine for a moment why such a com- position should not affect the lungs, and if not immediately the substance of the lungs; but the system will become afiected through the blood, which is continually travelling through them at every pulsation. The air also furnished to go into the lungs, was never intended by nature to be made use ^f when charged with deleterious gases. Pure air is so important to life, that if deprived of it only for a few minufes we should die. If we breathe from a bladder long enough, we shall drop from exhaustion ; and yet, examine the contents of that bladder, and there will be found oxygen, but there has a poison become united to it, which cannot be detected, and which is incapable of sustaining life. Farcy, then, is a consequence of that law stamped upon animal existence, that where they exist beyond a certain number, it is necessary that they should be thinned, for it is better some should die, than all be made un- comfortable : now nature accomplishes this by poison, in some animals, producing fever, &c. &c. This is the true cause of farcy, produced through the medium of the lungs, uniting with the blood, and it circulating every where. It has been contended by some writers, that the blood cannot be affected, for if capable of receiving a poison, it became so subdivided that of course it was inert : another argument set up was, the blood going to all parts, and all parts not becoming affected ; but this is easily accounted for ; for if you give a Horse turpentine, and bleed him in the course of an hour afterwards, you will dis- tinctly smell the turpentine ; though we know the kidneys are the parts alone affected by it, showing that by the law of nature, that all parts are not alike susceptible ; for there is no dis- ease which affects all parts, therefore, it is no proof the blood may not be contaminated, because the skin alone is affected, and thoueh glanders or farcy, or both, can be produced when the poison is absorbed, the substance of the lungs may not be affected at all in the early or curable state of farcy, though they generally do become affected, and in such case, medicine is of no use whatever. Horses most predisposed to this pest of diseases, are narrow-chested Horses, with flat sides and long legs. The common farriers will, one and all, tell you they can cure the disease, because they think it a local affection, which is easily cured. Their practice being to burn the ulcers, destroying the specific action in the part, and they may in some instances perform a partial cure, if the poison has not gone further, the buds healed, and the cure said to be completed. But in most instances, when thus locally treated, it breaks out again, even at the end of twelve months. I have known it to occur and terminate in glanders ; those only being cured, which have not the lungs affected. The cure of farcy may be obtained, if it be purely local ; such as when the buds are on the legs only, so as it appears to be confined to the lymphatics of the skin ; but if the poison be once got into the system, I should at once despair of any thing like a cure. If the 74 THE MODERN SYSTEM membrane of the nose should become at all ulcerated, or the membranes lining the bones of the head, secrete and discharge a disagree- able matter, the chances are one hundred to one of your succeeding in a cure. However, I have always treated it as a constitutional affection, not trusting in the term local or otherwise. If the Horse should be in tolerable condi- tion, I should immediately bleed, according to strength, size, &c., and give the following : Take Cape aloes - - 8 drams. Ginger - - - - 1 do. Form into a ball with soft soap. And treat as directed in administering doses of physic. Should you perceive tlip fucy buds diminish at all, or even no increase take place in those which are formed, give a second dose of medicine, and treat as before Your next thinff is to lay the farcy buds open ; these you will find principally on the inside of the hind leg, frequently down the neck, in the line of the jugular vein, along the back, and frequently on the face. This last, whenever I found them, the cure was always doubtful. Some persons open the buds with a lancet, and apply the actual cautery, to destroy at once by fire what we imagine cannot be done any other way : but I object to this mode of treatment myself, as I have seen much more good done by other means. First, open all the abscesses with a lancet, after squeezing out the matter, which you must be exceed- ingly careful in doing, for the pain the Horse experiences will make him very fidgetty, but sometimes attended with sfreat dan2:er. After you have cleaned away all the matter from the sores, apply a little sulphate of zinc to each of the opened buds. This application will be found highly beneficial on first opening the buds : if you should have done this in the morning, repeat it again at night ; then on the morrow, wash the sores well with the follow- ing lotion. Take Extract of Saturn - - - 2 oz. Spirits of wine, camphorated 8 do. White wine vinegar - - 1 pint. Mix well together, and keep close stopped for use ; then Take Prepared antimony - - I lb. Sulphur - - - - - -12 oz. Cream of tartar - - - 8 do. Incorporate well in a mortar, and divide into twenty equal parts, giving one every night in the corn, first sprinkling with water to insure the adhesion of the powders. This pr > ortion is meant for the distemper in its mildest state, when the buds make their first appearance. Shoidd the distemper be in a more advanced stage, bleeding should be repeated, in a proper time and in a moderate degree ; and upon the scabs or eschars peeling from the buds, wash them well, occasionally, with the following: Take Corrosive sublimate - - 2 drams. British brandy - - - i pint. White wine vinegar - 1 do. Tinct. myrrh and aloes - 2 oz. Water ----- |- pint. First dissolve the sublimate in the brandy, then add the other articles, and shake well together : or. Take Sugar of lead - 1 oz. Sulphate of zinc - - 1 do. White wine vinegar - 1 pint. Water ----- h do. Mix together. OF KAKRIERY. o For internal medicines, an immense number have been tried, I believe, all the mineral and vegetable poisons, and with some ex- cellent effect ; but the variety being great, you cannot always hit upon the right one ; therefore, I shall not enter into a long detail, but at once present you with the formula that I have been in the habit of using, all of which I have found good. Take Cantharides - - 5 grains. Arsenic _ _ - 4 do. Sulphate of iron - 1 dram. Gentian - - 1 do. Ginger - - 1 do. Form into a ball with soft soap. Give one every morning, first thing. Or, Take Corrosive sublimate 4 grains. Sulphate of iron - 2 drams. Form into a convenient sized ball, with linseed meal and soft soap. Give every morning, Or, Take Blue pill - - - 2 drams Aloes - - - - 1 do Ginger - - 1 do. Mix together for one ball, with a little oil of turpentine, and give one every second morn- ing. Great care must be taken to watch the Horse, that he do not become salivated ; if either of the foregoing prescriptions should appear to take the Horse's appetite away, let him remain for a day or two, without the commencing it again. During the exhibition of these medicines, the Horse should be well kept, feeding him without a sparing hand. You may occasionally dissolve an ounce of nitre in his morning water, as he will then be most likely to drink. A little green meat will be good for him ; and when you perceive him getting better, get him a run at grass in some place handy, and give him a feed of corn morning and evening. Speared malt is ex- cellent for them at this time ; also, if you take about a tea-cupful of linseed, and pour on it a quart of boiling water; taking also, and mixing with it, eight or nine good potatoes, well boiled and worked up together, give this with his corn at his middle-day feed. Should he at first refuse it, do not be disheartened, he will take to it in a short time ; and the benefit arising from it will surprise you. Carrots are very good, chopped up fine ; also turnips of the Swedish kind, as they contain more sac- charine matter than any other ; also parsnips, a few at a time ; for if given in quantities, are apt to grille. The treatment, as practised at the Royal Veterinary College, is by adminis- tering, from two to five drams of sulphate of copper, in solution, in about a pint of water ; increasing or decreasing the dose, as circum- stances may require; and also applying a solution of the same sulphate, in the quantity of two ounces to a pint of water, to the sores daily. 76 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER V. OF WJNDGALLS, BOG SPAVIN, THOROUGH PIN, CAPPED HOCK, TUMOURS OF THE ELBOW AND THE KNEE. WIN DG ALLS. The term vvindgall *, was never more mis- applied to any disease, than the present ; for the enlargement in which the disease consists, does not contain air at all ; but they are a kind of syst, or sack, attendant on most, or all joints, but particularly those which will come under our notice, in consequence of their fre- quently occasioning lameness, and, at best, a great eye-sore. These sacks are situated on both sides of the tendons, just above the fet- lock joints, before, and not unfrequently upon the hind legs likewise. These prominences become enlarged, generally, from hard work, occasioning a greater determination of blood to the part; consequently, a greater secre- tion of mucus they contain, increasing, until they become disagreeably large. It is from this circumstance, that if you apply lini- ments, or lotions, to windgalls, afld appa- rently reduce them, that they immediately enlarge again on being put to work ; for, if the sack containing the mucus be enlarged to the * The technical term for windgalls is enlargement of the " biirsae mucosse ;" but, as we promised to avoid techni- calities, we give the name they are generally understood hv. disagreeable size vve sometimes see it, it never contracts to its original feature. For the cure of windgalls, I shall give my reader the practice I have invariably pursued, and not without considerable success. As be- fore stated, liniments, lotions, and even blister- ing has little or no effect ; but the plan I have adopted has been, lirst to clip the hair off all round the leg, over the fetlock joint, and about three inches above the seat of the enlargement ; then take from four to six ounces of mercurial pluister, and put it in a melting pot, previously having procured an old paint-brush, and when thoroughly melted, rub on the parts where the hair has been clipped off, well grubbing it in with the old brush. Having done this to your satisfaction, take a flannel bandage, about three yards long, and about three inches broad, bind this tight round the leg, and let it remain so situated for a fortnight, when you may take a pair of scissors, and snip the bandage down the front of the leg, and let it fall off at liberty. (You must not forget the cradle.) I have treated windgalls repeatedly in this manner, and have had no further occasion to do more to them. However, should this not be found effectual, 1 have either fired the parts, or opened the "Vfi^B 'GAI^I, S. 27ie fn7~£ /e/f p-ce frpm Wind ^aZl^'. > A. The Win-d /jaU eMirr to //t' opened. or ///fvr fhe ruerciiriul p7asterf' app/ied. B. J/er/i^>d of firrin.] frr Wind ffti/ls ri// jriind /A r /ecf B O G SJPA^^II^. The Horse.r h^orjc iiL itj ?i-ntiiral or hecilrhv state,. 7)7//7/ affected with Boi) (tf'Bh/od spttvin . Method of redueino the enlaro entcnt /> f>i//ie/iiri/io the Tnucoiis cap-iutot TieroRov PTT^' Ilie Ilnr.frs /u^rA- in it.K tTf/ti/r^// f'r hcti/t/iv A'ftifr. T^L07'C>/fp/f /.JU/ -^ ir///'n t^'cf^ted }v/'t/t the tfiseas J/i't//f^cl (?f fireijuf ybr Thoroutj// put rr/^f^\ first bei/t^ pienctiirecA called Cn^p'l ht'rjx , ^'J . w/if/i operated 071 wzth- setOTi . Tlif. nirthr'rl of Fire n/ f/ fhr ////// ///v/ /if'rr first h/.hifi ////// fpr/f TUMOUR ©IF THE EI.BO'W. Thr f/rr /r^ nt the £/how A. Thr Zlhow 27ie fore fsp r?Le £Ibow deui-c/ turnified . j9. T/ie l/unoitr f. The pla^e t^ i>prr/7te on witfi the BLUory. D . Tfie siti^atii'Ti t/:' rat d/^wn fft thr ftrfnour whrTi intended tn fie f/issrrtr,f fttt Tril'OlTM ©.T TME KTTEIE. A . T/i.e lTnr.\cs fen re in a /i^nJtli V .!tfft^ . /J. 77/ r tiinttna^ to 7;r f'prr'/teri on ., ('. JfrtJtod o^'puru'tuiui^ the ttimt-u?' at itj dp^idinef pa^'t .^fjri'YZ'irt^ tr hlxot^-inff. OF FARRIKRY. bursce, in the following mannei- : — You must have the Horse cast, and introduce a prettj' large abscess lancet into the enlarged bursoi at bottom, or lower part, so that you may be enabled to introduce your finger, which do, and turn it about several times ; by this means you will break down the membrane of the sack ; then put a suture in the wound, and draw the lips of which together, and let your Horse get up. This will occasion, at first, some little swelling, which bathe well witli warm water, two or three times a day, and apply a bandage. When the inflammation has considerably subsided, treat the puncture as a common wound. I sometimes have, if the case was a bad one, and the windgalls very large, as soon as the inflammation had subsided, cast the Horse again, and fired the parts, which has answered exceedingly well. I should recommend the Horse a loose bo.x, and a dose or two of physic, during the time he is resting. BOG SPAVIN Is a disease, very commonly attendant on hard work, and especially in young Horses, when they have been too early used. The hock, as has been before observed, is liable to more diseases than any other joint belonging to the Horse ; it beino- desig-ned for verv extensive motion ; but the motion of it, during natural labour, is very different from that, which is throwing a Horse upon his haunches, pulling him up suddenly, or taking high and wide leaps. These violent motions of the joint, are, as it may well be supposed, likely to produce disorder. Bog spavin, then, is an enlargement of the mucus capsule, situated immediately in the bend of the hock, and near to the superficial vein, passing obliquely over the part ; in fact, it may be said to be a cor- responding disease to windgalls in the fetlock joint. It does not always produce lameness ; but, when so large as to occasion lameness, and prevent the Horse from working, imme- diately open the tumour, in the manner described for windgalls ; only being careful not to puncture the vein, which may be easily prevented, by tying a fillet of tape round the bottom part of the thigh. You will then im- mediately discover the course of the vein, and it will be your own fault if you do not a\oid it. Having made the puncture, and found out the mucus, put in the wound a little sulphate of zinc, and proceed in all other respects as you would for windgalls. THOROUGH-PIN Is that large bursal eulargement, situated in the upper and back part of the hock, the tu- mour shewing itself on either side ; hemce its name, thorough-pin. This seldom occasions lameness. The causes of this disease are similar to the two preceding; overweight- ing, immoderate riding, and ill-management in the breaking of young Horses. For the treatment of this, proceed precisely as directed for windgalls and bog spavin. CAPPED HOCK Is a large swelling that arises at the point of the hock. It is seldom detrimental to the Horse's action, but is very objectionable to the eye. It arises chiefly from kicks, or lay- ing on hard stones, or other injury, the point of the hock is so very liable to. It is sometimes hereditary *. If not relieved soon in its early * Why I say that capped hock is hereditary, is, in con- sequence of seeing it so in one family. About fourteen years ago I was called to see a Horse belonging to Messrs U 78 THE MODERN SYSTEM stage, it frequently becomes of considerable size, and what appears strange, the skin seems to thicken as it becomes larger. For the treatment of Capped Hock, if you should perceive it in its early stage, I use re- pellents, such as the following : Take Sal ammoniac - I oz. Spirits of wine - 8 do. Vinegar - - 8 do. Rub some of this lotion on the point of the hock, night and morning. Should this not promote the absorption of the fluid, then in- troduce setons on each side of the hock, and keep the discharge up for a fortnight, dress- ing every day with digestive ointment, as follows : Take Common turpentine - 4 oz. Hog's lard _ _ _ 4 do. Melt together over a slow fire, and dress the setons wit!i it, when you change them every morning. Should this not have the desired effect at once, puncture with a lancet, and fire in the manner seen in the Plate. Whilst using the Bird, of Hammersmith. On the occasion of one of my visits, he asited me to see a brood mare, and two of her colts, laying in a field close at hand, which he considered of excellent make and form. The dam was a known good one. She was a light chesnut mare ; the colts were of the same colour, one a three-year old, the other a yearling ; and all three, dam and colts, affected with capped hocks. There had been a colt, which would then have been two years old, but it had been dead about six months, and he had capped hocks too. As far as my recollection will serve me, I believe Mr. B. informed me they were all got by dif- ferent Horses. This, I think, is sufficient proof of like getting like. I know it frequently occurs in the human subject, and why not in animals 1 I know a guard of a mail-coach, who has one leg shorter than the other ; he has a son, about sixteen years of age, affected precisely in the same manner, and numbers of instances might be adduced, 'f we had spa:o to enter on that subject. above remedies, give a mild dose or two of physic. THE ELBOW. These tumours frequently arise from various causes: they are situated at the point of the elbow, and sometimes grow to an amazino- size ; I once recollect seeing one in Messrs Barclay's stud of dray-horses as large as a child's head, it appeared to give little or no inconvenience, but the appearance is highly disagreable. These tumours are not always alike in their contents, some of them contain- ing a yellowish fluid, and that in a considerable degree ; this you may discover by the un- dulating feel it has when pressed between the thumb and finger. This kind of tumour con- tains a yellowish serous fluid, deposited in the cellular membrane, which greatly abounds in this and the neighbouring parts. The other kind of tumour is hard, will not yield to pressure, and sometimes proceeds to calosity. These tumours generally arise from heavy dray-horses laying down on rough paved stables, and frequently when they double their fore feet up under them ; the large calkins of the shoes just comes in contact with the point of the elbow, and a bruise from either of the foregoing causes will produce it ; it may sometimes arise from kicks, but this, I should imagine, but seldom ; as if it arose from a kick, the Horse would instantly go lame, whereas by bruising gradually, it continues growing without producing lameness, as you may see in the hands of blacksmiths, the right hand in which he holds the hammer, the inside of which is covered with an immense thick skin ; but he feels no pain in producing it, because it comes on gradually ; but put a tyro to use the hammer for only one or two hours, and it is OF FARRIERY. 79 more than ten to one, but his hand becomes severely bhstered. But to our subject : after examining the tumour, and being satisfied as to the nature of it, you next proceed to the cure. If it should be the kind of tumour con- taining fluid, take your seton scissors, then taking up the skin in the most dependent part, make an orifice, and let out the fluid ; and, further insert your finger, as if preparing to place in a tent, which do with tow, smeared all over with digestive ointment, as follows : No. 1. Take Sulphate of copper, finely powdered 1 dr. Common turpentine - - - - 2 oz. Hos's lard ------- 4 do. Melt the turpentine and the lard together, and when nearly cold, sprinkle in the sulphate of copper. Or, No. 2. Take Red precipitate - - - - 4 drams. Common digestive ointment* 4 oz. This will promote a healthy discharge, if the first does not: keep this open for a week or * What is meant by the common digestive ciotmcnt, is, the turpentine and hog's lard alone. nine days. If the parts should swell much, foment three or four times a day, with flannels dipped in hot water, until you see the swellino- abate. The hard kind of tumour you must treat in another way, and the only way it can be, to be effectual, that is, at once make an incision down the middle of the tumour, and disect it completely out, then insert a plegit of tow, smeared with the first named digestive oint- ment, No. 1. and sew up the wound until within an inch and a half of the bottom, which must be kept open during the suppurative process ; when that is ended, dress as a common wound, with compound tincture of myrrh, THE KNEE. Sometimes enlargements on the knee take place, but they are of little consequence^ though I was once called to a Horse thus affected ; the tumour was about tiie size of half a walnut ; I immediately punctured it with a very small abscess lancet, squeezed the matter out, blistered the part, and ordered the Horse to be turned out: in a month, he came up, and no person could discover the place, that either the puncture or blister had been made. The Horse was the property of a dealer, and of great value. 80 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER VI. THE EYE AND ITS DISEASES. THE EYE. The eye is such an important organ, and the structure of such sublime grandeur, that we cannot in justice to our readers pass it over slightly ; but shall endeavour to give as full a description as we possibly can of this piece of natural mechanism. MUSCLES OF THE EYE. The muscles of the eye, of which the orbicularis first comes under our notice, which surrounds, and is attached to the Vjones of the orbit ; and though these fibres are attached to the lower eye-lid, it seems scarcely for the purpose of motion, as this lid is to appearance stationary ; this muscle passes under the loose skin of the upper eye-lid, which has great motion ; the office of this muscle is to close the eye-lid perfectly, or in the act of winking, which is performed involunta- rily ; therefore, this muscle in sleep is in action. There is an antagonist to this muscle, the levator palpebrce, arising from the posterior part of the orbit, passes over the orbit, and contiguous to the lachrymal glands, which are placed in the hollow of the orbit above the eye; this pair of muscles is in almost unceasing action, and like all other muscles, they would become weary, but by acting in opposition they are rested at intervals ; for when the eyes are shut, the orbicularis is in action ; when awake the levator palpebrce ; but this is relaxed by the act of winking, which is clearly one intention of winking ; another is allowing the tears to pass over the orbit, which performs their office of removing extraneous matter, by means of the action of the eye-lids. To move the eye, there are four straight muscles, two oblique, and one retractor, the powers of which are very superior to those of the human subject ; but nature is diversified in her gifls ; thus, some have wings, whilst we have brains and hands, which more than compensate for all deficiencies. But to be acquainted with the different func- tions, and organizations of the eye of the Horse, it requires greater attention than per- sons at first sight are aware ; there being a muscle attached to the Horse's eye called the retractor muscle, which the human subject has not. But, going back to the straight muscles, we will begin with the levator oculi, which arises from the posterior part of the orbit, goes over the retractor muscle, and is attached to the sclerotic coat; it is for the purpose of directing the eye upwards, the eye always acting in unison with these muscles. "'■p,. ''"/"^ '^, ., ,„r.hraH- l">^'^ ^-^m^'^^'^mMsjg^ '"'''^"«//,vV,v/»7 //'"'"" J &T. TALLIS. LOUDON » GLiSGOW OF FARRIERY. 81 The next muscle is the abductor, which arises from the posterior part of the orbit, and is inserted into the anterior part of the sclerotic coat on the outside ; this muscle directs the eye from the nose, and unlike the levators, these muscles cannot act together, for one eye being turned from the nose, the other is directed to the nose by another muscle ; the intention of this is obvious, that in cases of alarm, both eyes should be directed to the same object, one by the abductor, and the other by the adductor. The depressor occuli arises from the posterior part of the orbit, and is inserted into the inferior part of tlie sclerotic coat. The adductor has the same origin, and is inserted into the sclerotic coat towards the inner cayithus. All these muscles acting together, have the power of drawing the eye into the orbit; but their action is inconsiderable. The oblique muscles, which are two, one of which arises from the inferior part of the orbit, and is inserted into the sclerotic coat below, the other called the trochliaris, arises from the same, and going through a pulley-like adaptation, is inserted into the anterior part of the sclerotic coat, and thus draws the eye forward. Their chief use is to act in opposition to the straight muscles, by drawing the eye forward. The retractor occuli arises from the supe- rior part of the orbit, surrounds the optic nerve, but is separated from it by adeps [i. e. fat] ; and that the fibres may not affect the nerve, they are not attached to the sclerotic coat, where the nerve emerges. This muscle performs two functions : I will just mention here how you may distinguish the inner and outer canthiis ; when the eyes are separated from the body, it is the broad side which forms the inner canthus, over which the haio plays. I may here allude to the formation in birds, which is a little similar to the haic, called the membrana nictitans, a semi-transparent membrane, having a muscle and a tendon. In the Horse this is cartilage edged with black, at the anterior part fastened to the conjunctiva by the cellular membrane, and if you attempt to pass your 6nger between the eye and the haw, you are prevented by the conjunctiva, showing that the conjunctiva is a reflected membrane over the cellular attachment. The haic is divided into two parts ; the anterior part is convex on the outer surface, concave on the inner, to fit the convexity of the eye ; the haiv acts as a kind of shield, but not being sufficient to cover the whole orb, whilst in its natural situation, the retractor muscle acts first, by which means the ball of the eye presses upon the adeps, and the haw, in consequence, is forced over the eye, showing it has no movement of its own, but is dependent on the retractor muscle, thus performing its functions by moving apart, to which it is least attached. LACHRYMAL GLANDS. In noticing the lachrymal glands placed above the levator palpebree, laying close to the sclerotic coat, white and large, and through being of a white colour, consequently, not pos- sessing much blood, its secretion is large, as may be proved by its duct, which secretion is evidently regulated by circumstances. These ducts pierce the conjunctiva at the upper and outer part, and thus moisten the eye. THE EYE-LIDS. The eye-lids in the Horse, must claim a little attention, the peculiarity of them, is, the bottom one has no lashes, but the upper one 82 THE MODERN SYSTEM has a double row in the centre, not extending from canthus to cantlms ; these lids are seldom diseased, or even the cause of disease. THE CONJUNCTIVA. The conjunctiva is immediately connected with the eye-lids, the haw, and the orbit ; it possesses three different structures, that is, three separate degrees of vascularity. It lines the inner surface of the eye-lids, covers the eye-ball, being reflected over every part ; now this membrane is highly vascular in that part lining the eye-lids, it is less so over the opaque cornia, and still less over the trans- parent cornia, never admitting red particles of blood, unless in a state of inflammation. Now the eye-lids have a secretion of their own, to protect them from the tears, whir-h, though congenial to the eye, are not so to the edges of the palpebrcB ; and it is a well known fact, shewing the susceptibility of parts, for the salt that is in the tears will at any time inflame the cheek, but not the eye ; but warm water applied to the eye, will inflame it, and be congenial to, and relieve the cheeks ; though we cannot account for these facts, but by the different susceptibility of the nerves going to these parts. THE FUNCTIONS OF THE LACHRA'MAL GLANDS, TEARS, CONJUNCTIVA, EYE-LIDSj HAW, AND RETRACTOR MUSCLE. As the above parts of the eye are all, more or less, blended together, I have thought it best to give their functions together, from the intimate connection one has with the other. The apparent use of the eye-lid, is to protect the eye from foreign matter, and also to regu- late the admission of light ; independent of ihese, the inner surface of the upper eye-lids. covered by the conjunctiva, is connected with the tears, which flow between the eye-ball and eye-lid, the conjunctiva is thus prevented from coming in contact by a fluid ; the eye-lids also secret a fluid of their own, which pre- vents any tendency to irritation ; the action of the lachrymal glands is, at intervals, even in sleep, taking place, though there may be but little wanted ; but any foreign matter, even the wind, will at once excite their action : this is occasioned by the nerves of the eye-ball being irritated, the tears, in consequence, are thrown out to alleviate such irritation. Be- tween these glands and the mind, there is also great sympathy, and when their action is ex- cited, so that the secretion be too extensive to be carried off by the nose, the tears flow over the cheeks, and constitutes weeping. This secretion is also affected by the action of the retractor muscle, which, acting with the ad ductor muscle, the eye-ball is brought to the inner canthus, and the haw forced over th© eye-ball. Foreign matter very seldom occa- sions blindness, for the tears and eye-bal? moving in one direction, and the haw in & contrary one, any foreign matter is quickly dislodged. The tears, then, we see, keep the parts moist, transparent, and, remove the waste from evaporation, which is always going for- ward in moist external surfaces. The tears having performed their oflfice of lubricating the eye-ball, and the parts attached, they pass on into the ducts, called puncta lachrymalis, situated at the inner canthus of the eye. This duct in the Horse is but little larger than in the human subject ; passing through a canai, partly bony and partly membranous, termi- nates at the lower end of the nostrils, much increased in size. This formation in man is of OF FARRIERY. 83 a more complicated nature than in the Horse, consequently, it is very frequently subject to disease by becoming obstructed, and occasion- ing a serious, troublesome complaint ; in the Horse it very seldom occurs, and then but with trifling inconvenience. The action of the haw takes place from any cause that arises from tenderness and pain or inflamma- tion ; and this may be continued so long, that the retractor and adductor muscles per- manently contract, the haw being completely powerless of itself, is left protruded out : when this should be the case, there is no diflliculty or danger in cutting it out with a pair of scissors. THE CORNEA. In the Horse there is no opaque cornea visible, whilst in man, it constitutes a promi- nent feature of the eye ; which, though it does not appear to add to perfectness of vision, adds greatly to the beauty and expression of the eye ; and as it was not necessary we should see in the night, being supplied with sense and hands to secure sustenance in the day, and requiring much sleep from the activity of the brain, this defect in sight is fully counter- balanced by beauty and expression. The transparent cornea is more or less con- vex in all animals, both from its form and the fluid it contains. In Horses, it is not circular but horizontally oblong, being more contracted at the outer than the inner part ; also, the ball of the eye being denser and transparent, that law of optics takes place, that rays of light, passing through a tran-^parent convex body, become bent, conveying objects to a focus, end this focus conveys it to the retina, thus constituting vision. In man, the cornea is often too convex, m consequence of which, the rays of light are brought to a focus before they reach the retina; this constitutino- near- sightedness ; the reverse taking place with old people, the cornea being too flat. We cannot so well judge of defect in the sight of the Horse ; there is no doubt that many Horses with prominent eyes, and very convex, have imperfect vision, as they invariably are very apt to shy and start. THE IRIS. [n examining the eye, and looking into the anterior chamber, which contains the aqueous humour, we there see the iris, and the centre of the iris is that opening called the pupil; looking steadily at it, there is a blueness ap- parent, showing that there is free access to the back part of the eye through the pupil, also showing the iris divides the humours of tl>e eye into two spaces, which are called cham- bers, the anterior and the posterior. The iris appears to hang as a curtain between the cornea and the crystalline lens. The iris is composed of two orders of muscular fibres, and also demonstrates the colour of the eye ; as, for instance, a black iris constitutes a black eye, a blue iris, a blue eye. In bay Horses it is of a cinnamon colour ; sometimes it is white, constituting a wall eye, and with a wall eye there are generally white hairs on the eye-lashes and orbit : the colour of the outer part of the iris is no criterion for the posterior, M'hich is generally black, and is the part that is of service to the Horse's vision. The shape of the iris, at the circumference, is oblong, like the transparent cornea ; it is very muscular, and its fibres are radiated, these being: wound round the circumference with another order of muscular fibres and another round the inner margin, and the union between 84 THE MODERN SYSTEM the two is by the radiated expansion of one order of fibres and of the blood vessels. Having thus come to the opening of the iris, I shall call it, as before, the pupil, which is not a solid body, but a passage left by the iris for the rays of light to penetrate in their passage to the posterior chambers of the eye. The iris undergoes many changes, as to size, in all animals ; and, in the Horse, as it changes its form, from round to oblong, and vise versa. In cats, the changes are well seen, for, in a strong light it is very oblong, but perpendicular, whilst it is horizontal in the Horse. This shews the object of nature at once, for a cat has necessity of seeing upwards and down- wards for securing its prey, not sideways where its powers would be lost. Ourselves and the Horse have occasion to see every way ; so that, though the pupil becomes hori- zontal, it is never very narrow : there is also a peculiar structure in the Horse's eye, which seems to have the power of keeping out light, occasioned by four glandular bodies, two placed at the lower edge of the upper margin of the iris, and two at the lower margin. These are not seen in a weak light, when the pupil is large ; and seldom in the dead subject: they are seen best in prominent eyes, under a strong light ; they are black, and covered with the nigrum pigmentum (or black paint), which in the dead eye becomes a mucous. These bodies may almost be called an internal eye-lid, and united to the iris they complete the curtain. We will now endeavour to explain the functions of the iris, which may be easily seen, by observing the effect of different degrees of light on the iris, light being the stimulus, and, through the nervous energy, the iris becomes af- fected ; the pupil being passive, the iris expand- ing, makes the pupil much smaller ; on the other hand, if the iris contract, the pupil ap- pears so much larger. The iris is possessed of abundance of nerves and muscular fibres ; for though this is not perceptible to the naked eye, our reason demonstrates them, and we must never suffer the superior light of oiu- reason to be darkened by the imperfection of our senses. The muscular fibres of the iris are of two orders, the one appearing a kind of sphincter (signifying to shut up) at the inner margin, and, being excited by a strong light, it contracts at the same moment ; the trans- verse order relax and elongate, and thus the pupil is diminished : the stimulus of light being removed, the transverse preponderate, diminishing the iris, and, consequently, en- larging the pupil. It would appear that the circular or sphincter order require a very strong stimulus to be able to overcome the constant superabounding power of the trans- verse order of fibres, the varied action of the pupil taking on different forms, according to the strength of light ; in a weak light becoming circular, occasioned by the transverse fibres being in full play ; but, as in a strong light the pupil becomes oblong, it would appear by this, that the transverse fibres have not an equal power of relaxation, only at the top and bottom ; for, at the corners, they scarcely relax at all. There is considerable sympathy between the iris and the retina, as in gutta serena, or glass-eyed, as it is termed ; that is, when the optic nerve has lost its sensibility, the iris has likewise. THE OUTER COATS OF THE EVE. In considering the outer coats of the eye, we commence with the sclerotic, which is composed of tendinous material, very dense. OF FARRIERY. h.5 but not equally thick all over, the thickest part being its posterior ; this part receiving more pressure against the orbit, when under the influence of the retractor muscle, nature required it to be thicker, to repel the pressure it might receive. Anteriorly, there is a groove receiving the posterior edge of the transpareiil cornea, called the ciliary processes (the v* nite folds at the margin of the %ivea in th*^ eye, covered with black matter) ; there is -^ pas- sage through the sclerotic coat for the optic nerve, which does not pierce it at its c ntre, but pierces the sclerotic and choroid coatG at the inferior part. The choroid coat is on the inner side of l.'ie i sclerotic, and is very vascular, possessing j many blood-vessels, nerves, and absorbents. \ The appearance in this coat varies in different ; animals, forming a difference of covering, •which it most commonly possesses. It is most commonly in white ferrets, and also in the human subject, with those classes of persons commonly called " albinos'^ with long white hair, &c. In all these the colouring matter is wanting, and the arteries of the coat are alcne seen ; the consequence is, liie bottom of the eye looks red. In consequence of this forma- tion, there is an incapability of seeing in a strong light, seeing best in the dark, which is most properly called, a diminution of light; there being no such thing as positive darkness : and I may remark, that in sympathy with such, the eye-lashes are always white, and the hair of the head is white also ; and fre- quently on smaller animals all the hair is white : the same occurs to white mice and white rats. In man, generally, both surfaces of the choroid coat, the one in contact with the sclerotic coat, the other with the retina, are covered with a black pigment, which, in the dead animal, becomes a kind of mucus. But there is a difference according to circumstances : the negroes in the tropics have it much blacker than those in temperate regions, bv which they have a power to absorb superflu- ous rays of light, so that vision is not painful. From these facts, we may conclude, this pig- ment is a kind of regulator, absorbing superflu- ous rays ; also shewing, that such eyes cannot see well in a weak light, as the rays are all absorbed without affecting the retina ; for nature has never been able to make one piece of mechanism to perform opposite effects wek. This coat, in Horses, is of great impoitance from its having a different coloured pigment from man, which alone has occasioned many mistakes, all the pigment or colouring matter below the optic nerve, being about one-third of the whole, is black, but above it is ffreen and blue, and a distinct line separates them : the compound of this, in the living eye, gives it the appearance of sky blue, which, seen through the humours, is of a greyish blue. Horses frequently, and by very eminent men, have been pronounced unsound from having this grey cast or shade in the eye. The optic nerve having pierced these two coats within, the black covering is lined here with a little pigment ; it is then distributed over the whole of the surface, as far as the junction of the opaque cornea with the ciliary processes. Now the cause of this variegated coat, and why it should occupy the superior part in particular, is, because the rays of light pass through the nerve going beyond the retina. In man, you know, from the colour of the pigment, the rays become absorbed, and thus ended ; but in a pigment that is not black, they are not ended, but reflected back, striking the nerve a second time, and the effect must then be an - y 8fi THE MODERN SYSTEM increased vision : and in the Horse, most es- pecially, it, as a matter of course, follows, that the rays strike the nerve twice, only at the upper part, as it is there that the green pig- m.ent is situated ; but these rays are obviously the weakest, especially when the Horse's head is near the ground, which is a natural position from his propensity to grazing ; the black pigment also receiving the strong superior rays, and the green pigment being the Aveakest : thus, by this combination the rays are equalized, and sharp keen sight pro- duced. THE CRYSTALLINE LENS. The crystalline lens is not exactly a per- fect lens, the anterior side being rather the flattest ; it is contained in a perfect capsule or bag, a fluid separating the capsule from the lens, which is called the liquor morgagn' (from a person of that name, M. Morgagni, who first discovered it). This capsule does not adhere to the tunica vitrea, but is confined in its situation by the tunica vitrea, being re- flected over its edge, at which part also it is surrounded by the choroid coat, formed into folds, called the ciliary processes. It was a doubt formerly how these parts grew, but that mystery has since been solved, on dis- covering that both arteries and veins are possessed in these parts ; for as they grew, of course there must be materials required. But this was not in early times believed, in conse- quence of the parts being so very transparent, but the transparency depends upon the situa- tion of its vessels and its organization ; but this fine arrangement may be destroyed in a se- cond, its organization lost and become opaque. The lens are not only flatter anteriorly, but it is not of the same structure throughout, the outer surface being like a mucus or jelly, but within it becomes harder, even to the centre ; thus you at once see how the rays of light are bent from one degree to another, in in proportion as they approach the centre. From this cause, in conjunction with the iris conveying to the eye that singular property of acting both as a microscope and a telescoj^e, which in no one instrument has been efiiected by man. There have been many conjectures on this point ; but my opinion is, it depends upon the lens, and there is one circumstance that bears me out ; and that is, after the operation for cataract, the person so operated on, em- ploys two sorts of glasses, concave and convex ones. But the iris now comes here under observation, as it alters under different effects of light. This is an involuntary power ; but there is another power independent of light, for, if I vvill, to look at a minute object, though the light be weak, and consequently less stimulus, yet the pupil will become smaller, by the iris expanding ; and looking at a large object in a strong light, the pupil will expand in defiance. The pupil being small, the rays (as in the first instance) are admitted and confined to those from the object alone. Thus there is no confusion of images on the retina, but the smallest object is seen, and, as in the last instance, when the object to be seen is large, the mind excites the iris to contract, that the rays may be ad- mitted from all parts through the lens, for a perfect representation. THE CILIARY PROCtSSES. In examining the ciliary processes, which appear to be a continuation of the choroid coat, that surround the capsule of the crystal- OF FARRIERY. 87 line lens, and their formations appear to be that the circumference of the coat ending here, to embrace the lens ; it, by which means is thrown into folds, in order to fit ; something similar to the gathering of a shirt, at the wristband. The vitreous humour is of a peculiar con- struction ; though it appears to be a kind of jf.lly, it is not; but nearly of the same fluidity is the aqueous humour. This appearance arises from its being contained in cells, and not in a single capsular bag. This is proved by breaking the cells, the fluid then drops freely. It is also admirably formed, for being in contact with the expansion of the optic nerve, as it cannot alter its position, or be in- jured by pressure. VISION. The phenomenon of vision is at once curious and grand. In the first place, all objects to be seen require a sufficient quantity of light to render the nerve sensible ; though different animals require different degrees, man of all .■tnimals requiring most, plainly demonstrated from the construction of the eye, it having a small transparent cornea, and a black pig- ment ; thus proving we were intended to sleep much, and being gifted with brain and reason, we have no occasion to prowl about at night ; for, in comparison with other animals, many of our senses are imperfect, such as hearing, seeing, and smelling; and so are our arms for flying ; but we are as perfect as nature in- tended ; that is, we do not require further pro- tection. The vision to be perfect, must be painted on the retina ; and here is a curious fact, that though we have two eyes, we see only one object : yet there is an object painted on each retina, but only one on the setisorium : but having only one sensorium, so that as long as the object is the same, there is only one im- pression formed ; but immediately objects change, there are different impressions formed. All objects on the retina are painted upside down, so that it is evident the rays of light cross each other ; for they meet in a point near the lens, and proceed through the vitreous hu- mour nearly in the same right lines. This is proved by taking off the sclerotic coat, then placing a sheet of paper behind, with a candle before, the image becomes perceptible upon the paper. I have every reason to believe that objects are represented on the sensorium as they really are ; and this appears no more difllcult, than when theie is an object upon each retina, there should be but one upon the brain : but to speak more correctly, I think the impression upon the sensorium, is no more than the knowledge that the objects are there ; not really that there is an impression made there similar to that on the retina. Having considered the structure and general laws of the eye, I shall proceed to explain the alterations to which the eye is liable ; a knowledge of the parts was first necessary to be enabled to discover how alteration is pro- duced. The eye of man is liable to many diseases, the Horse but few ; but before we enter on the diseases of the eye, I will make a few observations on the SOUND EYE. As a blind Horse is well known, it is highly essential to be thoroughly familiar with the appearance of a sound eye ; for it is only gained from practical experience. There is a peculiar kind of eye which dealers call a sour eye ; this kind of eye the dealers know very 88 THE MODERN SYSTEM well is very much disposed to blindness ; but they do not know why. The fact is, the pre- disposition arises from disease ; it is the effect from attacks of inflammation, which produces a morbid degree of sensibility to light, from sympathy the retractive muscle is brouffht into action, and, consequently, the eye Is drawn into its orbit, and appears small. DISEASES OF THE EYE. INFLAMMATION OF THE CONJUNCTIVA. It will be remembered, the conjunctiva is that membrane lining the eye-lids, covering the cornea and the haw of the eye, inflam- mation of which is the most common disease the eye is subject to. As regards this disease, then, the first thing to ascertain is, whether the transparent cor- nea is affected or not. One criterion is, the iris at the border of the pupil, not being seen without difficulty. We then direct our atten- tion to the other, and not finding the pupils exactly alike as to size, &c., that which is the smallest you may pronounce diseased, the sphincter muscle of the iris being contracted through sympathy. Next notice the blood vessels of the membrane under the eye-lid ; they will appear turgid, even if there is only one of those vessels shooting into the trans- parent cornea, it is a diseased eye. We must then direct our attention to the glandular bodies at the upper edge of the iris ; if they are not alike in colour, you may predict the Horse will go blind, this effect being from a little lymph being lodged there from previous inflammation. The haw is likewise a criterion to go by, if the haw of each eye be not in a similar situation, but one protruding more than the other. These incipient appearances of one disease, are of great importance, as tiie Horse has but few diseases of the eye, and this being the one he is generally subject to, and it as frequently ending in blindness. The Horse is generally attacked with this disease in the night time, and is then thought of but little moment, the groom supposing the eye to be injured by the halter, or by rubbing his eye against the manger, or some rough place in the stall ; but I never knew the dis- ease produced by a foreign body, and as to producing it by blows, it is exceedingly diffi- cult to wound the eye ; but if it should be occasioned by a blow, there will be an abra- sion on the external surface, and on examining which, you will easily determine how to proceed. Take Extract of Saturn 4 drams (i oz.) Spring water sufficient to fill a com- mon sized wine-bottle. Apply this lotion frequently every day. Or, Take Sulphate of zinc - 1 oz. And dissolve in the same quantity of water as above ; either of which, if the inflammation OF FARRIERY. 89 arises from a blow, will effect a cure in a few days. This disease does not often attack aged Horses, if they have been exempt previously. Horses are most subject to it between four years and six years old, when their growth is becoming nearer complete ; and, consequently, if highly kept, a plethoric habit is produced ; the solids of the body ceasing to grow, the deposit being greater than the system requires. Youno" Horses are but little susceptible of this disease ; I mean in early life. When an at- tack commences, if nothing be done to prevent it, the inflammation increases rapidly, until the pupil is hid, and the whole surface of the eye appears bloody. This, by proper remedies, may be wholly removed. These attacks fly from eye to eye ; first in one eye, then in the other, probably at the interval of some months, till one or both eyes go blind. If one only be lost, the general opinion is, the other becomes perfectly sound, and is considered much stronger. All these facts prove it is not a local disease, but that it is constitutional, and that from its attacking first one eye and then the other. The causes of this disease I have no doubt is a poisoned atmosphere. I observe in these cases, either the Horses do not per- spire at all, or they perspire profusely, fiom langour ; so that it appears, when it does take place from plethora, the Horse then is in a languid state. This disease proceeds from the conjunctiva, until all the other parts partake of it, including the iris, which under the attack secretes pus, which falls into the posterior chamber, where absorption takes it up, or probably ulceration may take place. It is worthy of notice, that the constitution appears to undergo a change, when blindness ensues ; for. this periodical opthalmia generally ceases when one or both of the eyes go out, although at first sight, one cannot tell how the consti- tution has been affected by the loss of this organ, or see a reason why the inflammation should not recur at intervals. This disease may arise from the effects of purging ; but purging only causes the consti- tutional tendency to the disease being brought into eff'ect, and producing debility from the medicine which becomes the exciting cause ; the disease then being constitutional, it will direct us to notice the proper remedies. Take Blue pill - - 12 drams. Opium - - 2 do. Linseed meal - 1 oz. Form into a mass with soft soap. And divide into six balls. Give one every second morning fasting. Or, Take Sulphate of copper 12 drams. Or, Take Sulphate of iron - 12 drams. Take either of the above, and form into a mass with linseed meal and soap, and divide into six balls, and give one every morning about eleven o'clock. These two last are strengthening, and when the disease arises from debility, will be found of essential ser- vice. Bleeding generally, according to the streno'th of the animal, should not be omitted, but it will relieve it in all its stages, though not eventually cure it. The best thing in the shape of lotion I could discover, was the fol- lowing : — Take Common salt, a table-spoonful and a half Spring water, as much as will (ill a wine-bottle 90 THE MODERN SYSTEM Batlie the eyes several times in the day with the above ; or, you may take either of the lo- tions prescribed for blows in the eye. I have inserted setons between the jaws, which seemed to do good for a time ; and I have derived the most satisfactory benefit by using the following : — Take Tartar emetic - 1 dram. Hog's lard - 1 oz. Form into an ointment. Rub a little on the side of the Horse's cheek, and also underneath the eye, until small pimples arise. Great care must be taken to prevent its going into the Horse's eyes. CATARACT. The common termination of the foregoing dis- ease is cataract ; which is a process of inflam- mation in the capsule of the lens, and the opacity is an effect from their disorganization, with ap- parently but little pain, from the paucity of nerves. Tlie opacity invariably begins in the centre, from its being the hardest, and having less of the hving power in consequence, so the circulation becomes more easily affected. There being no simple cataract in the Horse (as we fortunately have in the human sub- ject), many appearances of the lens take place in cataract ; in some, a general determination of blood to the coats of the eye, and irritation ensues. The retractor muscle then acts from sympathy, which protluces pressure on the tunica vitrea, and the cells of the vitreous humour are destroyed, together with the capsule of the lens ; and to prevent the lens floating about, lymph is thrown out, forming an artificial capsule. Consequently, by this action of the retractor muscle, the aqueous humour is pressed upon by the lens through the other parts, and this humour against the transparent cornea. To prevent the eye bursting, the humour becomes absorbed, the lens are thrown against the iris, the iris dilates, coming in contact with the trans- parent cornea ; the pupil in consequence be- comes lost. From these complicated effects, any attempt to operate would be difficult and useless. It has been performed several times at the Royal Veterinary College. But im- perfect vision is useless, and detrimental to the Horse, which is ever always the case in operations for cataract, in the human subject ; but imperfect vision to man is a blessing in comparison with loss of sight ; for this may in a great measure be restored by the use of glasses ; but I fear we should have some diffi- culty in fixing on glasses that would relieve the eye of the Horse. GUTTA SERENA Is another disease of the eye of the Florse, which appears to be paralysis of the optic nerve, it not being at all sensible to the light, though admitted through a perfect organ. It is much more common in the human subject than in Horses. In Horses I believe it to be con- nected with some affection of the brain. I have tried blistering behind the ears, on both sides, repeatedly, but without any success. I have also tried rowels between the jaws, and kept them open for a length of time, but still could do no good *. * About the year 1815, a young veterinary surgeon, just emanated from the Royal Veterinary College, and who had not seen any practice previous to his going to that .estab- lishment, was called to a Horse (belonging to a quaker, a gentleman of the same town), aflected with inflammution of OF FARRIERY. 91 the eyes. Our tyro at once pronounced the necessity of taking blood ; but being rather a timid operator, he, in striking the phleme, only just touched the jugular vein but slightly, the blood scarcely deigning to flow ; conse. quently he pinned up that side, and proceeded to the other, with no better success. The consequence was, the Horse's neck was greatly swollen, and though it was well bathed, it had no eflect ; suppuration took place, and the Horse lost the vein on both sides : but while this was going on, the inflammation entirely left the Horse's eyes. The gentleman to whom he belonged kept him for two or three years after, but no inflammation ever returned, f saw the Horse live years after, but he had continued quite well and sound. 92 THE MODERN SYSTEM C n A P T E il VII. OF WOUNDS IN GENERAL; WOUNDS OF THE HEAD, CHEST, ABDOMEN. JOINTS, SHEATHS OF TENDONS, ARTERIES, AND VEINS; BROKEN KNEES; GUN-SHOT WOUNDS; AND SUTURES. OF WOUNDS IN GENERAL. WouNDC are a species of injury, to which Horses are not only perpetually liable, but of so many different kinds, and requiring such various modes of treatment (according to the cause, appearance, situation, depth, and state of the wound, or habit of the subject), that to enumerate the whole, with all possible or probable circumstances, would be to write a volume on the article alone, which is certainly entitled to every deg'ree of attention, from the simple and complex cases that so frequently occur. Wounds may be divided into such a variety, that to enumerate the list of probabilities, would be to encounter the work of an age, and serve more to perplex than enlighten those not altogether adequate to the task of defining technical terms or professional des- criptions. To enlarge upon every probable means by wliich a wound may be received, and from the variety of weapons, or stable instruments, is an absolute impracticability ; we will, therefore, endeavour to define what wounds are ; and then shew them in the most prominent features, with the best means of cure. I A wound may be defined to be a recent solution of continuity in the soft parts, sud- denly occasioned by external causes. Wounds (as we observed before), in gene- ral, are subject to a great deal of variety, both in their nature and external appearance. The differences depend in a very great measure on the nature of the injured parts, the manner in which the wound has happened, and its extent. Wounds of fleshy parts are exceedingly different from those of tendinous ones, both in regard to their appearance and nature, and degree of danger. There is also an essential difference between such as are made with a sharp cutting instrument, and others, in which the fibres, besides being divided, have suffered considerable contusion and laceration. A wound made with a narrow pointed instru- ment, is also of a very different nature from one that has an ample orifice. The degrees of danger, attending everj^ wound, depends very much on some of the following circumstances : — The extent of the injury, the additional violence which the fibres of the part have suffered, besides their division, the nature of the blood-vessels, or nerves, which happen to OF FARRIERY. 93 be cut ; the nature of the wounded part, in respect to its general power of healing, fa- vourably or not; whether the operations of the system at large, and life itself, can be well supported or not, while the functions of the wounded part are disturbed, interrupted, or suspended by the accident ; the age of the patient, the goodness, or badness of his con- stitution, and the opportunities which there may be of receiving proper aid and assistance of every kind. INCISED WOUNDS As a general observation, we may state, that a wound that is made with a sharp, cut- ting instrument, which is in short a mere incision, is attended with less hazard of dan- gerous consequences, than any other kind of wound whatever. The fibres have only been simply divided ; they have suffered no contu- sion, nor laceration ; they are consequently less likely to inflame much, so as to suppurate and slough; and they commonly admit of being united again in a very expeditious manner. LACERATED WOUNDS. Lacerated wounds are those in which the fibres, instead of being divided by a cutting instrument, have been torn asunder by some violence, capable of overcoming their force of adhesion. The edges of such wounds, instead of being straight and regular, are jagged and unequal. CONTUSED WOUNDS. Contused wounds is a term applied to those wounds, which are occasioned by some blunt instrument, or surface, which has violently struck a part of the body. Lacerated and contused tcounds differ from simple incised wounds, in appearino- at first view much less alarming than the latter, while in reality they are much more dangerous. In simple cut wounds, the retraction of the parts and the bleeding, are generally much more considerable, than in a lacerated wound of the same size. However, notwithstanding these circumstances, they commonly admit of being healed with by far the greatest ease. It is even proper to remark, that lacerated and contused wounds are scarcely ever attended with any serious effusion of blood, even though some large blood-vessels may be injured, riiis is apt to lead persons, even practitioners astray ; for, in proportion as there is little bleeding, you may safely conclude that serious violence has been done to the fibres and blood- vessels. PUNCTURED WOUNDS. A punctured icound signifies one that is made with a narrow pointed instrument, the external orifice of the injury being small and contracted, instead of being a size proportion- ate to its depth. A wound produced by the thrust of a sword or bayonet, affords us an example of a punctured wound. Wounds of this description are in general infinitely more dangerous than incised ones, notwithstanding the latter have the appear- ance of being by far the most extensive. The greatest degree of danger, in cases of punc- tured wounds, always depends on the ad- ditional injury, and rough violence, which the fibres have suffered, besides being divided. Some of the disagreeable consequences apt to follow, are also imputed to the frequent great depth, to which punctured wounds are liable to extend ; in consequence of which cir- cumstance, important parts and organs are 2a n THE MODERN SYSTEM i)flen injured. These cases are likewise less easy of cure, owing to the difficulty of ex- tracting any extraneous substances which may happen to be lodged in the wound. All punctured wounds and stabs are at the same time dangerous, inasmuch as they are par- ticularly apt to be followed by a great deal of inflammation, fevers, deep-seated abscesses, sinuses, &c POISONED WOUNDS. Wounds of this description are not very common in this country. The stings and bites of certain insects, and the bites of vipers, mad dogs, cats, &c., are the only instances which we meet with. The only insects to be dreaded are the stings of the wasp, or the hornet. This, to appearance, is the most formidable creature of the winged tribe in Britain, the sting of which is attended frequently with the most acute pain and inflammation ; even the sting of the wasp, should it occur where the skin is thin, such as the inside of the thigh, occasions extreme pain and irritation. WOUNDS OF THE HEAD. Wounds of the head of the Horse do not so frequently occur, as at first sight may be anticipated. The principal are wounds of the ears, the eye-lids, the nose, or the salivary gland or duct. The duct is situated at the angle of the jaw, where you feel the Horse's pulse. This duct is sometimes liable to be torn, and causing the saliva to escape, instead of passing on to the mouth to mix with the animal's food, and frequently occasions great debility. From the situation of the parotid duct, and its liability to become wounded, what is called a salivary fistula may be the conse- quence, unless some steps are immediately taken to afford relief. The cheek and face become considerably swollen, in consequence of the saliva insinuating itself into the cellular substance. The plan to prevent this proceed- ing on, is to make use of the actual cautery : a budding iron is the best thing ; after usin? which, draw the lips of the wound together with a suture, and apply adhesive plaister over the whole, in strips, about a quarter of an inch apart, first cutting the hair close off" all round the part, or the plaister will not remain on long. Laceration of the Horse's ears some- times occur ; in such cases have your Horse cast, and cut off" the lacerated part, and if jt should not look at all eye-able, remove as much more to make it so ; then crop the other ear to correspond. This is the only method you can pursue, as from the little vascularity of the ear, it being principally composed of gristle, you cannot expect union to take place. The eye-lids frequently become lacerated and very much torn, from nails or splinters of wood about the rack, manger, or standing. In this case you require a steady hand, a small curved needle, armed with whity-brown thread, and introduce sutures sufficient to bring the parts as much in contact, and as near to the appearance as they were before the accident had taken place. After which, use the following : Take Sulphate of zinc - |- oz. Spirit of wine - 2 do. Water - - - 16 do. Apply the above lotion to the parts affected three or four times a day. Wounds of the nose, or nostril, sometimes occur, which are exceedingly difficult to heal, in consequence of not always being able to apply proper reme- ^©IIEM OF TIE H©1S1 1 suspensory UgSimen I , 2 The Diaphragm. 3 'ITie Liver. 4i The Slomach . 6 The Omeaium. 6 The- opleeu . 7 L-.'increas. 8 Duodenutn . & Aorta. 10 Vena Cava. 11 Vena Portanun . 12 The KidiiejB , 13 Vena Renalis . 14 The TJretea-s 1616 Venae Seminalis. 15 16 OvariTim . i''17 Art Semiuaiis. Coriena Enter! 19 TheEnteris. 30 TheHadder 21 Part cf tJiereclUTQ -^a^i^Tiy (^(^^^^tiZ'i/^a^ A::^^ '^^G^^^jT^^/^ ^ • .^ ^:c.i:n^y^0i:^M/c-^' ^^■ y/Afy^-.p// OF FARRIERY m dies. The only thing you can do here, will be to sew up the lacerated parts, and apply compound tincture of myrrh, as in a common wound, WOUNDS OF THE CHEST. These wounds are not infrequent, especially in large towns, where there is considerable movement with all kinds of vehicles ; and either from obstinacy, or ignorance of the drivers, it frequently happens that the sliaft of one carriage coming in contact with the Horse of the one he may chance to meet, enters his chest, and as a common result, the Horse dies immediately ; but, if the shaft should fortunately pass between the shoulder- blade and the ribs, there is in that case a chance of cure. In the first place then, as- certain the depth of the wound, the force of the blood must also be immediately restrained by copious bleeding, and introduce a piece of tow well smeared with digestive ointment, into the wound, in order to procure a discharge as soon as possible. Keep the Horse without food for at least twelve liours ; at the expira- tion of which time, give him — Aloes _ _ - 4 drams. Resin - - - 2 do. Form into a ball with soft soap and lin- seed meal. If by this time the parts should have become much swollen, bathe well with hot water, and if the discharge be once effected, you may be sure your Horse is going on well, and you have only to continue the dressing, with the medicine occasionally, and you will soon effect a cure. But should the wound not be made in the direction before named, but enter the cavity of the chest, and the lungs become in any means ruptured, the case is then hopeless ; this you will easily ascertain by air rushing out of the wound, and by the peculiar scarlet hue of the blood. If swelling should take place between the legs, or under the chest, take your phleme and strike it, to let out the air which has been extravasated. WOUNDS OF THE ABDOMEN. These vvounds generally arise from being gored with the horns of some mischievous bull or cow, whilst in the field, or by being staked, and not infrequently by some of the hooks attached to the harness, generally occasioned by the carelessness of the man or boy who have to look after them, and especi- ally if the stable door should not be sufficiently wide, which is frequently the case with most of our farmers' stables ; these wounds also frequently occur in the Horse Artillery, from the violence of temper, sometimes both of man and Horse. I have known the hooks attached to the tackle occasion some frightful lacera- tions ; and on one occasion locked-jaw super- vened. These wounds frequently penetrate the cavity of the abdomen, this of course is attended with much danger ; if any of the intestines should protrude, carefully replace them, unless they should be very cold, or mortification appear, in which case procure some warm water, not too hot at first, and bathe the parts well, and by degrees making the water warmer, until you get nearly to blood-heat ; then, after re- turning the intestine, sew up the external wound, and apply a roller padded to the part : you must refrain from giving food or water, but give clysters of gruel, and also gruel as a draught, but this but sparingly at first ; when you remove your roller, do so with the 96 THE MODERN SYSTEM greatest of caution, and if appearances are favourable, apply over the wound a plegit of tow, and a large adhesive j^iaister over the whole ; then, again your padding and roller as before, in this case bleed copiously as soon as vou have adjusted your first dressing; if mor- tification should have taken place, the Horse will soon give you sufficient proof of it ; but, should better fortune attend you, you must bring him on by degrees, and not commence feeding him too freely for some time. WOUNDS OF JOINTS. Wounds of the large joints, made either by puncture or incision, are of a very dangerous nature, as these parts are surrounded with tendinous and membranous structures ; which, thouffh not very sensible in a sound state, yet, when inflamed become exceedingly sen- sible, often attended with vehement pain and fever. Superficial wounds of the joints are often disagreeable cases ; but the danger is always increased when the injury penetrates the cap- sular ligament. This event may be detected by the introduction of a probe, and frequently by a discharge of the synovia, which is secreted by the inner membrane of the capsular liga- ment of the joint, for the purpose of facilitating ts motion. But as a discharge of a similar kind may proceed from mere wounds of such (•bursse mucosae) synovial bags, such as windgalls, &c., that lay under the tendons of muscles, in the vicinity of joints, our judgment might be deceived, were we unacquainted with the situation of these little membranous bags. Wounds which penetrate large joints, must be looked upon as much more dangerous, than tliose in which only these bursa are opened. Almost all the joints of the Horse are liable to be laid open, and their cavity exposed. I. have seen the stifle, the pastern, and knee, at one time, completely exposed ; but the knee joint is, of all others, the most frequently liable to this accident ; it does sometimes occur to the shoulder joint, but this very rarely. When a joint is penetrated, there is an escape of synovia, or, as it is commonly called, joint-oil ; now, in consequence of the escape of this fluid, it brings the ends of bones together, occasion- ing, in conjunction with the air getting in, considerable inflammation through the whole extent of the capsular surface, causing that exquisitely tender sensation the Horse feels, on having the joint touched ; in some cases the fever runs so high as to prove fatal *. When a joint is early discovered, after being penetrated, the synovia will flow white and pure, or it may have a little tinge of blood in it ; but, if the accident is not discovered for three or four days, you will find the joint-oil to put on a yellowish colour, and the dis- charge be considerably increased. If means be not speedily taken to close the external opening, coagulable lymph is thrown out, and in consequence of the inflammation being great, the vessels may inosculate together, and in ail probability a stiff' joint might super- vene. In some cases, the pain and irritation are so great, that the animal either sinks under it, or becomes a mere skeleton. But, this in a great measure is not to be looked at with so much surprise, when we come to * I recollect, whilst at the Royal Veterinary College, a large cart-horse was brought in with an open joint, ulti- mately the opening closed, new granulations formed, and a wound about the size of half-a-crown was the conse- quence ; this wound was ordered to be dressed with spirits of turpentine, which was accordingly done, but from symp- tomatic fever, the Horse died in three or four days. OF FARRIERY. 97 examine into treatment, the old farriers have generally adopted, by applying in general strong stimulants, taken from their long list of infallible nostrums. The treatment of open joints, if discovered in their recent state, may not be so difficult : our first care is to remove all extraneous matter, such as dirt, gravel, &c. ; you next proceed to the closing of the wound, which must be first commenced by clipping off the hair for some distance all round the wound, if not large, and apply strips of adhesive plaister, drawing the lips of the wound as close as possible together, over which plp.ce a plegit of tow, and immediately after a liuen bandage, about three yards ong, and fouj inches wide, so that the shutting up of the cavity may be complete ; in addition to which, Ihe symptoms of irritation, both local and general, must not be neglected ; for if the symptomatic fever should be high, we must treat the Horse accordingly ; this you will discover by his breathing short, loss of appetite, heat and dryness of the mouth, as well as the quickness and weakness of the pulse ; if such should be the case, immediately tike from two to four quarts of blood, and give the following : No. 1. Take Aloes, Cape - ■• 1 dram. Digitales - - - 2 do. Linseed Meal - - 3 do. Form into a ball with soap. Give a ball of the above kind night and morning, until the fever and irritation is abated. Or, No. 2. Take Cape aioes - - 1 dram. White hellebore - l^ do. Linseed meal - - 3 do. Form into a ball, and give as the first. By these means you will allay the irritation, and decrease the fever, and the frequency of the pulse also. When the wound is more extensive, or more irregular, we must then employ sutures with the plegit of tow, as before described, and to well bandage the part, also every means must be taken to keep the Horse as still as possible ; use a neck cradle, fearing from the irritation he may be inclined to gnaw the part affected. If these means have not the desired effect, we must have recourse to the actual cautery ; and, if the opening be not too large, the budding iron is as good shaped one as you can use, touching the edges lightly : if the wound should be larger and irregular, use one of your firing irons carefully. I have known these means succeed when all others have failed. Have your iron heated to a dull red heat, which will be quite sufficient, and be careful not to insinuate it too far, as you may have considerable inflammation follow : you can easily judge when the cautery has been sufficiently applied, by the stoppage of the synovia, over which put a plegit of tow, and a poultice of bran, wetted frequently with the following : Take Sal ammoniac, powdered - 4 ounces. Sugar of lead . _ - - 1 do. Vinegar ------ 3 pints. Water ------- 1 do. If the oozing of synovia recommences, by no means hesitate to apply the iron again ; and, as often as the oozing appears, repeat it, by which eventually success may be calculated on. In some aggravated cases I have blistered immediately, and that with good effect. Rowels are sometimes employed as near the . 2 B 98 THE MODERN SYSTEM part as convenient, but in these I have no faith. Give bran mashes, or half bran and oats made damp : if yon should have much difficulty in giving the Horse the fever balls, Take Glauber salts - - 4 ounces. Linseed meal - - 2 do. Hot water - - - 1 quart. Mix well together for a drink, which repeat morning and night : in mixing your meal with the above, do so first in a bason with a little cold water, it will prevent its clotting together. WOUNDS OF THE SHEATHS OF TENDONS. Wounds of the sheaths of the tendons, both behind and before, frequently occur during hunting, staking, stubbing in coppices, or from cuts or injuries from the stable-fork; should any of these occur, so that the tendons become wounded, it is attended with consi- derable pain and inconvenience. For the treatment of these accidents, it will differ in no respect whatever from that laid down in the description of wounds of joints. WOUNDS OF THE ARTERIES. The Veterinary practitioner ought to have an intimate knowledge of the course of the arteries, in case of performing operations, that lie may avoid wounding them : there are several methods of stopping the flow of blood, which is apt to alarm the junior practitioner, and by so doing occasions fear, and a nervous feeling to come over him to the great detri- ment of, and sometimes proving fatal to his patient ; however, we would recommend him at all times to be perfectly cool and collected ; and, as observed before, make himself well acquainted with the course of the arteries. Bleeding from arteries are stopped generally by compression and astringents, by ligatiires, by the actual and jwtentiul cautery, sometimes by styptics, and not unfrequently, if the artery be only wounded, to divide it altogether. It must be plain to every one who under- stands the course of the circulation, that pres- sure made on that part of a wounded artery, which adjoins the wound towards the heart, must check the effusion of blood. The current of blood in the veins, running in the opposite direction, requires the pressure to be applied to that side of the wound which is most remote from the heart ; as pressure is the most rational means of impeding hemorrhage, so it is the most effectual, and almost all the plans employed for this purpose are only modifica- tions of it. The ligature, the application of a roller and compresses, only become useful in the suppression of hemorrhage on the prin- ciple of pressure, the cautery, caustics, and styptics excepted. We have already remarked, that all the best means of checking hemorrhage, operate on the principle of pressure, the actual and potential cautery, with some styptics excepted ; the two first of which act by forming a slough, which stops up the mouth of the vessels. Let us next consider the various modes of pressure. The different things that have been praised as infallible, would seldom or never have succeeded without compression. It was always requisite, even when caustics were used, to employ compression, which were bound on with sufficient tiohtness to resist the impulse of the blood in the artery and the premature separation of the eschar, occasioned by the actual or potential cautery. When the blood does not issue from any particular vessel, but from numerous small ones, compression is preferable to the ligature. OF FARRIERY, 99 The employment of the latter would render it necessary to tie the whole surface of the wound. The sides of the wound are to be brought accurately together, and compresses are then to be placed over the part, and a roller to be applied with sufficient tightness to make effectual pressure, but not so forcibly as to produce a danger of the circulation of the limb being completely stopped. If com- pression can ever safely be trusted in bleedings from large arteries, it is when these vessels lay immediately over a bone, against which they can be advantageously compressed. The ligature, being well known to be a means of stopping hemorrhage, which is safe and easy, and much less painful than former methods, we need not longer search for such remedies. It may indeed be set down as a rule, whenever large arteries are wounded, never to trust to any styptic application what- ever ; but to have immediate recourse to the ligature, as being, when properly applied, the most simple and safe of all methods. In ex- plaining the action of the ligature, when applied round an artery, without including the surrounding parts, the internal coat of the vessel is torn through by it — experiments which I have tried on the arteries of Horses and dogs ; if the ligature be tied round with sufficient tightness, it will cut through its inner and middle coats, although it be immediately removed, the vessels always become perma- nently impervious at the part which was tied as far as the first collateral branches, above and below the obstructed parts. This divi- sion of its internal and middle coats, produces an obstruction to the circulation of blood through its canal. 'J'here must be a small quantity of stagnant blood, just within the extremity of the artery; but this does not, in every instance, immedi- ately form a coagulum capable of filling up the canal of the artery ; in most cases, only a slender coagulum is formed at first, which gradually becomes larger by successive co- agulations of the blood ; and hence the coagu- lum is always at first of a tapering form, with its base at the extremity of the artery. But the formation of this coagulum is not material, for, soon after the ligature has been applied, the end of the artery inflames, and the wounded internal surface of its canal being kept in close contaxjt by the ligature, adheres, and converts this portion of the artery into an impervious, and at first conical sac. It is to the effused lymph, that the base of the coagulum adheres, when found to be adherent. Lymph is also effused between the coats of the artery, and among the parts surrounding its extremity. In a little time the ligature makes the part, on whicli it is directly applied, ulcerate, and, acting as a tent, a small aperture is formed in the layer of lymph effused over the artery. Through this aperture, a small quantity of pus is dis- charged, as long as the ligature remains ; and finally, the ligature itself escapes, and the little cavity, which it has occasioned, granulates and fills up, and the external wound heals, leaving the cellular substance a little beyond the end of the artery somewhat thickened and indurated ; but, if it should be in a situation where you can apply a bandage, it ultimately becomes absorbed. - As all styptics are not to be depended on, as before stated, the judicious practitioner seldom will apply them, as they generally tend to irritate, and seldom do good : they are some- times, however, proper to employ to diseased sinfaces, where the vessels seem to have lost their natural power, or disposition to contract 100 THE MODERN SYSTE^i Firing, or the actual cautery, is an excel- lent styptic to stop the bleedhig of an artery, as in docking, castration, &c. It is generally resorted to as the safest styptic, also in opera- tions of festulous withers, frequently in dis- secting out fungus flesh you are apt to wound a number of small arteries : the actual cautery is the only means you here can employ with any good effect. In these cases keep the Horse's body open with alterative medicines ; such as the following : Take Cape aloes - 2 drams. Sulphur - - 3 do. Form into a ball with soft soap, and give one occasionally ; feed with half bran and half oats made damp. WOUNDS OF THE VEINS. Wounds of the veins generally arise from incautiousness in blood-letting, though the operation is performed by some of the greatest bunglers that possibly could take a phleme and blood-stick in hand, without having any ill effects arise. Still, it may happen on some occasions, to the most experienced practitioner, either from inattention in pinning up the orifice, such as drawing the skin a considerable way out, or not adjusting the lip of the wound equally together, so that blood becomes ex- travasated into the surroundino; cellular mem- brane ; also it may arise from the foul consti- tution of the Horse, when every little scratch or wound will have a tendency to inflame and suppurate ; if this should be the case, apply the following : Take Sai ammoniac - 1 oz. Extract of Saturn - h f^o- Vinegar - - - 1 pi nt. Water - - - - 1 do. Shake these well together in a botlle, and apply frequently during the day. If absorp- tion takes place, and the parts regain their former appearance, all is well ; but if the tumour suppurate, and you feel a fluctua- tion on preij^sing the part, make a depending opening, or introduce a seton through it. But if the vein itself should take on the in- flammation, it must arise from rusty or unclean phlemes; and, in all probability, the vein may be punctured through, in consequence of driving the phleme with too great violence in the act of bleeding ; also, the Horse being suffered to have his head at liberty immedi- ately after bleeding, instead of being tied up for at least two or three hours, the pin caus- ing an irritation, he becomes inclined to rub against any thing that is in his way, such as the edge of the manger, &c. Sometimes the constitution will take on this morbid action as before stated. This disease begins to make its appearance in about two or three days after the operation of blood-letting, by a small tumour at the situation of the orifice, the lips of which unclose and look red with a sort of ichorous discharge issuing, and sometimes blood itself will escape. In this case, if the progress be not stopped, the tumefaction ex- tends along the course of the vein towards the head; the vessel becomes hard, and the con- tained blood in the trunk forms into a firm coagulum, by which it becomes impervious, and all attempts to save it becomes afterwards a failure. Suppuration of the tumour now begins to make its appearance, sometimes not in the immediate part where the original puncture took place ; abscesses will form in various situations above. If not taken in time, the morbid action extends upwards so as to in- volve the head on that side as well as the neck OF FARRIERY. 101 in the disea*?e ; and when this occurs, it greatly interferes with the Horse's eating and drinking. In this disease the symptomatic fever is apt to run high, and, from the excess of irritabihty brought on, tlie Horse frequently falls a victim. The treatment of this disease is altogether difficult, and frequently doubtful. It has been by some writers thought, that in the early stage of the disease, the better plan would be to close the venial orifice, which is to be done by the application of the budding iron applied to the outer edge of the orifice. What good this is to do I really cannot tell ; because if you occasion sloughing of the part, that does not remove the main disease, only it may have a tendency to heal the orifice without having any connexion with the vein where the disease may be going on all the time, to a very con- siderable extent : it is also said, that the ichorous oozing once being stopped, the vein will become in all respects as it was at first : but this I deny ; for if the vein once takes on inflammation, its obliteration is certain to follow. Nor is this of so much danger jis many persons would have you believe ; for there are a number of branches that will en- large for the return of the blood from the head, &c. Still, in such cases, keep the Horse's head tied up, so that he have as little motion as possible. INow, my plan, that I have always pursued in these cases, has been, instead of using the cautery to heal up the original wound, to keep that wound open, then introduce a probe as far up the course of the vein towards the head as you can ; then feeling down upon the end of the probe with your finger, cut down on the course of the vein about an inch above the end of the probe, and apply a ligature firmly on. Then take a probe-pointed history, slit up the length of the vein that may be ob- literated, let this wound be well washed with warm water, and apply a suture or two, and a piece of tow or tape dressed with digestive ointment until suppuration takes place ; after which, in all probability, the sutures will come away, when dress as a common wound with compound tincture of myrrh. If abscesses or sinuses become formed before you are applied to, your better plan then is to introduce setons, so that the matter formed may escape by a depending orifice. Sometimes these sinuses take on an indolent manner, and become very troublesome : in such a case, inject them with a solution of sulphate of zinc, which will generally be found sufficiently strong to answer all purposes ; say, Take Sulphate of zinc - 1 oz. Water - _ . _ 4 clo. Let the water be warm, and dissolve the sul- phate of zinc in it; this injected into the sinuses will be found of great service, and less irritable than corrosive sublimate, cop- peras, &c., &c. During the application of the foregoing remedies, give the Horse the following : Take Blue pill - 8 drams. Cape aloes - 8 do. Resin - - 8 do. Form into a mass with linseed meal and soft soap. Divide into six balls ; give one every second morning, first thing on going to stable. It sometimes happens tliat the plate and thio^h vein mav take on inflammation, in conse- quence of the phleme being driven in too far, and puncturing the facia and parts underneath 2 c !02 THE MODERN SYSTEM the vein. Should such occur, the best appli- cation is, to bathe well with hot water five or six times a day, and give the following : Take Cape aloes - 4 drams. Resin - - 2 do. Form into a ball with soft soap, and give one every second day, until the symptoms abate. BROKEN KNEES. Horses, in the act of falling, endeavour, as much as possible, to save their head from coming in contact with the ground ; but if not able in time to put forth their fore-leg to pre- vent this concussion of the head, the knees generally become the sufferers, and, in some cases, to a very considerable extent ; produc- ing great laceration, open joint, and, at .east, shaving, as it were, the haj:- completely off the knee to a greater or less extent. Should the cavity of the knee be opened, SiWii joint oil escape, sufficient instructions as to method of treatment has been amply given in the article, " Wounds of the Joints," which we beg to refer our readers to. But when the laceration only extends to the skin, you must treat accordingly, there being only one safe, and, we should say, proper mode of treatment. In the first place, avoid all irritating applica- tions; but instead of which, procure a bucket of hot water, bathe the knee and surrounding parts well, for at least half an hour, then ap- ply a poultice composed of linseed meal and warm water, which continue until the inflam- mation IS subdued ; after which apply the following: Take Extract of Saturn - - _ 2 Trams. Tincture of myrrh, compound 2 oz. Water -._-__ 3 do. Apply this mixture to the wounded knees every time you visit the stable, and when you have, by this application, produced skinning over, apply a mild blister to the part, which will prevent, in many bad cases, even the ap- pearance of a scar, if well managed. This being accomplished, the next thing is to promote the growth of the hair, for no gentleman is fond of riding a Horse that has once been down, let him be ever so good, unless the hair is well grown over the parts again. Many recipes are given to make the hair grow, most of which are useless ; for nothing acts specifically in this way : what- ever gently stimulates the skin is the most proper for this purpose ; for which you may use a little of the digestive ointment every day, and, by the by. it is an article no stable ought to be without ; or use the following, especially if the knees be black : Take Digestive ointment - - 1 oz. Gunpowder, rubbed fine - 1 dram. Mix and rub some of it on the part daily. OF GUN- SHOT WOUNDS. Gun-shot wounds are made by the projec- tion of hard obtuse bodies from cannons, muskets, &c. ; but the latter fire-arm occa sions by far the greatest number. These wounds are the most considerable of the con- tused kind, and what is to be said of them, will apply, more or less, to all contused wounds, according to the degree of contusion. Daily observation evinces that balls which obliquely strike a surface, do not penetrate, but are reflected, though they may be im- pelled with the greatest force, and the body struck may be as soft and yielding as water. This alteration in the course of the ball, nof OF FARR[ERY 103 only happens on the surface of the body, but aiso in the substance ; for a bone or tendon, &c., may change the direction of a ball, which touches them at all obliquely. Hence it is manifest, how it happens that the track of a gun-shot wound is not always straight, and how the balls sometimes run under the integu- ment for a considerable distance, both in the body and limbs. A ball, when it strikes a part of the body, may cause four kinds of injury : first, it may only occasion a contusion, without penetrating the part, on account of its being too much spent, or of the oblique way in which it strikes the surface of the body. Secondly, it may enter and lodge in the surface of a part, in which case, the track of the wound has only one aperture. Thirdly, it may pierce through and through, and then there are two openings, one at the entrance, the other at the exit of the ball : the circumference of the aperture, where the shot entered, is usually depressed ; that of the opening, from which it comes out, elevated : at the entrance, there is commonly more contusion than at the exit of the ball : the former is generally narrower ; the latter, wider, and more irregular, especially when the round smooth figure of the ball has been changed by its having struck a bone. Fourthly, a cannon ball may tear ofi" a whole limb. Gun-shot wounds differ very much, accord- ing to the kind of body projected, its velocity, and the nature and peculiarities of the parts injured. The projected bodies are mostly bullets, sometimes cannon balls. From the contusion which the parts sufler, on the violent passage of the ball through them, there is most commonly a part of the solids surround- ing the wound deadened, which is afterwards thrown off in the form of slougii, and which prevents such wounds from healing In the first intention, and makes most of them necessarily suppurate. This does not take place equally in every gun-shot wound, nor in every part of the same wound, and the difference commonly arises from the variety in the velocity of the body projected ; for, where the ball has passed with little velocity, which is sometimes the case at their entrance, but still more frequently at the part last wounded, the injury may often be healed by the first intention. Foreign bodies are more frequently met with in gun-shot wounds than any others, and are commonly of three kinds. First, pieces of clothing, leather, part of a girth, or other things which the ball may have forced before it. Secondly, the ball itself. Thirdly, loose splinters of bone. It is only when the ball strikes a naked part, does not touch a bone, but goes through and through, that the wound can be free from extraneous matter. Foreian bodies are the cause of numerous unfixvourable symptoms, by irritating sensible parts, and ex- citing pain, infiammation, hemorrhage, and long suppurations, &c. They are ^constantly more productive of such evils, the more uneven, pointed, and hard they are. Hence spicula of bone are always most be dreaded. When a ball strikes a bone, the concussion produced is another occasion of bad symptoms to be added to those already mentioned. When slight, its effects are confined to the part injured. Sometimes they extend to the neighbouring joints, in which they produce considerable inflammation, frequently ab- scesses, and, in many cases, stiff joint, rendering the animal ever afterwards useless. From the circumstance of the inner surface of gun-shot wounds being more or less dead- 104 THE MODERN SYSTEM ened, they are late in inflaming. But when a ball has fractured a bone, which fracture has occasioned great injury of the soft parts, independently of that caused immediately by the ball itself, the inflammation will come on as quickly as may be wished ; because the dead- ened part bears no proportion to the laceration, or wound in general. When the ball moves with little velocity, the mischief is generally less ; tlie bones are not so likely to be fractured, and the parts are less deadened. However, when the velocity is just enough to splinter a bone which is touched, the splintering is generally more ex- tensive, than if the impetus of the ball had been much greater ; in which case it would rather have taken a piece out. When the ball moves slowly, it is more likely to be turned by any resistance it may encounter in its passage through parts ; and hence, the wound is more likely to take a winding course. When a ball enters a part with great velocity, but is almost spent when it comes out again, in consequence of the resistance it has met with, there may be a good deal of sloughing about the entrance, and little or none about the exit, owing to the difl'erent degrees of ce- lerity with which the ball traversed the parts. As the ends of the torn vessels are contused and compressed, gun-shot wounds have little jropensity to bleed much, and unless very considerable vessels are lacerated, they do not bleed at all : sometimes not in this case. The greatest danger of bleeding is always when the dead parts are detached eight or ten days after the injury. Angular uneven bodies, such as pieces of iron, cut lead, &c., always occa- sion far more dangerous wounds than round even bodies, like leaden bullets. Wounds •iccasioned by a small shot are frequently more pesilous than others produced by larger balls, because their track is so narrow, that it cannot be traced, nor consequently the ex- traneous body itself extracted. Such a shot oftentimes injures a viscera, when there is not the smallest external symptom of such an oc- currence. Sometimes a great part of the danger also arises from the number of shots which have entered. TREATMENT OF GUN-SHOT WOUNDS. The first thing to be done is to ascertain, if possible, the extent of the wound ; which is at all times best done with the finger, in pre- ference to a probe. Besides, in extracting the ball, or any pieces of harness, &c., the finger will act as a director ; these, if possible should be at once extracted. If extraneous substances remaining in the wound, either loosen gradually, and come into view, so as to be easily removable ; or they continue con- cealed, prevent the cure, and frequently give birth to a fistulous ulcer. In some instances the foreign bodies remain in during life with- out inconvenience ; and in other cases, aflter a time, they bring on a renewal of inflammation and suppuration. Sometimes a foreign body varies its situation, sinking down, and after- wards making its appearance at a different part, where it may excite inflammation and suppuration. When the ball lodges in the wound, it is difficult to trace it, as the parts collapse after its passage. The ball does not regularly take a straight directi n through the injured part, but oftentimes a very tortuous one. The latter circumstance is more apt to occur as the ball is more spent In every case in which it is not easily discoverable, all painful examina- tions should be abandoned, and the foreign OF FARRIERY. 105 body left in its situation, where it rarely cre- ates any trouble. Sometimes, the ball may be both easily found and extracted ; at other times, it lodges on the opposite side of the leg, just under the skin. If the intearuments under which the ball is lodged, should be so con- tused that they will probably slough, they are to be considered as already dead, and an opening is to be made in them for the extrac- tion of the ball. But when the ball lies so remotely from the skin, that it can only just be felt, and the skin itself is quite uninjured, no counter opening ought to be made. The wound heals better when the ball is left in, and far less inflammation takes place in the vicinily of this extraneous body, than about the oi ifice of the wound. A counter opening always renders the inflammation at the bot- tom of the wound as great as at its orifice. It is be'.ter to let the wound heal up, and extract the ball afterwards. 7^s a certain portion of the parts surround- ing the orifice made by the l)all, become bruised, consequently sloughing, must be ex- pe< ted, parting the bruised or dead bodies from the living ; in some cases this takes some ti;ae, and should be hastened on, by applica- ti )ns such as the following : Take Oil of turpentine - 3 oz. Olive oil - - 3 do. Sh ake well together in a bottle, and rub some on for a distance of six inches all round the wound. This will stimulate it to put on the .'•iippurative process. Apply a tent in the v/ound, smeared over with the common diges- tive ointment : when the suppurative process appears too great, desist from rubbing on the liniment, and apply a lotion, as follows : Take Alum - - 1 oz. Sulphate of zinc - 2 drams. Water - - I pint. Dissolve the alum and zinc in the water. And apply two or three times in the day. The Horse should be supported well ; for, in general these cases come at a time when pro- vender is short, as in time of warfare, &c. I should not recommend bleeding in gun-shot wounds, unless the symptomatic fever should run high, and even then do it with caution ; for it frequently happens, when the sloughing takes place, the wound bleeds rather more than we could wish. In such cases you must apply your astringent lotion. As before stated, you must keep your Horse well, or you will be in a great measure disappointed. Give the following every morning : Take Sulphate of iron Ginger 10 drams. - 12 do. Gentian - - 12 do. Linseed meal - 6 do. Form into a mass, with soft soap, And give as above directed. ON SUTURES. In the treatment of wounds, sutures have been frequently mentioned : it may not be improper to name those principally in use, and the method of applying them. A suture in surgery means a mode of uniting the edges of a wound, by keeping them in contact with stitches. Tlie Interrupted Suture. The wound being cleansed of all clots of blood, and its lips brought evenly into contact, take a curved needle, armed with a ligature of thread 2 D 106 THE MODERN SYSTEM doubled, or good twine ; commence by care- fully passing your needle from without, in- wards to the bottom, and so on from within outwards. Care must be taken to make the puncture far enough from the edge of the wound, lest the ligature should tear quite through the skin and flesh. The other stitches are only repetitions of the same process. The threads having been all passed, you are in general to be2;in tving them in the middle of the wound ; though if the lips of the wound be carefully held together by an assistant, it will not be of great consequence which stitch is tied first. The common rule is, that one su- ture is sufficient for every inch of the wound ; but that in some instances a stitch must be more frequently made, particulaily when a wound gapes very much, in consequence of a transverse division of muscles. As we have already explained, it is necessary to pierce the skin at a sufficient distance from the sides of the wound, lest the thread should cut through the flesh in a short time ; the distance I gene- rally use is about three or four-tentlis of an inch. When a wound is very deep, it would be conspicuously absurd, and even, in many instances, dangerous, to drive the needle through a vast thickness of parts. Other wounds, of con.siderable length, might not be in some places four-tenths of an 'nch deep. though it is true, sutures (the interrupted one at least,) could never be requisite at such points. The interrupted suture obviously receives its name from the interspaces between the stitches; and it is the one most frequent! v employed. Its action is always to be assisted and supported, either by bandage, if the wound be in the limbs, or in other situations, by adhesive plaister, &c. The Glover's Suture. This had also the name of the continued suture. It was exe- cuted by introducing the needle first into one lip of the wound from within outwards, then into the other the same way, and in this man- ner the whole track of the wound was sewed up. But the glover's suture is now almost got into disuse, as improper to be employed in cases of common wounds. When we re- member, in making this suture, how many stitches are unavoidable, how unevenly, and in what a puckered state the suture drags the edgres of the skin tosetlier, and what irritation it must produce, we can no longer be sur- prised at its now being never practised. The Twisted Suture is not very appiical)le to the Horse, though by some writeis it is recommended for certain wounds, as the eye- lids, lips, nostrils, &c. : it may be advantageous in some cases, but I prefer the interrupted to stil others, and on all occasions. OF FARRIERY. ]07 CHAPTER VIII. OF ULCERS IN GENERAL; ON POLE- EVIL; FISTULOUS WITHERS; ULCERS IN THE MOUTH; STRANGLES ; AND VIVES. OF ULCERS IN GENERAL. Ulceration is the process, by which sores, or ulcers are produced in animal bodies. In this operation the lymphatics appear to be at least as active as the blood-vessels. An ulcer is a chasm formed on the surface of the body by removal of parts back into the system, by the action of the absorbents. At first, it may be difficult to conceive how a part of the body can be removed by itself; but there is not more difficulty in conceiving; this, than how a body can form itself Both facts are equally well confirmed. When it becomes necessary that some whole living part should be re- moved, it is evident that nature, in order to effect this object, must not only confer a new activity on the absorbents, but must throw the part to be absorbed into a state which yields to this operation. The absorption of whole parts in disease, arises from several causes, but those we have principally to contend with, either arise from the parts becoming bruised, or from constitutional irritability. Ulceration, or in other words, absorption, takes place much more readily in the cellular and adipose substance, than in muscles, ten- dons, nerves, and blood vessels. Hence, in the progress of pus to the surface of the body, ul- ceration often takes a circuitous course, for the purpose of bringing the matter to the skin. The skin itself being highly organized, con- siderably retards the bursting of abscesses. It is on this same account, that when ulcera- tion is spreading, the edges of the skin hang over the ulcerated part. When ulceration takes place, in conse- quence of the death of an external part, it occurs first on the outer edge, between the dead and living substance. Abscesses constantly make their way to the surface of the body by ulceration ; but as Jsome textures more readily admit of being absorbed than others, the matter often follows a circuitous course before it can arrive at the skin, hence showing the cause at once why sinuses becomes formed. The parts which are situated between an abscess, or any extraneous substance, and the nearest surface, are those which are most sus- ceptible of ulceration. This is one of the most curious phenomenon connected with the process under consideration. It shows that there is a principle in the system, by which parts are always prone to free themselves of disease. Slight pressure from without will even produce a thickening of parts, such aa pi-essure from the saddle, the harne»», &c. ; l(;5 THE MODERN SYSTEM there is frequently a thickening in the parts, but, though this may occur, still there appears to be a corresponding backwardness to admit disease. There is one difference between the advancement of an encysted tumour, to the surface of the body, and the progress of an abscess in the same direction, viz. that the former does not excite ulceration of the cyst, but an interstial absorption of the sound parts, between the cyst and the skin, till the cyst and the external skin come into contact : ai which period inflammation takes place, and absorption becomes accelerated into ulcera- tion. In an abscess, the progressive ulceration begins in the cyst, at the same time that the interstial absorption, in the second part covering the matter, is going on. llie action of progressive absorption is to remove sur- faces contiguous to irritating causes, as in case of tumours, pressure becomes a cause. That pressure is a frequent cause of ulcera- tion, is daily proved by the effects of harness on Horses, &c. That irritating substances produce ulcera- tion, need no illustration. Progressive absorjjtion may occur, either with or without suppuration. We have instances of the latter, in cases of extraneous bodies which travel about the body, without producing irritation enough to give rise to the secretion of pus. Absorption, with suppuration, in other words ulceration, either happens in consequence of suppuration already begun, in which event the pus acts as a pressure, or else absorption attacks external surfaces from particular irritations, or weakness, in which suppuration must follow. An Ulcer is usually defined to be a solution of the continuity, in any of the soft parts of the body, attended with a secretion of pus, or some kind of discharge. The principal ulcerations to which the Horse is most liable, is pole-evil, fistulous withers, ulcers of the mouth, and strangles; we shall endeavour to give our opinion first. — ON POLE EVIL. This, of all ulcers, is the most troublesome the Horse is liable to, and the surgeon has to, contend with ; for, though the veterinary surgeon may complete a cure, the time and expense incurred, neither remunerates him for his applications and trouble, or does it gain him any credit in his professional career. The old farriers in this disease, went violently to work with all the scalding materials the druggists shop could turn out, but the milder means adopted by the modern veterinary practi- tioner, has in a great measure done away with that unskilful and unsurgical mode of treat- ment ; still it happens, unfortunately, that this disease does not come under the notice of the veterinarian until the village farrier has ex- pended all his recipes and knowledge on the poor animal, for it is more than ten to one, if they know any part that is really affected. However, we will endeavour to point out to our readers the nature and real situation of pole-evil. Pole-evil, then, is an unhealthy inflammation, which takes place at the back of the ears from blows or bruises, or other injuries the Horse is liable to sustain on that part, and especially with farm or cart-horses, and more so where you have not got the best disposed carter, for these men, when in a passion, will strike a Hor-e about the head with the butt-end of the whip, stick, &c., which ever they may chance OF FARRIERY. 109 to have in their hand. I have seen a Horse knocked down senseless, with comparatively a slight blow at the back of the ears. Now, there is a mucus capsule at the con- junction of the head, with the first bone of the neck, over which passes the ligamentum colii, or as the farriers' term it, the pax-fax of the neck ; these parts from blows, &c., take on inflammation, and hence an ill-conditioned ulcer is formed, and from its situation beina: near the head or knowl, it is called pole- evil. Chesnut Horses are more susceptible to this disease than any other ; at least, so I have observed in my practice, and this 1 attribute to the delicacy of constitution of light chesnut Horses, more than any thing else. There is scarcely a case of pole-evil that, either directly or indirectly, arises from constitutional means ; though hay-seeds about the head may induce the Horse to rub, and in consequence produce irritation ; dragging back in the halter may occasion bruises, all of which may produce ulceration. For the treatment of pole-evil when first discovered, (and that requires either the eye of the master or some professional man to notice, for your servants will rarely tell you of the disease in its early stage, especially if conscience revolts, and tells them it origin- ated in a blow, which they had inflicted on the Horse's head,) will frequently yield to repellent applications, of which apply the following : Take Sal ammoniac - - 4 oz. Sugar of lead - Ido. Vinegar - - - - 1 pint Apply this lotion constantly to the pole of the head, by keeping cloths on continually wet ; in applying your cloth, have it sufficiently large, 80 that you may cut two holes in it to pass it over the Horse's ears, by which means it will be retained in its place ; this cloth you can easily renew, or with a sponge apply more of the lotion, in the mean time feed on bran mashes, and give — Cape aloes - - 6 drams. Juniper berries - 2 do. Form into Ji Uall with soft soap. Give one twice a week. Should the tumour appear stationary, and the process of absorption not likely to com- mence, 1 have found great benefit from apply- ing a liquid blister, as under : Take Cantharides - - 1 oz. Vinegar - - - 3 do. Spirits of wine - 1 do. Put together in a bottle, frequently shakmg it; it will be fit for use in eight or ten days. Rub about two table-spoonsful on the tumour night and morning. When all hopes of preventing an abscess have ceased, we must then promote the for- mation of nature, by stimulating the skin, and instead of poultices or applications of warm water, apply the following : Take Oil of turpentine - 2 oz. Oil of Olives - - 2 do. Rub well into the swelling, night and morning, until on pressure you find a fluctuation under vour fino:er and thumb. When the maturation is perfect, which may be known by tlie soft feel of the tumour, the ne.xt thing to be taken into consideration is, the evacuation of the con- tained tumour, and that at the most depend- ing situation, to prevent the formation of sinuses. Nothing is so good in this case as introducing setons on both sides of the 2£ 110 THE MODERN SYSTEM neck, and should they act well, a speedy cure may be anticipated. But wnen from im- proper management, matter has not only formed, but has been suffered to remain, or has only, evacuated itself by a superficial opening eit^ler natural or artificial, and not from one in a depending situation, whereby accumulation of pus has taken place, and, in consequence, the ligaments have taken on disease, extending under the curvical ligament, and having it hollow below. In such cases the healthy secretion always ceases, and instead a thin ichorous or glairy discharge is set up : this ichorous matter penetrating itself into the interstices of the muscles, sinuses become formed in every direction, and if not speedily relieved caries of the bones of the neck is the consequence. From this neglect of the disease, or the bad treatment of it, you not infrequently see a Horse, having had this infection, get. what is called, a stiff neck, poking their nose and head out in a disagree- able manner. Though I never had an oppor- tunity of examining the vertebrae of a Horse thus affected after death, I make no doubt that an- chyloses had taken place between the first and second vertebrae. However, to prevent these disasters, we must proceed more activelv to work ; and here I would recommend my reader to call in an experienced veterinary suigeon, who can handle the scalpel with dexterity and confidence. Having cast your Horse, proceed to a careful examination with a probe and your finger the extent and direc- tion the sinuses have made their course : here you must take time, and ascertain the full extent of the sinus that is formed. Do not attempt to satisfy yourself by a kind of slight of hand examination, but be certain. As you have got your Horse confined, make much of this first ; but critical examination, for your cure will depend greatly upon it, and, of course, relieve the Horse considerably of pain. You will find yoisr finger of much more service than the probe ; therefore, carefully examine the ulcer well with the finger, and this, more especially, if caries should have taken place : for this must be disected out before you can possibly e.xpect a cure. These are things the old farriers know nothing of, consequently, if they could heal the external opening, they imagined they had accomplished a great feat; and hence the liability of the parts becoming diseased again. Hard and callous edges must be removed, and the smaller sinuses laid open, so as to form a cavity. If all this be not thoroughly attended to, and done as before stated (for it cannot be made too impressive), it will happen, that when the whole seems on the point of healin -, a new tumour will sud- denly arise, and frustrate all your hopes, which renewed abscess, in every instance, arises from caries bone being left, or some ligamentous portion remaining. In this case, the experi- enced veterinarian, who is expert with the knife, and fully acquainted with the anatomy of the parts, will not hesitate at the worst ot cases. But iu the hands of the common far- rier, much injury has been frequently done from the injudicious use of the knife. I have known even the curvical ligament to be di- vided by these ignorant pretenders, who have no character to lose ; consequently, grope fm in ignorance for the paltry fee of a few shillings, sooner than acknowledge themselves in error. Instead, therefore, of hazarding any of these evils, the practitioner will be justified i i this state of the case to introduce setons, even to the number of three or four on each side, 2:oini' down to the bottom of eacli sinus, lei OF FARRIERY. Ill tliem be ever so deep, go to the bottom of them. Dress your setons with miid blister ointment, as under, every day : Take Cantharides, powdered 2 drams. Hog's lard - - - - 3 oz. Continue this until the matter becomes of a good consistence. But where cases of great obstinacy occur, and this also fails to produce a good effect, ypu must at once make up your mind to make use of stronger means : Take Corrosive sublimate - 2 drams. Water ----- 2 oz. Dissolve the sublimate in the water, and nject the sinuses with the mixture, if this does not produce any amendment, we must proceed to the scalding means, in order to overcome the morbid action, and by which means pro- duce a healthy inflammation, from which, healtliy granulations may follow ; to obtain which, try either of the following : No. 1. Take Arsenic, finely powdered - 2 drams. Digestive ointment - - - 4 oz. 1-^ drams. 4 oz. No. 2. Corrosive sublimate Digestive ointment No. 3. Butter of antimony - - 3 drams. Oil of turpentine - - 2 oz. Either of the above may be applied in the following manner : melt either of them in an iron ladle to a scalding heat, and as your Horse lays on the ground (for you must cast him to do this properly), carefully pour the ii<^uid into the wound, putting in, at tli<' same time, a little tow. At the end of four or five days, sloughing will commence; after which, apply digestive ointment, and treat as a common wound : if the wound sho Id not be going on to your mind, apply the seal ing application again. FISTULOUS WITHERS. Fistula is in general the consequence of neglect, or the non- observation as to how the saddle may fit ; for, when the saddle is too wide in the trees, the pressure, in consequence, coming on the withers with double force, and that repeatedly, that the parts become bruised and pinched, and occasions the formation of matter inevitable. I am very sorry to observe, this is seldom taken notice of in time, till the evil has been repeated, and constitutes bruise upon bruise, when an inflammation and swelling ensue, threatening an unavoidable suppuration. To this greater error succeeds ; for during the time the process of nature is going on, and the matter in the tumour is forming, we generally use the repellent lotion, as prescribed for pole evil. But here begins a terrible struggle between the contending powers of nature and art ; for those applica- tions failing in their intentional effects of repulsion upon the contents, distribute their properties upon the integuments, where, by their repealed application, an induration L» effected very unfavourable to the abscess in its more advanced state. Nature at last be- comes predominant, and effects her purpose ; the tumour suppurates, and, as a consequence, discharge conies on, but without one of those advantages that would have been acquired had the efforts of nature been attended to and I properly encouraged, instead of being opposed. This is the origin and progress of what 112 THE MODERN SYSTEM constitutes a confirmed fistula, and comes under the very method of cure described in the last article, with renewed instruction and remembrance to lay open all sinuses or cavities into which the probe can be passed, taking care to make no transverse opening across the withers, to avoid dividing the long ligament; but be careful to make the incisions longitudi- nally on either side, or both, if it should be re- quired. Should the discharge not put on an iiealthy appearance, make an ointment of the following • Take Digestive ointment - - 2 oz. Red precipitate - - - 2 drains. Form into an ointment, and apply every morning to the wound, until the discharge becomes more healthy. Should you succeed by the above application, in obtaining an healthy discharge of pus, try the following, in order to heal the wound as soon as possible : 2oz. 1 do. 1 do. Take Vinegar - - _ _ Compound tinct. myrrh Tinct. of cantharides Inject this mixture to the bottom of the wound two or three times a day, which will produce a healtliy secretion of pus, and promote the healing process. If you should make up your mind not to use the lotion, it would be as well to warm the preci- pitate ointment in an iron ladle, and pour in the wound, so that it may penetrate every sinus that may have been formed. Incisions or scarifications made whenever necessary, and all callous, hardened parts must be disected out, and, if required, pass two or three setons in the mo.st depending situations you possitily can. 'I'his method should be pursued in preference to any other, unless the wound has been suffered to proceed some con- siderable time, and a vast formation of proud or fungus flesh have formed, when the knife becomes the only remedy. This method should have the preference on all occasions ; consequently, if the milder method should not succeed in restoring the parts, then you must proceed with the scalding method, as in pole-evil. Thus much by way of instruction for curing, what may mostly be prevented by a moderate care and attention : keep in mind that this disease, when first discovered, may be com- pletely removed by repellent applications, but, when bruise after bruise is suffered to go on, and matter once formed, repellents do much more harm than good. If none of the pre- ceding applications should at all be successful, you must proceed to the scalding ones, such as described for pole-evil, which we beg to refer the reader to. ULCERS IN THE MOUTH. There sometimes arise ill-conditioned ulcers in the mouth, from the irritation of too severe a bit, or from some sympathetic inflammation, such as a ragged tooth, and frequently from constitutional irritation, when it not infrequently occasions watery tumours to arise similar to gum-boils in the human subject : to remedy this affection, take the following mixture, touching the sores three or four times a day : Take Spirits of vvine 2 oz. Vinegar - - - 2 do. Honey - - - - 1 do. AUim, burnt - - 4 drams. Take a small stick, with some linen or tow tied to the end of it, and apply as directed above. As all persons do not know tUe OF FARRIERY. 113 meaning of burnt alum, I will tell them how to produce it, in case they make up the above prescription themselves, supposing they might live at some distance from a regular practi- tioner ; for the preceding prescription, buy an ounce of common alum, then place in your fire-shovel, and put it on the fire, when the heat will evaporate the watery matter from the alum, leaving you the burnt alum, or what is termed, alumen ustum. ON STRANGLES It is most strange, that so bad a definition of the disease, called strangles, as jet has been given to the public, though all veterinary writers agree, that every Horse is liable at some period or other to take on the disease, we may say scarcely any Hoise is known to escape ; they are even subject to it at all times of life, but, the periods of attack are mostly when ri'sing three or four years old *; Horses at that time of life, are generally taken in from grass, though colts at grass frequently become affected ; but, Horses removed from grass to a vvarm stable, are much more liable to take on the disease, clearly showing, it is the heated atmosphere combined with the stench of the dung and urine, producing infiamma- tion and suppuration of the submaxillary glands. I shall not presume to introduce any thing dictatorially decisive upon the subject, but submit to the consideration of others what appears to me to contain every just reason that can be assigned for the appearance of a distemper, attacking each subject to a certainty at different periods without contagion, or any * I once hiiil a mare of my own affected with strangles at s.ixteen vears of'siffc. cause hitherto established, but that it is so. For my own part, after affording it every degree of consideration, there is absolutely but one rational cause to be offered why Horses become subject to this disease, and that is, as before stated, inflammation and sup- puration of the submaxillary glands ; and this is brought on nine times out of ten when the the Horse comes into the stable, either to be broken into saddle or harness, proving that impure air to be the general cause, for in those cases vvhere it takes place out of doors, poverty is then the principal cause, producing extreme debility ; and most frequently, these Horses so attacked, and in so weak a state, generally, or at least most frequently, become victims to the disorder, and not unfrequently when debility reduces young Horses to a state of almost starvation, it will generate into glanders. Having introduced thus much towards the elucidation of the cause, I will proceed to the symptoms. The first attack generally com- mences with a dull sluggish heaviness and in- activity, the Horse becomes dispirited, loses his appetite, is frequently seized with a hollow husky cough, occasioned by the irritability of the inflamed glands, and consequetitly sore throat. To excite a degree of moisture in the mouth that may allay this disagreeable sensa- tion, he is often picking his hay, but eats little or none ; a degree of symptomatic fever comes on, and a consequent claminess and thirst is perceptible, but the Horse appears to have great difficulty of swallowing water. As the disease advances, he Ijecomes proportionally Ian2:uid and inattentive, a swelling of the glands between the jaws becomes apparent, which is at first very hard, exceedingly painful, and visibly increasing. He now swallows with great difficulty, heaves 2 F 11 1 THE MODERN SYSTEM at the flanks, and his whole appearance evi- vlently urges the necessity of an immediate attempt to relieve nature. For the treatment of this disease be ex- ceodingly careful how you may be decoyed to bleed the animal, which never do, unless the febrile symptoms run very high, and then only in small quantities, as you would in catarrhal affections ; for the debility of the animal will not allow you to draw much blood from him. I should not exceed two quarts in almost any case, unless there is much heaving at the flanks, and the pulse be hard and quickened, and the extremities cold. Use a nose-bag, fre- quently replenished with hot water and bran, for the purpose of steaming the nostrils, and promoting a discharge ; and should the tu- mours break inwardly, you will find this of great service. Having thus far decided, your next object is to promote the suppuration of the swelling as quick as you can ; but this must not be attempted by any thing in the shape of poultices. Poultices have a ten- dency to do much more harm than good, unless you have a man constantly in attend- ance, for the moment the poultice becomes cold, it acts as a repellent to the tumours, and obviates what you wish to produce. There- fore Take Oil of turpentine - 3 oz. Olive oil - - - 3 do. Apply this liniment to the Horse's throat, and tumours between the jaws, three times a day, having first clipped off" the hair close, to allow the liniment to act quickly. Should this not produce suppuration so quickly as might be anticipated, use the following : Take Cantharides - 2 drams. Oil of turpentine 2 oz, Olive oil - 2 do. Shake well together in a bottle, for two days, and apply as directed in the former. Either of these applications will produce a speedy suppuration of the tumours, and on feel- ing them, you will find an undulation ; at this period you are justified in introducing the lancet, and letting out the matter ; but never lance the tumours, unless you are perfectly sure that matter is formed. If the tumour should break of itself, and the opening be small, en- large it with the lancet. Now have the parts well fomented, and wash with warm water two or three times a day ; always remember- ing to wipe them dry with a linen cloth. This being done, place on a hood, with a piece of flannel to cover the jaws. When all dis- charge has terminated, and if the orifices you have made with puncturing appear red and healthy, you may now proceed to the healing process, which naturally of itself would take place, but it is necessary to assist nature as much as we can ; for which Take Sulphate of zinc - - 1 dram. Vinegar 2 oz. Watery solution of aloes 3 do. Dissolve the sulphate in the acid, then add the solution of aloes. Apply this mixture to the sores, morning and night. For feed, any nourishment diet you can ob- tain will be proper ; but be careful always to administer it in small quantities ; you had better try the Horse with half bran and oats slightly wetted, and when he can begin to swallow, tolerably well, give him a little speared malt in his feed : this will rouse him from that debilitated state the disease has re- duced him to ; and to further strengthen his system give the following : OF FARRIERY. 15 Take Cape aloes Sulphate of iron Gentian Linseed meal - - 6 drams. - 6 do. - 12 do. - 12 do. Form into a mass, with soft soap, and divide into six balls, And give one every second day. There is a consolation in this disease that a symptom of danger occurs but seldom, and then principally when Horses take on the dis- ease at grass, and especially in consequence of being only colts, they arc not brought under the eye of the master so often as they otherwise would be ; as it very unfrequently happens that the servant's eye can penetrate so deep as a master's, so that the poor animal is not reported sick, until he is almost dead ; but if the Horse be kept in the stable, the danger generally occurs from neglect, or absolute cruelty, in riding or driving to extremity. When the disease has commenced its course, so as to produce fever, and consequent inflammation, as before observed, it generally terminates in glanders ; consequently, the greatest care to cleanliness is of the highest importance, such as sponging the nostrils well out every morning and evening, and be careful to keep your Horse warm. ON VIVES. The disease of vives (if it may be called one), is common to all Horses, and of all ages, and at all times of the year. Why the term vives arose, I am not able to ascertain ; but as it is generally known by that term, it would be folly to change it in a general work of this kind, until a few more years has passed away. Vives, then, is an injlammation and enlarge- uient of the parotid glands, situated and com- mencing at the base of the ear, and continued down to the angle of the jaw. This disease is by old farrier.s called bastard strangles ; but this is an error, for they have no affinity to strangles in any way ; they never suppurate, but they occasion great pain to the Horse whilst eating, in consequence of the action of the jaw continually pressing on the enlarged gland. These sweUings at times become so fixed, that cough and considerable irritation is pro- duced about the anterior part of the epiglotis (the part that covers the wind-pipe in the act of swallowing, to prevent food passing down that tube), and when food comes in contact with it, cough is almost sure to take place ; and the irritation in consequence so great, that the Horse will cough repeatedly, with that violence, that you would imagine the rupture of some vital part must be the consequence. In this disease never apply stimulants in order to promote a discharge ; for, if you do, the situation being so prominent, and always in view, and if an ichorous discharge, which frequently occurs from a gland, you leave a blemish which will greatly lessen the value of the Horse ; but the method I have found always best, was to apply to enlarged glands, the following : Take Ammonia Olive oil - 1 oz. - 4 do. Rub about two table-spoonsful of the liniment on each gland, morning and night, and Take Cape aloes - - 6 drams. Ginger - - 1 do. Form into a ball with soap. And give, or here I perhaps best may say, at- tempt to give, for if the Horse's throat shouid 116 THE MODERN SYSTEM be at all sore, giving a ball is always attended with difficulty ; and should this be the case : Take Glauber salts - - 4 oz. Linseed meal - - 2 do. Mix your linseed meal with a little cold water first in a bason, then take about a quart of hot water, and dissolve the salts ; when done, mix altogether, and carefully horn it down. This must be repeated morning and night, until you perceive the swelling goes down, and the Horse begins to feed better. Should you be able to give him the ball, you must let five or six days intervene before you repeat the dose. Some Horses are extremely awkward, either to give a draught, or take a ball ; if such should be the case : Take Sulphur - - - - i 2 oz. Glauber salts, finely powdered 1 lb. Well work together in a mortar, And give one in the Horse's feed, morning and night. For feed give bran mashes cold ; but if he should not take to them well, put a handful of sweet oats with them to entice him to eat. Mind, in all cases when you have to feed sick Horses, that your hands are free from un- pleasant smells, as they are so exceedingly delicate, that the least oflfensive smell wDi occasion them to refuse all kinds of food, even if their appetite be ever so good. OF FARKIERY. (17 CHAPTER IX RHEUMATISM, ANTICOR, LAMPAS, WARBLES, SITFASTS, BRUISES, AND BARBS. RHEUMATISM. Rheumatism in Horses has been but little treated on ; l)y not more than one or t\\ o English writers, though the French have written considerably on the subject ; and in all probabihty, this was the cause of drawing the attention of the veterinarian to the subject. This disease is characterized by fever, pains in the joints, increased by the action of the muscles belonging to the joint, the disease fre- quently flying to one joint, then to another, and most frequently in young Horses. In aged Horses the back and loins become the parts principally affected ; the Horse going stiff, scarcely able to turn, and his legs moving under him more like jointless props than legs. It is frequently preceded by shivering, heat, thirst, and frequent pulse ; and some persons, from these symptoms, are apt to be led to think that inflammation of the lungs had taken place. However, the young surgeon must not be deceived by th ese appearances ; for after the above symptoms the pain soon commences and fixes on the joints. Rheumatism may occur by pain in the jomts without fever, and this mostly with feoach or hack-horses, from being ridden or driven hard, until they perspire very much. and are afterwards allowed to stand in a draft of wind. Rheumatism may arise at all times of tlie year, when there are frequent vicissitudes of the weather, from iieat to cold. Obstructed perspiration is the principal cause which pro- duces rheumatism. I have in my notes an account of one Horse affected with sciatica, a species of rheumatism, which he caught all of a sudden. The gentleman to whom he be- longed, had been riding rather sharp in the month of xMarcii. On coming home, he turned his Horse into the stable, his groom at the moment being otherwise employed ; however, on the man going to the stable, he immedi- ately led the Horse to a pond in the yard to water : consequently he received so sudden a chill from the cold water, and tiie wind being: cold at that season of the year ; added ta which, the dilatory manner in which grooms work at their Horses, that an attack of sciatica was the consequence ; which was shown by the Horse first lifting up one hind leg, then the other, and especially in wet weather and after strong exercise. In the above case, I observed the Horse's urine to be always thick and muddy, made in small quantities, and that frequently. This I consider a case of confirmed chronic rheumatism. The Horse was purchased by a. coach proprietor for little more than half his 2 a us THE MODERN SYSTEM worth, whose Horses were under iny care ; he worked the Horse for about five years, but he never recovered, and ultimately died of inflammation of the lungs. I before stated, this disease most frequently attacked coach and hack-horses, and the con- siderable number I have had the care of, confirms me in this opinion ; but it most frequently attacks these Horses in the back and loins ; and for the treatment of these Horses, I would recommend abstracting about three quarts of blood, according to size and constitution, and if the inflammatory symptoms are severe, then give the following : Take Barbadoes aloes from 4 to 6 drams. Ginger - - - 1 do. Dis:i talis 1 do. Soft soap to form a ball. After the bowels are freely opened. Take Oil. turpentine - - 2 oz. Olive Oil - - - 2 do. Ammonila - - - 4 drams. Apply some of this liniment to the spine of the back, where the stiffness appears most, which will in all probability be across the loins ; should these means not prove effectiial, 1 have been successful, after havina: cast the Horse, in introducing setons, one on each side of the back-bone, near the loins, and dressing: with digestive ointment. When this disease attacks young Horses, it is generally in the acute form, but mostly free from fever ; colts, about two or three years old, are mostly subject to it, and that principally in the winter months, when they are at grass, and the pasture is bad, not containing any nourishment. I consider acute rheumatism in this case, to arise as much from debility as any cause> the colt not being able to bear up against the inclemency of the weather. Aa soon as the lameness is discovered, for here the joints are the principal seat of disease, (and mostly the fetlock joints) ; therefore have your colt immediately housed, and should it arise from debility, you must in no wise bleed ; for the cold and wet generally is the- cause, and he requires tonic medicines to rouse and strengthen the system, therefore in the first place — Take Gentian, powdered - 12 drams. Anise-seed, do. - - 12 do. Liquorice, do. - - 12 do. Antimony, do. - - 1 lb. Sulphur - - - 12 ounces. Rub well together in a mortar, and divide into twelve packets. Give one in the Horse's feed, night and morning. For food, take good hay, and half oats and bran, three times a day. Apply flannel bandages to all liis legs, round the fetlock and pasterns ; this, in general will remove the pain, after having rubbed in some of the foregoing liniment, but do not bathe the joints, as by so doing the evaporation arising afterwards will produce cold, and consequent stiffness, leaving the matter worse than they were at first. Some of the old farriers have termed this disease, the flying lameness, in consequence of it going frequently from one part to another ; 1 just make this remark, that should " The Modern System of Farriery'" fall into the hands of agriculturists, &c., where the term has become familiar, they may know how to detect and treat the disease. ANTiCOR. Is a disease of the chest or belly, being a species of tumour formed by the debile state OF FARRIERY. 119 of the absorbents, and they not lieing able in consequence, to perform their functions ; there- fore, a serous fluid becomes deposited in the cellular membrane, which greatly abounds in these parts, and the fluid running together to the most pendent part, form the tumour called anticor, from its being against or near the chest, or the heart. The disease is net a frequent one in this country, but those who have written on the subject, say it is frequent on the continent ; in India I have seen several cases, and even in England, but in consequence of the Horses not being examined minutely after death, the cause of the disease has not been discovered ; in this case I would never advise to bleed, which would still add to the debility of the system, but give half bran and half oats made wet, for your corn feeds, and plenty of good hay, then Take Aloes, Cape - 6 drams. Resin - - 6 do. Sulphate of iron 10 do. Linseed meal - 4 do. Mix, and form into a mass with soft soap. Give one of these balls every morning. Put an ounce of nitre into the Horse's water every night. LAMPAS. Is an enlargement or tumefaction of the roof of the mouth or palate, and particularly in young Horses; and in some cases become so prominent, as to project below the teeth of the upper jaw ; this generally occurs when the Horse is changing his teeth, or the tusks making their appearance : another cause is, when Horses are first taken from grass, which is, of course, soft food, and then put into a stable on nay and oats, both being hard meat. will occasion the palate of the mouth to en- large and inflame. The Horse by these means is not only deprived of a great portion of the nutriment necessary to his support, but be- comes poor, weak, dejected, and altogether out of condition. It has been attributed to the change from grass to warm stables ; but this I cannot conceive at all to be the case, for breeders of Horses, God knows, generally have their stables cool enough, so that I cannot see how atmospheric air has to do with the disease at all. For the treatment of lampas, scarification has been recommended, but I never found that method succeed, though it is practised at the Royal Veterinary College, and also recom- mended by many veterinary surgeons (on their first emanating from that establishment) until practice has taught them better. This is an operation that more frequently comes under the notice of the common farrier than the surgeon, and by its so doing, custom has established an useful and expeditious extir- pation by the actual cautery, (see Plate of Instniments) ; and though I am no advocate for violent remedies where they can possibly be avoided, yet this is a cure so speedily effected by an expert operator, and the animal's suffering is so very trifling, that when a comparison is drawn between the temporary inconvenience, and the immediate advantage, no hesitation can be made respect- ing the operation. When the operation has been performed, let the Horse wash his mouth out with clean water, and you need not apply any thing to it, the wound will heal of itself in a few days ; for if you make an application, it only increases the pain of the animal, and in a few seconds he licks all off again. 120 THE MODERN SYSTEM WARBLES Are those swelling's or tumours formed on the sides, or some part of the back, in conse- quence of the unequal pressure of the saddle ; it may also arise either from the excessive heat and friction, or the edge of a narrow saddle-cloth coming directly under the seat of the rider, and not unfrequently by the girths being too short, the buckles at either one side or the other set below the saddle pannel, by which means the lower corners of the buckles from chafing constitute these swellings. If the pressure be repeated, and the groom not having noticed it, which he ought to do every time a Horse comes home from either hunting or severe road work, the tumour will some- times suppurate ; a sore will be the conse- quence, and remain troublesome for some weeks. As soon as the tumours are perceived, and before matter is formed, (which may easily be detected by the Horse wincing on being rubbed on or about the part,) use the follow- ing repellent several times in the course of the day to the tumour, with a piece of sponge : Take Sal ammoniac - 3 ounces Sugar of lead - i do. Vinegar - 1 pint. Water - 1 do. The Horse must have perfect rest in a loose box or barn, as a saddle or any thing irritating must be kept from him. If the tumour remains hard, and no appearance of going away, it becomes then what is termed A SITFAST. If sitfast is formed, you have only one cer- tain and expeditious cure, all applications in the shape of blisters, liniments, &c., to soften the tumour will avail you nothing ; therefore, take a scalpal and disect the tumour com- pletely out, and dress with the common digestive ointment, in which has been rubbed down with it a little red precipitate ; when you have brought the wound to a healthy appearance, treat it two or three times a day with compound tincture of myrrh. If in the first instance warbles should break, wash and dress first with the ointment as above, and then heal up with the tincture. In the mean time, let your saddle pannel be altered, fearing a recurrence of the accident. BRUISES Are tumours formed from external injury, such as kicks from other Horses, or passionate grooms, on the legs and other parts of the body ; if the bruise be slight, and though lameness be the result, it frequently becomes reduced almost apparently of itself; but if the injury should be severe, the extravasated blood will then become a source of pain and irritation. In some cases the blood is thrown out instead of becoming absorbed, coagulates, and at length becomes vascular, and the enlarge- ment remains permanent. Consequently, the treatment of bruises will vary according to circumstances, if the case be not too severe a one. Take Camphor - - 1 ounce. Spirits of wine - 8 do. Dissolve the camphor in the spirits, and rub on a portion every morning and night, or, Take Brandy Vineffar 4 ounces. 4 do. Mix and apply as above. If the bruise be in OF FARRIERY (2) Buch a situation you can bandage, never omit it — flannel is the best. If the tumour remains hard and unyielding to the above treatment, you must stimulate the absorbents by applying mercurial ointment, well rubbed in for three or four days, after which apply a blister ; should this not succeed, you must have re- course to firing. BARBS Are small tumours situated under the tongue, and frequently occasion great pain, so that the Horse with great difficulty can masticate his food. They are easily seen on drawing the tongue on one side, where two little prominences make their appearance. They arise from an inflammatory action, exist- ing in the salivary ducts, arising either from symptomatic or local fever ; they are generally attended with a great flow of saliva, and sometimes inconvenience the Horse very much. The old farriers used to recommend their being entirely removed, by snipping them off with a pair of scissors ; but there is no neces- sity for this. If you treat them in the following manner, they will soon recede : Take Alum Water I ounce. - 4 do. Dissolve and apply with a bit of sponge, tied to the end of a stick, several times a day. Give the Horse an ounce of nitre in his water, about five or six mornings, and you will per- ceive the gradual reduction of the enlargemeiilB m THE MODERN SYSTEM C H A P T E R X. STONE IN THE INTESTINES STONE IN THE KIDNEYS, AND STONE IN THE BLADDER. STONE IN THE INTESTINES. This is a disease wliich we are unfortunately obliged to acknowledge we have no remedy for. the horizontal situation of the body of the Horse, and the nature of the food, renders the Horse particularly liable to concretions in the intestines, and generally taking place in the intestine teimed the colon, from a peculiar curvature it has in doubling on itself; at this curve, stone of the intestine generally is found. Most of these concretes, however, are com- posed at first of salubrious matter, which first collecting around some accidental nucleus, as a nail or stone, and very frequently it occurs amongst millers' Horses, from a portion of the grinding-stO!>es, by friction having become mixed with the food millers' Horses generally are fed with. From frequent deposits of a portion of the alimentary contents coming in contact with the nucleus, layer upon layer becomes formed, until in some cases they are of an enormous size ; and I have even seen two in one animal j these calculi, in many cases, are dense and hard to admit of a fine polish, whilst some are of a softer nature, and appear more like hardened dung, and will break ( 'isv, taking on the shape of the dung. Hair balls I have frequently found in the intestines ; but this more frequently occurs in neat cattle. Horses do not appear to suffer so much from calculi as might at lirst be expected, and then it only appears like an attack of gripes, on account of obstructed dung in the intestine, giving pain ; when the passage is accom- plished, the pain immediately ceases. But they frequently, or always, bring on a fatal strangulatiiin, and consequent inflammation, in such cases the Horse will fall a victim. As before stated, the cure is out of our power, and the prevention is little less so, unless you perceive the Horse addicted to eat roots or lick up the earth, which they frequently are addicted to : your only chance of prevention is to give bran mashes for a day or two, until you per- ceive his dung become moist, and if in work, let him resume his usual food. STONE IN THE KIDNEYS. Stones sometimes form in the kidneys, in the cavity which you perceive on dividing a kidnej by a longitudinal section ; m the Horse they accumulate till they fill the whole of the cavitj ; and I once had a case, that from the inflammation produced thereby, the kid- neys became totally absorbed, and a large of FARRIERY. 123 tumour formed in its place, the Horse could with difficulty walk, and ultimately the pain and irritation became so great, that the Horse drew his penis, which constantly hung out, and of itself became so very large, that he could not withdraw it. I accordingly ordered the Horse to be destroyed ; and on opening him, found the right kidney a complete stone. The specimen I gave to the owner of the Horse, who used to exhibit it to his sporting acquaintance, and procured me many friends. STONE IN THE BLADDER. Though this disease is not so frequent in the Horse as in the human subject, still I have no doubt of it occurring more frequently than is generally supposed ; and that will be made plain to any one who is in the habit of fre- quently visiting the knackers' yard, for very many calculi are there found, after death, in the bladder. Therefore, I believe many Horses are condemned to these repositories of the dead, in consequence of either not knowing the cause, or of a surgeon not having proper in- struments to perform the operation of extract- ing the same (but which may now be obtained, in cases properly fitted up, at Mr. Long's, Veterinary Instrument-maker, 117, High Hol- born.) The symptoms are frequent inclina- tion to make water, shew excessive pain, and voided in small quantities ; sometimes a sudden stoppage of it, and very frequently occasions very acute spasmodic pains. The Horse also walks wide behind, or appears loath to move along, and occasionally reels about, walking with a staggering gait. However, for tliis a remedy is now discovered, and, I believe, first put into practice by Mr. Sewell. The presence of stone in the bladder, is not very difficult \n discovering ; for. if you examine the bladder, by introducing your hand up the rectum, and feel for the bladder, just beyond the bone called the pubis, you will meet with the bladder ; then feel if there be any hard substance to be felt, conclude if such be the case, it is stone in the bladder. For the removal of the substance, introduce a long whalebone staff, well oiled, up the urethra, until the end of it be felt just under the anus; then take a scalpal, and cut per- pendicularly down upon it, and enlarge the opening to about an inch and a half; into this opening pass a long whalebone probe (or as it is called, a sound) ; the end of which you will distinctly feel strike against the stone ; thus being satisfied, withdraw your sound, and introduce your forceps, for the purpose of extracting the stone. If the opening should not be large enough, you may take your con- cealed history, and cut up a little * (the Horse is supposed to be cast, and laying on his back), then endeavour to seize the stone, and withdraw it whole; if you find this not practicable, you must take hold of the stone by degrees, and break it down, your forceps being made for that purpose ; then withdraw them, and empty them, they being made with hollow heads to contain the particles of stone you break off; continue to do this, until you are perfectly satisfied the whole of the stone is removed. This being done, inject warm water into the bladder, which will give the Horse great ease, and the poor animal will almost tell you the delight he experiences by the removal of so offensive a matter. The Horse may now be allowed to get up, and in all probability some sediment and urine may * The Horse is laying on his back, therefore, cutting- up would be cutting down if the Horse were standing. 124 THE MODERN SYSTEM escape from the wound for a day or two. This you need not be alarmed at, but bathe the parts with warm water two or three times a day ; after which time, you will perceive the wound close, the urine pass off in its natural channel, when treat the wound as a common one, with applying to it twice a day compound tincture of myrrh. Should the Horse put on any appearance of fever, give him in his feed (with half bran and oats, made slightly wet) Antimony - - 12 oz. Sulphur - - 12 do. Digitalis - - 6 drams. Mix and divide into twelve powders. Give one in his feed every night. With mares the operation is less difficult, as the parts may be dilated instead of being cut, though I should recommend the use of a round-headed catheter, sufficiently laige in the bore as to allow the sound to pass through it ; when having introduced the catheter, and drawn off the urine, then pass the sound down the catheter into the bladder; having done this, withdraw the catheter, and satisfy yourself of the calculi being there, and pro- ceed as before directed for a Horse. I have seen this operation performed twice, in visiting the Royal Veterinary College, by Mr. Sewell, and both did well ; that gentle- man also informed me it had been performed in the country by several practitioners, and he did not know of a case to have failed. OF FARRIERY. 12d C H A P T E R XI. ON WORMS; JAUNDICE, OR YELLOWS; DIARRHOEA, OR LOOSENESS: CRIB-BITINING. ON WORMS IN GENERAL. What inveterate obstacles these insects are to a Horse's improvement, where they have unluckily gained possession, time and experi- ence have sufficiently demonstrated ; though an eminent writer on tlie subject says they do good ; but this I cannot see ; for a toad, or a snake, may be said on the same grounds to do good, as no living animal taken into the sto- mach becomes destroyed by the gastric juice. However, I consider them of as pernicious a nature and destructive a tendency, that having at once secured a i>*ttlement in either the stomach or intestines, the Horse becomes a prey to perpetual depredation, till effec- tual methods are taken for their total ex- tirpation. There are three kinds of worms to which tlie Horse is liable to ; first, the long white worm, very much resembling the common large eartii worm, but much longer and harder; at its middle it is about the size of a large swan's quill, and regularly tapering off to the ends. The length of these worms are various, from six inches to twelve; they generally occupy the small intestines, and are at times exceedingly troublesome, frequently occasioning gripes, and not infrequently in- flammation of the intestines, by their exce8.«ive irritation. Another kind of worm is the small thread or needle worm, and is frequently found in all parts of the intestines, but more particularly in the large intestines. They have also been found in some of the blood-vessels, in the windpipe, in the lungs, &c. These worms occasion great disturbance in the system when they become numerous, but not so much as the last named. There is a third kind of worm, called botts ; these are of two kinds (which we will endea- vour to explain presently), that one is larger than the other, the large size generally taking the cuticular coat of their stomach for their abode. These worms are exceedingly offen- sive, not only impairing and debilitating the stomach, but very frequently produce inflam- mation of that important organ. This worm, or grub, has a peculiar form at its tail of two processes, in the form of pincers, which when he has the good fortune to make fast in the coat of the stomach, his attachment is .--o firm, that even in the dead subject considerable force is required to remove them. This attachment, as I said before, is at the tail, its head lying pendulous in the stomach, indulging in any thing the Horse may have to take down ; and 2 I I '2(5 THE MODERN SYSTEM most frequently at this time the Horse's appe- tite is very considerably increased, than when free from these internal robbers. The second kind of bolts are much smaller than the foregoing, and 1 have every reason to believe are not alwavs attached to the sto- mach, but occupy the rectum, or last intestine ; they are of the same nature as the other, and you frequently find them attached to the anus, and occasion the Horse often to kick and fidget about, in consequence of the irritation they are the cause of. I have every reason to believe tliat the bott lies in the stomach nearly twelve months; for it is in the summer months that the larva of the gad-fly, which is supposed to be the parent of them, deposits her eggs on the hair, which is then taken into the stomach of the Horse, and comes to ma- turity in the early part of the following year, and becomes ejected with the Horse's dung. There is but litile remaining to be said as to the cause of botts, more than what we have mentioned above: but I have frequently seen them come from Horses that have not been out of a stable, and this about the time ■iipw vetches are brought to market. Give your Horse a few bundles of vetches, and you may be sure to remove botts. At any rate there is sufficient proof the Horse is affected by them, and he will eject a considerable quantity. Worms may be discovered to be in the system by the dry yellowish matter adhering I) the fundament, and running two or three inches down below. This is merely the soft part of the worm, in making its escape, irri- tates the sphincter muscle until it becomes cru.shed ; and this I know for a fact, having in cart-horses seen it frequently occur. They xite frequently detected in the dung, especially ' the thread ivorm and tlie long tvhite irorm, and that I believe to be the only method of discovering them ; for tlie long worm is too strong in itself to be crushed by the sphincter, and the thread worm too small for any im- pression to be made on them. There are other symptoms when worms are predomi- nant ; they occasion irregular appetite, the bowels also are at one time costive, and as irritation might arise, they become loose, with an unhealthy secretion attached to the d«ng. When botts are prevalent, the Hoise is fre- quently rulibing his tail against the sides of the stall, or against a post. The long white worm is very hurtful ; the Horse may eat well, and appear hearty, but he does not thrive ; becomes hide-bound, in consequence of the skin sympathismg so much with the stomach, the coat stares, and feels rough ; it is very frequently attended with a short dry cough, sometimes by attacks of the gripes, the breath is hot and smells very disagreeable. For the treatment of worms, I know but of two articles that any reliance can at all he placed in, and that can lay claim to approba- tion, as that certain and indubitable one, as calomel. Antimonials and preparations of tin have each their advocates, even down to train oil, as well as the vegetable kingdom, which has in the opinion of some, been never failing, such as rue, savin, box, &c. and also to- bacco. But experience has determined the specific effects of calomel in this case absolutely infal- lible, before the power of which every species of worms and their oviparous remains, indis- criminately fall, and are totally exterminated without the shadow of a doubt. So soon, therefore, as they are suspected, cv at 'east so OF FARRIERY 127 1^ dram. 2 do. soon as they are ascertained to have taken possession, it will be prudent to prevent a Horse becoming injured in his appetite, re- duced in flesh, or altered in condition by con- stantly preying upon the contents of the stomach or alimentary canal, consequently, I should recommend the following ; first prepare your Horse as for a dose of physic, by giving bran mashes, &c., and let your dose be adapted to the strength, size, and condition of your subject by these rules ; if the Horse be thorough bred, and delicate in form, take the following : No. 1. Calomel Linseed meal Honey to form the ball. Now be particular in giving the ball a> follows: give the ball the last thing at niglii then put yoiir setting muzzle on, and let him remain without food until the morning, when you then visit the stable, give him a warm mash of bran, replace your muzzle, and when you leave him, give him a handful of sweet hay ; proceed in this manner until about six o'clock at night, when give him the following : Take Barbadoes aloes - 5 drams. Gentian - - 2 do. Form into a ball with honey. Then agai I ;.)i:t on your muzzle, and by the time in the morning you again visit the stable, it i.s ten to one but the physic has operated. You must now treat your Hoise (but with the greatest care), as in the ordinary course of physic. ♦Probably my reader may not at first sight imagine why I recommend the calomel to be given alone, but for his better information I will inform him, a small quantity of calomel given alone, and eighteen hours before voii administer the aloetic medicine, is i ot only more efficacious, but the system becomes im- pregnated ; another thing, you are not so likely to have superpurgation supervene ; there is also another reason, the Horse will purge without being taken out to exercise, which when ex- hibiting calomel is very advantageous, as you do not run so much risk of his taking cold. After the lapse of about five or six days, repeat both the balls, as directed above ; but do not increase the quantity of the calomel or aloes, until you have seen the operation of the second dose, then you will be able to judge whether the a/oes will require increasing or decreasing in quantity ; if the Horse should want it, or you think the enemy is not altogether dislodged from his firm hold, give the Horse a third dose. If the Horse is beyond the pitch of delicacy stronger in make, and more like a hackney or coach-horse for size, you may give him, No. 2. Calomel - - - - 2 drams. With the aloetic balls increased 1 do Proceeding as before laid down. But should it be a large, strong, and foul waggon-horse, you may then increase your calomel ball to two drams and a half; and if very large Horses, even to three drams, and your aloetic ball in proportion. By proceeding in this course, you will perceive the subject will in a few days, v.ith proper care and attention, with good food and exercise, evidently demonstrate the advantage from being delivered from such company. But as there will most undoubtedly be Horses troubled with worms, in the pos-tanding in the same stable ? which I have known frequently to occur ; and it is a well known fact, that no training-groom will allow a crib-biter to stand in his stable. I could 182 THE MODERN SYSTEM give numbers of instances to prove the pro- pensity of its being catching, if I had space to enumerate them, having had more than one hundred and fifty of my own hack horses at one time, and four or five of them rank crib- bers ; but 1 was obliged to keep them to themselves, having put them in company with others, and saw their direful effects. There have been persons who have attempted to in- troduce a cure for crib-biting, but it has not always proved infallible ; one is to buckle a strap round the Horse's neck tight, this will prevent it for the time being ; another is to liave a number of sharp pointed sLuds, driven into the strap to prick the neck and throat every time the Horse swallows ; (if this be the case, which it is,) how can pressure on the neck affect the stomach ? Now, if this be the truth, dyspepsia may be easily cured by tying vour neckerchief a little tighter than common, which I should say ought to be taken as a specific for the disease in the human subject ; but not so with the Horse, remove your straps from his throat, and he is as bad as ever. Professor Coleman says it arises princi- pally from a Horse's long fasting, and the noise which arises from the air that he swallows. Now, here I differ from the worthy professor ; for 1 would ask how spasms of the stomach arise when a man has been without food or drink the whole of the day? does not the stomach secrete wind of itself? or Avhy take a glass of gin or brandy to remove the wind off the stomach ? you may feel blown up, as it is said, without food ; how is it that in the dead subject gas is generated ? but so it is, and in the living subject too ; for debility alone will generate gas, and is equally appli- rable to the Horse as to man, only with this diH'erence, a man can indulge, and the Horse } [ cannot i shewing clearly in my opinion the stomach has nothing at all to do with the affection. Some say giving Horses bad keep will produce the affection, but it is ridiculous ; because look at farmers' Horses, which are kept on the refuse of the farm, why do you not find more crib-biters in the farmers' stock than elsewhere? No; you find them princi- pally amongst high-fed Horses, and the reason we shall endeavour to explain : — High-fed Horses are rarely subjected to have much hay given them ; consequently, the stomach never becomes so full as if distended with the Horse's natural food, such as hay or grass only ; for 1 never heard of a crib-biting Horse at grass or on hay only. The cause is, in my opinion, from a spasmodic affection of the diaphragm, generally produced by the error of diet ; for if you feed on a considerable quan- tity of corn, and little hay, you produce crib- biting, and vice versa. To obviate this affection, I believe the whole of the veterinarians have been equally puzzled ; but a few years ago, Mr. Yare in- vented a kind of muzzle, that the Horse could eat through, but was not enabled to seize the manger, in consequence of two iron bars being fixed longitudinally to the mouth part ; but this, like all others, entirely failed, for when removed the Horse would take to his old habit again. I have also tried prepared chalk in two-ounce doses, but with no better success ; but the only thing 1 ever found was in the shape of a palliative : remove the Horse thus affected into a stable by himself, without manger, stall sides, or any thing he can take liold of, but the bare walls, aud 2)ve all his food on the ground, both hay and corn. I have by this means been able lo remove, in a great degree, this trouble- OF FARRIERY. ;S3 some affection, though I cannot promise a cure. Crib-biting would not deter me from buy- ing a very valuable Horse ; for I have done so, at a price, and removed them to a stable, as above described, when it has totally left them ; but this I would not answer for as a general rule. Iv 134 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XII. DROPSY OF THE HEAD, OF THE CHEST, OF THE PERICARDIUM, OF THE BELLY, AND OF THE SKIN, AND OF SWELLED LEGS. DROPSY. Dropsy is a preternatural collection of serous, or watery fluid in the cellular sub- stance, or different cavities of the body. It receives different appellations, according- to the particular sit ation of the fluid. When it is diffused through the cellular membrane, either generally or partially, it is called anasarca. When it is deposited in the cavity of the cranium, it is called hydrocephalus ; when in the chest, hydrothorax ; when in the abdo- men, ascites ; and when within the scrotum, hydrocele. I have been more particular in enumerat- ing the particular names this disease takes, or according to its situation, that the reader may not be led astray by the pretender, or country farrier. For the causes of these several dis- eases, are, if we may call it so, of a family nature, and principally originating in debility : such as long continued evacuation-, or it may occur from the suppression of urine, the sud- den striking in of eruptive humours, obstruc- tion of the lungs, exposure for a length of time to a moist atmosphere, laxity of the exhalants, defect in the absorbents topical weakness, in which case it is most frequent, and indeed any thing that produces debility. DROPSY OF THE HEAD. It is a disease that not frequently attacks the Horse ; but when it does do so, is very likely to puzzle the young practitioner, as he may be apt to take it for the staggers, the symptoms being very like those produced in that disease ; but I do not believe they arise from the same cause ; for water in the head, when it occurs in the Horse, is generally in consequence either of injuries done to the brain itself, or by blows, falls, &c., or from schirrous tumours, or excrescences within the skull, from original laxity, weakness in the brain, or from general debility, and an im- poverished state of the blood. With respect to its proximate cause, very opposite opinions are still entertained by many clever writers ; which, in conjunction with the equivocal nature of its symptoms, prove a source of considerable embarrassment to both old and young practitioners. Some believe it to be inflammatory, and in consequence bleed largely. Slight inflammation, in the first case, may produce a deposition of fluid on the brain, but this inflammation has by its effects OF FARRIERY. 135 produced debility ; but I have no doubt that a torpor of the absorbent vessels may occasion the disease, consequently a debility in those vessels to perform their office. It sometimes happens with Horses that are brought up immediately from grass, and ridden rather sharper than they ought to be, causing congestion on the brain ; but as we shall have to speak of that disease in its regular course, we will now enter on the symptoms of dropsy in the head. In the first place, the Horse refuses his food, hangs his head down in the manger, is dull, and seems careless of all kind of food, hang- ing himself forward, restina: his whole weig-ht on his fore legs, the Horse looking as if he was going to sleep, and wanted rousing up. Now, for the treatment of this disease, you must first make yourself acquainted with the cause. If it be a farmer's Horse, and not having been ridden lately, you may natually conclude its being congestion on the brain This may exist without any visible pain on pressure ; should this be the case, do not bleed, for you will not find that relief from it you anticipate ; but Take Watery solution of aloes ]h oz. Nitre ----- 2 do. Linseed meal - - - 2 do. Mix for a drink, and give immediately. Let the Horse have plenty of room, such as a loose box, or bay of a barn ; let him have plenty of straw, in case he shoi'd lie down, and be inclined to roll or knock himself about. Should this treatment appear not to relieve him, apply a blister to the pole or back of the neck, composed of Cantharides - - 2 drams. Hog's lard - - 2 oz Let this ointment be well rubbed in behind the ears. Should this disease be occasioned by blows, or falls, &c., examine the head well, to be convinced if any pain is existing there ; and should this be the case, do not hesitate in immediately opening the temporal artery, and abstract as much blood as you can, without the Horses fainting; if you see him begin to tremble, it is time to leave off, for you have gained your object. Secure the artery in the fol- lowing manner : — take a curved needle, armed with doubled whitey-brown thread, take up the lips as directed in sutures, then lay a plegit of tow over the orifice, tie up the suture, and the bleeding will be stopped. For feed give very little, or no hay, but bran mashes : do not give any corn. I recommend bleeding, if the disease arises from blows, because it is most likely to stimulate the absorbents to take cm their natural functions. Fur the medical treatment, proceed as before directed. DROPSY OF THE CHEST. This, as a primary affection, is not common in the Horse, but as a secondary attack it becomes frequent, and that most especially supervening in an attack of inllammation, consistinff in a collection of fluid within the cavity of one or both of the plurse; and in these cases there can be no doubt of it arising from debility. Many gallons of fluid have been found so formed within a very short space of time ; in some instances pus has been discovered; in others, matter and other co- agulable masses are frequently discovered floating in it. The causes of this disease, as I before stated, are principally arising from the termi- nation of inflammation of the lungs, and is o-enerally to be discovered by the peculiar 136 THE MODERN SYSTEM action of the Horse in breathing, and even in his method of standing, straddling wide with his fore legs, and not unfrequently in breath- ing he does it with a jerk, and if you pay attention, you may hear the water in his chest make a sudden noise, as if disturbed. This arises from the lungs taking in air, and in consequence they become dilated, and occa- sion the rumbling noise in the chest with the water. Horses will sometimes have dropsy of the chest, when little or no inflammatory action has been going on, and this principally from bad keep, and bad or worse masters. Horses that have it from these causes, may work at slow work for some time without the disease being discovered, in consequence either of the unwillingness, or the poverty of the masters not enabling them to procure assistance in time, whereby producing poverty in the Horse, and the consequent debility, until nature takes compassion on the poor animal, and finishes his career in death. On opening the animal, a quantity of yellowish serous fluid is found floating about his chest, the lungs contracted and become smaller, in consequence of the fluid interfering with them in the cavity, and the Horse is then pro- nounced 1-0 1 fen. As we observed in our preceding remarks, it is seldom that we can detect the disposition to inordinate secretion sufficiently early to attempt any means to restrain it; and ^^hen formed, we have seldom power enough over the absorbents to effect its removal tiiroug-h their agency. It, however, becomes a duty of ours to attempt it, and as Nature frequently will set up a natural cure, we may occasionally assist her efforts ; but, in doing this be careful how you determine on bleeding ; for in this case, never bleed though the pulse may be quick^ for the quickness is in consequence of debility, not arising from fever ; for when the affection is formed, it is seldom or never that any in- flammatory action remains ; consequently, blood-letting would be highly injurious, and the result would prove we had mistaken cause for effect. Medicines to promote nausea are frequently said to have a good effect ; but I never could discover that, though I have tried them several times, such as white hellebore, in two- dram doses, every five hours, but I have succeeded by administering the following, be- yond my most sanguine expectations. Take Sulphate of iron - - 2 oz. Juniper berries - - 2^ do. Myrrh - - - - 2 do. Antimony - _ - 1 lb. Sulphur - - - 8 drams. Form into a mass with soft soap, x\nd divide into twelve balls. Give the Horse one of the balls night and morning. Rowels and setons sometimes do good, but they are so long; in acting, that I would recommend blistering the sides and chest in preference. Give the most nutritious food you possibly can ; oats, with a few beans in them for corn, and the best old hay you can procure, and for water, let oatmeal or rice be first boiled in it. The last resource you have, if the above remedies fail, is puncturing, or tap- ping the chest ; though this operation is driven off almost to the latest period of the disease, and very unfrequently succeeds ; still I have succeeded in a cure, when driven to this extremity ; but the earlier it is performed, the greater the probability of its having tlie desired eflect. OF FARRIERY. 137 We win now •ndeavour to describe the mode of operating. Tlie situation most eligible lor the openmg, is that wherein a depending orifice may be gained for the complete evacuation of the water, without danger of wounding important parts by the puncture. If it be carried too low, the mediastinal folds, or even the pericardium may be endangered ; but this would only occur unless you attempted the puncture perpendicularly, so as to make the puncture between the cartilages of the ribs ; but in either of the co.-tal openings, be- tween the seventh and tenth ribs, about an inch above their termination into cartilage (^See Plate of Skeleton), an opening may be first made by a scalpal, towards the anterior edge of the rib, to avoid wounding the inter- costal vessels, first drawing the skin a little forwards or backwards, to ensure a future closing to the access of air. Having done this carefuJIy, introduce a three-inch trochar, by penetrating the muscle between any of the above-mentioned ribs, withdraw your trochar, and allow the cannula to remain in until the whole of the (luid is drawn off". Having per- formed the operation, and the discharge of the fiuid convinces you were correct in your judgment, puncture the opposite cavity in a similar manner. If the dropsy, or accumula- tion of fluid be fully formed, that is, if one or both cavities be nearly filled with serosity, less caution is necessary in the introduction of the trochar ; and if the operation be performed more early in the disease, which in general it should be to ensure succes^s, then it is neces- sary to proceed more cautiously, to avoid puncturing the lungs. Having introduced the trochar, only so far as to observe the gush of fiuid, put the can- nula forward, retracting the trochar, conse- quently leaving the cannula alone in the orifice. The cannula must be pushed up to its collar, where it will remain, imtil the fluid is all drawn off. Coa2:ula, or even the inflated lun^s. some- times is found to obstruct the flowinii' of the latter portions of the fluid ; to obviate which, introduce a probe into the cannula occasionally, until you are satisfied the whole is drawn off. When the whole of the fluid has been with- drawn, take out your cannula, and close the orifice by adhesive plaister, or by the com- mon suture ; for you must not think of per- forming the operation a second time, as is frequently practised in the human subject ; for having drawn off the fluid, you must depend upon the medicine as before pre- scribed, fur if water again accumulates, the debility will be so much the more increased, and the natural consequent, the animal falling under the disease. DROPSY OF THE PERICARDIUM. Dropsy of the pericardium is an increased collection of fluid in the sac surrounding the heart, therefore called dropsy of the heart. The symptoms are the same as the pre- ceding case ; but I am sorry to say there is no means of cure, neither in the Horse or the human subject ; therefore we must submit to Nature in this case, and obey her laws. In making this short account of the dropsy of the heart, we do so more to convince the public, who may unfortunately have such a case ; for frequently the veterinary surgeon may get blame w hen there is none attached to him, for the loss of an animal (thus affected) under his care. 2 M 138 THE MODERN SYSTEM DROPSY OF THE BELLY. This, like the last-named disease, seldom occurs in the Horse, and when it does so, there is frequently great difficulty in detect- ing it ; yet, now and then, it may arise, and in consequence we are bound to notice it. It may take place after inflammation of some of the abdominal viscera. It consists of an in- creased deposit of fluid within the cavity of the belly. Now, Nature here has formed wliat is called the peritoneal sac, only of such dimensions as to hold its natural organs, such as the stomach, liver, intestines, &c., &c. ; so that it being called a cavity, is only relative to what by nature is intended to be there. If water escapes into this cavity, it at once be- comes a foreign body, and by which means is known, the tension of the abdomen, and by the undulations felt by one hand, when the belly is gently struck by the other ; also, if you place your ear on one side the belly, and get some person to lightly force the opposite with their hand, you will by such means hear the undulating motion of the water perfectly distinct. In this disease, also, the urine is made in small quantities, the thirst is greatly predominant, the breathing quick and labori- ous ; and this in consequence of the fluid having taken up a portion of the cavity of the abdomen, the lungs become pressed upon, and have not room to perform their natural func- tions ; in consequence of the abdominal viscera pressing upon the diaphragm, the flesh also becomes wasted, as well as the adipose mat- ter, which is frequently found floating in the fluid. Here, I am sorry to say, we cannot always rely on a cure, but the disease fortunately happening but seldom, and that is then fre- quently the sequel of some other disorder of the viscera ; but if the animal has stamina sufficient, there is a probability of recovery. Diuretic medicines are here the only means to rely on, combined with tonics ; and I cannot re- commend any thing better than the prescrip- tion laid down for dropsy in the chest ; and if possible give exercise, rub the legs well, and bandage with flannel. I have found this dis- ease cured, if taken in time, by blistering all four legs ; and should the blisters lise well, you may almost rely upon completing your object. WATER FARCY, OR DROPSY OF TflE SKIN. This disease, properly speaking, is very im- properly named ; the proper name being anasarca ; but we have kept to the name it is generally known by, and that because it most frequently happens with young Horses, and consequently not having left the hands of the agriculturist, he might be somewhat puzzlixl without the local name. Water farcy is then a species of dropsy, from a serous fluid spread between the skin and flesh, or rather a general collection of lymph in the cellular system. This species of dropsy shows itself first with a swelling under the Horse's belly ; the tumefaction is soft and inelastic, and pressed upon by the finger retains its mark for some time. By degrees the swelling ascends and occupies the trunk of the body and the neck, even the eye-lids, face, and nostrils appear bloated, the lips are much swollen, also the legs and the sheath becomes greatly enlarged. When the disease arrives to this pitch, the breathing then be- comes difficult, the urine small in quantities, and dark coloured ; the bo'^els are costive. OF FARRIERY. 139 and perspiration much obstructed ; tlie Horse becomes remaikably thirsty, attended with emaciation of the whole body ; to these symp- toms may be added, a dull heavy appearance, and sometimes a cough. In some cases the water oozes out through the pores of the skin, and you will see the hair, which, at that time of year (spring and fall,) is rather longer than at other periods, covered with the fluid thus effused. This disease may be brought on by all the causes of the last named ; but here I should say debility to be the chief cause, and that frequently from bleeding too much. It is very frequent in the spring and fall of the year, when Horses are weak from moulting. When the disease is partial, it is not so difficult to cure, as when it has become gene- ral ; however, we must proceed to rouse the system, by giving tonics, and those I have found most successful, have been the follow- ma: : — Take Cantharides - - Sulphate of iron Sulphate of copper - Gentian _ _ _ Mustard - - - Ginger _ - _ Mix and form into a mass with soft soap. 1 dram. 2oz. 2 do. 4 do. 3 do. 3 do. Divide into twenty-four balls. Give one every morning. If the swellings have become considerable, puncture them with a middle-sized phleme, or lancet, in several places, and evacuate the fluid. Great care must be taken in keeping the Horse warm, clothe him well, and well dress him, mornuig and night, by w hich means you will open the exhalants of the skin, and greatly relieve him. You must also be attentive with feeding, to give the most nutritious food pos- sible ; oats, with beans, malt, and occasion- ally a few carrots. When the weather will permit you, let him have e.xercise, with cloth- ing on ; it will determine blood to the skin, and give him great relief, always remember ing to put on him after you have dressed him, a dry cloth. You then can dry the one you exercised him in, wliich \'\ ill serve for the dry one next time. Do not forg-et to banda 160 THE MODKRN SYSTEM CHAPTER XV. OF STRAINS IN GENERAL ; STRAIN IN THE SHOULDER ; STRAIN OR CLAP IN THE BACK SINEWS ; OVER STEPPING ; BREAKING DOWN ; RUPTURE OF THE BACK SINEW; STRAIN OF THE FETLOCK JOINT ; STRAIN IN THE COFFIN JOINT; STRAIN OF THE ROUND BONE; STRAIN OF THE STIFLE JOINT ; AND ON CURB. OF STRAINS IN GENERAL. Strains are a part of this work to which such frequent application will be made for iiitbrmation, that they cannot be too accurately explained for the purpose of being understood ; therefore, to understand this subject clearly, it is unavoidably necessary to be informed, not only of the causes from which such com- plaints proceed, but the parts that constitute the seat of disease itself. To acquire which, let it be observed, strains are of two kinds ; the one originating in the ligamentary parts, by which the different joints are preserved in contact ; the other, by a relaxation of the muscles or tendons, or by a rupture of any of the membranes covering or adherin to such tendons, whose purposes are the direct office of motion. Hence it is, that the farrier and the groom are so frequently at a loss for their definition of any particular lameness, fixing by conjecture upon any part, attributing it to any cause but the right ; and to this they are seldom directed by any mental information, possessing a very barren concep- tion of the structure of parts, their purposes or appropriations. The elastic part of a tendon or sinew, is the muscular, to which in fact the tendon is a continuation only, with this difference, the tendon is made by nature to occupy a much smaller space than muscle, for it would look rather awkward to see the mus- cles of the fore leg extending down to the heel of the Horse, instead of that fine uniform make which the tendon gives, and especially in the race Horse: the tendon is not of that elastic nature that some writers have described, but it is the muscular end where the elasticity exists ; this at first sight would appear strange, for the injury takes place in the ten- don, not in the muscle ; and for this reason, the non elasticity of the tendon and its sheath will rather submit to rupture, and that for want of the elastic quality; these tendons, or sinews, are strong substances, composed of in- numerable threads or fibres, possessing the properties of extension and contraction to a certain degree, beyond which their (lexi- bilily cannot be extended, without palpable OF FARRIERY. :51 injnry and certain lameness ; for by over- straining their elastic quality, small as it is, rupture is the consequence, and lameness in proportion to the injury sustained. To render this idea as clear as I possibly can, and that it cannot be misunderstood even by the merest tyro in Horse knowledge, let us suppose that a Horse is going at his best pace on the trot, and in so doing his toe covers a prominence, or the edge of one, where the heel has no support, the conse- quence is, an extension of the tendons, or a rupture of the same ; by which means destroy- ing- part of Nature's work, and constitutes what is termed, letting down of the back sinews; a circumstance which frequently hap- pens on the turf, and the Horse is then said to be " broken down." This being supposed to have happened, the principal indication of cure will immediately strike every reader, so far as the gradual con- traction and tone ofthe tendon is concerned ; but the previous and instantaneous consideration, will be to prevent as much as possible, any conse- quent inflammation that may fall upon the parts. To which end take away, so soon as con- venient after the injury is sustained, a portion of blood adequate to the state and strength of the subject, from a vein as contiguous to the part affected as may be consistent ; and as your success will in a great degree depend upon the earliest applications — Take Vinegar - - 1 quart. Make this hot ; whicli havmg done, add extract of Saturn, one ounce : foment the leg with this until it is exhausted, say for two or three times a day ; and after each fomentation bandage the leg well and firm, with a woollen bandage. Give bran mashes for a day or two, and the following : 7'ake Cape aloes Juniper berries 2 drams. 1 do. „ — I — ^ , F m into a ball with soft soap Give one every other night. After fomenting with the above for two days, use the following embrocation ; let two or three table-spoonsful be gently and gradually rubbed into the affected part, every night and morning, always remembering to use the bandage tolerably tight and firm — XIMMENT FOR STRAINS. 1 ake Barbadoes tar - 2 ounces. Spirits of turpentine - 2 do. Opodeldoc - - 4 do. Mjx well together, and keep well stopped for use. To this application must be added rest. Too much stress cannot be laid upon this most predominant and necessary article, from which the greatest good must certainly result. To the want of patience and mercy only, it is to be attributed, that such an infinite number of fine Horses have been considerably blemished, instead of being indulged with proper time in the field, or the luxury of a loose box ; by this means an excellent Horse would have been saved from the scoring of his legs with the liot iron. And what is no less astonishing that, in the present age of equestrian sagacity and pene- tration, few can be found, whose reason will sufficiently demonstrate the absolute necessity of time and rest, to restore the tone of a re- laxed muscle or tendon ; a system of know- ledge, as clear as any mechanical principle that can be produced. When the Horse has continued in the stable, under the treatment before mentioned, for ai 152 THE MODERN SYSTEM least a fortnight, he should, if in the winter time, have his liberty in a loose box, bay of a barn, oi large stable, where he will, by a natural attention to his own ease and safety, (unless hurried, driven, or disturbed, which should by all means be prevented,) suffici- ently guard the injured parts. On the con- trary, if in the summer, he should be turned into a paddock or pasture alone, at a distance from other Horses, where he cannot by their neighings be excited, by any exertion of spirit or extravagance, that may occasion a relapse. But in either cases, if the enlargement of the part does not subside, and the lameness bear visible marks of amendment, so soon as may be reasonably expected, take the Horse up, and apply the following liquid blister : MILD LIQUID BLISTER. Take Cantharides, powdered 4 drams. Vinegar - - - 4 ounces. Mix well together. This mixture must be gradually rubbed over the whole part, for at least half an hour, letting it be entirely absorbed by, and around the seat of pain, if possible ;' then apply the fcandage as before described, and shoiteh the halter, to prevent the Horse gnawing the part : at the expiration of three or four days, the Horse may either be turned out, or put in a loose box, as the time of year may serve ; but my opinion is, let the time of year be what it may, a loose box is preferable to any thing. When the Horse is first brought into use, let his work or exercise be gentle, fearing a relapse of the complaint ; if such should be the case, immediately have recourse to the follow- ing : Take Of the best vinegar, or verjuice 1 quart. Common salt 4 oz. Rub the parts well with it, twice a day. By this method of practice, I have seen the complete cure of many, without having recourse to firing, which is in general much too speedily adopted, and no doubt hurried on by the great anxiety of the ignorant farrier, and who may be anxious to shew off his abilities ; but with all kind of strains, you must give the animal rest, and to this alone, nine times out of ten, the cure is to be attributed ; for after firing, even in extreme cases, turning out is the sequel, and if taken up sound, I should attribute much more of the cure to that grand specific rest, than to the effect of firing ; in addition to which also, your Horse comes out without any blemish whatever. Strains in the ligamentary parts are in general occasioned by sudden jerks, short turns, or sinking in deep ground, and forcible exertions to get extricated. These being situated at the junction of bones, and in some cases, covered with muscles and soft parts, that no great expectation of relief can be formed, upon the efficacy of external applica- tion, Vfjben the seat of pain is unluckily s* remoteJ'from the surface. Having given a cursory explanation of strains, I shall now proceed to give a detailed account of these affections and their situations, with the best mode of cure. As has been before observed rest is one of the best remedies we have in hand for sprains ; but that is Nature. Now, it is our duty to assist Nature to its furthest ex- tent ; in doing which, we are obliged to call in medical aid, and when we do this with confidence, we generally meet with success. OF FARRIERY. 153 It has been customary, to enumerate the different parts most Ukely to suffer from sprain ; therefore, we will not go out of the course, but take them in due order, beginning with STRAIN IN THE SHOULDER. Strains in the shoulder, formerly called chest, or body founder : in strain in the shoulder, there cannot be the slightest mis- take in discovering it, for when the Horse is put in motion, he makes a circuitous or rotary motion of the leg that is affected, and drags his toe on the ground, in endeavouring to bring it forward ; lie also, (if 1 may be allowed the terra,) appears to hutch up that side altogether, in endeavouringto make a walk of it. Shoulder strains are, therefore, frequently the conse- quence of a side wrench, or slip, by which means, the fore-legs become so widely sepa- rated, that the muscles attaching the fore-leg to the body of the Horse, become so much stretched, or I have no doubt, in some cases, actually ruptured, that the greatest pain is evinced ; the ligamentous attachment also participates in the injury, though if properly observed, the muscle of these parts are of themselves of a peculiar delicate and tender nature, and may easily become ruptured. One of our most celebrated writers considers the Jlexor brachii the part most affected in shoulder strain ; but how he can reconcile this, I am at fault to ascertain, it having so little to do with the shoulder, having a distinct and contrary action to those muscles where we generally find the disease to exist. Shoulder strains do not frequently occur, though grooms and farriers, and other persons about Horses, are often led, from habit, to attribute it to every lameness they do not understand, and the seat of which does not make itself evident almost to the blind and uninitiated ; for, on viewing a Horse in front, the muscles of one shoulder will appear wasted. Though this be so evident, it requires more than usual exertioi., to make even intelligent persons believe that the evil did not originate where it does. In all affections of the feet, where there is much pain and lameness, nine times out often, the lameness is placed on the shoulder, and this in consequence of persons not knowing the real seat of disease ; for the Horse m ill draw his fore-legs closer together, the spine of the blade-bone becomes prominent, and the whole substance seems lessened. The origin of this is from inaction, in which case muscles always diminish ; added to which, the pain the animal is continually in, occasions him to give rest to the diseased limb. It is very necessary, therefore, to be able accurately to distinguish shoulder strain, and much more difficult to persuade your em- ployer of the situation of lameness ; but if proper attention be paid to the lules before laid down, as to the action of the leg, there will be but little difficulty in at once pronouncino; where the seat of lameness exists. V/hen the Horse is at rest, the limb is generally puslied forwards, the Horse scarcely daring to touch the ground with it, the toe only just resting on the ground, the Horse putting on the appear- ance, as if in the act of lifting up the leg ; by these means, you will be able easily to distin- guish it from diseases of the feet ; for in those cases, the Horse puts his foot straight out, what is called pointing, resting on the entire foot. These symptoms being so entirely different to affections of the feet, I trust my readers will have no difficultv in determining: between the two, especially if they take ihe leg off the ground, and extend it forward as 2 Q lol THE MODERiN SYSTEM much as possible, and at the same time press the muscles of the chest ; this will at once determine in the mind of a judg-e the seat of lameness. This being discovered, we shall refer our readers to the part treating of *' Strains in General," and as a remedy use the liniment directed for strains. Some people are fond of what are called repellants, or cold applications ; but they will be always found to fail, nothing answering so well as a remedy that will promote the action of the absorbents, and at the same time act as a counter-irritant. Should the parts occasion a degree of fever, take blood from the jugular vein, according to the size and strength of the animal ; apply then the tar liniment ; but do not apply a common blister, either if the lameness arise from a ligamentous strain of the shoulder, or the muscles of the chest, for at best you pro- duce either blemish or eschar ; but as a mild application in the shape of a blister, I would recommend the following '.^See mild liquid blister in " Strains in General." Apply as directed under the head of that article, rub on the affected part, morning and night, until the swelling and inflammation will not allow you to continue it further. Do not be alarmed at this, but wait for two or three days, and the swelling will subside, when the application should be repeated, ivotil the same effects again prevent the application. In this way keep up a mild inflammation for a week or ten days ; this you must be directed in as the disease abates. It is very seldom necessary to continue the application after the second time, the dis- ease generally yielding by that time to its use. This will be found a much more eligible mode of practice, than the common blister ointment. In addition to the above remedies, you must not forget the alterative medicine, as before directed ; it will not only keep the system cool, but will promote the absorption of any extravasated fluid that may have taken place in consequence of the injury. There is one thing in strain of the shoulder, which must in no wise be lost sight of; and that is, it is apt to return, unless you give the Horse a sufficient time to rest ; for, though the lameness may disappear, on your first bringing him to work, in nine cases out of ten, the lameness is so liable to return on the least exertion, that I should recommend at least a month or two in a loose box, or in a field, where he can lay quiet, previous to using him, though he may not appear lame. Rest, in this case, being so decidedly useful, I cannot dwell too long upon the subject. Horses sometimes are liable to kicks from other Horses, which will afliect the shoulder, and occasion considerable lameness, when there is no strain whatever ; when such should be the case, bathe the shoulder well with warm water ; after which, wipe com- pletely dry, and apply the tar liniment, as directed before. Insert a rowel in the chest, which will be preferable to bleeding in the plate vein, and your Horse brought into work in much quicker time. STRAIN, OR CLAP IN THE BACK SINEWS. A. strain, or clap in the back sinews, is not thoui^ht so much of by some writers as it really deserves, though those persons ac- quainted with Horses know to the contrary , for it rarely occurs, that a Horse once strained in his back sinews, or tendons, or their sheaths, ever becomes able to perform much hard work; still, I have known both race-horses OF FARRIERY. 1,)0 and hunters to be capable of vvoik, after an accident oi' the above kind ; but this i.s not frequent However, as the disease is one which we are frequently called in to, we must do our best to alleviate the poor animal who may be suffering under the acute pain of such an affection. On reference to the article of " Strains in General," I there stated, that laceration of some of the ligamentous fibres may occasion the affection; still it is, however, more gene- rally confined to a distension of these parts, and of the sheaths of the tendons beyond their structural capacity ; although there is little reason to doubt, but that the tendons them- selves are also sometimes thus acted on. This disease may occur to the hind legs, as well as to the fore ones ; but I must confess I never saw it attack the hind legs ; but it may be brought on in the fore legs by treading on any thing suddenly ; such as downward leaps, in attempting to recover a false step, treading unevenly on any hard or prominent substance. This is also occasioned frequently by lower- ing the heels too much, or too suddenly, by which the tendons are brought more into action than Nature intended them. The in- jury in consequence brings on inflammation, with all its attendants of heat, swelling, pain, and lameness, and in all probability an inca- pability of extending the limb. The effusion from the ruptured vessels may be absorbed with prop.ir treatment ; but if coagulate lymph be once formed, it will be with difficulty, or perhaps not at all, and more especially if the lymph should be thrown out between the tendon and its sheath ; this being not so readily absorbed, forming callosities around the back sinews, which so frequently follow these acci- dents, and by their enlargement obstruct the motion of the limb, which is felt in a grea' degree after exertion, and is shewn ni a par ticular manner at first starting; but having become warm, which I should say arises as much fi-om pain as exertion, the lameness apparently leaves him, and it is then said b> persons who have to drive such a Horse, " Oh! it icill go off as he becomes warm;" not at all reflecting on the sufferings of the poor animal. The cause of this is friction ; for, as the deposits of lymph are from the rupture of the small vessels lining the sheath they become turgid and full. Now, the action of exercise, occasioning friction, friction pro- ducing warmth, stimulates the absorbents to take up the fluid from the mouths of the rup- tured vessels, and consequently, for a time, or when the Horse is in action, the swellino- and lameness, either partially or wholly, disap- pears. Thus, you perceive the advantage of hand-rubbing and the flannel bandage. or the treatment of strain in the back sinews, we must refer our readers to the treatment of spiains in general, though with this addition, on the first discovery of the accident, have the shoes taken oft', and the heels turned up about half an inch; this will greatly relieve the pain the animal is labour- ing under. Bleed in the plate vein ; next bathe the leg in warm water, and use the " tar liniment," as before directed If symp- tomatic fever should come on, use the altera- tive medicine, and a cooling diet, as bran mashes, a few carrots, now and then; corn you need not be so plentiful with. Should the repetition of the liquid blister not be successful, you must have recourse to firing ; and, with care, this operation may be performed not only with neatness, but as scarcely to be seen. I have, in severe casctj '5fi THE MODERN SYSTEM oeen oli'.iged to fire twice, and which has proved successful ; still 1 would not recom- mend lirins:, until all other remedies failed, and previous to which I would advise the mercurial plaister ; or, perhaps, what may be more convenient, the application of mer- curial ointment. Take Mercurial ointment (strong) 2 oz. Rub a portion of this ointment on the diseased part (first warming it to make it pliable,) morning and night, for three days ; then, wait- ing one day, apply the liquid blister as before described. Put a cradle on the Horse's neck, to prevent his biting the parts, and if he appears irritable, tie him up to the rack. OVER-STEPPING. Over-stepping, or, as it is called by some, over-reaching, arises from a peculiar length of action the hind legs have to the fore ones, in consequence of which the fore legs cannot get out of the way of the hind ones ; which, when it occurs, is very liable to injure the fore legs, and in some cases so much so, as to throw the Horse down These accidents sometimes happen, from the toe of the hind foot being too long, and not squared oflF properly. It may also occur from bad riding, in pulling up short, or by a Horse galloping with the wrong leg first, which altogether alters his gait, so much so as to be uncomfortable to both horseman and the Horse. The consequence is, that in the attempt to get himself into the proper mode of gallop, he will strike his hind foot against his fore leg ; and, if not come down, will lacerate the leg sometimes in a terrible manner. Whenever the wound is such as to leave a flap of skin, whether it be upwards, or down- wards, or sideways, it should be immediately cut off as close as possible, as a re-union of the parts can never take place, and by leaving the flap, and attempting to effect the re-union of the parts, there would be a thickening and a greater blemish, and its removal would be found necessary at last. Though I have introduced this affection in the chapter of strains, it probably might have been better in the chapter on wounds ; but it so frequently happens that the tendons be- come injured by the blow inflicted, that my readers must pardon me for including it with diseases of the tendons. Now, in this case, poulticing will be highly advisable ; and nothing can be better than a warm bran poultice, which should be applied until the inflammation is subdued, always re- collecting to bathe the leg in hot water. When the inflammation is removed, app.Y the following, two or three times a day. Take Hog's lard - - - 2 oz. Alum, finely powdered - 3 do. Sulphate of zinc - ■ ido. Work well together in a mortar, an 1 app?y as above, it will effect a cure in a few days. BREAKING DOWN. Breaking down is a term so generally un- derstood, that it is familiar with all sportsmen and horsemen, though in medical language it is called " rupture of the suspensory liga- ments.''' This is an accident that most fre- quently occurs to young Horses, either in breaking or training, and more particularly so to the race-horse than any other. The severe trainms: the race-norse has to undera:o at the present day, makes him exceedingly liable to rupture the suspensory ligament, as the fixed OF FARRIERY. 157 jjoint of it being immediately under the knee, and then inserted into the heads of the sesa- moid bones, puts this ligament so much upon the stretch, that at every bound the Horse takes, there is no wonder it becomes ruptured ; especially taking into consideration the age that Horses are brought on to the course now-a-days, to what they formerly were, and also the pace they go ; though the distance may be short, the pace kills. It has been supposed by some, that this ac- cident has arisen from a rupture in the flexor tendon : though I have known after the opera- tion of neurotomy having been performed, the flexor tendon to be partially divided, and the Horse go as if rupture of the suspensory liga- proceed to firing : for the manner of which, See Plate. RUPTURE OF THE BACK SINEAV. This is an injury that does not frequently occur to the Horse, though the former injury is in many instances mistaken for this ; but this is not the case, though the membrane and the small vessels supplying them with blood, frequently become ruptured, and occa- sion great lameness, still the substance of the sinew rarely is ruptured. In such a case I should recommend the same treatment as in the preceding, which will be always found the best, and if necessity requires it, you must have recourse to firing ; but here rest will be ments had taken place. The limb in these { a grand auxiliary, and that in a loose box, if cases betrays the greatest weakness, and the possible; for the frequent excitements a Horse has in the field, he is apt to forget his lame- ness for the time, and commences galloping about, much to his detriment, and retarding his cure. Slinging Horses has been recom- mended in cases of this injury ; but the great difficulty in keeping Horses suspended is such, that I never saw any good arise from it. fetlock is almost brought to the ground. A perfect cure is seldom obtained ; but I have known cases where Horses have broken down, and been able to race again, and be- come valuable. I could relate several in- stances of the sort; but as this work is not intended to enumerate all the sick cases that fall in our way, I shall abstain from that, and proceed to the cure of breaking down. The first thing to be done is to bathe the leg well in hot water, then send for the shoe- ing smith, and direct him to put on a high heeled shoe, in oi'der to relieve the parts. The Horse, in consequence of the pain he endures, will be anxious to eat ; give him cold bran mashes, and the alterative ball, as prescribed in " Strains in General." This being done, apply the tar liniment, as before directed, well bandaging the leg, from the knee to the fet- lock joint, or a little below it. If, after this application should be tried for about a fort- STRAIN OF THE FETLOCK JOINT. This arises from injury done to the liga- mentous' and tendinous connexion of these parts, either from long-continued exertion, or from the effects of more momentary, but vio- lent eflforts ; such as in leaping, alighting on- unequal, or stony ground ; by which means the leg may be turned aside, similar to sprain of the ancle of the human subject. Another cause is, that some Horses, let them be going whatever pace they may, occasionally have a pecuHar drop behind. This will occasion the night, and is found not to succeed, you must injury, and principally arises from debihty, or 2 R 158 THE MODERN SYSTEM having travelled too far, so as to exhaust the animal. Though this at first seems but trifling, it occasions great pain to the Horse. Here the tar liniment will be found of great benefit, scarcely failing to i-emove the lame- ness in a few days ; but do not forget in all these cases, the warm water bath, and the flannel bandage. STRAIN IN THE COFFIN-JOINT. Strain in the coffin, as it is termed by far- riers and grooms, is not so common a case as is generally thought to exist, for its being confined partially in the hoof, prevents its beino- subject to those strains which other joints are liable to. When a Horse becomes lame, an attentive examination to the feet and coronet should not escape the attentive observer; but if you find heat about the coronet, do not take this for the disease, but only a consequent of the disease. The lateral ligaments uniting the small pastern-bone to the coffin-bone, being the ^eat of disease, and not unfrequently ossific matter is secreted, arising from the inllammatlon that proceeds from the strain. To ascertain this, pass your hand carefully down the fetlock- ioint, until you come to two little promi- nences, just above this is the jimction or union of the large and small pastern- bones, and where this disease exists, you viill there find considerable beat, and on pressure tlie Horse will exhibit considerable pain and uneasiness. These strains have not been discovered, or at least the seat of them, until of late years, which I claim the merit of to myself For the treatment of which, bleed in the pastern vein, or probably what will be more convenient, take blood from the foot: previous 10 which immerse the foot in hot water for at least half an hour, changing the water as it becomes cool ; after which apply the mild blister ointment, as directed in the list of medicines. Should this prove ineff'ectual, you must have recourse to firing, which See at the head of this article. STRAIN OF THE ROUND BONE. The old farriers almost (as they say in Corn- wall,) "one and all," attribute lameness behind to strain in tlie round-bone, or stKle, just as their fancy leads them to favour one or the other. However, sometimes the ligaments of this joint become injured by violence ; a Horse in a narrow stall may injure himself, either by turning round, or by getting up, or laying down ; and I have known some so much in- jured, that what with their exertions in getting up, and the narrowness of the stall, have con- siderably injured themselves in making an eti'ort to rise, so that the ligaments of tne articulation-bone of the thigh with the pelvis, becomes strained. He.'e, for the treatment, do not employ cither blister or setons, for the deep-sealed situation of the injury prevents this mode of treatment being of but little avail, and if you fire over the part, you then have a confirmed blemish ; therefore, use the following: Take Tartar emetic - 1 dram. Hogs lard - - 1 oz. Rub well together, and apply to the parts aff'ected, morning and night, until pimples arise, when desist. Apply a little hog's lard occasionally, to make the parts supple. STRAIN OF THE STIFLE-JOINT. Injury or strain of the stifle-joint frequently occurs from the Horse slipping suddenly oui- OF FARRIERY. IBfi vi'ards, so that the iio;aments become extended lieyond their capacity. It may also arise from kicks or other injuries. Here, in this case, the limb has a peculiar rotatory motion, dragging the limb, as it were, after him, with the greatest pain, and a considerable effort even to move it at all. Sometimes the mus- scles of the thigh are the parts alone injured, and produce the lameness. For treatment, I shall recommend the " tar liniment," which 1 have always found to have the desired effect. Should this not succeed, try the mild liquid blister, for which See '' Strains in General." As to firing, do not think of it, the blemish incurred is a stain in the Horse's character ever afterwards. ON CURB. This affection has, I believe, been generally applied to a partial dislocation of the os calcis; but this is not the case, it being a rupture of the membranes of the sheath of the tendons just passing over the lower end of the metitarsal bones of the hock-joint, which sheath is placed there to strengthen the jiarts, here being the most considerable point of action in the hind extremity. Hence this affection arises so frequently from any sudden action ; from leaps, or where the propelling motion is brought most into use , also rearing, or a sudden slip may produce it. It is fre- quently sudden in its appearance from the above causes. Curb may appear without lameness, and this from mal-formation of the hock, which is called sickled hocked, though no curb in reality exists. The lameness arising from curb is excessively painful to the Horse, though some writers deny this, but any thesecal rupture cannot possibly occur without giving great pain, as the Horse cannot move without bringing the deceased parts into action. For the cure of curb, I know of but one that is effectual, and that is firing. (See Plate for the method of firing.) Many persons object to firing, on account of the blemish it pro- duces ; but I consider this to be nonsense. I can recollect the time that a gentleman would not buy a valuable Horse for hunting, until he had been fired for curb ; and 1 have myself fired many four-year old Horses of high price, that could not be disposed of until this operation had been performed. However, as time rolls over our heads, so custom alters ; but old sportsmen know the value of the actual cautery, especially amongst Horses which have severe work to do, and know well the only remedy. The practice at the Royal Veterinary Col- lege is to put on a high heeled shoe, and bathe the hock frequently with cold water, or cold salt and water, but these applications seldom or never succeed ; if not, a seton is passed over the part, which has just as much effect as passing a seton down the fore leg, in order to remove this accident. For feed and medi- cine, I must refer my readers to " Strains iji General." 160 THE MODERN SYSTEM C H A P T E R XVI. OF INFLAMMATION GENERALLY. The term inflammation is generally under- stood that state of a part, in which it is painful, hotter, and somewhat more turgid than it naturally is; which topical symptoms, when present in any considerable degree, or when they affect very sensible parts, are attended with fever, or a general diseased action of the system. The susceptibility of the body for inflamma- tion is of two kinds ; the one original, con- stituting a part of the animal economy, and beyond the reach of human investigation ; the other acquired from the influence of the Weather, sudden changes from hot to cold, and also from cold to hot stables, that are not well ventilated, blows, kicks, &c. The first kind of susceptibility cannot so well be di- minished by art, as some animals are exceed- ingly liable to take on inflammation from their form ; such as narrow-chested Horses, or light chesnut Horses, being always found to be particularly liable to inflammatory diseases. The second may be lessened by the mere Avoidance of the particular causes upoi which it depends. Inflammation may, with great propriety, be divided into the healthy and unhealthy. Of the first, there can be only one kii>d ; of the lecond, there may be many, according to nature and situation, and nature of the di<^- ease. Inflammation may also be divided into the acute, and chronic. Healthy inflammation is generally quick in its progress, for whicli reason it must always rank as an acute species of the afl'ection. Chronic inflammation is al- ways accompanied with a diseased action. a.s in such cases as tumours, &c. PRINCIPLES OF INFLAMMATION. There is much foundation for believing that healthy inflammation is obedient to ordained principles, according to the tone of the consti- tution, or in the structure or situation of the parts affected. The nature of the existing cause can have no share in modifying the appearance of inflammation, whether this be occasioned by the application of heat, or vio- lence done. Healthy inflammation is always the same in its nature, and all the influence which the exciting causes can have, is pro- portioning the degree of inflammation to their own violence. The attentive observations of experience, the only solid basis of all medical, as well as other knowledge, has informed the practitioner, that parts, which from their vicinity to the source of the circulation of blood, through OF FARRIERY. ]H\ them undergo inllammation more favoiiralily, ami resiii disease Letter tlmti other parts more remote from the heart. The extremities are more prone to iiiJlammalion and disease iti ueneral, than parts nearer the heart, and when inflamed or cracked, tliey are longer m getting well ; and the circumstance of their heing depending parts, which retards the return of blood through the veins, must also increase the backwardness of such parts, in any salutary process. Inflammation, when situated in highly or- ganized and very vascular parts, is more disposed to take a prosperous course, and is more governable by art, than in parts of an opposite texture. The nearer also such vas- cular parts are to the heart, the greater will be the tendency to do well in inflammation. Hence, inflammation of the s«kin, cellular sub- stance, muscles, &c., more frequently ends favourably than the same affection of bones, tendons, ligaments, &c. It is also more ma- nagable by surgery ; for those parts of the body which are not what anatomists term vascular, seem to enjoy only inferior powers of life ; and this explains the difficulty of re- moving any inflammatory action that may arise in the tendons of the leg, which from *heir whiteness are not very vascular. B I' inflammation of vital parts, though these may be exceedingly vascular, cannot go on so favourably as in other parts of resem- bling structure, but of different functions; because the mutual operations of universal health depend so much upon the sound con- dition of such organs. The truth of this observation is illustrated in cases of inflamma- mation of the stomach, or lungs, &c. In strong constitutions, inflammation always proceeds more propitiously than in weak ones ; for where there is much strength, there is irrilaliility. In weak constitutioned Horses, liic operations of inflammation are backward, notwithstanding the part in which it is seated may, comparatively speaking, possess con- siderable organization and powers of life. Inflammation, wherever situated, is always most violent on that side of the point of in- flammation which is next to the external surface of the body; and this is particularly exemplified in gun-shot wounds. Suppose a ball were to pass into the thigh, to within an inch of the opposite side of the limb, we should not find that inflammation would be excited alone: the track of the ball, but on tiie side next the skin which had not been hurt If a ball should pass quite through a limb, and carry into the wound a piece of the saddit clothing, which lodges in the middle, equi- distant from the two orifices (which is nol unfrequently the case in cavalry regiments.) the skin immediately over the extraneous body, would inflame, if the passage of the ball were superficial. We see three very remarkable effects follovifr the prevalence of inflammation, viz. ; adhe- sions of parts of the body to each other, the formation of pus, or suppuration, and ulcera- tion ; a process in which the lymphatics are more concerned than the blood-vessels. Hence, the terms ad/iesive, suppurative, and ulcera- tive inflammation. All parts of the body, however, are net equally liable to each of the preceding conse- quences. In the cellular membrane, and in the circumscribed cavities (especially the cavity of the chest,) the adhesive stage takes place more readily than the others ; suppura- tion may be said to follow next in order of firequency ; and lastly, ulceration. Now, the lH-2 THE MODERN SYSTEM ulcerathe sta^e of inflammation most fre- quently, in the Horse, attacks the air cells of tlie lungs, or the kidneys, but do not seem to aflfect, only partially, any other mucous ineni- braiies ; the suppurative inflammation comes on more readily than either the adhesive or the ulcerative stage. Adhesions, which originate ftom the slightest deoree of inflammation in otiier situations and structures, can only be produced by a violent kind in the above- mentioned parts. Ulceration is more fre- quently met with upon mucous surfaces, than adhesive ones. The cellular membrane appears to be much more susceptible of the adhesive inflammation than the adipose (or fatty cells,) and much more readily passes into suppuration. Thus, we see the cellular substance, connecting- muscles together, and the adipose membrane to the muscles, inflaming, suppurating, and the matter separating the muscles from their lateral connections, and even the fat from the muscles, while the latter substance and the skin are only highly inflamed. But it must be allowed that in situations where fat abounds, we very frequently meet with abscesses. This is so much the case, that fat has been accounted a more frequent nidus for collec- tion of matter than the cellular substance. We have mentioned above, the fats being highly inflamed ; but this is not an expression strictly true. Fat has no vessels, or principle of life, nor action of its own ; consequently, we cannot suppose ii can either inflame or suppu- rate. We know, that it is its^elf a secretion, and, ^hen an abscess is formed in it, we understand that the mode of action in the vessels naturally destined to deposit fat, had been altered to that adapted to the formation of pus. When we speak of the fat being in- flamed, we imply, that the membranous cells in which it is contained, and by which it is secreted, are thus affected. The deeply-situated parts of the body, more especially the vital ones, very readily admit of the adhesive stage of inflammation. The circumstance of deep'y-seated parts not so readily taking on the suppurative stage of inflammation, as the superficial ones do, is strikingly illustrated in cases of extraneous bodies ; which, if deeply lodged, only produce the adhesive inflammation. By this process, a cyst is formed, in wliich they lie without any inconvenience ; and they may even gra- dually change their situation without disturb- ing the parts through which they pass : but no sooner do these same bodies approach the skin, than abscesses immediately arise. All inflammations, attendant with disease, partake of some specific quality, from which simple inflammation is entirely free. When the constitution allows the true ad- hesive and suppurative stages to occur, it is to be regarded as the most healthv. SYMPTOMS AND NATURE OF HEAF-THY INFLA.M- MATION, PHLEGMON. Swelling, heat, and pain being the principal symptoms of phlegmonous inflammation ; in short, this term is usually applied to a cir- cumscribed tumour. These are tJie first appearances observed in every case of phleg- mon ; and when they are slight, and the part affected is of no great extent, they have com- monly very little, and sometimes no apparent influence on the general system. But Avhen they are more considerable, and the inflam- mation becomes extensive, the soft parts are more swelled than the harder ones. And though all the symptoms of inflamma- OF FARRIERY. i63 Lion, sucn as swelling, throbbing, tension, may be less manifest when the affection is deeply situated ; yet, they certainly exist, as in uole-evil, fistulous withers, &c. Frequently, in Florses dying of inflammation of the lungs, the air-cells of these organs arc found crowded with a larsrer number of tur2:id blood-vessels than in the healthy state. Coagulable lymph, and even blood are extravasated in the sub- stance of these viscera, which of course become heavier, and feel more solid. The extravasation of coagulated lymph, which is one of the chief causes of the swell- ins:, is also one of the most characteristic signs of phlegmonous inflammation. Com- mon inflammation exists wherever the blood- vessels appear to be most numerous and enlarged than in a natural state, accompanied with an effusion of coagulating lymph, whether upon the surface of a membrane, or a bone, or into the interstices of the cellular substance, and attended with throbbing and acute pain in the part affected. I shall now, without proceeding further into the consideration of inflammation, endea- vour to treat of its causes, First, REMOTE CAUSES. The remote causes of inflammation are several in number, but very easy in compre- hension, because only divisible into two sreneral classes. The Hist includes all such agents as operate by their stimulant or chemical qualities ; as for instance, cantha- rides, large doses of aloes, heat, &c. The second class of causes are those which act mechanically ; such as bruises, wounds, &c. After saying thus much, it .seems quite unne- cessary to give a detail of each particular remote cause. One remote cause of inflammation, and not the least singular, is cold ; but cold appears to act in different ways : First, it may be ap- plied in such a degree, and for such a length of time, as to destroy the vitality of the pai t directly, in which case sloughs are formed *. Secondly, it may be applied in a less degree, or for a shorter time, and afterwards a stimu- lant, such as heat, may be applied, which will excite inflammation. The production of in- flammation by any agent, depends in a great degree upon the suddenness of the operation of the agent which excites it; for a quan- tity of stimulus, which, if suddenly applied, would produce inflammation, may be ap- plied slowly with impunity. Hence, every slight stimuli will produce inflammation and sloughing, in parts which have been weakened by cold. Thirdly, a part sympathizes very much with the contiguous ones. If a part be weakened, by having its action reduced, and if then the debilitating cause be removed, the action of the part will be increased from sym- pathy with the neiijhbouring parts. But, as the action ought to be very little, the power being small, inflammation must arise from the action being increased beyond the power. We ought, therefore, in this case, to diminish the action of the neighbouring parts, in order to prevent their extending to a part which is not able to bear, without becoming dis eased. '^ In India this is a frequent occurrence, both with the Horse and native Indian too. In the Horse it is called by the native hnrsnlee, and is exceedingly troubk'some to be healed. Likewise in the native, in the cold season, it is not uncnninion for pieces to come out of their thighs (which are principally bare,) as large as half-a-crown. In the Horse, from the troublesome teasing of the flies, it becomes exceedingly annoying to the surgeon. IH-l THE MODERN SYSTEM PROXIMATE CAUSE. Numerous opinions have been entertained npon this s.ibject; but almost every theory has been built upon the supposition of there being some kind of obstruction in the inflamed parts. While the ciiculation of the blood was unknown, and the hypothetical notions of the power of the liver, in preparing and sending forth the fluid continued to prevail, it is not astonishing that the theories of so many writers should be imperfect. It was formerly supposed that the liver was the centre of the vascular system, from which the blood went forth by day to the extremi- ties, and returned again by night. If then, any peccant matter irritated the liver, the blood was sent out more forcibly, and if at the same time any part of the body were weak- ened, or otherwise disposed to receive a greater quantity of fluid from the rest, then a swellina: was produced by a flow of humours to this place. Flu.vions, or flows of humour to a place might happen, either from weak- ne.ss of the parts which allowed the humours to enter more abundantly, or from the place attracting the humours, in consequence of the application of heat, or other agents. The ancient writers who supposed that the blood had very little motion, and that its course could be easily directed, or changed, recommended heat to some part which was remote from a recent inflammation, by which they imagined that the current of blood was altered, and a revulsion made. A revulsion M as also made by raising a tumour in some other part, or giving nature an opportunity of discharging the humours from distant parts, by applying l>listers, &c. When blood was drawn from the vicinity of the fluxion, or con- gestion, the mode was called derivation which only differed from revuhion, in the distance to which the humour was drawn being less. Our present object is only to trace the leading doctrines which have at different times prevailed, as being the proximate cause of inflammation. From the theories of fluxion and congestion, which were quite incompatible with the Ia\\s of circulation of the blood, we turn our atten- tion to the doctrine of obstruction By some writers obstruction has been strongly advocated, attributing it to a viscidity of the blood, and also was imagined to occasion a resistance to the circulation in the part affected ; hence, increased it in the othei vessels, proving an irritation to the heart, and augmenting the force or attraction of the blood in that part of the vessel which was behind the obstruction, causing heat and pain, and consequently, an acrimonious state of the fluids, and gangrene in all probability likely to follow. The viscidity cannot be admitted as a proximate cause of inflammation, because we have no proof (say some authors,) that this stale ever exists ; for, as they say, " Were a viscidity to occur, it would exist in the whole mass of blood alike, and could not be sup- posed to produce only a lofcal disorder." But this is not true, for all parts are not so .suscep- tible of taking on disease as others ; conse- quently, any poison producing inflammation that may have been taken into the system, may affect one part, and that only, and this from the susceplibility of the part. As for the supposition of the co-operation of an acrimony of the fluids, the proportion nC the saline matter of the blood has never been proved to be greater in this than in any other OF FARRIEK^ 16/5 state of the body. Even were a general dis- order of" this kind to be admitted, no rational explanation of the proximate cause of local inflammation could be deduced from it. According to the opinion of one of our best authors, inflammation is to be considered only as a disturbed state of parts which requires a new but salutary mode of action, to restore them to that state wherein a natural mode of action alone is necessary. From such a view of the subject, therefore, inflammation in itself is not to be considered as a disease, but as a salutary operation, consequent either to some violence, or some disease. Elsewhere the author remarks : the act of inflammation is to be considered as an increased action of the vessels, which at first consists simply in an increase or distention beyond their natural aize. This increase seems to depend upon a diminution of the muscular povver of the ves- sels, at the same time that the elastic power of the artery must be dilated in the same proportion. This is, therefore, something more than simply a common relaxation; we must suppose it an action in the parts to pro- duce an increase of size to answer particular purposes ; and this the author would call an act of dilatation. The whole is to be con- sidered as a necessary operation of Nature. Owing to this dilatation, there is a greater quantity of blood circulating in the part, which is according to the common rules of the animal economy ; for whenever a part has more to do than simply to support itself, the blood is there collected in a larger quantity ; and Nature never errs The swelling is produced by an extravasation of coagulable lymph, with some serum ; but the lymph differs from the - ommon lymph, in consequence of passing through the inflamed vessels. It is this lymph which becomes the uniting medium of inflamed parts ; vessels shoot into it, and it has e\('n the power of becoming vascular itself. Vhe pain proceeds from spasm. When a part cannot be restored to health, after injury by inflammation alone, or by adhesion, then sup- puration, as a preparatory step to the formation of granulations, and the consequent restoration of the part takes place. An increased action of the vessels is now almost universally regarded as the proximate cause of inflammation. This opinion is greativ supported from a review of the several exist- ing causes of the affection, which being in general of an irritating nature, must, when applied to any living or sensible parts, occa- sion a preternatural exertion of the vesseix The method of cure, as we shall presently see, tends also to confirm the doctrine, wiln respect to the cause of inflammation. SYMPTOMS OF INFLAMMATION FURTHEK CONSIDERED. The essential symptoms are swelling, heat, and pain. Swelling. — This effect arises from several causes : First, the increased quantity of blood in the vessels. Secondly, the eff'usioa of coagulating lymph and deposition of a new matter. Thirdly, the interruption or debility of the absorbents to perform their office oi functions. Heat. — It was formerly imagined by many who wrote after the discovery of the circula- tion of the blood, that the heat was produced by the attraction of the red globules again.st the sides of the vessels. Modern philosophy now, however, teaches us, that a fluid may flow with the utmost velocity through a pipe, for a thousand years, without producing a single particle of heat. The most com mo ijr 2 T 166 THE MODERN SYSTEM reooived opinion now is, that the production or animal heat depends upon the difference in the capacity of arterial and venous blood, for (.ombinino- with caloric, and that in the minute arteries, the blood is combined with certain substances ; in consequence of which, its ca- pacity is diminished, and heat is given out. But when the venous blood has been freed from such substances in the lungs, its capacity is increased, and the heat which is given out by the decomposition of the air which we inspire, is absorbed. Now, if these things be ad- mitted as facts, the augmented heat of in- flammation may be conceived to arise from the increased velocity of the circulation in the part affected. More blood is transmitted into the minute arteries, the capacity of a greater quantity of this fluid for heat is of course there necessarily increased, and more caloric is e.\tracted. Pain. —This is observed to be greatest during the diastole of the arteries. The affection is probably owing to the unnatural state of the nerves, and not to mere distention, as many have asserted. Were the latter cause a real one, the pain would be propor- tioned to it. APPEARANCES OF THE BLOOD IN INFLAMMATION. Tlie blood, when taken out of the living vessels, spontaneously separates into two dis- tinct parts ; the serum, and the crassameti- tnm. The last is a compound substance, consisting chiefly of coagulating lymph and red globules, the most heavy ingredients in blood. Blood taken away from an animal aflected with inflammation, is longer in coagu- lating, and coagulates more firmly than in any octiption which we have given of inflammation, the reader may easily guess, that the grand |)r.iiciple to be observed in the treatment, is to endeavour to les.sen that immoderate action of the arteries, which is now commonly set down as the proximate cause. The first circumstance to be attended to.^ in all cases in which resolution is to be at- tempted, is the removal of all such exciting causes of the disorder as may happen to present themselves. Foreign sub,stances in wounds frequently excite inflammation, and ought to be taken away as speedily as pos- sible. A [lioce of bone, or nail taken up in the foot, or even a thorn in the leg, often give rise to the affection, and require immediate removal. Such exciting causes as these may oftentimes be e attributed to the susceptibility of the con- stitution of some Horses to take on th'i disease more than others, thougli it may OF FARRIERY. »79 appear to some to exhibit all the characters ol contagion. Many Coreign writers liave not only fallen into the same error with some of our Eno-lish veterinarians, and confounded this disease with others, such as percemonia, and other diseases of the chest. Nor is the mistake to be wondered at in those of moderate experi- ence, from the circumstance of these diseases owning some symptoms in common, and in fact from its frequently terminating in that complaint ; but this I attribute more from un- skilful treatment than from a disposition of the disease to such a termination ; for, in my practice, I never lost a patient, and in refer- ring to my book, I can count in the year ) 835-6, more than three hundred cases, and on the sea-coast too, where they would be more likely to become affected than at any- other place. The first indication of the disease is a loss of appetite ; the Horse looks dull and heavy, legs cold, ears cold, the mouth warm and dry ; he frequently attempts to blow his nose, from which is a purulent discharge, breathing rather hard. His parotid glands under his ear, and extending to the angle of the jaw, are much swollen. Sometimes the submaxillary gland, between the jaws, becomes swollen, but not frequently. His ears are cold, and he coughs dreadfully ; the violence would almost lead you to believe some important organ would be ruptured. This continues some- times for three or four minutes, and with equally distressing violence to the Horse, as well as to the observer. Sore throat is always an attendant on inflammation of the tonsils ; the Horse cannot swallow his water but with difficulty, more like sucking than swallowing; if he be inclined to eat, the hay is quidded, and then put out again, not being able to pass it over the glottis. Sometimes the inflamma- tion will proceed down the windpipe, and then the cough is extreme ; it is also sore to the touch outside the throat, that in some cases the Horse evinces great restiveness on laying your hand on his throat, or on the enlarged glands, or the windpipe. The Horse being in such pain, he will stamp and appear in the greatest irritation. In some cases the discharge from the nostrils becomes of a mucous character, and this bear in mind is a favourable omen. Having enlarged on the symptoms, I shall now endeavour to speak of the causes. The causes, as I have before described, are principally dependent on a variable atmos- phere, acting upon a peculiar liabilility of aptitude in the constitution to become afl'ected. In some years, this liability is more general than in others ; and if to these be added, an unusually variable temperature, with atmos- pheric moisture, the disease assumes a more epidemic type. For the treatment of distemper, or as it is sometimes called epidemic fever, you have one thing in particular to pay great attention to, and that is never to bleed ; for if you bleed, you will assuredly lose your patient. For I would ask what is this distemper ? nothing more than sore throat, which may extend as before described ; but then bleeding is bad, because no vital organ is affected. Remove the pain and soreness from the throat, and the animal gets well. The very fact of the Horse having a difficulty of swallowing, proves it extends little or no farther than the rima and epiglolis, whose membranes are of that delicate nature, that certain atmospherical changes will affect these delicate organs; also 180 THE MODERN SYSTEM the means of cure are so exceedingly simple, that the proof is doubly strong. My treat- ment has always been the following, and I never found it fail. Take Glauber's salts - 4 ounces. Linseed meal - 2 do. Let this be well mixed with two quarts of hot water, and when of a proper heat, be care- fullj' horned down. To be repeated night and morning. This draught will lower the in- flammatory action that may be going on in the system, and you will find the Horse's mouth get gretduaHy cool, and every thing in the shape of fever leave him. You cannot in these cases attempt to give a ball, for the soreness of the Horse's throat will prevent him swallowing it Let warm water, or chilled water, in which a handful of oatmeal has been mixed, be placed in his manger, so that he may indulge with that if he things proper. If his bowels should at all appear costive, backrake, and give two or three glisters, until there is evident signs of a relaxation of the bowels. If the Horse should make frequent eff'orts to blow his nose, with- out discharging any thing, apply a nose-bag made of coarse cloth, with a portion of scalded bran in it to steam his head. This will pro- duce the desired discharge, and you may calculate your Horse is doing well. Bandage his legs, and dress him well, give him good warm bedding, and prevent as much as pos- sible all drafts from entering the stable. For food, you must not expect him to eat much, until the soreness of his throat is removed, bran mashes will be the best thing, but that only in small quantities, and cold. If you give in large quantities at once, and the discharge from the nose becomes copious, he will refuse it afterwards. Warm bran mashes they scarcely will touch at any time of the disease ; if a few vetches or grass can be procured for him, he will be most likely to eat them. To remove the soreness of the throat, we make use of counter-irritants, and the best is Take Oil of turpentine - 3 ounces. Olive oil - - 3 do. Mix, and rub tins liniment all round the throat, on the swelled glands; and if the dis- ease should have been of some days' standing, rub on about half-way down the neck, as far as you can feel the windpipe. Should this liniment be found not sufficiently strong. Take of Mild blistering liquid - 4 oz. And apply to the parts, morning and night. (For which see list of medicines at the end of the work.) In consequence of the difficulty of swallow- ing, and the consequent debility arising from the want of proper nourishment, the Horse be- comes naturally weak, and requires art to assist nature. After all febrile symptoms are gone, which you will easily ascertain by the recovery of his appetite, the coolness of his mouth, and his spirits being greatly enlivened ; at this time you may venture to give him the following tonic ball : Fake Sulphate of iron - - 12 drams. Aloes, Cape - - 6 do. Gentian - - - 12 do. Mix and form into a mass with honey. Divide into six balls, and give one every morning. In proceeding as before described, you need not fear of success in the cure of distemper let it come in whatever shape it may. OF FARRIERY I8i MALIGNANT FEVER, ^^ liat is called malignant or putrid fever, in ilorses, is of rare occurrence ; and when it does occur, it is generally a sequel of the dis- temper as before described ; and this princi- f)ally arising from the debilitated state the animal is brought into by too much bleeding for that disease; consequently, the system is so much lowered from its natural standard, that the disease may put on a putrid or typhus form ; but this, as I said before, from the powers of life being so much diminished by too iicreat an abstraction of blood. Now, when the disease, from improper treatment, is al- lowed to arrive at this state, it then may in some measure be said to become infectious, but not in any other form of the disease, " ajs distemper;'' for that disease arises solely from the susceptibility of the system to take on dis- ease from a peculiar state of the atmosphere. The French writers have had much to say of malignant fever ; but our continental brethren are so fond of splitting straws of almost every disease, that every judicious reader will admit the almost impracticability of discrimi- nating between the variety of symptoms, by which alone all the family of fevers are to be ascertained. However, I shall give my own practice in as plain and intelligible words as I possibly can. The malignant epidemic of Horses always commences by similar appearances to those which characterize the mild epidemic. In fact, the one is only a heightened degree of tne other, pushed into a putrid typhe ; not by the violence of its action, as supposed by some, but by the reducing the arterial system below its proper standard. And another proof of this ! debility existing in the malignant kind, purging j IS Jisuatrv present, and a foetid s-tinking dis- charge tiom the nose also ; the breath is like- wise particularly disagreeable, the pulse quick and small, attended with extreme weaknp.ss. In treating of the malignant epidemic, I %carcely need say any thing about bleeding, as 1 consider that the principal cause of the disease ; and as soon as any appearances of malignity present themselves, the most active means must be employed to support the strength, rouse the action of the system, and destroy the putrid tendency ; for this end take a nose-bag, and fill half-full with bran ; then take the followins' — Chloride of lime Water (warm) 2 ounces. I gallon. Moisten the bran with this liquid, and put the bag on the Horse's head, that he may inhale the chloride, which will remove the putrid tendency ; be careful not to have the water- too hot. Repeat three or four times a day, for about half-an-hour each time. Give malt mashes, and nutritious glisters, either of rice- water or starch, and give tlie following ball • Take Cantharides - - 5 grains. Arsenic - - - 5 do. Sulphate of iron - 2 drams. Aloes, Cape - - 1 do. "Juniper berries 1 do. Let the.se be well incorporated together with honey, and give every morning, or every second morning. By this method of treat- ment you may anticipate a successful termi- nation of the disease. SY-MPTOMATIC FEVER. A symptomatic fever is a degree of iriHam- mation and increaseing more than a simple change. The (jues- tion now arises how are we to prevent it ? I must acknowledge that all animals fatten wxtner in a warm temperature than the reverse, but then the change must be gradual ; • being mindful that the air all this time should be pure, for the diseases of Horses may almost all be referred to ignorance and neglect ; and in liie same manner, this will apply to all the creation. A« it is neces.saiy to have Horses stabledj for our many frequent uses (we will speak of the construction of a stable in the course of our work). As pure air has so mach to do with the prevention of catarrh, we will speak of the improper plan of Horses standing on diity litter during the day ; for the animal poison of which produces more or less effect upon all animals, according to their habits We, ourselves, are born in an impure atmos- pheric air, and brought up in it ; but use with us is second nature. A Horse comes into the world into a puie atmosphere, never breath- ing the same air twice ; tlierefore the opposite must take greater effect on Horses than our- selves ; and thus we seldom see them ill, until they are brought into stables ; the Horse becoming sick, the owner is surprised, and the greater surprise is, the animal should live. Now, I am no advocate foi cold stables, neither do I 1 ke them heated by dung and urine. Horses generally become diseased during the night, the impure air then collecting ; f(>r, during the day there is a partial ventilation. Most persons on visiting a stable the first thing in the morning, are well aware of the effect o£ the air on the eyes Common catarrh often proceeds to taicc great hold of the constitution, the irritation causing cough, and not unfrequently ends in chronic cough, from the irritability of the nerves, occasioned by the previous attack. If the inflammation attacks the membrane lining the nose, a discharge will be the consequence, sometimes from one or both nostrils. Nature endeavouring by this means to relieve herself. This inflammation frequently, or almost al- ways affects all Horses coming into large towns. Horse-dealers are well aware of thi.s and often try to preve t it, by turning tiu in OF FARRIERV. ]H:. inUi a loose place, for the attack sekloni or »ever comes on whiist they are on the road in eierfise, and breathing pure air. Mistaken kuidness will of'ien permit tliem to rest when th»^ journey is over ; but, in my opinion, how- ever much the Horse may have travelled, he *liould have walking exercise the next day. The first fe\y days are of the greatest conse- quence. '''he cause of catarrh, according to the doc- trine laid down at the Royal College, is common cold ; but other causes, as I at first mentioned, will produce the same effects, and deserve great attention from every Horse- master. What is called cold, may arise not only from breathing impure air in stables, but from the real appUcatinn of cold, when the Horse is in an excited ^tate, or perspiration, and be allowed to stand in a draft of air. Novv, U cold was the sedative after being heated, it becomes at once a remedy against cold, and therefore checking the perspiration as quick as possible would be proper ; which we all know will induce what is called catarrh, or common cold, sooner than any thing ; the sudden chill produced by returning the blood to the system, has been too much expe- rienced both by man and Horse, for me to animadvert further on the subject. In this, as in many other di.-eases of the Horse, cold acts differently upon different subjects ; the injury sustaiiied being in some respects regulated by the degree of heat or perspiration the Horse was in at the time of being exposed to the original cause, some idea may be formed of its probable duration and severity. The effects of cold are not only soon discovered where there is a constant attention and care, but an observation may be very early made to what part it more imme- diately directs its attack ; but, in all casca, either of the eyes, throat, or the head, you will perceive it displayed more or less in a cough, or an obstruction in breathing, accord- ing to the severity of the attack. So soon as the Horse is in this state, a symptomatic fever attends, which is to be understood as a de- gree of febrile heat, or irritability, dependent on the original cause, which gradually ceases as the primary disease is found to decline. Hence, in this case, bleed moderately, say two or three quarts, not enough to debilitate the animal ; that is according to the animals size, state, and condition. Jn about three hours, give the Horse a bran mash, having first removed all his hay out of the rack. Give an ounce of nitre in his water raorninir and night. Continue this treatment for two or tliree nays, giving occasionally a handful of sweet hay, wetted. This, in many cases, when taken in the early stage will prove successful. Should this treatment not produce the desired effect in the early stages, and the attack has been neglected, and the disorder having made rapid progress, should the cough be violent, and constant, the Horse very dull and heavy, declining all kind of food, and the symptomatic fever run high ; in such cases the symptoms will, perhaps, not immediately submit to the above plan so soon as may be wished or expected; therefore repeat your bleeding in two or three days at farthest, according to the state and necessity, altering the mashes to equal parts of malt and bran, scalded with boiling water ; when nearly cool enough for the manger, stir in it Glauber's salts - 2 ounces. Liquorice powder - 1 do. Let this be repealed every night and moro- 186 THE MODERN SYSTEM kjg, continuing the noondaj feed dry, and the nitre as before. Do not forget good groom- ing, and gentle exercise. It should be remembered, for a consolation, that cough or colds thus treated, before they have been suffered by neglect or penury to become obdurate by long standing, generally submit to a very short course of trouble or expence ; whilst tardiness in procuring expe- ditious relief, is often productive of events that no future assiduity can relieve ; for a criticaJ discharge of the nostrils may come on, which may terminate either in chronic cough, broken wind, inflamed lungs, or even in glanders. However, to obviate these misfortunes which may occur, give a dozen of the following balls, not neglecting the nitre in the water : Take Turkey figs - Liquorice, powdered - 4 ounces. Aniseed _ _ _ - 4 do. Ginger - - - - - ] do. Caraway seed, powdered 1 do. Honey sufficient to form the mass. Which divide into eighteen balls. Give one every morning. To say precisely in what time the cure will be complete, is impossible ; but this method of treatment we strongly recommend. The treatment for cough at the Royal Veterinary College is — Take Cape aloes - - - 1 dram. Linseed meal, about 2 do. Soft soap to form the ball. Give one every mornmg. Sometimes a drini 4 ounces. of digitalis is combined with the above. OF FARRIERY. i87 CHAPTER XVIII. ON ROARING; CHRONIC COUGH; THICK WIND; BROKEN WIND. ON ROARING. Roaring is a disease that the Horse is very subject to, especially carriage Horses, and particularly those of the Yorkshire breed ; and that in particular from their fine up standing height, of from sixteen to eia:hteen hands high, with long necks. These Horses are principally used for carriage-horses in London, on account of their height and showy appearance ; for with this kind of Horse, the coachman is enabled to shorten his bearing rein to any length he thinks proper ; by doing which he brings his Horse's neck into a beautiful curve ; this is done to exhibit him in style, or what these knights of the whip call, bringing him out in form, though by such means the disease called roaring is produced ; and in many cases, it is exceed- ingly unpleasant to hear the noise the Horse makes every time he breathes; indeed, in some cases it is so distressing, as from exer- tion the Horse will fall, but still this tight bearing rein must be used. It will be here necessary to explain what the cause of roar- ing is. Roarins; is occasioned by any thing that obstructs the air passages, or in other words, any thing that impedes the air passing up and down from the lungs. Inflammation of the line secreting membrane which lines the wind-pipe will frequently produce it, from an alteration of the arterial action, that an effusion of coagulable matter may be thrown out, and become organized, and in consequence re- mains as a permanent obstruction to the passage. Inflammation of the lungs will sometimes occasion it ; strangles also will, by occasioning general inflammation round the throat, frequently cause it. But the most frequent cause of roaring is, the tight reining in of carriage-horses, by which the wind-pipe becomes distorted, or in other words, to suit all my readers, contracted and diseased ; and for this reason, the Horse in his natural state feeds off the ground, consequently, his neck is at full stretch ; but when he becomes domes- ticated, this natural stretch of it is removed from him, for he has his rack level with his head, and the manger but little lower, so that those muscles of the throat connecting the wind- pipe with the spur-bone (as it is sometimes called), and the inner sides of the posterior part of the jaw, becomes in a manner useless ; consequently, contraction takes place, and as Nature finds but little or no use for them in such a case, so absorption takes place, and thfv become shortened ; it is from this cause iDal 188 THE MODERN SYSTEM voii fioquently see cart-horses, when turned out to grass for a few hours, spread their f re-legs so extraordinarily wide, in conse- quence of not being able to reach the ground from the contraction and absorption of a por- tion of these muscles. Another cause of roaring, and I may say with propriety the principal cause, and that is the partial absorption, or lapping over the cartilego ligamentous union existing be- tween each ring of the wind-pipe, (see the wind-pipe of the sheep, or any other animal), and this from the Horse's head being so bri- dled in by the bearing rein, naturally by such means contracting the air passage, (see plate), for reasons before stated. Now it has beert remarked by a very eminent practitioner, ami' one particularly so at the Royal Veterinary College, that the throat strap being buckled too tight may be the cause, but how this can be, I am not able to explain ; for if this was the case, not one out of every cart or waggon- horse would escape, especially taking into consideration the heavy harness they are appointed with ; this is not the case with carriage or saddle-horses, whose harness is of the lightest description, and especially at the present day. However, having stated the principle causes of roaring, it is nothing but right that we should present our readers with the cure. I must here premise that the cure of roaring is difficult, or / may say, not at all practicalile ; still it may be prevented, and as it is well known "a preventive is better than a cure," I will endeavour to describe to my readers the only mode of obtaining that end ; which is by altering the racks that the Horse eats his hav out of; let the rack be on the ground, so that the Horse's neck is on the full stretch, or in a state of nature, in the act of gathering hi.s food ; consequently, those ligamentous attach- ments of the rings of the wind-pipe become elongated and placed inthtir natural situation, by which means removing at once that coruga- tion of the membrane, that might under other circumstances become thickened, and thus by reducing the air passage, the unpleasant noise of roaring is set up ; for Nature never intended a Horse to have his hay just opposite his nose. All Horses'in India feed off the ground, and it is a rare thing to meet with a roarer there. CHRONIC COUGH. Chronic cough consists in a violent action of the diaphragm, and the abdominal muscles producing a forcible expiration of the air from the chest, with such violeiice, as is intended to remove any extraneous body that may in- tercept the passage of the air. Whenever it accompanies a general affection of the con- stitution, it most frequently takes on the chronic form. Catarrh, and intlammation of the lungs, are frequenlly attended witii cough ; and even if those diseases are removed, chronic cough supervenes. Chronic cough is a very usual attendant of thick wind, and on broken wind, also on glanders, and pulmonary con- sumption. Worms also will produce coughs. It also exists at times, without asny at- tendant difficultv of breathing:, the Horse eat- ing well, and appearing in good condition — a chronic or permanent cough appears to affect the Horse when going to stable in the morn- ing, or at the different feeding times ; this is in consequence of admitting the cold air into the stable, which becomes a source of irritation to the air passages; thus, you will see in all racing stables, not the least air is allowed to enter ; and what Horses in the whole worU£ OF FARRIERY. !^ ari? to equal them in appearance or quality ? It is not an uncommon thing for Horses on first going out to exercise to cough, but this is in consequence of coming in contact with the cold air. A cough of this description is very common, and it will remain in this state with- out otherwise aftecting the Horse for years, sometimes even his whole life. In other instances it does not end in so harmless a manner, but upon any occasional cold taken becomes aggravated, and this when it may repeatedly occur, the bronchiae becomes so permanently affected, that chronic cough is thus established. The effects and termination of chronic cough are dependent in a considerable degree upon the cause producing it. From what we have observed of the termination of inflamma- tion of the lungs, it will be easily seen that an irritation often remains in the air passages after that disease, as well as in some cases of catarrhal affections ; in either of these cases, any change of atmosphere excites these ex- cessively irritable parts into action ; thus the Horse coughs whenever he may be moved in or out of the stable ; for the air being either hotter or colder than what was before breathed in the regular way, becomes a source of irritation. Drinking cold water will pro- duce the same effect for a time, if given in the stable, from the same reason ; but if you let a Horse drink at a pond, where the \\ ater is of the same temperature as the atmosphere, no ill eflFects will be produced. Any irregularity of motion or hurry in the pace of the Horse will produce this cough, and in some ca^es, it is continued to such a length of time, as to be truly distressing, on account of its propelling toorij blood towards the chest, which cannot bear the increased stimulus. In some cases the irritability of the bronchial membrane itself, does not seem so much increased as that the mucous secreted, from its appearance, is altered, either in quantity or quality. U may become inordinate in quantity, as is often observed, and such Horses when they cough, throw off much of it by the nose, or it may be more acrid in quality ; and hence, by these means prove a source of continual irritation. In some cases, the deposit of adhesive matter in the air-passages, arising from the inflam- mation of catarrh, or inflamed lungs, wii. produce chronic cough, the deposit provinff a source of irritation. This deposit of lymph- like matter, is sometimes removed by tlie violence of the cough, and by administering expectorants, a separation is frequently ob- tained, and great quantities of tiiis obstructive matter is frequently brouglit up. In some constitutions, a great part of this matter be- comes absorbed, and this may be greatly assisted by administering proper medicines. The remedies for chronic cough are accord- ing to symptoms produced, and when it ap- pears from a want of mucous secretion, I know of no medicine so good as the ball pre- scribed in catarrh, which vvill be found of great use. On the other hand, if the mucous secretion should How in considerable quanti- ties, so that the Horse appears weakened by it, then it will be proper to use the follow- ing ■•- Take Sulphate of iron - - 2 drams. Gentian - - - - 2 do. Aloes _ - - - 1 do. Honey to form the ball. One of these balls to be given daily. 3 a t9o THE MODERN SYSTEM If tn« secretion should be of an acrid watery de-scription, you will then be justified in trying a course of mercurial medicine, observingr at the same time to be caieful the Horse does not get a chill during the time you are exhibiting the medicine ; and for this purpose I can safely recommend the follow- ing : — Take Blue pill - - - . 2 drams. Ginger . . _ - 1 do. Form into h ball, with soft soap. Give one of these balls every second day for a fortnight ; if tiie Horse should be off his feed in the course of the exhibition of the medicine, delay the continuance, and commence again in three or four days. This f have known to re- move very severe attacks of chronic cough, uuj frequently, when attended with worms, you will perceive the coat staring and dry, the stock fetid and slimy. In chronic cough great attention should also be given to the food of the animal, never to give clover ; it is heating, and aUogether unfit for Horses so affected. Chaff also is not good in this dis- ease ; good sweet oats and hay, both made a little damp, will be found the best. Carrots, occasionally, are excellent ; Swede turnips, a few ; or even a few potatoes cut up, will afford great relief. Occasionally, bran mashes, with a little scalded linseed, will also be found useful. In cases of chronic cough, where it appears of an aggravated nature, insert a rowel in the chest, and dress with the digestive ointment. (See ointments at the end of the work.) Keep the rowel in for at least a fortnight. Should the cough be very severe, apply the following liniment to the whole length of the Horse's wind-pipe, night and morning. No. 1. Take Oil of turpentine - - 3 ounces. Olive oil - - - - 3 do. Apply as above directed. Or, No. 2. Cantharides Olive oil 1 ounce. 5 do. Let these remain in a bottle for about sit days, occasionally shaking it, when apply as above directed. In cases of coagulable lymph being deposited in the wind-pipe, these lini- ments will greatly tend to move it. THICK WIND. This is a disease which the Horse is fre- quently attacked with, or more properly be said, to be a sequel of inflamed lungs ; the air- passages, in consequence, of the previous disease, frequently become thickened, and in consequence, the air not passing so freely to and from the lungs, constitute what is called thick w ind. This is a disease that rarely occurs of itself, but supervenes after some other in- flammatory attack that the air-passages may have been subject to, such as catarrh, &c. Long continued and hurried exercise, beyond the capacity of the lungs, is frequently a cause, and such is particularly the case when Horses are driven, or ridden hard on full bellies; and not unfrequently produced when Horses are too fat, or in other words, out of condition, consequently producing inflammation in the air passages. Confinement frequently will pro- duce it, by exciting an inflammatory diatheses, and this more certainly, when over-feeding, with a want of exercise, is added to it. The remote causes of thick wind are as stated, to be found in morbid vascular action. OF FARRIERY. 191 The proximate causes are more obscure, but the examination of morbid subjects, in most instances, shews some disorganization in the structure of the kmgs. It is notwithstanding, as I have before stated, that a thickening of the minute air-cells are the most frequent cause of this disease. A deranged state of the kings, and especially if the atmosphere is at all thick and heavy, will give rise to thick wind. The most usual appearance, however, is a morbid alteration in the minute bronchial ramifications of the blood-vessels, occasioned either by a thickening of their own mem- branous structure, or by a deposit of coagu- lable lymph within them, by which means their capacity becomes lessened ; consequently the air-passages are much smaller than in a natural state, that difficulty of respiration is produced, called foggy, or thick-winded. Thick wind is easily discovered by any person at all acquainted with Horses, and the rationale by which they are produced, is not difficult to explain. The capacity of the air- cells being diminished, renders it necessary for the air to be more frequently taken in ; because being acted on by a less surface, and also the air not being capable, from the dimi- nished quantity, of extracting that portion of oxygen from the blood, respiration becomes partially impeded ; consequently, the air-cells are not sufficiently expanded. A sense of fulness in the right side of the heart induces the animal to make hasty respirations, to remedy the defect, and consequently hasty expirations ; the force with which these ope- rate, occasions the sound so well known as the distins^uishins: mark of thick wind. Thick wind often degenerates into broken wind, and this we will explain when on that article. For the treatment of Horses affected with thick wind, there is no better remedy than the cordial pectoral hall (see list of medicines at the end of the work,) given occasionally in the morning, when the affection appears to distress the animal more than usual. BROKEN WIND. This affection of the lungs and air-passages of the Horse, have a long time puzzled both Ens:li-elf fully warranted in concluding that the disease is not contagious. Satisfied with this decision, he gives himself no further trouble about it, and pays no attention to any tiling that may be said or written in opposition to his own opinion. It is a remarkable chcumstance that glan- ders cannot be communicated by applying the matter which is discharged from the nose of a fflandered Horse to the nostrils of a sound Horse, even though a piece of lint soaked in the matter, be put up the nostrils, and kept in contact with the pituitary membrane for a short time, or even if the matter be thrown up the nostrils with a syringe. But if tlie smallest quantity be applied in the wuv of OF FARRIERY. 197 inoculation, either to tlie membrane of the nostrils, or to any part of the body, a glan- derous ulcer will be produced, from which farcy buds and corded lymphatics will pro- ceed. After a short time the poison will get into the circulation, and the Horse will be completely glandered. The circumstance of glanders not being communicated by apply- ing matter to the nostrils, enables us to account for a Horse escaping the disorder, as he sometimes does, after being put into a glandered stable, or standing by the side of a glandered Horse. I have great reason to be- lieve that glanders is frequently communicated by accidental inoculation. Glanders can also be communicated through the air by effluvia issuing from the glandered Horse, in the same way that putrid fever is communicated ; still I knew a carrier that used to travel from Deptford to London daily, who kept two Horses in the same stable, one of which was highly glandered, and remained so to my knowledge for three years ; but the other Horse never caught the infection, plainly shewing there must be a susceptibility to take on disease in the system. Glanders, it has been said, cannot be produced by the matter applied to an old wound, or ulcer ; but of this I have great doubts. From this it would appear, that to communicate the glanders, the matter must be applied to a wound fresh made, and not to a sore on which matter had formed. A sound Horse has been inoculated with glanderous matter, that had been mixed with ten times its weight of water. This produced some degree of inflammation, and a small ulcer of a suspicious nature; but after two or three days it got quite well. This shews that glanderous matter may be so far weakened by dilution with water, saliva, or I the watery secretion from the lower part of a glandered Horse's nostrils, when he has the disease in a very slight degree only, as to ' render it incapable of communicating the dis- ease. On the other hand, when a large opening is made in the skin of a sound Horse, I and a piece of tow or lint, soaked in glander- I ous matter, is put into it, in the manner that i rowels are inserted, the disorder is communi- cated in so violent a degree, that the animal is destroyed by it, generally in a few days, i The same effect may be produced, if glander- ous matter be mixed with a little warm water, and injected into the jugular vein of a sound Horse. A Horse affected with glanders, may in- oculate himself, and thereby produce farcy. Horses are frequently affected by an itching when out at grass, and are apt to bite their heels. By this means, the flow of matter from the nostrils inoculates them, and produces farcy. The possibility of this circumstance taking place may be easily proved by inocu- lating a glandered Horse in any part of his body with some of his own matter. There are many ways in which a sound Horse may be accidentally inoculated with the matter of glanders, for the slightest scratch in any part of the body is sufficient. Horses that are cleaned with a curry-comb, are very liable to be scratched in those parts where the bones are most prominent ; such as the inside of the hock, and knee , the shank-bones, and the knee. To such scratches glanderous matter may be applied by the hands of the groom *, after he has been examining the nose of a * During my studies at the Royal Veterinary College, two o-rooms who had the charge of the glandered stablit'v became atfected with the disease, and were obliged to iwj removed into an Hospital. .\ D 198 THE MODERN SY&I'EM glandered Horse, or wiping off the matter from his nostrils ; or by the Horse himself transferring: glanderous matter from the nose of a diseased Horse, or from the manger, or other part where any matter has been de- posited ; for Horses are very fond of rubbing their noses against the manger or stall ; and a glandered Horse will generally rub off the matter from his nose against the manger, the rack, the stall, or against another Horse ; and if a sound Horse happens to stand by one that is glandered, they will often be seen nabbing, or gently biting each other, or rubbing their noses together. In short, having proved that glanders is thus communicated, we can con- ceive a variety of ways in which a Horse may be accidentally inoculated. When a Horse has been twitched, he gene- rally rubs his nose and lips with consider- able force against the manger, and may thus easily inoculate himse'^ with a glandered splinter or nail. Now, the parts where the local farcy first appears, are those most likely to be accidentally inoculated ; that is, the in- side of the hocks and knees, the shanks, the lips, the under-jaw, where grooms are often trimming off the long hair with sharp-pointed scissors, or singeing with a candle, and often causing an itching, which makes the Horse rub the part against the manger. In this way the heels frequently become wounded. Horses that are kept on grains, bad hay, or any kind of bad provender, are liable to itching hu- mours, which make them nab or bite their skin, and scratch the hind leg with the oppo- site foot : and we may often see them bite, rub with the nose, and scratch with the hind foot, alternately the other leg. If we take all the foregoing circumstances into consideration, tliat even from inoculation a month mav elapse before the disease makes its apjHior- ance, in all experiments for the production of glanders, at any rate, some days will elapse before any ulcer or chancre is produced ; a week or two before farcy-buds, or corded lymphatics may appear ; and in some cases, probably, a month before the running from the nostrils comes on, except when a young ass is the subject of experiment. If we reflect upon all these circumstances, there will be no difficulty I think of admitting the following positions or references, with their natural conclusions, with respect to glanders, viz. :— That glanders is a ( ontagious disorder, which is communicated by inoculation, or by the effluvia proceeding from a glandered Horse, that may have been kept in a stable with others, when in all probability, the constitu- tion not being sufficiently strong, and debility may arise, creating a greater susceptibility to take on disease, than others of a more robust and strong constitution. It has been also asserted by some clever veterinarians, that swallowing a quantity of the matter made into balls will produce the disease ; but this I never found to be the case, as I have tried it in several instances, both on Horses and Asses ; the Horse's stomach having the power of resisting the impression of poisonous matter, as has been proved in numbers of instances. In doubtful cases ; that is, when there is much difficulty in determining whether the discharge from a Horse's nostril is glanderous or not, and such cases frequently occur, have him removed to a stable to remain by himself. Then, purchase an ass, which may always be obtained for a few shillings, and inoculate him with some of the glandered matter. I iiave generally done it in the inside of the fore le^, on the plate-vein. In two or three days yoa OF FARRIERY. 199 wfll have ample proof whether your judgment was correct or not. I recomrnend this plan, because a valuable Horse may be preserved at the expenceof a few shillings, whereas if a cure was performed by medicine, which is always expensive, and the Horse not (in all probabihty) worth it ; consequently, it would at once be advisable to have him destroyed. If the matter be really glanderous, a pecu- liar kind of sore or chancre will be produced. From this ulcer, corded veins, as they are termed, will proceed, and farcy-buds, or small tumours will take place. In about a week the animal will run at the nose, and in a short time, put on all the appearance of com- plete glanders. In these cases, the disease is always very rapid, and always proves fatal. If the matter be not glanderous, no effect will be produced by it. In large establishments where many Horses are kept, this will be found a valuable test for determining with certainty the nature of a discharge from the nostrils. However mild the glanders might be, and although ulceration of the nostrils cannot be seen, and the quantity of matter be small that may be discharged, and the animal appear in good health and condition, the ass will be as cer- tainly affected by the matter, as if the disease were in the Idst stagOj oi" in its most virulent degree. As this work, in all probability, may fall into the hands of gentlemen and agricultu- rists, that may be at some considerable dis- tance from a regular veterinary surgeon, I will describe the method of performing the opera- tion of inoculation. Cut off a little hair from the inside of the fore les^, where you can feel the vein (I prefer this place, because I have found the pcison act quicker there than in any other place, it being immediately on a large vein, the communica- tion of the poison with the system being more expeditious,) for the space of half-a-crown ; then take a lancet, and introduce it under the skin, for about three quarters of an inch in length. The orifice must be wiped free from the few drops of blood that may have made their appearance. Have your lint or tow ready that has first been well impregnated with the glandered matter, and introduce it into the opening with a probe, or small slip of wood. This being done, make a small wad- ding of tow, and place over all. Apply a bandage to the part to keep in the lint, and let it remain for a few days, and you will soon see the result. If the matter be glanderous, the part will become excessively sore in about two days, and a scab will form on it, which in a few days will be thrown off, leaving a peculiar kind of ulcer, which will often spread rapidly, causing a painful swelling of the adjacent parts, with corded veins, or farcy-buds. After this, glanders will soon appear. No other matter will produce this effect, shewino- at once the nature of the disease. When colts are kept at grass, as they generally are until three or four years old, they will have passed through a disease, by which the whole constitution appears to be depurated, and consequently becomes invigo- rated. This is the disease called strangles; and most frequently occurs when colts are kept on poor pasture, debilitating the animal so much, that it frequently degenerates into glanders. While the colt is at grass, and kept well, it generally goes through its course without much inconvenience to the animal, and without requiring the interference of art ; 200 THE MODERN SYSTEM but when colts are taken up, broke, and put to wor*" before this disease has taken place, and kept in hot stables, and incautiously fed upon hard and stimulating food ; in such instances. Horses have often this disease in a very violent degree. Sometimes the strangles comes on, and does not go through its course in the natural way ; the swelling under the jaws does not suppu- rate, or become an abscess, but remains hard ; or, a small superficial opening takes place, from which a small quantity of matter is dis- charged ; and sometimes is supposed to de- generate into glanders. As I have observed before, glanders is often produced by un- wholesome food and hard work, with close filthy stables, and sudden changes from cold to heat, or from heat to cold ; especially when the weather is very wet as well as very cold. This kind of glanders often terminates in consumption ; is accompanied with cough, and the discharge is generally from both nostrils, and more like pus than the matter discharged in the glanders arising from con- tagion. My opinion of this kind of glanders is, that it is not contagious, and should there- fore be distinguished by another name. I would confine the term glanders to those discharges from the nose which were ca- pable of communicating the disease to other Horses. This would be found highly useful in practice. The want of this distinction is another cause of the dangerous opinion I have before made some remarks upon, viz. ; that glanders, in all cases, is not contagious ; an opinion that has led to the most serious losses. I now come to a consideration of the most difficult part of the subject, that is, the cure of glanders. As I have demonstrated the manner in which glanders is communicated, it is needless to say any thing of the mode, of prevention, except briefly observing, that it can only be accomplished by preventing any glanderous matter from cominsr in contact with the Horse, or mixing with his food or water ; and that the only method of purifying an infected stable, is to remove every thing on which glanderous matter may have fallen, and to wassh and scrape the fixtures, such as the rack and manger, thoroughly ; white- wash it well, and strew a solution of chloride of lime about the stall. I have already observed that a glandered Horse has, in several instances, been known to get entirely free from the disorder while employed in moderate work, and carefully fed and attended to, with little or no medi- cine. The general opinions of both English and French veterinarians, 1 believe is, that glanders is incurable, but tJiat farcy is curable. In my own practice I have succeeded in curing many cases of farcy, when it has been a local disorder ; but such cases are generally fol- lowed by glanders, there being often a con- siderable interval (from a few weeks to a few months,) between the disappearance of farcy and the appearance of glanders. When glan- ders and farcy appear at the same time, or when farcy breaks out in a glandered Horse, it depends upon the blood being strongly im- pregnated with the glanderous poison, that I should recommend the Horse to be immedi- ately destroyed. There is one exception, however, to this ; and that is, when a glan- dered Horse inoculates himself, as occasionally will happen. Tlien the farcy is at first local ; but it soon becomes a fresh source of con- tamination, and so increases the disorder in a short time, that it always becomes necessary to destroy the animal. The crre of glanders. OF FARRIERY. 201 however, cannot be accomplished without great care and considerable expence ; and rarely, 1 believe except in its first stage, or mild form. The expence of the cure does not depend so much on the value of the medicine em- ployed, as the length of time that is necpssary , and it also must be recollected, that in saying the disease is curable, it is by no means to be understood that there is a cer- tainty of success in adopting any mode of treatment. Therefore, unless the Horse is of considerable value, in good condition, and glandered only in a mild degree, it is not worth while to attempt the cure. It should also be recollected, during the treatment, that as long as there is any discharge from the nostrils, there is danger of its communi- cating the disease to other Horses. Calomel has been tried, even to salivation, without the desired effect ; but when salivation is produced, the animal becomes so consider- ably reduced in strength ; and which, by the bye, is the very opposite end we want to eifect, it clearly seems that mercurials have little or no effect in removing glanders ; also, Ethiop's mineral, or quicksilver rubbed down with chalk ; but all these are fallacious, and I may say, useless. In consequence of these medicines baffling all art, tonic medicines, and those principally of the mineral kind, have been resorted to ; and the present practice of the Royal Veterinary College, for this disease, is to administer certain quantities of sulphate of copper, formerly in balls ; but, as in latter years it is found much more convenient, and I believe more beneficial to the animal, to be exhibited f«s follows : — Take Sulphate of copper from 2 to 5 drams. Linseed meal - - - - 1 oz. Warm water _ _ - . 6 do. Dissolve the sulphate in warm water ; then add the meal, stirring them well together, until incorporated. Give this draught every morning. I have seen some good effects arise from it, when the Horse has commenced vvith it in the early stage of the disease ; but when the disease has got firm hold of the lungs, it is of little or no avail. 1 have suc- ceeded in several cases, when advised of it in time, by giving the following, either in form of ball, or solution, as the last : Take Sulphate of iron - - 3 drams. Gentian - - - - 3 do. Formed into a ball with treacle. I prefer giving it in form of ball the best : i but to this I must add, and which is of the greatest importance, turn the Horse out into a good pasture of grass by himself, to prevent all possibility of coming into contact with any other Horses ; and, if possible, a warm shed should be in the paddock or field. Gire the ball about the middle of the day, and every night and morning a feed of good oats and beans. By turning out, the Horse will breathe his natural air, not respiring his own air over and over again, as if in the stable. Then, by your tonic medicine and good feed, if he be of any constitution at all worth the expence, you will find this the only practicable means of removing glanders. Constitution has so much to do with the disease, that if well supported by art, these are the only means to be adopted. I should say, never treat a Horse, affected with glanders, in a stable. The Horse, also, by hanging down his head to gather his food, relieves himself, and the discharge comes more free from it. However, practice in this disease, must be the leading feature for knowledge. 3 E r!02 TIIE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XX. ON EPILEPSY, PARALYSIS, SPASM, SPASMODIC COLIC OR GRIPES, LOCKED JAW, AND STRING HALT. EPILEPSY. The affection termed epilepsy, frequently affects cart and waggon Horses more than any other kind ; and in different counties and localities, it takes on a variety of names; such as meagrims, sturdy, turnsick, the falling- sickness, the falling-evil, &c. The affection, in its first attack, comes on suddenly, and without giving any previous notice. The animal, if in exercise, stops short, shakes his head, and looks wandering ; in which state he continues a short time, and then will go on as before. If the case should be a violent one, the Horse frequently falls to the ground, or commences turning round and round, until he falls, apparently senseless. The whole system appears agitated by strong convulsions ; he dungs and stales in- sensibly ; at times becoming exceedingly vio- lent ; at others, almost as if life was extinct, but nppears unconscious to every thing around him ; his eyes appear fixed, and often his jaws are so closely set, that his mouth cannot be forced open. At another time he labours under convulsive motions, and his limbs shake W:, violently, that he even breaks the pavement with his feet, if the fall should lie in such, a situation. Sometimes, while the legs are stiff, the head and body are violently agitated. These varieties of symptoms frequently attack- ing the Horse alternately, it is not to be won- dered at that the affection should remain on him in some instances, two or three hours, (more or less,) and then recover, sometimes without any return ; at others, the fits are more or less troublesome, according to the success of the means applied for relief As the fit goes off, there is generally a foaming of the mouth ; the foam being white, and re- sembling that of a healthy Horse. The causes of epilepsy are several ; it appears to be dependent on a kind of spasmodic affection of the brain, either from too tight reining up, or the collar pressing too tight. It may also arise from blood being forced on the head by consti- tutional disorders. Worms, I have no doubt to be a cause of it. Horses of very full habit, ple- thoric, or over-fed Horses, are liable to it, par- ticularly when not having constant exercise. For the curative means for epilepsy, nothing can be done while the Horse is enduring the fit but the following, which will be found ex- cellent : — Take Strong liquor of ammonia - 1 ot OF FARRIERY. 2C3 While the convulsion, or fit. is on, hold the bottle of ammonia frequently to his nose ; and in all probability the Horse may immediately jump up, or at least in a very short time, and remove the epilepsy from him. Should he be a large cart Horse, in high condition, take four or six quarts of blood from him ; feed him on cold bran mashes, and give a dose of physic or two, according to his strength or size. (^See list of medicines.) The mercurial ball, com- posed of blue pill and aloes, is also very good in this case. If you can procure it, feed with grass occasionally ; but you must lessen your hard feed. I have seen some poor farmers" Horses attacked, and that violently. This I attribute to the excessively hard and bad arrangement of the harness, as before-men- tioned. PALSY. Palsy is when a part of the body loses its power of moving, or feeling, or both. This disease, amongst the old farriers, was called planet-struck, or shrew-run. If there is only a trembling, or shaking in the part ; or, if only one limb be attacked with palsy, it is seldom dangerous. But when it seizes both limbs behind, the case is very troublesome and difficult to cure. The Horse going at the slowest pace, reels about, with difficulty is able to stand at all ; and on turn- ing round, is obliged to form an immense circle, to accomplish the act ; or, as it fre- quently happens, ends in a fall. This, of course, would lead our attention to examine the Horse's loins, which always occa- sions him to exhibit pain on pressure ; shewing that there must be some morbid action jjoing: on ill the spinal marrow ; either in the sub- stance itself, or the membranes covering it; or, from some accident, a small portion of bone may be pressing upon it there ; and consequently deprive the posterior nerves of their action. I have no doubt that it may occur from turning in a narrow stall ; for it is t'uly distressing to see some Horses placed in such hen-coop stalls as they are, and in en- deavouring to come out, twist themselves almost double. As this affection is not of unfrequent occurrence, every person who knows the value of a good hackney, will be glad to see it removed. The stimulant applications are the best, such as the follow- ing :— Take Cantharides, powdered - I ounce. Oil of turpentine - - - 2 do. Olive Oil 3 do. Mix, and shake well together in a bottle, and apply a portion of it over the Horse's loius, night and morning. Or, Take Tartar emetic Hog's lard - 2 drams. 2 ounces. Form this into an ointment, and apply, until small pimples arise. Give the mild mercurial alterative ball {see list of medicines,) every second or third day. Some people are ex- ceedingly fond of applying what are called changes, and ordering a run at grass for a ^ few months. A cure by such means is some- times efTected ; but in this case, as in many others among the old farriers, they place the praise on the least deserving. The farrier says, " It was my change that restored the Horse ;" leaving rest and Dr. Green, com- pletely out of the question *, * In India there is a disease called kumree, which al- ways ends in complete paralysis of the hind-quarieri 204 THE MODERN SYSTEM SPASM. Spasm is an irritability of the muscular fibre, excited by an action of the nervous sys- tem, producing various affectiofis, known under the general name of spasi^j, but sub- divided according to the part affected with this excitement. When universal, it forms teta- nus; when confined to the bowels, it forms gripes ; and when it attacks the neck of the bladder, obstruction to the urine follows. In- flammation of the sensorium, or of the nerves, or of the investing membranes of these organs, can produce this excitement. Thus, in phren- ites, the Horse is excited to exertions much beyond his usual powers. Irritation occa- sioned by foreign substances can also produce it ; perhaps, by exciting an immediate in- flammation, although the instantaneous spasm which follows mechanical pressure, and irri- tation, both in the sensorium and the nerves, can scarcely be accounted for thus. Nor, in truth, do I think it has much to do withit; and I believe no satisfactory account has yet been given on that part of our subject. Seda- tives act either by allaying the nervous ex- citement, or relaxing the pait affected with spasm; such as opium, tobacco, &c. Anti- spasmodics, also, by rousing the heart and arteries to a new action ; as gin and pepper, spirit of turpentine, rendering the part above or below the disposition to be excited. In and most of the Horses used in that country are stallions ; and these are the subjects that become affected. I never saw it in a mare or gelding, with the exception, that the Horse on the commencement of the attack had gone through the operation of castration, which is imagined to be a remedy for it ; but I never saw one cured by this, or any other remedy ; for the Horse will continue getting worse and worse, until he is unable to rise at all, and is consequently destroyed. very violent cases of spasmodic affectionB. copious bleeding, combined with with solu- tions of aloes and opium, are powerful anti- spasmodics. In the spasmodic state of the neck of the bladder, nauseating medicines are found to be the best antispasmodics ; such as digitalis, or white hellebore. The remedies which act by altering the susceptibility of the parts, are principally bleeding, purging, or glisters, and other evacuants, which do it by diminishing the excess of power; and are, therefore, extremely proper in plethoric sub- jects, or when the spasm is attended with great vascularity. When, on the contrary, should the spasm attack a subject already in a debilitated state, recourse then must be had to the stimulant remedies, to bring the part to a state to resist the impressions. (vounding his cheeks, it does not prevent the corn from falling unchewed into his mouth, and from being swallowed in that state. There is not, however, so much difficulty in masticating hay, provided the animal is al- lowed sufficient time. It does not so readily fall into the mouth until it has undergone considerable mastication, and then it is more readily placed under the grinders again, by means of the tongue. The hay is at length masticated with great difficulty, and after being kept in the mouth a considerable time, is thrown out into the manger, rol'ed up like a chewed quid of tobacco. Such Horses are named by dealers, quidders ; and unless fed upon bruised oats, or soft food, must be starved. In such cases the muscles of deglu- tition, or swallowing, are more or less para- lyzed ; so that if the animal is turned out, the grass will return through his nose, instead of being swallowed, and he will be starved to death. Horses that have defects in their grinders, should be fed with bruised oats, grains, bran, or other food that does not re- quire mastication. When a Horse is at grass there ih- a suffi- cient supply of saliva for the purposes of mastication, swallowing, and digetstion ; but when he is taken into the stable, and fed upon dry food, there must of necessity be a de- ficiency of saliva. The only method of com- pensating for this deficiency, and rendering the food as fit as it can be made for mastica- tjon, swallowing, ana aigestion, is to dip the haj in water, and make the corn quite weL This should never be omitted. There is one cause of imperfect mastication, however, which should not be permitted to happen in the stable, but often does happen ; that Is dentition, or cutting teeth, especially when a Horse is changing his grinders, which he does between the third and fifth year ; not partially, as has been slated, for all the grinders are changed for permanent teeth. A Hcrse ought to be kept out during great part of this period ; and if he is kept in, he should have soft food, when he is observed to chew with great difficulty. A want of vital power in the stomach, is a disease that exists in the Horse more frequently than persons are aware u.'i and depends wnolly upon improper feed- ing, assisted however, too often, by immode- rate work. By improper feeding is meant the quantity and quality of the hay that is com- monly given. This injures the stomach, not only by its deficiency in nutritious matter, anj the impure chyle generated from it, thereby leading the animal to eat a greater quantity than he otherwise would, but merely the dis- tension which the stomach suffers, does it a serious injury ; and by rendering respiration difficult, weakens the whole muscular system. For when a Horse is constantly fed in this way, not only the stomach, but all the large bowels are loaded, and the diaphragm is in a considerable degree prevented from perform- ing its office. ON INDIGESTION. In my last article I endeavoured to explain the nature of digestion, it will now become a matter of course to say something of itidiges- tion, the two first articles of this chapter coming under that head more imraediateSy, OF FARRIERY. 225 As we stated before, in the healthy state of the stomach, the animal's appetite is such as leads him to eat that only which is fit for the formation of pure blood. This food is grass, for he is certainly by nature a graminivorous animal. The Horse's stomach is remarkably small, and requires to be frequently supplied with food ; therefore, in a state of nature, we find him almost constantly feeding. How great then must be the change which the animal suffers when brought into the stable, and what serious evils ought we not to ex- pect, unless this change is gradually brought about, and his diet and exercise carefully attended to? When we consider for a mo- ment in what manner he is generally treated, there cannot be any difficulty in believing that the stomach must of necessity be brought into a morbid condition. The labour he is em- ployed in is generally excessive, the food he is supplied with is often deficient in nutri- ment which is natural to his stomach ; for, even grain is not suitable, because not natural food ; and we find that Horses which have alvVdys been kept in a state of nature will refuse grain, and require some time, and the stimulus of hunger, to be brought to it. Good hay will always be preferred by such Horses, especially when it has that fragrant smell, greenish colour, and herbage, which it ought always to have. But considering the use to which the Horse is applied, grain becomes a necessary diet for him, and if properly dis- pensed, is the best food that can be given him. Hay, when really good, such as will be described, and given in moderation, is a very suitable diet for the Horse, but requires to be assisted with grain, in a quantity proportionate to ills work. Some grain should always be given, as without it, the quantity of hay necessary for his support would so distend the stomach, as to induce gradually, by a continu- ance of such feeding, a morbid or depraved appetite. As it is, the hay generally given to Horses, even that which is considered good, is so deficient in nutriment, difficult of digestion, and eaten in such immoderate quantities, that the laborious exertions required in the mus- cular structure of the stomach to extract what nutritive matter it does contain, is such, as must of necessity bring on a morbid or de- praved appetite ; and, what is of still greater consequence, if possible, an exhausted state of its sensorial power. Wheat straw, when the reed has been carefully separated from it, is much better fodder for Horses than what is called middling or indifferent hay; but the daily quantity should never exceed four or five pounds. Grain must be more freely given in this case, of course, and considering the price of straw, this can well be afforded ; but such a diet is far better than that commonly given to Horses in this country. In France, wheat straw is rery commonly employed as food for Horses ; and their man- ner of distributing the diet of Horses, well deserves the imitation of the Horse-owners of this country. The daily allowance is given at three times a day, viz. ; a moderate quan- tity early in the morning, a smaller quantity at noon, and the largest portion at night. So general is the practice in this country of giving Horses an immoderate quantity of hay, of giving bad hay, of distributing the daily allowance injudiciously, both of water and oats ; of giving beans unbroken, of working Horses while their stomachs are distended with food, by which much mischief is done, and many fatal diseases brought on. ISo 3 i. 22^ THE MODERN SYSTExM general are those practices, that we meet uitli but few horses whose stomachs are in a perfectly healthy condition. So numerous are the degrees of morbid condition of the sto- mach, between the healthy state and that extreme degree of derangement, when the appetite becomes depraved, inordinate, and even voracious ; that it is difficult, if not im- possible, to bring each of them under a dis- tinct head. It will be sufficient for the pur- pose I have in view, to notice them, as they relate to the organs of respiration ; that is, to treat of those diseases of the lungs and its appendages, which arise fi-om a morbid con- dition of the digestive organs. These diseases are commonly known by the names of chronic cough, roaring, and broken wind. To ac- complish this in a manner sufficiently clear and intelligible, it is necessary to give a con- cise description of the organs of respiration, and those of digestion. The mouth, the tongue, the throat, and the passages to the stomach and lungs, are co- vered with cuticle, but of various degrees of thickness ; so that the sensibility of the differ- ent parts is nicely adapted to the purpose for which they are designed. These purposes are : gathering the food, masticating it, mois- tening it with saliva, and swallowing it. The first is effected by the front teeth, the second by the grinders ; the saliva is separated from the blood by three pair of glands; named, parotid, sublingual, and submaxillary. The latter have always been described as lymphatic glands ; but there is no difficulty in demonstrating that they secrete saliva, and their excretory ducts may be seen near the tonsils. The parotid glands pour out t.icir saliva through an opening between tiie second and third grinder, on each s-ide, and the sub- lingual by two small tubular papillae under the tongue ; and it is by the motions of thi.i organ that the saliva is necessary, not only to facilitate mastication and swallowing, but serves likewise a very important purpose ia the stomach, being necessary to digestion. The masticated food is placed by the mo- tions of the tongue into the upper part of the gullet, or oesophagus, which is named pha- rynx. The pharynx is large, and capable of considerable dilatation, but soon contracts into a small, but strong muscular tube, named oesophagus. The part where the oesophagus begins, is so contracted as to have the ap- pearance of a stricture ; and it is here that the strong cuticular, or as it is commonly named, insensible coat, of the stomach begins. When the food gets into the pharynx, it is swallowed into the cesopliagjs, and fiom thence into the stomach, by the muscular contraction of those parts. There is a glandu- lar cavity on each side of the throat, named tonsil, which secretes a mucous fluid, wliich is retained in the cavity until wanted by a semi-cartilaginous flap ; this has been de- scribed as the opening of the eustachian tube ; but this opening is situated immediately above it. The mucous fluid is forced out by the action of gaping, at those times when it is wanted. The tonsil is the part affected in strangles, and the matter formed in this glan- dular cavity passes down through the excre- tory duct of the submaxillary gland, inflames it, and causes it to become an abscess. This abscess is commonly, but erroneously sup- posed to be tlie seat of strangles. The Horse's tstomacii has nearly one half of its surface lined witn that strong cuticular membrane Wiiich lines the oesophagus ; it terminates abrupt.y, and l)y a fringe-.ike edge. It ie on OF PARRIERY. 227 this part that bots are usually found. Some- times, however, they go from this part, and attach themselves to the sensible part of the stomach, properly so named ; for it is endued with exquisite sensibility, and is one of the most important organs of the body ; its office being that of digesting food, and so preparing it as to render it fit for forming blood. Much has been said of the gastric juice, as if some peculiar fluid were formed in the stomach for the purpose of digestion ; and physiologists and chemists have oeen at considerable pains in investigating the composition and nature of this fluid ; but their researches have always proved fruitless, and ever will ; for the juice they have examined, is nothing more than a common mucous fluid, such as is found in the intestines and other cavities. In the Horse, digestion and chylification are performed m the stomach only, not by any particular juice that is formed there, but by virtue of its sen- sorial power, which it derives in common with all the vital organs ; but in a more especial manner, from the cerebrum or brain, and from that part of the brain named cor- pora pyramidalia, through the eighth pair of nerves, or par vagum, as they are termed. It appeared necessary to go thus far into a de- scription of the digestive organ ; that is, the organs subservient to digestion, in order to impress upon the reader's mind the import- ance of the stomach in the animal economy ; and to show how liable it must be to become diseased, when frequently distended with un- wholesome food, which containing but little nutriment, requires its utmost exertions in order to be digested ; and such is the hay oilen given to Horses. 22S THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XXIII. INFLAMMATION OF THE HEART, OF THE BOWELS, OF THE LIVER, OF THE KIDNEYS, THE BLADDER, UF THE NECK OF THE BLADDER. INFLAMMATION OF THE HEART. Inflammation of the heart is a disease that rarely occurs in the Horse ; but the disease does occur sometimes in conjunction with in- flammation of the lungs. In such case?, a quantity of water becomes effused in the pericardium, constituting water at the heart. The symptoms of this disease are so very much like those of inflammation of the kings, that it is frequently mistaken for that disease. However, this is rather an advantage than not so ; for here the same remedies are truly applicable. Still, there is one symptom, that inflammation of the heart may be discovered from all others ; and that is the rebounding noise the heart makes at every pulsation, which may be distinctly heard by any person standing in the stable, though unacquainted with the disease. Also, by placing your ear to the chest, you will find at every pulsation of the heart, the fluid in the pericardium making that undulating noise, so peculiar to this disease, that it is almost impossible with a little attention to mistake it. On examining the pulse at the usual place, it will be found hard and wiry, and occasionally to have a fluttering motion. This will at once bring to the mind of the ' practitioner the necessity of immediately with- drawing blood, and that not in a definite quantity, but as the pulse becomes affected ; for if too much be taken, it will increase the debility which the Horse is labouring under. However, bleeding must be resorted to ; and that as extensively as possible. After which, the bowels must be examined ; and if at all costive, back-rake, and throw up clysters of warm water and salt, until the passage be- comes free and open. Also, Take Solution of aloes - - 2 ounces. Glauber salts - - 4 do. Linseed meal - - - 1 do. Hot water - - - - 2 quarts. Mix, and give every six hours. This will not only allay the irritation of the heart, but moderately open the bowels as required. Place the Horse in a loose box, or bay of a barn ; and treat in other respects, as for inflammation of the lungs, which see, page 217. INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. Next to inflammation of the lungs, inflamed bowe!s is the most frequent and fatal of (he local affections of the Horse, and of which ^ =3 m o m H i &!3 -« i^ ■g 'S c§ ^ ^ fe n! n -g, fx, m w (D ^ a e m 1 > -p. H ^l; H !* of si ni & t (4 — ^ ■p H tS- IV tl •V e eS ti e I, OF FARRIERY. 229 thore appears two distinct kinds ; the one aifecting tiieir villous coat, or surface, and producing purging ; the other attacking the peritoneal coat, and accompanied usually with obstinate costiveness. It is the latter that forms the subject of our present considera- tion ; the former will be treated of hereafter. From an imperfect acquaintance with the art, it has been common for farriers to mis- take inflammation of the bowels for spasmodic colic, and the error has commonly proved fatal to the affected Horse ; for the " comfort- able things, '' and heating drenches, given on such occasions, always increased the inflam- mation, and frequently produced gangrene. A careful distinction should therefore be made between the two, which may be readily done, by attending to the characteristic marks of each, as particularly detailed in spasmodic colic. The Symptoms. — It usually commences by a shivering fit ; to which succeeds heat of skin, restlessness, loss of appetite ; the mouth being particularly hot and dry, and the inner membranes of the eyelids, and the linings of the nostrils, rather redder than natural. As the inflammation advances, the pain increases, so as to force the Horse to lie down, and get up again frequently ; but, as the pain is less acute, he very seldom rolls on his back as in gripes. Sometimes, however, he kicks at his belly, or stamps with his feet ; and in all cases he scrapes his litter or stall with his hoofs, and looks wistfully round toward his sides. The pulse is frequent; sometimes as quick as seventy, hard and wirey ; but in this disease, which may easily be distinguished from the gripes or colic, in which case the pulse is scarcely ever affected ; and even the breathing: in inflammation of the intestines is not usually so laborious as we at first may expect, in consequence of the painfulness the belly is labouring under. In this, like most other inflammatory cases, the extremities are cold, while the surface of the body is often hct, but scarcely or never with any natural perspiration. The bowels are usually con- fined, and if any evacuation takes place, it is in hard, dry matter, and rather inclined to black. The urine likewise is made sparingly, and of a high colour; and a strong character of the complaint is a very early and excessive debility. The causes are various ; but they are generally dependent on the application of cold ; as washing when hot, or plunging into a river. The drinking of cold water has like- wise produced it, though more frequently this occasions spasmodic gripes. A long retention of the faeces may bring it on, as likewise her- nia, or intus-susception, which is occasioned by one part of a gut becoming invaginated within another ; it may also be produced by metastasis, or the triinslation of the inflamma- tory diathesis of anotlier part, or of general fever, or by the communication by continuity of the inflammation from other parts, as I have often witnessed. Another, and not un- frequent cause, arises from flatulent colic, either neglected, or improperly treated, which I have many times seen degenerate into in- flammation of the bowels under such circum- stances. Calcular concretions have also brought it on. For the Treatment. — Like most of the other inflammations of important organs, this re- quires a very energetic and early application of the remedial means ; and \a hich it may be remarked, must be here still more particularly prompt than in most other cases, as an in- 3 M 2530 THE MODERN SYSTEM stance of recovery seldom occurs where the treatment has been delayed beyond the second day : indeed it often destroys in twenty-four hours. Bleeding is the first indication, and if the subject be young, large, and plethoric, six or seven quarts may be safely taken away ; and should the symptoms continue unabated, the same may be repeated in four hours, to the amount of four or five quarts more ; nor should even a third lesser bleeding be omit- ted at tlie same distance of time, if the inflammatory appearances have not become mitigated. The bleeding may be known to have a salutary effect by the pulse becoming softer and fuller, particularly if it shew a dis- position to rise as the blood flows. Here also it is proper that the blood be abstracted quickly, and from a large orifice. As soon as the first bleeding is over, pro- ceed to back-rake, to remove any hardened dung that may obstruct the passage, and which if suffered to remain, would infallibly aggravate the complaint, and which indeed, in many instances, is the cause of it. The dis- tressing stranguary that sometimes accom- panies inflammation of the bowels, is also frequently as much produced by the pressure of hardened excrement. It is not the dropping away of a few balls of hardened dung, nor the passage of some thin glairy matter, which shews that no obstruc- tion exists ; on the contrary, when these are present, a most obstinate costiveness may yet remain farther up in the passage ; and a flow of thin faeces may escape by a groove, formed by the side of an obstructing portion of dung, as has happened. Unless, therefore, there be an evident free passage to all the faecal matter, and that the excrement be wholly softened, it is always proper to rake ; for it must not be lost sight of, that whether as a consequence or a cause, constipation aggravates the dis- ease, and is always present. Neither does amendment, seldom, if ever take place, until that be removed. It is always of consequence to bear in mind, that as the state of the bowels is such as not to render it prudent to allow of strong purga- tives being given by the mouth ; so the greater activity is required to empty them mechani- cally, and by the assistance of clysters, which should be thrown up very frequently. The next indication is to raise a brisk external inflammation over the belly, to lessen thereby the internal affection, and in this case, even the cantharides are hardly quick enough in their action ; but a more speedy determination to the skin may be made, by first fomenting the belly with hot water for a quarter of an hour, and then by applying a large mustard poultice, farther liquefied with oil of turpen- tine, or with the liquid blister {see list of medicines), which may be spread on coarse linen, or a horse-cloth ; or what is preferable, the fleshy side of a newly stripped sheep skin may be covered with it, and then applied close to the belly by means of flannel rollers which will retain it in its situation. When this has remained on for three or four hours, if an evident abatement of symptoms have not taken place, proceed to blister in the usual way. It next becomes a consideration as to what remedies may be given by the mouth, which must greatly depend on the degree of costiveness present. In a case where the ob- struction did not appear obstinate, I should recommend that castor and linseed oils be given united, six or eight ounces of each, shaken together, with a little gruel. When the bowels are more closely constringed. % i 4 0) 5 I 1 -3 ^ t O t-^ 5^3 1^ O OF FARRIERY. 231 Take Solution of aloes - - 2 ounces. Solution of rhubarb - 2 do. Good gruel - - - 1 quart. Repeat the above every three or four hours, till full evacuation be obtained. Before the costiveness is overcome, we should be careful of increasing the distension of the bowels by much liquid given by the mouth ; but when a passage is obtained, make about three quarts of good oatmeal gruel, and the same quantity of linseed meal tea ; mix these well together, and keep constantly warm, occa- sionally horn a little down ; when consumed, repeat the quantity. This must be the only food the Horse has to live on, until a decided amendment is apparent, when he may by slow degrees be brought into the use of his usual food ; but this at first must be dealt out to him with a very sparing hand, fearing a return of the disease, in which case it almost always proves fatal. In case of the Horse being very restless, a loose box would be the most preferable place for him ; or if situated in the country, where no such thing can be obtained, the bay of a barn, or even the floor, well littered down with straw, would be pre- ferable to a stable or stall. INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES FROM SUPERPURGATION. As the former affection consists of a phleg- monous inflammatory attack on the peritoneal covering of the intestines, this latter is usu- ally an afiection of their villous surface, the consequence of the administration of improper purging medicines, either as to quantity or quality, by which such a state of irritation is brought on, as ends in inflammation. It is always accompanied with purging, where- as the forme? has almost aiways costiveness connected with it ; neither is the pain so acute in the latter, consequently the Horse seldom expresses so much Uneasiness by roll- ing or stamping. The pulse is also quick and small, but seldom hard. If the symptoms of inflammation be very active ; that is, if the pain approaches distress, if the extremities feel cold, and the pulse betokens much vascular action, three quarts of blood may be drawn • but unless these appearances exist in force, it will be more prudent to omit it. Stimulants should, however, be applied to the bowels, as in inflammation of the bowels; the clothing also should be warm, and means taken to keep up the circulation in the extremities by hand-rubbing and bandaging. The stable, also, in this disease should be kept warm, and give the following drink every four hours : — Take Prepared chalk Rice - - - 1|^ ounce. 2 do. Boil the rice in three pints of soft water, until it is a complete pulp ; then squeeze through a fine cloth, add the chalk to the liquor, breaking down the lumps, and give at a proper warmth. As before instructed, give every four hours. Should this not appear to relieve the Horse, Take Laudanum - Gum Arabic - 1 ounce. - 2 do. First boil the Gum Arabic, in rather more than a quart of good oatmeal gruel, then add the laudanum, and give as before directed. Durino- the exhibition of the medicine, con- tinue to give clysters of rice and water, to be made as above directed. \ \ 232 THE MODERN SYSTEM INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER. The liver of the Horse is but seldom at first of itself affected with inflammation ; though, when other great abdominal inflam- mations take place, then this often par- ticipates. With regard to the symptoms of this com- plaint, they generally commence in appear- ances not very unlike a slight attack of inflammation of the bowels ; but unattended with that rising up and laying down, which attends the latter disease. Still the Horse is apt frequently to turn his head to his right side, evincing in consequence considerable pain ; also, if you press his right side with your hand, he will make a peculiar grunting noise, evincing pain ; also, if you turn him round in his stall, to the right hand, he will do it with great difiiculty, plainly shewing the pain he is labouring under. The extremities are generally cold, considerable heaving at the flank, the pulse is quick and hard, the mouth is hot, attended with a yellowness of the lining of the membrane covering the same ; the nostrils and the conjunctiva of the eye also participate in this yellow tinge ; these appearances being one grand rule to lead to the discovery of the disease the Horse is labouring under. The disease is frequently attended with cos- tiveness, and in consequence of the secreted bile not passing off in its usual way, becomes absorbed into the system ; and hence that yel- lowness of the skin and finer membranes, I spoke of jixst now. But, occasionally in this disease, a morbid secretion is set up, and the Horse's dung becomes loose, remarkbly black, attended with an exceedingly disagreeable smell. If the disease should terminate in vio- lent discharges of the above-named black foetid stools, the Horse frequently becomes a victim to the disease in about two or three days. If the extremities are not invariably cold, and the weakness not extreme (which I am sorry to say is too frequently the case) ; but if the langour increase, and the extremities can- not be got warm, and if the breath be hot and disagreeable, these symptoms are decidedly against the recovery of the Horse. For the cure of inflamed liver, we must first bleed to the full extent of the powers of the animal ; and if thought to be necessary, repeat in five or six hours. Well blister the sides of the Horse's belly ; if costiveness should appear, back-rake, and throw up clysters of salt and water, every three hours ; then Take Blue pill - ... 2 drams. Cape aloes - . . 3 do. Form into a ball with honey ; And repeat every six hours, until it operates. In those cases where purging has com- menced, the bleeding should be more moderate and sparing, unless the inflammation should run high ; in which case your discretion must be brought into action, for in such cases a repetition of it is less advisable here than in the former instance. Take Linseed meal - - 2 ounces. Oat meal - - - 2 do. Catechu pul. - - 1 do. Make into good gruel with three pints of soft water ; and give morning and night. If the Horse should appear weak, and much debili- tated, take the following : Cape aloes - - - 6 drams. Sulphate of iron - - 6 do. OF FARRIERY. 238 Powdered opium - - 4 drams. Blue pill - - - - 6 do. Form into a mass with honey ; And divide into six balls. Give one every second day. INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. Inflammation of the kidneys is a disease that frequently attacks the Horse, and is one of that importance, that if remedial means are not early resorted to, mortification may take place ; and of course, the death of the animal. The symptoms of this disease are various : the animal for the most part l)eing dull, the urine also is made in small quantities, and is the colour of porter ; and sometimes bloody. As the inflammation increases, it becomes sometimes ^vholly suppressed. The animal .stands with his hind legs wide apart, as if attempting to stale, and exhibits great thirst, and is frequently inclined to drink ; but which must be guarded against. Diuretic medicine, of every description, must be carefully avoided, as tending to determine more blood to those organs than would be necessary. The legs are apt to swell greatly ; the Horse on being moved in the stall, does so with difficulty, evincing great pain in his -hind quarters. Tins disease sometimes arises from severe ex- ercise, if aided by a heavy rider. Cold rainy nights will produce it, where the water lodges considerably on the region of the loins ; also on suddenly being turned in a narrow stall. For the treatment of inflamed kidneys, your principal sheet-anchor is bleeding the patient plentifully, to the amount of from four to six quarts ; and if the inflammatory symptoms Ktill continue for the space of four or hve hours do not hesitate to bleed again. After the first bleeding, immediately proceed to back-rake, and clear the rectum out well ; then throw up clysters of warm water, until the bowels appear to have a free passage. A blister over the loins might do good, though here it must be avoided, as the active princi- ple of the blister lying in the Spanish flies, may become absorbed, and entering into the sys- tem, will do considerably more harm than good ; therefore use the following ointment : Take Tartar emetic - - 2 drams. Hog's lard - - - 2 ounces. Work well into an ointment, and apply well to the Horse's loins, night and morning, until pimples make their appearance; then desist. Tie a cradle round the Horse's neck, to pre- vent him biting the part. Clothe the Horse moderately, bandage the legs, and for litter give plenty of good clean straw. For drink, give good gruel frequently, in small quantities; feed with hay of the best quality, and mode- rately ; give half bran and half oats, made moist with cold tcater. Also give the following every morning : — Take Antimony pul. - - 12 ounces. Brimstone pul. - - 4 do. Cape aloes - - . 12 drams. Mix with honey, to form a mass. And divide into twelve balls. Give one every mornino'. first thins:. INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER. The bladder may become inflamed through out its whole body, or the affection may be confined to the neck of it only ; and as differ- ent symptoms arise, as either the one or the other of these are the immediate seat of dis- ease, so we shall describe them separately. 3 N 234 THE MODERN SYSTEM Spnptoms. — When a mucous membrane is .Suifiamet!, it ceases to secrete mucous. This takes place in the inflammation of the internal coat of the bladder, and when it ceases to secrete the mucous that was irritable, it is constantly endeavouring to rid itself of the irntatmg contents. This complaint may be distinguished from in ammation of the kidneys, by what has been said with regard to that disease ; and from in- flammation of the neck of the bladder, from what follows. As the inflamed bladder cannot long retain its contents, so there is a frequent evacuation of a small quantity of urine ; and on passing the hand up the rectum, the bladder will be found hot and tender, but empty. The Horse is also commonly observed to have a disposition to dung frequently as well as to stale, from the sympathy of the rectum with the bladder. The fever is usually consider- blc, and the pulse is harder and fuller than natural ; but as the disease proceeds, it usu- ally becomes oppressed. Its causes may originate in the translation of fever ; perhaps sometimes by cold, alternating with heat ; and it has -)een occasioned in mares, by passing some irritating substance up the urethra, to make them horsy. Sometimes inflammation of the bladder ter- minates fatally, in consequence of mortification ; but if mucous be again secreted, there is every hope that all things may terminate well. For the cure, bleed according to the height of the fever ; and if no alteration takes place for the better bleed again as the pulse may indicate ; back-rake, throw up clysters of warm water, holding the tail down firm, tn prevent their speedy ejection. However, if such should be the case, have ready plenty of hot water to continue the injections, as in this case they act as fomentations to the bladder ; and in consequence greatly tend to relieve it For internal remedies give the same as in the preceding article. INFLAMMATION OF THE NECK OF THE BLADDER. Sometimes the neck of the bladder takes on inflammation alone ; and this occurs more frequently to Horses than to mares. It is to be distinguished from inflammation of the kidneys, because, in passing the hand up the rectum, the bladder will be found dis- tended. This will also prevent mistaking it for inflammation of the body of the bladder. The frequent making of a little water will not, however, distinguish either of the foregoing compiaints from this, as in inflammation of the neck of the bladder, there is sometimes a small quantity of urine evacuated at difierent times ; for after the bladder is distended, there will be, by the force of the distension, a few drops now and then squeezed out. But m this disease, the frequent staling will not take place until the bladder be distended fully, whereas in the former disease, it will come on at the very first ; and likewise in the latter case, the distended bladder may be felt even by the belly. Having described the nature of the disease, the treatment is so very much like the two preceding cases, that a repetition of them is here quite needless, and would ba tedious to the reader. OF FARRIERY. 235 CHAPTER XXIV. ON MORBID POISONS Hydrophobia, or madness. This disease completely exhausted ; when he was immedi- seldom attacks the Horse ; but when it does, ately ordered to be destroyed. it arises from the bite of some other animal ; | The other case was that of a cart-horse, such as a dog, or cat, that may be allowed to \ the symptoms of which was so very like the remain in the stable with the Horse. I never saw but two cases ot madness in the Horse, and those were frightful to behold. The first was a large bay carriage Horse, which occurred during ray pupilage at the Royal Veterinary College. The symptoms that first made their appearance were, his refusing all kind of food and water ; the Horse then was taken with a kind of shiver- ing fit, after which he broke out into a profuse sweat, stared vacantly around him, began to be extremely restless in his stall : he was then placed in a loose box. No sooner was he placed there, than he began rolling and tum- bling about, reeling and staggering from one side of the box to the other ; biting at the manger and rack with the greatest violence ; biting his own sides until they bled, raising his fore feet as high as he could. Indeed, the sight was too horrible to behold ; foaming at the mouth ; eyes glaring and glassy. From the agonizing torments the poor animal was in, we left him for a short time ; but on re- turning lo the box, found him on the floor preceding, that it needs little or no descrip- tion ; the Horse having been shot after the attack had been on him about three hours. The Bite of venemous reptiles frequently in- flict fatal wounds ; but I am happy to say, this country is pretty free from such enemies to man and beast. The adder is the only reptile that we have known to bite either Horses or cattle ; and should such a case occur, and be attended with swelling, 2 ounces. 4 do. Take Oil of turpentine Olive oil - - Mix and rub a portion of the liniment on the parts affected, morning and night. Vegetable Poisons. — Of this class of poison we have only the yew-tree, that possesses any particular deleterious effects upon Horses ; and I may say, when once eaten, the animal wastes away by degrees, until death puts a period to his sufferings. Mineral Poisons. — It appears that the nu- merous minerals given in veterinary practice, are not of that poisonous nature that might 236 THE MODERN SYSTEM be anticipated from their name and proper- ties, as vvlien given to the human subject. Indeed, I never saw a mineral act as a poison in tlie Horse, though 1 am in the habit of using great quantities myself. 1'he stings of hornets and wasps are very annoying, and occasions the Horse an exceeding deal of pain and irritation. I have heard of a Horse being attacked by hornets, and stung until the inflammation occasioned by it proved fatal. The best application in such cases, is to apply vinegar to the inflamed parts, two or three times a day. il vf. \ '^ J2 ,— ! % g I" " OF FARRIERY. 237 CHAPTER XXV. ON THE FEET, AND THEIR DISEASES. ON THE FOOT IN GENERAL. I AM now come to that all-important part of our subject, " The Foot of the Horse,''' which all veterinarians and sportsmen who have seen the anatomy of the Hor^^e's foot, must acknowledge to be the grandest piece of me- chanism ever formed by Nature. When all parts are in health, the unison of action of such an organic body will at once give suffi- cient occupation to the mind of the philo- sopher, the student, or even those lovers of Horses, the country gentlemen, who, were they to be well acquainted with the anatomy of the foot, would then have an opportu- nity of preventing themselves, the many errors committed by bungling farriers ; and here I must beg leave to say a word or two in favour of my brother veterinarians. As for instance: the veterinarian is supposed to be proprietor of a shoeing forge, with several workmen ; and above all, a foreman, to see that all shall be right. What is the conse- quence ? A gentleman sends for the surgeon, and informs him that his Horse is ill-shod at his establishment, and lie scarcely can ride him, he stumbles so. The consequence is, the surgeon orders him to his forge, and pro- mises he will see and attend to the shoeing; himself. He does so, and the shoes are taken off; and in all probability, being nailed on too tight is the simple case. This being attended to, under the master's eye, gives immediate relief, and the Horse is sent away with satisfaction. But somehow it happens, that neither foreman or any other of the work- men could discover this, until the master found it out. Now, if the master have any medical practice, how can he be in two places at once? Why the matter must be left to the foreman, who understands as much about the matter as the piece of iron he is working on ; but in case of a repetition, the surgeon gets the blame ; and in all probability, he stands a chance of losing an employer. Many persons would say, " How is this, the man has shod Horses for these twenty years, he ought to know?" The answer follows easily: " Does he know the anatomy of the Horse's foot?" " No ; I am not aware that he does." These I think are circumstances that oughv to be taken into consideration, and let not the veterinary surgeon have all the odium when it is unmerited. But to return to the foot of the Horse : it will not be necessary to advert to the anatomy of that important organ ; my business is to point -^'jt its various diseases, with the best 3 o 23S THE MOJ)ERN SYSTEM means of cure, which I shall endeavour to do, and as corns are so prevalent and common, shall commence with that subject first. ON CORNS. The term corns having- been fixed from time immemorial, I am obliged to continue it, though it be an erroneous one ; therefore, to be thoroughly understood by my readers, I make use of the old term. A corn in the Horse originates in an injury done to one of the most vascular parts; is itself equally vas- cular, and instead of tending to increase the cuticle («". e. the horn) over it, it derives its principal character from being inimical to every future growth of it. These very trou- blesome affections arise from injury done to the vessels of the sensible sole, exactly at the surface of union between it and the horny sole, whereby blood becomes extravasated within the anojle of the inflexions of the heels ; that is, between the outer crust and bars. Corns appear in every instance the eff'ect of improper pressure, by which the sensible vascular sole becomes acted on between the horny sole and the heels of the coffin-bone. This disease is equally produced, whether the pressure arises from the horn of the sole, or the horn of the walls ; and it is from the pressure of the walls of the heels bruising the sensible sole that corns are so common to contracted feet, and also to weak hoofs. It is also to the increased weakness of the inner wall and heel of the hoof, that corns are so much more frequent in *he inner than the outer heel ; and from the superior strength of the hinder heels arises their little liability to them. But though the contraction of the walls of the heels does often occasion the complaint, yet it is much more frequently the consequence of pressure of the sole, the very form of which shews that it never was intended to be thus acted on ; for the crust meets the ground, and the sole re- cedes from it in every part. Consequently, whenever pressure does take place on the sole, it is unnatural, and produces injury. The general mode in which injurious pressure is applied to the sole, is either by an improper form of shoe applied, or by not removing the horn opposed to the seat of corns, or by neg- lecting to renew the shoes at proper intervals ; and to one or other of these errors most corns may be attributed. Bad shoeing operates in various ways, but in none more commonly than by the thickened imequal heel of the shoe, wliich is in general formed into a sort of clubbed end, that pre- vents its presenting a level surface towards the foot; on the contrary, a bulbous projec- tion indents itself into the very part, as though purposely placed there to produce this injury. The custom also of making the seat of the shoe slant, or level inwards, is, 1 believe sometimes productive of corns ; but the heel, for nearly an inch before its termination, should be made perfectly flat, and the same thickness as any other part of the shoe. Neglecting to prepare the foot for the shoe, is also a fruitful source of corns ; for that part of the horny sole wiiich fills up the acute angle, between the crust and bars, the pres- sure on which is so injurious, is in a state of nature protected by the prominences of the froo- and bars, as well as by the inclined di- rection of the latter; but as artificial habits alter the shape of the foot, this part becomes exposed ; and, therefore, in preparing a foot for the shoe, this angular portion should be so pared as to remove it from contact with the iron, without v>eakeniDg the horny coverir.j; OF FARRIERY. 2IH& of the sensible sole. For so surely as this part becomes subjected to pressure for any con- siderable length of time, so surely extravasation takes place, and a corn is formed ; and this more quickly when the heels are \reak. The third common cause, is the neglect of removing, oi' renewing the shoes at proper intervals. When a shoe has been long worn, the growth of the hoof carries it forwards, by which the parts originally opposed to the heels are carried beyond them, and now press on the sole, often becoming indented within the line of the crust, and producing a most injurious pressure. Sometimes also, either from the original form of the shoes, or by long wear, they become loose and " springy'^ at the heels, as smiths call it ; in which cases gravel is apt to make its way between the shoe and the foot, and by the pressure of the heels during action, is indented into the sub- stance of the horn ; other gravel becomes received in the same manner, which presses the first still onward, till at last it meets the sensible part. As soon as it reaches here, inflammation ensues, and a very different complaint is formed to that of common corns ; for in every instance of this kind, suppuration proceeds, and the matter unable to make its exit below, or sideways, forces its way up- wards, and a small tumour appears at the coronet, which breaks, and discharges a pu- rulent matter. But the common effects of pressure from long-worn shoes, are the extravasation of a little blood ; which on paring away the horn, at the angular point of the heel, or heels, ap- pears as a black or red speck, as the blood has been longer or more newly thrown out from its vessels ; and it may be followed with the paring knife to its source in the sensible part. If the injury has been considerable, this blood itself may irritate and produce suppu- ration, in a similar manner with gravel. But in general cases, this extravasation remains unchanged ; and unless attended to, a weak- ened action of this part of the sole becomes permanent, and blood continues to be thrown out ever after, upon any occasional renewal of the pressure. In such cases, the horn itself over the part, proves a source of future irrita- tion ; and, therefore. Horses with old corns, only, go well when fresh shod and newly pared ; for as soon as the portion of sole be- tween the bars grows to a level with the sur- rounding horn, the sensible sole receives a fresh bruise, and lameness again appears. It is by contemplating this possible termination of corn, that the law has wisely considered every Horse vvjtli this complaint, as unsound. Treatment of Corns. — When a corn first appears, it is not difficult, by proper means, to remove it completely ; but when it has existed some time, the injured parts become weak- ened, and the diseased action of throwing out blood, instead of secreting horn, becomes familiar to them. As soon, therefore, as it is discovered, the cure should be immediately attempted ; first, by removing with a fine drawing-knife, every portion of diseased horn around, and the whole of the extravasation likewise ; avoiding, however, the wounding of the sensible sole underneath. Having done this, take a plegit of tow, and well moisten with compound tincture of myrrh, over which put tow sufficient to fill up the hollow of the foot ; put on a bar-shoe, and secure the tow in the hollow of the foot by two sticks, laid across each other, and fastened underneath the edge of the shoe. It will act on the sen- sible sole, by destroying the unsound parts. 240 THE MODERN SYSTEM and by stimulating the remainder to a healthy secretion of the parts to produce new horn. Change the dressing every day, and be care- ful not to let the foot get wet. In this way corns may be permanently cured, when not of too Ions: standing. But when the derangement of this part of the sole is become habitual and permanent, a palliative treatment only can be pursued. In the first place, the pressure of the horn must be guarded against, by a regular and frequent paring out of that portion between the in- flexion of the heel ; and if the hoof be very strong, and at all disposed to contract, the quarters also should be attended to, and not allowed to become too high, or too thick. I have also in very strong feet found the use of a short shoe sometimes of the greatest service ; but to a weak foot, either a chambered, or a bar-shoe is preferable. When the weakness is very considerable, or the corn a very bad one, a bar-shoe is the most proper support, and should be constantly used ; remembering in those aggravated cases, to remove occa- sionally all the surrounding horn likely to press on the injured part ; at the same time, taking care not to let the frog rest continually on the bar of the shoe, or it may be apt to bruise it ; and whenever such a Horse is shod, it is proper for the corn to be dressed with some active stimulant ; such as tar, well rubbed in, and covered well with tow to keep the wet and moisture from it. By doing which regularly when shod, and about once a week also in the intermediate time, I have rendered Horses, before useless, able after- wards to work with comfort to themselves, and satisfaction to their owners. In slight cases of corn, the shoe proper to be used, is one of rather more substance than common, with the web a little wider than usual, and its width equal throughout ; that is, as wide at the heels as at the toe. It should also extend to the termination of the heel, and no farther, and be well laid off the quarter, which is generally the inner one. This will allow the quarter to expand, and prevent in all probability a repetition of the pressure from the bone above. This shoe will afford ease and protection ; future pressure must be avoided by keeping the seat of corns clear from offending, ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF THE FEET. Of all the definite and well-marked diseases of the Horse, this has been most mistaken among the old farriers, and the least noticed among the modern. In many works on far- riery, it is not even mentioned ; and in most, is little more than hinted at. I am at a loss to account for this ; seeing that it is so frequent a disease. It is yet suffi- ciently common to have been many times met with by every piactitioner who has only a tolerable range of veterinary practice ; and when so met with, it is, both in appearances and effects, too easily passed over, without forcibly impressing the mind. Common far- riers, when this disease has come under their notice, have considered it to be a disease of the chest, and that in consequence of the Horse resting his fore legs ; that the muscles and cellular membrane have become absorbed, and wasted away. Hence has arisen the name of chest-founder; and most of their applications were applied to the Horse's chest, instead of his feet. It frequently happens that metastasis takes place, or translation of fevei from one part to another, as in inflamed OF FARRIERY. 241 un^s, &c. The feet then become frequently affected, at the same time the lungs become relieved. In some cases obstructed perspira- tion will produce it. sudden alteration of tem- perature, standing a long time in the stable, especially if the stable be kept immoderately warm. The vessels of the feet not being able to bear the sudden alteration, distend ; and inflammation of the feet becomes the con- sequence. In many cases it occurs prior to the Horse being attacked with symp- tomatic fever ; both are frequently occasioned by long continued exertion, particularly on hard roads, with subsequent exposure to cold. Under such circumstances as those pointed out, inflammation of the feet may be confined to one foot, or two ; or it may attack the whole four; but it is more common to the fore-feet. When a Horse labours under inflammation of the feet, persons in attendance on the Horse cannot discover quickly the seat of dis- ease ; consequently, the Horse continues to get worse and worse, until a veterinary sur- geon is called in ; when he finds the Horse breathing with difficulty, and in all probabi- lity in a profuse sweat. Previous to which, the groom informs him, that he has been la- bouring under a severe shivering fit, the Rorse frequently laying down, stretching out all fours, and groaning with the intense pain that accompanies the disease. The prac- titioner soon discovers the seat of disease trom the peculiar method in which the Horse stands; he betrays a peculiar manner of shift- ing and lifting up his legs ; standing, by drawing his hinder legs under towards his chest, to relieve the fore-legs from the weight that is naturally upon them. The practitioner will, however, be commonly saved the trouble of much discrimination ; for he will in general cases not be called in, till the features of the complaint are sufficiently marked, by the utter impossibility to make the Horse remain on his legs. On the contrary, when forced up, he lies down again almost immediately, exhibit- ing every symptom of distress and uneasiness. As soon, likewise, as the complaint has arisen to any height, the feet will be found intensely hot, and the pastern arteries pulsat- ing very strongly ; which alone would serve to mark the disease. There is sometimes some little tumefaction around the fetlocks ; and when one foot is held up for examination, it gives so. much pain to the other, that the Horse is in danger of falling. The poor beast groans and breaks out into profuse sweats at one time, and at others, is cold. His eyes are moist and red ; and his whole appearance be- tokens that he is labouring under a most painful inflammatory affection. In this state the complaint shews itself the first two, three, or four days, after which it« effects are various. In the worst cases, when the symptoms we have stated have raged a few days, a slight suppuration of the hoof, at the coronet, may be observed ; from which may be pressed a small quantity of reddish ichor, or thin matter. This inflammation, however, is not suffi- ciently active to force off the hoofs, which have gradually become in a great measure imperfect, and sometimes deformed. This imperfect resolution may be known before its effects on the horn become apparent, by the very peculiar gait the Horse exhibits when taken out, and which once seen, can never be forfjotten ; for he throws his feet forward in a seemingly burlesque manner, and brings them down as oddly on the heel. In fact, he clearly shews that he has iost the proper sensibility of 242 THE MODERN SYSTEM his feet. In other cases again of imperfect resokition, the laminae losing their elasticity and power, yield to the weight and stress of the coffin-bone, which becomes pushed back- wards ; and in its passage draws with it the anterior crust of the hoof, which thus falls in. The pressure also of the coffin-bone destroys tlie concavity of the horny sole, which, instead becomes convex, or pumiced, leaving a large space towards the toe, filled with a semi-car- tilaginous mass, and which is not an unfiequent termination of inflammation of the foot. But when the attack is not commenced with that extreme violence we have detailed, or when an early and judicious treatment has been adopted, the inflammation becomes easily removed, and in the end the animal will recover the use of his feet. In treating inflammation of the feet, there is but one certain path to pursue ; and that is, on first discovering the disease, to bleed largely, to the extent of six quarts, at least ; and give cold bran mashes, and prepare your Horse as for a dose of physic (see list of medicines, where you can select a ball of any strength, according to the size or strength of tne ani- mal.) The next object is to attend to the feet themselves. After removing the Horse's shoes, pare the feet out nicely ; i. e'^ as much as they will admit; for that will not be a great deal, in consequence of the hardness of the sole, pro- duced by the inflammation. This done, rasp round the foot and the edges of the wall, so that you may be enabled to lightly nail on a shoe when required. This being finished, bleed each foot at the toe, and that largely ; now lightly nail on your shoes (after you have got sufficient blood from the feet), and place a plegit of tow on each orifice. Over all place a poultice of cold bran, made wet with water; and frequently have cold water squeezed over it from a sponge. In addition to which, apply to the fetlock-joint, what is now termed a " a swab " (to be bought of any of the saddlers) ; but in case this cannot be effected, take a piece of coarse woollen cloth, of sufficient width to go round the leg, and length to hang down over the hoof; these to be constantly kept wet v\ ith cold water. Sponge boots I do not approve of, and consider them to do more harm than good. They are apt to induce " thrush," or at least make the frog so rotten, that in mend- ing one hole, you make another. The Horse should not be encumbered with much litter, unless it be behind, but very little for his fore- legs to stand on, and that made wet with water. JBy this means he has an opportunity of cool- ing his fore legs as much as possible ; and should he be inclined to lay down, which in the early stages of the disease he may, the litter being sufficient behind, will prevent him injuring his hips or his hocks. Should the febrile symptoms not seem to abate so speedily as you had imagined, bleed again from the jugular, to the amount of four quarts. You will now have an opportunity of gently moving the Horse about, which will enable you to see whether there is any amendment in his feet. If so, continue the dressing as before ; bearing in mind, that the orifice made in the foot, will occasion some degree of lameness, so that it must not all be taken for the disease. But if lameness shbuld appear to be greater, or not at all relieved, bleed in both plate veins, and abstract about two quarts of blood from each vein ; but by no means think of blistering the coronet, though 1 know some practitioners are favourable to it. Give ano- OF FARKIERY. 243 ther dose of physic, which is better in these cases than all the bhsters in the world. By these cooling means of proceeding, you \.'ill soon perceive an amendment in your Horse's feet, and constitution too. This, like all other diseases of the feet, will require care and atten- tion, after the Horse is got apparently sound ; and you cannot effect this better than by giv- ing him a month's run at grass with his shoes on, and frequently examining them, in order to see that all things are going on right. If, while at grass, the Horse should lose his foot- stopping, immediately on discovery, let it be replaced. CONTRACTED FEET, OR THE NAVICULAR DISEASE. Contracted feet, or the navicular disease, may require some little explanation, as pro- bably the whole of my readers may not under- stand the modern term " navicular disease.'' Contracted feet is of older date, and vei^y proper that it should be ; for the " navicular disease" arises, nine times out of ten, or is occasioned by the former. As it is not our province in this work to enter into a long physiological account of the foot, we shall explain those parts, and their effects only to our readers, that will be of im- mediate use to them, without hampering up their minds with a dozen pages of techni- calities. By contracted feet is meant when the horn of the crust lessens the natural size of the foot, so that it presses upon the highly sensible parts within, consequently occasioning pain and lameness. This occurs principally on the inner quarter of the crust, and that because it is the weakest, or thinnest of the two ; and tins punishing arising invariably from igno- rance in man, though occasioning the most excruciating pain to the most useful animal in the creation ; and all in consequence of bad shoeing. Other causes, however, there are, which will contribute to inflammation of the feet ; such as too hot stables, and standing oc hot dry straw, with little exercise to put their feet into action. The navicular disease proceeds in a great measure from contracted feet ; for as 1 ob- served before, as the horn of the crust pressed on the soft and sensible parts within, so the elastic parts became fixed, and the multi- plicity of elastic parts contained within the hoof become diseased, in consequence of being squeezed up, as it were, in a vice ; the coffin- bone becomes injured, the navicular bone more so ; and not unfrequently the small pas- tern-bone. Now the reason why the navicular-bone is more subject to disease than either the coffin or the pastern-bones, is in consequence of its attachments, and tlie work it lias to do ; for every time the Horse raises his foot from tiie ground, this bone ascends also, and descends when the Horse puts his foot to the ground ; the flexor-tendon also being fixed into the coffin-bone, and the navicular bone immedi- ately above it, the small pastern-bone working immediately above tha^t, the whole of the weight of the Horse is. thrown on to this bone. I ask, then, how can this bone perform its proper functions, when prevented by contraction of the horny box, or hoof, in which it is con- tained ? Of course, any person of common capacity, will answer, " Never !" Hence arises the complaint, called navicular disease. I will further explain how the disease pro- ceeds on its course, and then proceed furtlier with the other divisions of this disease. 244 THE MODERN SYSTEM mentioned that the small pastern rested on the navicular-bone ; now, in consequence of the confinement of these bones, their action is not free, and the lower end of the small pas- tern-bone chafing against the navicular-bone, inflammation is set up, and the Horse goes lame. However, it unfortunately happens the poor animal is still doomed to (especially if a harness-horse) suffer until the inflammation runs so high, that the absorbents commence their work, by removing the fine membrane the navicular-bone is covered with, and absorb the gristly covering also. The inflammation still being kept up, the bone becomes affected, and caries, or mortification may take place ; and then you have the navicular disease in perfection. A remedy for this we must en- deavour to lay before our readers, so that they may prevent such a painful disease running to its full extent ; for we would rather alleviate in the early stage of a disease, than botch up a Horse to please any one. I have endeavoured to explain the nature of the two diseases, contracted feet, and their consequences. I believe I also said, that bad shoeing was their principal cause, and I still maintain this to be correct ; though in going over our subject, we shall in all probability mention others of a minor nature. The old fashioned method of preparing and rasping the feet of Horses, I may say, has occasioned more lameness than any one thing again ; for what with paring the frogs away, and opening the heels, as it is termed, with scarcely touchino' the sole of the foot, was enough to produce contraction ; added to which, the benefit of a very high-heeled shoe. These means, with a little thought, will im- mediately explain to the experienced Horse- man, why the feet become contracted. Owners of Horses are sometimes to blame in not having their Horse's feet pared often enough. If the Horse should wear his shoes rather light, they will let him go as long as six weeks without paring, and even longer; not thinking of the injury they are doing the foot, by its improper growth during that time. No man should let his Horse go, without removing the shoes, longer than a fortnight, and new shoes every month. You then have an opportunity both of examining and paring out the feet properly, and watching their pro- gress, that they do not grow out of form ; but the custom of nailing the shoes on so exceed- ingly tight, and particularly where the crust is not strong, must affect the feet, and prevent the ordinary expansion. Shoes of a bad form are very hurtful, ex- cept it be for slow working cart-horses, and which are to be met with of all shapes. Thick-heeled shoes are sometimes the cause of contraction, but I have seen thin- heeled shoes produce it, by constantly bearing too much on the frog ; still a moderate bear- ing on the frog is highly necessary. But there are so many strange feet go through the hands of a smith, that it is next to an impossi- bility, imless he be a clever fellow, to know what kind of shoe to adapt generally. I have read of authors wondering how it was, that farm-horses had such fine open feet, when they are the worst shod, and mostly with high calkins. Now, I think the matter is easily solved, and that is, their feet are kept open from pressure from below ; for though they may have high calkins, and the frog con- siderably cut away, it is forgotten that the rough land they have to plough, or harrow, perhaps is in balls, the size of large potatoes, all acting as so many expanders, while the Horse OF FARRIERY. 245 is going: over them. Again, if the weatlier be moist, and the soil damp, this keeps the feet cool and moist ; and, of course, easy of ex- pansion. Artificial heat has a great tendency to pro- duce contraction, especially in hunting stables, where Horses are kept in the highest con- dition ; also, in racing stables, where the Horses are kept on good dry litter, half way up their legs, and every hole and crevice stopped up to prevent the least air coming in, the heat that is consequently generated, d.aes up the hoof, and disposes it to contract. Heat also, applied by the shoeing smith, w ill produce it, if not discontinued ; for heat, as they apply it to the foot, has a different tendency during the actual time they are applying it, to the gradual continued heat of the stable. Now moisture has a direct con- trary effect to heat, its application greatly tends to counteract the contractile disposition. It also softens the hoof and enables the weight of the . lorse to expand the foot ; but some- times, from the extreme thickness of the hoof, it will not even yield to moisture. In the natural state, it is well known that the hoofs must be accustomed to meet with consider- able moisture, of which an artificial life pre- vents them enjoying. A Horse confined to the stable, frequently does not get his feet moistened once a day ; but in a state of nature, half their time the Horse's feet are exposed to moisture, either from dew, or being immersed in rivers, or ponds. Farmers' Horses are much more benefited than many others, most of them being generally turned out, and in consequence less subject to this disease ; though certainly the cutting away the frogs and bars more than is necessary, is the prin- cipal cause of contraction. Long standing in the stable will frequently produce it, and especially in case one foot happens to be lame ; this will frequently become contracted, shew- ing at once pressure to be a preventative. I have pointed out the principal causes of contraction, and its sequel, the navicular dis- ease. I shall slightly touch upon the synnp- toms ; then proceed to the treatment. The hoof, in contraction, frequently becomes length- ened, and the frog, instead of having that fulness seen in the natural frog, appears squeezed between the heels, as it is not unfre- quently ruptured. All Horses' feet do not in contraction become lengthened, but where the heels are very weak, the inside heel may be observed, on standing immediately behind the Horse, to turn in remarkably sharp. When this is the cas-e. Horsemen term it he'mg wired in. Sometimes the contraction is principally perceptible round the coronet ; but this arises when the disease is subsequent to inflamed feet, and the usual secretion at the coronet goes on, but an unhealthy secretion becomes set up ; but this is not a common case, aa contraction generally begins below. The hind feet are seldom, or never verv liable to contraction, and when that does take place, it is not attended with those serious consequences, as when the disease attacks the fore-feet, little attention being required to re- store them. Dealers' Horses are very liable to contrac- tion, from being removed from the farmers' cooling pasture ; then travelling, perhaps from one hundred to a hundred and fifty miles, and immediately placed in a hot staWe. These Horses, if their feet are not kept moist, are sure to go lame in the course of a weeks time. From the causes before detailed, con- tracted hoofs are almost always occasionea, 3q 246^ TTIE MODERN SYSTEM and the sole likewise generally concave ; it is in general much thicker in substance also, ■which greatly adds to the pain usually felt in progression. From the great pain the Horse is in during his standing in the stable, he sometimes puts one leg before the other, the most painful one pointing under the manger. This by Horsemen is termed " pointing, or fencing,'" and is a sure sign of the disease. Such a Horse when going on the road, is al- ways inclined to canter; for, if in the walk or trot, where one fore-leg is in the air at a time, it is more than ten to one, but the weight of his rider brings him down. Whenever, there- fore, this is observed, however free from lame- ness the Horse may appear, such feet are diseased ; and frequently on close inspection in these cases, one may detect a shortened step, and .sudden drop of the knee, or fetlock joint, termed " going feelingly," as though the Horse was going on hot bricks, the proper sensibility seems lost ; for such Horses, sel- dom or never step true, but always trip or stumble. Nor can we wonder that lameness should be the consequence of contraction, when we consider how exquisitely sensible are the in- ternal parts of the foot, and how completely they fill up the cavity, which being lessened, must subject the contained parts to pressure, between the hard substances of the coffin- bone, the walls, and sole. The inflammation frequently goes on to that extent, that a deposit of coagulable lymph between the Jaminse takes place, and sometimes over the sensible sole, which in a great measure des- troys the natural sensibility. This is called by the old farriers, " mimbness'" of the foot; but this is not the end of the matter, for the inflammation will extend to the bones and cartilages; and while the former throw out bony matter, the latter will become absorbed, and bone deposited to supply their place, This of course must produce great lameness and pain to the poor animal. In giving my opinion for the treatment of contraction, it requires me to pause, as no general treatment can be used, but it must be subject to the kind of foot you have to contend with. Feet having taken on the disease, are of such great varieties, that a general pre- scription would not be of much use ; but as I have undertaken the task, I will at once go into the treatment of contraction. I shall also not forget the methods adopted by the Royal Veterinary College. From what I have ob- served, contraction may arise from external as well as internal causes ; consequently, in many cases we can only administer palliatives. Fortunately, however, where internal de- rangement has not taken place, although the pressure may be great, and considerable lame- ness ensue, still the ill effects are not of tiiat lastiii"" nature ; for by enlarging the hoofs, the pressure may be removed, and the pain taken off. No means of course would be equal to a perfect cure, and consequently it would mit be wise to recommend a tedious and expen- sive process, when a palliative mode ought to be adopted; but in the latter case, a perfect cure would follow a judicious mode of treat- ment, and therefore these circumstances would not deter from it. If the contraction has not been of a long duration, you may, by proceed- ing slowly and carefully, obtain your ends ; and particularly if you can ascertain the cause of the disease, and there is every reason to believe the internal parts are not materially affected. There have been, by many ingenious aval OK FARRIERY. 247 clever veterinarians, invented a variety of meclianioal contrivances to remove contrac- tion of the foot, but few of tliem are attended with permanent success, though in some in- stances they afforded temporary relief; but as soon as such plans were removed, the foot would contract much faster than before. However, all these absurdities are now- done away with, and a more simple and effectual one put in practice ; and that is, by applying moisture, and having more regard to shoeing. In extreme cases the operation of neurotomy must be performed. In cases of contraction, take blood from the plate-veins; «ay two quarts from each. Give alterative medicines every other day. (^See medicines.) Apply swabs, or woollen cloth, round the hoofs, as directed in the last article, to be al- ways kept wet with cold water. Now you call in the farrier. Direct him to pare out the sole, so much as it may yield to the pres- sure of the thumb. Be careful he does not remove the bars, or any part of them. The frog likewise must not be cut away, except those ragged parts that may be injurious. Now let him take the rasp, and rasp down the heels until they are as low as the crown of the frog, if they will admit of it ; if not, as close as you possibly can. This being done, place on an old thin shoe, with but one nail in the inside, so that it does not press on the inner quarter. Remove all bedding, except- ing a little eveiy other night, as the more he stands, the quicker will be the expansion. Give him cooling diet, such as half bran and oats, made tolerably wet ; carrots, or clover, grass, &c., &c. Continue this treatment for a week, and watch the progress of it, and if the Horse should not be particularly lame, let him be exercised two hours, Boning and night. At the Royal Veterinary College, (here ;3 an ingenious contrivance to apply moisture to the feet. The floor is taken up where the Horse's fore-legs would come, and the earth removed, the paving is then replaced, and ce- mented, so as to be water-tight. The Horse then is led into this standing, where he re- mains a considerable time, up to his knees in water. This is one of the ingenious Profes- sor's contrivances to apply continual moisture, adding pressure at the same time ; for the moisture must be accompanied with pressure, or the end will not be answered. It is for that purpose I have ordered four hours' exer- cise per day in this disease. Many persons are fond of scoring the hoof at the quarter, with a fine drawing knife, so that it may have an hinge-like actiori ,• but this is of no service, without the apj^ation of moisture ; the mo- ment you remove which, the scorings become so dry, that they make the matter worse than it was. We now come to the last resource, all others failing, which is the excising a portion of the pastern nerve, and termed neurotomy. This is the only remedy in extreme cases, which are then termed the navicular disease. For the mode of operating, I will describe when we are on the subject of operations. GROGGY FEET. Groo-'>-v feet, used to be bv stable-men and grooms, and for a length of time was con- sidered to be an inflammation of the lamina' ; but since the anatomy of the Horse's foot has become known, it has been discovered to be an inflammatory action going on in the articu- lating cartilages and their membranes ; also \\ith the ligaments connecting the large and small pastern bones together, which have 248 THE MODERN SYSTEM sometimes been corroded, and in a very disor- ganized state, so that it frequently tends to a bony deposit, and eventually anchylosis, or stiff joint. I do not know of any treatment to be* likely to relieve the parts, but firing, and re- peated blistering. In this disease the Horse will go upon his toe, the joint immediately within the hoof being stiff. Many working Horses in London are affected with this dis- ease, though it is highly disgraceful to see ; the poor animals sometimes being so exces- sively lame, that they are miserable objects to behold. PUMICED FOOT. Pumiced foot, very frequently being the eftect of inflam.mation and contraction, I have placed that disease to foHo'w the two latter. To define pumice foot, (^|^e may say, a morbid secretion of the sensible laminae, which forces the insensible hoof from the sensible laminse covering the coffin-bone, so that a partial separation takes place between the two, and this but seldom, hastily ; but the in- flammatory attack goes on slowly and gradu- ally. This you may notice, by the front of the lioof giving way, or falling in, receding from its usual obliquity ; the sole also, at the same time, becoming nearly flat. This is the time the Horse begins to falter, and shew lame- ness, especially if going over newly repaired roads ; when if he should tread on a sharp .>id stimulant, with which you will be able to reach all the sinuses. Tincture of cantharides, with turpentine, or a mild solution of caustic alkali, or the lunar caustic, introducing small plegits of tow, of which erer of the above you may select, or which may appear to agree best with combatting the disease. Should these also fail in producing the desired object, more active stimulants must be had recourse to ; and to do which, mix about an ounce of t;ir with finely powdered corrosive sublimate, then take small pieces of tow, and impregnate well with the mixture ; then place one of the plegits thus impregnated, at the end of your probe, and lightly press it to the bottom of the sinus. Do the same until vou have cliarffcd every one ; tlien fill up to the top of the ori- fice with the mixtures : be cautious when introducing your plegits, to use a light hand, and not do it by force. If the quittor should be what the farriers call foal, mix a dram of verdigris with the above. It would be well to thin the horn a little round the parts, as it will have a tendency to remove the pain that naturally must arise. Let the dressing remain in for two or three days, until sloughing takes place ; if the parts lOok red and clean, you may naturally expect by simple dressings of tincture of myrrh the wound will heal, from its healthy appearance. If unfortunately this should not be the case, you must proceed again in the same manner as before, until a healthy appearance is put on. During the application of tiiese remedies, 25^^ THE MODERN SYSTEM fic not forget to give alterative medicines every second day. (&e medicines.) ON CANKER. Canker is one of the most obstinate and de- structive diseases the Horse is subject to. Canker consists in the separation of the horn of the insensible sole from the sensible sole, from suppuration having taken place between the two. This troublesome disease may arise from various causes. One origin is from neg- lected thrush, in which the sensible sole par- ticipates with the inflammation of the sensible frof. Ne£:lected grease will sometimes occa- .sion canker. In both these cases it is fre- quently engendered amongst cart-horses, par- ticularly in crowded places ; for you will find more grease and thrush in large cart-horse establishments than any other; and if care be not taken in time, canker soon shews itself It often arises from pricks ; and when such is the case, and the flexor-tendon siiould become injured, in all probability locked-jaw may su- pervene. Treads, bruises, or bad corns may now and then occasion it. This disease seldom occurs in the fore-feet, clearly shewing that dung and urine are among the principal causes. Having enumerated the causes of canker, I .shall now proceed to otfer the treatment for this troublesome disease. Canker, in its ap- pearance, you will find to be a formation of fungus, or proud flesh ; which of course is an imliealthy secretion, and in appearance much resembles a cauliflower. Now, your first object is, to remove this to a level with the parts that appear healthy. This you will effect with a sharp .scalpel. You will occasion considerable bleeding, but do not be alarmed at that. Have with you a bottle of butter of anti- mony (see medicines) and with a feather, touch every part of proud flesh, and between the parts. Now proceed carefully, with a probe, to examine what extent of sensible is separated from the horny sole ; exactly to the extent of separation must the sole be nicely pared away, with a very fine and sharp drawing- knife ; for the horny sole, once separateil, never re-unites, but becomes a foreign body, and as such, injurious. Every portion of separated horn should be carefully removed ; and mind also, this must be attended to at every future dressing. Again examine with your probe, if the disease has proceeded in any other direction. If so, they must be treated as above, by a careful removal of all detached parts ; let these be cut away, neatly and evenly, and no rough edges suffered to remain. By using the above means, the fimgus may be removed ; but mind, so long as any of this fungus continues sprouting, or glowing, so long the cankered action is going on ; before proceeding further, that must be completely done away with ; for while that is the case, no secretion of firm horn will take place. If you perceive a secretion of thin horn, which will .sometimes occur over many portions of the surface, this must be carefully removed at each dressing, until the application of caustic stimulants and pressure produce a healthy surface, and produces a proper quantity of pus only, and which finally end in good horn. After you have brought the whole of the sole to secrete good matter, sprinkle it with the following : — Sul. zinc, finely powdered i ounce. Verdigris - i (la Or. OF FARRIERY. 257 Blue vitriol Alum 1 ounce. - 1 do. Sprinkle either of these all over the sole, so as to lightly cover it ; then lay a plegit of the finest and clearest tow on the whole ; fill the whole cavity with other tow thickly over the bot- tom of the foot, fastened in with strips of wood, as before directed, crossing each other ; this will keep up a firm and equal pressure. Now take a piece of coarse cloth or sacking, and wrap the whole well up in it. This will keep the foot dry, as nothing tends to increase the growth of proud flesh so much as moisture. There is a great fault in not dressing cank- ered feet sufficiently often. Once a day they they ought at least to be dressed ; but if the case be had, they ought to be examined morning and evening. Trouble, in this disease, must not be noticed ; for if the foot becomes neglected, the parts are much longer healing, and when healed are noc near so firm, as if well attended to. Horses afiected with this disease should never be turned out. In order to avoid moisture, the mild caustic plan of treatment, with the pressure of tow nicely fitted into the foot, will be found to equal any dressing, when applied with care. You should give alterative medicines (see medicines,) every second day. FALSE QUARTER. False quarter generally arises from one. or the other of the peceding diseases; in which, from the injury done to the coronary vascular ligament, at one immediate part, it can never afterwards secrete horn in a perfect line ; but the break of interruption which first origin- ated between the old and the new horn, con- tinues to be propagated. Consequently, it is called false quarter; and it, of course, very much weakens the foot. Sandcrack is some- times produced by it. The only remedy here, is continually blistering the coronet at the quarter, and shoe with a bar-shoe, well laid off at the seat of disease. You may dress the hoof with tar, or the foot-ointment (see medi- cines,) and keep as free from dirt as possible. S T 268 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XXVI ON THE HORSE'S TEETH If my readers will refer to the introductory part of this work, they will see that it was not my intention to have made any further remark on the age of the Horse, having heard 8o many contradictory opinions, and such out of the way judgments, that I thought it would only be taking up tlie time cf those who may wish to learn, without obtaining that end ; but as some of my readers have wished it, I have had the annexed plate correctly engraven for this work only, with full explanation of each figure, which I deem to be perfectly correct. The teeth are incontestibly the parts of the body, capable of furnishing the most certain indications of the number of years that the animal has lived ; and the incisor teeth, in particular, are suitable for this purpose. They are indeed the only teeth that give correct ideas on the age of the Horse, throughout almost the entire duration of his life. The difficulty of examining the molar teeth, and the irregularity of their table, prevent our being able to obtain any result fiom the in- spection of these teeth As to the tushes, (besides mares not being provided with them) the period of their protrusion varies much, as they do not rub against each other, but side- ways, and across, they can only be considered as accessory means of judging. KXPLANATION OF THE PLATE. Fig. 1. The state of this end of a jaw marks four years and a half old. The Horse- dividers, newly shot out, are still quite fresh, and not as yet on a level with the nippers. The inner edge of the latter are still un- touched, and lower than the external edge. The sucking corner-teeth are much more worn, and present only the extremity of the funnel. Fig. 2. A Horse just closing up to five years old. The corner-teeth have a short time shot out, they are fresh and untouched ; the nippers begin to lose the mark ; the ex- ternal edge of the dividers have undergone some wear ; but the inner is nicked, as yet untouched, and lower than the outer. Fig. 3. This figure represents the age of a Horse, six years old. The nippers have lost their mark ; the dividers have nearly so ; but the inner edge of the corner-teeth are still untouched, and also slightly nicked. Fig. 4. A jaw, in which the incisors mark seven years old complete; and the nippers and dividers have completely lost the mark ; the inner edge of the corner-teeth is on a level with the outer, in consequence of Avear. Fig. 5. In this jaw of eight years old, all "1 I h (■ o :r, sH e /'. Ymrs I"/,/ JC rears CM Omanff ■^>T<''o -^ f'/'/ JJ Tears Old 7 Yerrrs fid ,f Yeay-s nd .9 Yems /'?d Ji' Years tVd 13 '2 Years PhJ J J Years Old 7.7 or J 6 Years O/d IDOH A GLASGOW I ^^ [=3 r ^ te> ft g 1 <+-< (^ cd or c,- xr ^ _ o ■^ !_,' o 01 -3 6 fc Tl CJ 9 3 s r^ tn CJ Oj o ts ^ & .2 ^ rn ^ m ?3 1 f2 eg ^ g ?7- ■t3 «; ft fe ^ fe C' •^ M b a 6> o o v\ 0* Qj <1> ^ e3 s ,113 >— t C-0 t<:> — -'""" -■ ■ — - _HV ^W ^"i^^^^? Bc^'^^' - j^^ -.>' N, I OF FARRIERY. 259 the teeth have lost tlie mark, and the nippers begin to assume the oval form ; the remainder of the funnel is close to the inner edge of the table of the tooth. Fig. 6. This jaw belonged to a Horse that was ei£:ht years old off. All the incisors have lost the mark, and the septum of the root ap- pears on the table of the nippers, in the shape of a small transverse zone, situate in front of the funnel, and quite close to the outer edge of the tooth. Fig. 7. The end of a jaw, nine years old. The nippers are rounded, and the dividers beginning to assume that form ; the remainder of the funnel of these four teeth is round, and quite close to the inner edge of the tooth. These same teeth exhibit the septum of the root, which is most prominent in the nippers. Fiff. 8. This exhibits a iaw of ten years old. This is merely the rudiment of the fun- nel in the nippers, as well as in the dividers, and the remainder of the central enamel touches the inner edge of the table of the tooth. The nippers and the dividers are rounded, and the corner- teeth present an oval Kjrm. Fig. 9. From the state of the teeth of thia jaw, it had attained its eleventh year. All its incisors are rounded, and only now carry a slight trace of the central enamel, which touches the inner edge of the table of the tooth, the septum of the root appears in all the teeth, and the remainder of the funnel is smaller in the nippers, than in the dividers and corner-teeth. Fig. 10. In this jaw, which marks twelve years old, the nippers have lost the central enamel, and the septum of the root is rounded. Fig. 11. This is aged thirteen years off; the nippers have become triangular, the di- viders are also assuming that form, and the corners are still rounded. The septum of the root is rounded in the four latter, and is seen in the middle of the table. The tushes are very much worn. Fig. 12. The Horse to whom this jaw be- longed, might have been thirteen or fourteen years of age ; the nippers are triangular, and the dividers are becoming so. The tushes are still more worn than in the preceding figure. 2fiC THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XXVII. ON THE STABLE AND ITS VENTILATION. Loftiness is very desirable in a stable, and when it can be made from fifteen to twenty feet high, ventilation becomes a matter of no ^reat importance. It should never be less than twelve feet high, and then some method of ventilation becomes necessary. A chimney, or square opening in the ceil- ing, coTiimunicating with the open air, is the best method ; or it may be made in the form of a dome or cupola, which would be more ornamental. The chimney need not be open at the top, so as to admit the rain ; but should be roofed, and have lateral openings by means of weather-boards, as they are termed. As to the admission of air into a stable, the usual means provided for that purpose are quite sufficient ; that is, by w indows. A stable, when properly paved, and kept mo- derately clean, requires only a shallow wide gutter ; twelve inches wide, one inch deep. The best floor for a stable, by far, is hard brick ; and next to that, lime-stone, not less than one foot square. The floor of the stall should never incline more than one inch in a yard ; and the in- clination should be continued bade to the fjutter only. Some litter should always be allowed for a Horse to stale upon, which should be always swept away as oflen as ia necessary. This, with a pail or two of water, thrown upon the floor, and swept off while the Horse is at exercise, will jieep the stable per- fectly clean, and free from ofTecsive smells. The depth of a stable should never be less than twenty feet, nor the height, as I observed before, less than twelve. The width of a stall should not be less than six feet clear. But when there is sufficient room, it is a much better plan to allow each l!or>e a space of ten or twelve feet, where he may be loose, and exercise himself a little. This will be an effectual means of avoiding swollen heels, and a great relief to Horses that are worked hard. With respect to the rack and manger : the manger should never be less than eighteen inches deep ; eighteen inches from the front to the back part; and two feet in length. The rack may be with staves in the front, like a common rack ; but it is better to have it partly closed in front. The back part of the rack should be an inclined plane, made of wood, should be gradually sloped towards the front, and should terminate about two feet down. Such a rack will hold more hay than ever ought to be put before one Horse. The advantages of this rack are numerous. OF FARRIERY. 261 In the first place, the hay is easily put into it, and renders a hay-loft over the stable un- necessary ; and this may be an inducement to the builder, to make it as lofty as it ought to be, and render other ventilation unnecessary. \1\ the hay that is put into this rack will be eaten, but in the common rack, it is well known that a large portion of the hay is often pulled dos^/i upon the litter, and trodden ttjJon, vvLereby a considerable quantity is often vrastisd. It prevents the hay-seeds, or dust from falling upon the Horse, or into his eyes ; and what is of considerable import- ance, thouo:h seldom attended to, there will be an inducement to the groom to give the H^rse hay in small quantities at a time, and fre- quently, from the little trouble which attends putting it into the rack. The saving in hay that may oe effected by the use of this rack is so apparent, that it need not be dwelt upon A great saving also may be made in oats, by so fastening the Horse's head during the time of feeding, that he cannot throw any of them out of the manger. If a Horse is allowed a peck of oats a day, and has, as he may have, one-eighth part of them thus saved, it will amount to nearly a peck in a week. There must not however, be a dimi- nution in the Horse's allowance on this ac- count. If my advice with respect to feeding be followed, he must have one peck of oats in twenty-four hours, but then he must not have more than from eight to twelve pounds of the best hay in that time, given at four, or three times ai least. In the rack I have now been describing, every ounce of hay consumed by the Horse, will be perfectly digested, and keep the sto- mach in health. This kind of rack and manger, from being boarded up in front, will effectually prevent the litter from being kept constantly under tao Horse's head and eyes, by which he is com- pelled to breathe the vapours which arise from it. It will also prevent him from getting his head under the manger as sometimes happens, by which means, not unfrequently the poll-evil is produced. The length of the halter should be only four feet from the head-stall to the ring, through which it passes ; this will admit of his lying down with ease, and that is all which is required. The ring should be placed close to that side where the manger is, and not in the centre of the stall. The sides of the stall should be sufficiently high and deep, to pre- vent Horses from biting or kicking each other. In post and waggon stables, where the stall is made for a pair of Horses, the manger will be placed at each end, and the rack in the centre. It will then be necessary to put one bar in the centre of the rack, on the top, from the front to the back part, to prevent the Horse from throwing out the hay with his nose. This I have lately seen absolutely necessary in a waggon stable. But in this case there was an unlimited quantity of hay allowed, and that often of a bad quality ; which probably was the cause of the Horses throwing it out with their noses; but the cross-bar prevented them. The window of the stable should be at the south-east end, and the door at the opposite end. The window should be as high as the ceiling will admit of, and in size pu.- portionate to that of the stable. In one o( twelve feet high, it need not come down more than four feet, and will then be eight feet from the ground, and out of the way of being broken. The frame of the window should bo 3 u 2>;2 THE MODERN SYS'i'EM moveable upon a pivot in the centre, and opened by means of a cord running over a pully in the ceilino:, and fastened by means of another cord. With a window of this kind, in a stable of three or four Horses, no other ventilation will be required. A person never need be solicit- ous about finding openings for the air to enter when there is sufficient room above, and means for it to escape. Where much light is admitted, the walls of a stable should not be white, but of a stucco, or lead colour, and better, if painted ; for then they may always be washed clean with soap and water, as well as the stalls, rack, and manger ; and this should be done once in two or three weeks, or a month at furthest. If the walls are boarded up to the height of about five feet, and this as well as the stalls, painted of a light wainscot colour, it will look extremely neat, and the under part of the wall will be kept drier, and look more com- fortable. A stable should be lighted by means of an Argand lamp, suspended from the ceiling, and moveable. This will give a far better lig'ht„ is cheaper, and more secure than any other contrivance whatever, except gas-light; and, if properly trimmed, will burn without a particle of smoke. Instead of having a large corn-chest in the stable, a handsome seat may be made at the back of the stable, extending as far as may be neces- sary. In this there may be partitions to sepa- rate the beans, or the bran ; and places may be made to rest the arms upon, so that a gentleman may sit down comfortably in his stable, and see his Horses taken care of A stable thus constructed, will be found con- ducive to the health and the comfort of the Hctr8e.s, and will afford an inducement to the groom to attend to every little circumstanco which may contribute to cleanliness. He will not allow the smallest bit of dung to rcma'c) swept up at one end of the stable, as it com- monly is. The pails should be kept outsitte, and not staiiding about the stable, as they commonly are. If it be necessary to take oif the chill from water, it is much better, aud more easily done, by the addition of a little hot water, than by suffering it to stand in the stable ; and while the Horses are at exercise, the litter should be all turned out to dry, anil the brick-floor well washed, or swept out. A little fresh straw may then be placed for the Horses to stale upon. Litter, thus dried during the day, will serve again as well as fre>h straw for the bottom of the bed, and be perfectly free from smell; The litter necessary to be kept under a Horse, that he may stale with comfort, and without splashing himself, is not considerable, and may be changed once a day. A great saving may be made in litter, by turning it out, and drying it, as I have tie- scribed ; and if a shed were built adjoining a stable, it may be done at all times, and may serve also to exercise and clean a Horse in, in wet weather. Neither dogs, fowls, nor goats, should ever be permitted to enter a stable; and dung should be kept at a dis- tance from it. In speaking of the arrange- ments of the stable, it may not be amiss to notice what I consider a good contrivance in cleaning Horses ; that is, to have two straps, one on each side the stall, about one yard from the head of it ; by these the Horse may be fastened during the time he is cleaned, by which he will be effectually prevented from biting the manger or the groom ; and being kept back in the stall, the groom will ne better able to clean the front of his tbrM-ieg». OF F/.RRILiiY. *J.Gi chest, and neck; and be able to move round ' manger; and this may be done, withoui thi- bim. This is better .h:ir. strapping him to the necessity of a hay-loft, and the manger may rack. When the common rack and manger be made deep and wide, as 1 have described &;e preferred, the rack-staves should be it. tyi:\ight, and brought neail.v dov.n to '.h« 264 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER XXVIII. OF OPERATIONS AND RESTRAINTS \Vhen it is necessary to perform any pain- ful or unpleasant operation on the Horse, from his great power and strength to resist, it be- comes of consequence as well for our own security, as that of the safety of the animal, to put such restraint upon him, as will enable us to combat with his struggles. Some Horses, like men, differ much in temper when undergoing any operation, and bear pain very differently to others ; but it is always well to be guarded against the worst, and very few mportant operations should be attempted, without casting. As this is intended to be a book of information to those who are not im- mediately veterinarians, as there are a number of amateurs and experienced Horse-men, who frequently practise on their own Horses, and that rather skilfully too ; therefore, my taking operations into consideration, is principally for their instruction, and if any thing can be gleaned from the work, the end is at once answered. Great care should be taken to be as humane as possible in all our operations, and prevent as much pain as possible ; though at times severe means are obliged to be resorted to. There are other restraints than the hobble ; such as the twitch. This latter instrument is most frequently used by all classes of Horse- men ; for there is scarcely, if any operation that is performed, but it requires the twitch ; which no stable should be without. Still, if used with violence, it is apt to make a Horse more uneasy and restive than not ; conse- quently, great care is required in using the twitch. The twitch-staff should be about thirty-six or thirty-eight inches long, with a small ring-bolt, driven firm into one end ; then take a piece of sash-line, which put through the eye of the bolt ; then tie the ends together, about six inches off the end of the bolt ; cut off all superfluous cord, and you have a twitch. Most persons, and especially the inexperi enced, guard only against the hind feet ; but they will find that a blow from a Horse's fore-foot, if properly directed, will come with terrible force. Therefore, in all operations, blindfold the animal, and the more so, as by that he becomes particularly intimidated ; nor will he often strike without being greatly irritated. Another kind of instrument, principally used by smiths, is what are termed barnacles, which is is a kind of clam, with a guaginff- ring to regulate its tightness, and is sometimes OF FARHIEKY. '26-5 npplied to the Horse's ear at the time ofeshoe- iiig. It is, 1 beliere, at times used for the Horse's nose ; but not without the Horse being first bHndfolded. Sometimes all may be done that may be wanted, by an assistant holding up the opposite leg. With regard to holding up the hind leg, always have one hand fast hold of the point of the hock ; the Horse cannot move then without giving you plenty of warning ; and should he feel inclined to kick, you will be enabled to get from him without danger. It is highly necessary these precautions should be attended to, for two reasons ; the one, to prevent any accidents that the operator may be liable to ; and the other, that you may avoid suspicion from those around you, that you do not know your business. Thece is another restraint, called the side- line ; and though very simple in its nature, one of exceeding great use, and is now be- come very general. Many veterinarians use only the side-line, considering that to be quite sufficient for both man and Horse ; but this I cannot agree with ; for if the Horse make a sudden plunge, it is ten to one he comes down all together. It consists of a hobble-strap, and about six or seven yards of rope, about the size of a man's thumb, and what is termed a neck-collar. To make use of the side-line properly, you should use a roller made on purpose, with several rings on the pad part, both on the sides and top, to answer your con- venience. Well, all things being ready, put on your roller, then slip your neck-collar on, down to the Horse's shoulder ; now, with a small strap, strap the neck-collar to a ring of the roller. By these means, if the Horse should by chance hold down his head, the Hide-line does not get shifted (which it would do, if fastened round the neck alone). Now buckle the side-line on to the fetlock on the side you are going to stand on, pass the line or rope through the Horse's legs, and through the neck-collar, take it back, after giving it one turn round the collar to the fetlock ; do the same there, then come home again to the collar, where make fast. You may do what you plea»e with your Horse afler this confinement; i.e. on the side the li-ne is on. Hobbles are used when you are desirous to cast a Horse, and one hobble-leather is placed on each fetlock, each leather having what is termed a D ring attached to it ; one ring and leather being fastened to a long rope, very supple, but strong, and about an inch and a quarter in diameter. Now, in putting the hob- bles on, observe which side you want to cast your Horse on ; if it be on the off-side, place the rope-hobble on the near fore-fetlock, then buckle the three others on, the-n take the end of the rope, and hand it to an assistant to thread the off-fore-foot D ring; Let him pass the rope to the off-hind hobble-ring, then you receive it, and pass it through the ring of the hind hobble of your side ; then carry your rope up to the near fore-foot again, and put it throuo^h the rins: there ; which rinff must be considerably larger than any other, because there is double the quantity of rope in it. (All this time, mind your Horse has been blind- folded.) Now, having your proper strength ready, desire them to pull steady, and to- gether ; then you place your hand against the Horse's ribs, at the same time pushing him, when he goes down easily. There is a plan used at the Royal Veterinary College, of one person having a piece of webbing fastened to the roller, who stands at the opposite side, and gives a smart pull, just as the Horse is ofThii 3 X 2f>6 THE MODERN SYSTEM legs, which quickly brings him over. I do not disapprove of this plan, for I thinii it may prevent accidents. By following the above directions, the Horse may be said to be more let down than thrown. The moment tlie Horse is thrown, the rope must be fastened with what is termed a half- hitch, in which a small pad of straw is in- serted, by which means the rope is drawn much tighter. The person at the head must mind and keep that secure ; for all the efforts to disengage himself are first begun by en- deavouring to get his head at liberty, so that he may raise his fore parts. Place plenty of straw underneath his head, so that he may lie as easy as possible. Be careful also that the Horse should breathe freely when down, and that no more time be wasted in the ope- ration than is absolutely necessary, as many Horses struggle the whole of the time, and are very tedious, and exhaust themselves very much. BRONCHOTOMY. Bronchotomy is an operation performed on the bronchia, or wind-pipe, in bad cases of strangles, or when tumours exist in the throat, which threaten the animal with suffocation ; or if an apple, potatoe, or a piece of carrot has slipped into the oesophagus, &c. The operation of tracheotomy is not of a difficult nature, and consists in making a longitudinal section throuo:h two or three of the rings, occupying about an inch square, that may be taken away from the front of the cartilaginous substance. A flexible tube should then be introduced into the opening, and retained there as long as possible. — This operation has been performed in cases of roaring; those who peiformed it think- ing the obstruction much lower down loan it is. CESOPHAGOTOMY. The oesophagus may be divided purposely, in cases of strangulation, from the obstruction of too large a ball, an apple, or from the accumulation of dry bran and chaff, whi,ch sometimes takes place in greedy horses. NEUROTOMY, Or the nerve operation, spoken of some time* back, now comes under our notiie to describe the performance of. We also stated that the operation was performed for diseases of the feet, principally of such as are dependent on a contracted form, or otherwise altered in the form of the hoofs, (excepting the pumised hoof.) The nerves having been long known as the medium of sensation, many cases of lameness in the feet occur, which render Horses useless, principally from the pain and tenderness consequent on the pressure of some parts of the foot, long since altered by disease but which are not now actively engaged in a disorganizing process. Where there is reason to expect consider- able disorganization of the internal parts of the feet, such as ossification, or total absorp- tion of the articular cartilages, or aiseased alteration of the bones within; the horny box, or where inflammation of the laminae may have wholly destroyed their sensibility, or where the mucous capsules have from disease ceased to yield any, or but a partial supply of synovia, in all sneh cases it cannot be expected to restore the mobility of anchylosed parts, nor can it restore the lost organization, but even in such cases, when morbid processes are not actually ginng on, but seem stationary, and OF FARRIERY. 26: whe animal is rather suffering under the effects of former than of present disease, this operation has, by rendering the animal less susceptible to the pain of pressure, enabled him to move and exert himself with more ease to himself, and benefit to his owner. But when violent inflammation is in the foot, 1 should say that must be removed, or attempted to be re- moved, before the operation ought to be performed. Sometimes it has happened in such cases, by removing sensation and rendering the animal willing to exert himself more than the state of the parts will allow, that gneat aggra- vation of the disease has frequently followed. 1 believe it has never been found to answer in the disease called pumise foot ; the operation there, is particularly hurtful. Neither should I recommend it in any disease of the foot, until I had tried every other means without accomplishing some good ; should I not suc- ceed with other applications, I then should not hesitate in immediately performing this ope- ration ; in others, according to circumstances with the exceptions before insisted on. Neu- rotomy has been found to render many Horses with contracted feet, and otherwise foot-lamed, not only useful, who were before nearly use- less, but it has rendered them nearly as per- fect in their mode of ffoinjj as ever. Some have hunted, many have made excellent road- sters, and all have been fitted for carriage work of every description. The importance of this operation, though great in veterinary practice, is in some mea- sure removed, when attended with misfortune afterwards. This I should imagine might arise from the inflammation not being properly n"i)Hued at the time of performing the opera- lion, .so that the disease slill went on, with all its consequences. However, for my own part, I prefer the high operation to the lower one, as 1 have seen less ill consequences arise from it Some veterinarians prefer the lower one. Now for ring-bone, the lower one should never be practised. One reason for my preferring the upper operation to the lower is, that after tha operation, the end of the nerve frequently draws itself up, forming a bulbous end ; ami this coming in contact with the joint, the Horse goes as lame as ever in the course of a few days. What is the consequence? why the high operation is obliged to be performed, and the Horse is immediately upright, if a similar formation manifests a disposition to attach itself to the higher part of the nerve, in this mode of operating, it becomes pro- tected by the tendon, and nothing further is heard of it ; for where no lameness returns, there is reason to suppose that the disease »s overcome. 1 mentioned before that llie importance of neurotomy, was in some measure lessened by misfortune afterwards. Whilst 1 was practising in Devonshire, a very large proprietor of Horses, and the mail- contractor, had the misfortune to lose a Horse, by both hoofs coming off, and which was not discovered until the Horse arrived in the hotel-yard. He evinced not the least lame- ness during his journey, and to my own know- led<''e, he was driven by one of the most humane men who ever sat upon a box. An- other instance occurred to the same gentleman, and by the same coach ; on taking the Horses off, one of the leaders appeared to go stiff before, thinking it was a slight inflammatory action of the foot, the Horse had his feet and leo-s bathed in hot water. On the morrow, however, he could not move his fore-feet in i!«8 THE MODERN SYSTEM the stall, and of course a more minute exami- nation was required ; on doing which, the bones were heard to grate together at the large and small pasterns. In consequence, the Horse was immediately destroyed, and both large and small pasterns were fractured in an oblique direction ; one of the specimens the owner presented me with. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATE, SHEWING THE HIGH AND 1.0W OPERATIONS. This plate of the nerve operations, shows the two methods that have been commonly employed in performing the operation of neurotomy. It is of the greatest importance to observe, that the nerve should be divided with a very sharp knife. I always use the neurotomy knife which you must be careful to keep in good order. Some operators use curved 6istorys and scissors, which are superrtuoua. When the division is made with scissors, that part of the nerve may become numbed, and tlien it is that the bulbous lump forms, much to the disadvantage of the Horse as well as the operation. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE. A represents the Horse's leg taken off a few inches below the knee, and also the foot removed. B the situation for the high operation. C the nerve running behind the artery. D the artery. E a blunt-ended needle armed with whity brown thread to take up the nerve with : the leason it is blunt is, to prevent injuring the artery. F the two tenaculum employed to shew llie parts ; the one on the left hand represents Uie operator's finger drawing back the skin ; the right hand one, the finger of an assistant, whilst the operator inserts the armed needle under the nerve. Then proceed as before described. G the situation of the low operation. 1 remarked that I preferred performing the high operation, or even a little higher than the one marked in the plate. For when performed in this part, the nervous communication with the foot is more completely cut off", and the cicatrix is quite out of the way of being struck with the other foot. In this part the nerve lies rather deeper, especially on the inside of the leg, than it does nearer the fetlock-joint ; but there is no diffi- culty in finding it, by carefully dissecting away a little cellular membrane. Three quarters of an inch of the nerve is quite enough to be cut away, and the incision of the skin need not exceed one inch. After the nerve has been cut out, the wound should be closed by one stich, and a linen bandage applied, moistened with cold water, which let remain on for a day or two, when remove, and dress, with compound tincture of myrrh, and tow dipped therein. Apply the bandage again. MODE OF PERFORMING THE OPERATION. The first thing to be done is to cast your Horse in the most convenient and easy place you can select. Let the leg you first intend to operate upon out of the hobbles, and fasten a piece of webbing round the pastern, to be held firm by an assistant ; the leg resting on a bundle of hay, or straw, to raise it up for the convenience of the operator. All things being thus ordered, the hair must be clipped close off the part you intend operating upon, whether it be for the high, or the low ope- ration. Then have a bucket of water and OF FARRIERY. 269 sj)on»e, and your own assistant close to you, to hand you what instrument you may re- quire; also to be ready with the sponge in case of profuse bleeding, which is sometimes the case, and confuses the operator, unless a wet sponge is handy to take up the blood. You now feel for the pulsation of the artery, which will readily be recognized. Then cut down a little posterior to such pulsation, still keeping your finger on the artery. Well, when you have made your section, about an inch completely through the skin, now lay your knife down, and open the orifice with your thumb and finger, and have it sponged, and you will see the nerve running immedi- ately behind the artery, but perfectly white. Then, introduce your blunt-ended needle, under the nerve, and draw it through as far as convenient. When, after finely dissect- ing the cellular membrane from the nerve, you may divide it as high up as your section will admit. This will occasion a violent struggle with the Horse ; but you may dissect as far down as you think proper, and excise what quantity of nerve you like, and he will make no resistance whatever. The skin should be now drawn neatly together, and place a stitch or two in it, and dress as before described. On removing the bandajre, after the first day or two, dress with com- pound tincture of myrrh. Small plegits of tow, dipped in this mixture, and applied every day, will soon occasion the parts to heal. It may be clearly seen, that the motive for using the nerve operation, is to relieve pain. Stallions, with pumiced feet, suffer greatly fro 11 pain ; and we may be quite assured, where such is the case, it unfits them from getting healthy progeny. After the nerve operation they have proved healthy aod vigorous. Mares also, who from the same causes, have ceased to feel the periodical cestrum, or horsing, after the operation have resumed their fecundity ; therefore the opera- tion is not only beneficial in removing lame- ness, but bodily pain and lameness, arisino" from other sources. ON DOCKING. Docking is an operation performed almost on all Horses, excepting the racer or the. cart- horse ; both of which are allowed to enjoy Nature's gifts without any curtailing. Still, we cannot but say, that from the improvement which docking makes in our hackney-horses, it is not likely that it will fall into disuse, as some operations have altogether. But the excessive docking that some Horses suffer, I think preposterous ; such as those travelling between Birmingham and Bristol, belonging to the Messrs. Ashmores. The docks of these Horses do not extend three inches ; the sight of which is truly disgusting. Some men will still argue, that a short dock will strengthen a Horse. How this is to be reconciled I do not know ; for I think if such were the case, the racin2:-stables would lona: since have adopted short docking. I cannot think that the blood that would be necessary to support a long dock, if diverted into other channels would at all strengthen those parts by the means of a snort one. For mysei'f, 1 am no advocate for the short dock ; neither do I ap- prove of docking eolts, almost as soon as drop- ped, as at all beneficial to the future growth ; for I should imagine, early docked colts would have less hair on them, than when docked at a more matured age ; as the irritation occa sioned by docking in these young animaU, make them apt to rub their tails against any 3 Y 270 THE MODERN SYSTEM thing they may come near to ; consequently, either making the hair very rough, or rubbing it off altogether. I perfectly agree with those who advocate the cause of a longer dock than was fashionable some years ago ; for hunters especially, and someof our roadsters, and car- riage-horses, were docked truly ridiculous, however " knowing" it may have been thought to look. The length of the dock must be left to choice ; about nine inches is the general length left now-a-days. When the length has been determined on, the long hair should he fastened back from that part, while about an inch or two below it should be shorn clear frorh surrounding hair. Apply the docking machine to this part, first finding a joint, and the dock is removed at one stroke. Various means have been adopted to stop the bleed- ing ; but none in my opinion is equal to the actual cautery, which if mildly applied, answers every purpose, without after trouble. Simple as this operation may appear, the old farriers make a dreadful fuss over it ; and what with burning the Horse's tail half-off, and their rosin besides, it becomes a matter of wonder that the Horse escapes the disease locked-jaw, which frequently supervenes on docking, and the violence used afterwards ; and I have also seen mortification follow the operation. The bleeding would scarcely ever prove fatal, and seldom injure the Horse, therefore there is little necessity for cauterising ; but if the bleeding should continue, all you have to do is to take a handful of flour, and apply it to the end of the dock, and draw all the long hair down over it, and tie as close to the dock as possible. This will soon plug up the ends of the arteries, and stop the bleeding. Many persons are very fond of elevating the tail, with an idea that the Horse will carry a much superior one, if done so. This is all nonsense, and at the present day ought not to be noticed. If lock-jaw should make its appearance, immediately operate anew, with- out restraining the blood at all, as its loss will be both useful and necessary in such a case. Administer large doses of opium, or if the mouth should be so much closed, laudanum in gruel must be given frequently ; say, an ounce at a time ; of the opium, four drams. If it should put on a gangrenous appear- ance, apply oil of turpentine to the part, several times a day. Hot applications be- tween applying the turpentine, will also be of great service. NICKING. The practice of nicking Horses is now almost out of date. There is little doubt it originated from large fine Horses carrying their tails " tucked in," as it is termed, and which would tend to reduce the value of the Horse much ; except when he happened to be under excitement, then he would carry his tai' erect enough, so that the ingenuity of man thought of nicking, for in the natural state the depressing muscles of the tail are stronger than the erecting ones, and it was to overturn this, and to give the balance of power to the erec- tors, that the operation of nicking became practised. With nicking, the same as castration, a favourable time of the year should be selected for it, and that I should recommend to be the spring, when the weather is not too hot or too cold ; for in cold weather the granulating pro- cess may become stopped, and in very hot weather, locked-jaw sometimes is likely to supervene. The modes of securing the Horse OF FARRIERY. 271 for the operation, are various, according to the modes of the day such means were in- vented. The break, or trevis, was a favourite mode of the old practitioners, but now com- pletely done away with. A strong rail, or leaping-bar, across a stall, was another means ; but these only by grooms and Horse- dealers. Most veterinarians are in the habit of casting the Horse for this operation, and I liave always done so myself; for I consider tiie more secure and safe you can make the Horse, the less time is taken up in the opera- tion, though Horse-dealers are sometimes verv expert at performing this operation standing ; still I prefer the more secure way. The Horse being properly secured, I shall describe the mode of operating. Have your twitch ready, which place on the Horse's nose ; have ready two bundles of straw or hay, aud then raise the Horse's feet, so that he lays ou his back ; prop him up in this position with the hay or straw, by placing a bundle on each side of him. I should have mentioned that previous to casting the Horse, the hair of the tail ought to have been plaited, and when at the end, neatly turned back and bound firm with wax-end. Now take your nicking knife, which is double edged, which makes it more convenient and prevents the trouble of turning. The mode of making the sections must be left to the discretion of the operator ; always make your sections in the middle of a tail-bone, not at a joint ; this will easily be discovered by the prominences rising at either end of the bone. This should be carefully attended to, otherwise the most serious consequences may arise. It is sometimes the practice with some veterinarian surgeons, to make a section through the integuments only, beginning at the roots of the hair on one side, and carrying it across the bellies of the muscles ; then doing the same on the other side ; and lastly, making these sections meet by a light and careful division of the integuments only, on the median lines of the tail. Such is not only a very cautious, but a proper mode for young hands, and is also consistent with good prac- tice ; but it is apt to take up more time than older and more experienced practitioners are willing to devote to it. The first section should not be nearer in the smallest Horse, than two inches and a half; and in full-sized Horses three, or three inches and a half, as the centre of the tail-bones may indicate. In Mares, one section less than a Horse, is admissible. The most expert ope- rator will, however, find it prudent when the sections are made, to examine them carefully, that they are all equal in depth, and have divided the depressor-muscles completely. Should any difference appear in these res- pects, and should such unequal division be allowed to remain, the operation will be in- complete, and the Horse would in all pro- bability carry his tail awry. Added to which, any portion of the muscle being left undivided, would tend to prevent the others from retract- ing, and might also serve to promote a re- union of them. Having satisfied yourself that the sections are all complete, the bleeding that ensues, need not be considered of conse- quence, nor will it shew itself until the tail is relaxed. Now look to the ends of your ten- dons, and with a sharp and strong pair of scissors, snip off the projecting ends thereof; enough will always protrude to be taken hold of with the foi-ceps. The removal of these ends will not only separate the attachments of the muscles lur- 27.? THF MODERN SYSTEM ther from each other, which, if re-umted, would of course frustrate the operation ; but their removal greatly facilitates the healing of the wounds. The section being thus completed, proceed to restrain the hoemorrage, which is done in various ways. By some, by means of strips of cotton, tow, hemp, &c. ; which, twisted, and inserted into each nick, are separately tied on the back of the tail. In my own prac- tice, I generally take a piece of lint, or a plegit of tow, and introduce into each section suffi- cient to fill it up, over which I place linen strips, long enough to tie on the back of the tail, which were then tied sufficiently tight to restrain the bleeding. Should the bleeding, however, continue to be more than was anti- cipated, place another rather broader linen bandage over each section. It becomes neces- sary now to carefully watch these bandages, that they do not create too much heat and inflammation in the tail. Should this be the case, and the bleeding not stopped, take a sponge which has been dipped in cold water, squeeze the water on the top of the tail seve- ral times a day. Tiiis will cool the parts, and tend to stop the bleeding, too. When per- fectly satisfied on this point, you may loosen your bandages a little, and if all things look favourable, let the tail remain until the morn- ing, when snip the bandage at liberty. Many persons differ in their mode of after- dressing the sections. Some prefer lint only ; others lint, with the mild digestive ointment, and a bandage over all, in both instances. There is one advantage in dressing with the digestive ointment (^see medicines,) and that is, it is apt to promote the suppurative pro- cess, while tlic other is not. By promoting ■uppuration, there is more chance of avoiding locked-jaw ; but in the first dressing, nothirif^ promotes the healing process so much as dry lint ; watching the wounds, that they be kept from dirt and fungus, leave them to heal of themselves, without any application but the bandages. Were a nicked tail left to itself, there is no doubt but the divided muscles would again unite, and the tail be carried nearly as it \va.s before ; therefore, to keep the divided end apart, it is necessary that the tail should be suspended, until the parts become cicatrized, and such junction prevented. In former days, a cushion, or pad, was formed, and fixed to the Horse's rump, by means of buckles and straps, and the tail fastened back to this pad. The Irish nicked Horses, you may always discover from any other ; for there they break the last joint, so you will always see an Irish nicked Horse, with a peculiar curl-up at the end of his tail. This is the cause of it. The modern mode of suspending the tail is by double pulleys, and are not only simple, but are capable of being easily rectified or regulated at your pleasure. The apparatus consists of two pulleys, to be fixed to a beam, or joist in the stable, as wide apart as the stall the Horse is to be placed in ; the wheels of these are to be made sufficiently large to admit of a kind of roller (similar to one used for window-blinds,) and about a foot, or foot and a half longer than the stall is wide. Another pulley, corresponding to the two others, runs loose on the roller, with this ad- dition ; that instead of having an end to fasten up any where, there is a larger wheej, but made only wide enough for the suspension cord to run on. This done, the end of the line must be made fast to the Horse's tail, by means of first having introduced a good strong OF FARRIERY. 273 skewer through the plait, and double at the end of the tail. Then take another pulley, one end of which is to be fastened to a beam, or joist, immediately behind the Horse, and as far back as possible. Now, the line you fa.stened to the pulley on the roller, pass over the one just nailed up ; to the end of this line you must suspend your weight. By this pulley being in a right line with the centre of the stall, the Horse is in no danger of having his tail grow aside ; but if you should perceive the animal have a tendency to rest on one side the stall more than the other, take a bundle of furze, and nail against the side of the stall he may be so inclined to bear against, and vice versa. The weight for the first day or two, should not be more than will keep the tail straight ; then by ad- ditional weight, elevate the tail a little from tile horizontal line, advancing every two or three days, until you have acquired the height jou wish to go to : but never go to the per- pendicular, or erect position. The elevation, however, ought to depend on the height we wish the tail to be carried in future. The carriage of the tail should therefore be exa- mined every two or three days; keeping in mind, that after it has altogether done with the pulleys, it frequently droops a little. I have now given you a description of the apparatus requisite in performing the opera- tion of nicking, and the method of performing it; it only remains for me to mention the treatment, and food the Horse ought to haye. With regard to giving the Horse exercise, during the time the tail is in pulleys, this I should say was decidedly wrong, and which would cause the Horse great and excruciat- ing pain on being placed in them again. It would be very like tearing open an old wound. But there is a means of keeping the Hors« in health, without exercise, by giving him an ounce of nitre in his water, two or three times a week, and an alterative pov/der (see medi- cines,) every day in his feed, which should be half bran and half oats, made moderately wet, so that the powders might easily adhere to it ; not sloppy, that the medicine can run off. There will require some attention with re- gard to the tail, to prevent the hair coming off; but this will happen in some measure, take what care or precaution you may. At the end of about seven or eight days, take the tail out of the pulleys, and unplat it, then carefully comb it out, and apply a little hog's lard to the roots of the hair ; when make fa«i again. This should be done every five or six days ; and it is the only and best means to keep the hair on, though as I before men- tioned, you cannot prevent some from falhne oflf. Now the only things to be mentioned arc the casualties attending the operation of nick- ing, the principle of which is inflammation. This may run so high, as to produce morti- fication, locked-jaw, &c. ; but as we have before treated of these specifically, there is uo necessity of a repetition, as they will be found under their separate heads. CROPPING. Custom has nearly abolished the practice of cropping. Still circumstances may occur to render it necessary ; such as one ear becom- ing blemished ; therefore, at the makers cf surgical instruments, we always can obtain a sort of curved clams, called cropping-irons. Into these, one of the ears is introduced, and the upper part is cut off" at one stroke, with a knife of sufficient length. The portion cut oft 3 z 274 THE MODERN SYSTEM will serve as a guide for forming the other crop. A young practitioner is apt to be alarmed at the retraction of the skin from the cartilages ; but the exposed edges disappear in a few days. Horses often continue for a long time very shy about the head after crop- ping ; consequently, both bridle and halter should be used without a forepart or frontino-, till the ears are qiiite well. The bridle should also be made to unbuckle on one side from the bit, so that the head-stall may be dropped on, without the hand being raised to pass over the ears. This will naturally operate in dissipating the customary shyness that other- wise so long remains, and which is never wholly lost, if force and cruelty be afterwards Msed ; therefore, gentle means will be always found to be the best. BLEEDING. Bleeding is the next article that comes onder our notice, and is practised by several modes. Blood is sometimes taken fi'om the arteries. If the trunk be considerable, it may be punctured, but must afterwards have a ligature passed around it. If it be less con- siderable, it will be sufficient to divide the trunk of the vessel, which having emptied all its ramifications, recedes by its muscularity within the integuments, and stops the bleed- ing. The temporal artery is occasionally opened on both sides. These arteries may readily be detected at three or four inches below the root of the ear, in a line with the nostrils. The angular artery is sometimes opened in inflammation of the eyes. Bleeding at the toe also abstracts blood from both veins and arteries. In drawing blood from the foot, it should not be done in ♦he ordinary way of paring down the mar- ginal line, with part of the sole, but the sole only, as close to the marginal line as may be ; then take a fine drawing-knife, or strong lancet, and puncture the vein running round the margin of the foot, which from the great vascularity of the foot, the blood will flow copiously. With regard to instruments used to let blood, the common blood-stick and phleme, and a variety of lancets, are all to be seen at Mrs. Long's, High Holborn, instrument- maker to the Royal Veterinary College. The lancet, I must confess, is the most sur- gical-looking instrument ; but I prefer the phleme, especially for country practice, where you have necks of all thicknesses to contend with ; for I have seen some practitioners make one puncture through the skin first, then another through the coats of the vein ; and without some experience, the vein is also apt to be altogether missed, in attempting to do it by a lancet. Let your lancets and phlemes, whichever you may make choice o^ be al- ways clean, and highly polished ; and, after bleeding, care should be taken to dry them, and examine their points. Blood is most frequently taken from the jugular vein, though other superficial veins there are, from which blood may be taken with advantage, such as the plate and thigh- veins. The proper place for bleeding at the jugu- lar vein, is about two inches below the branch- ins: off" of that vein, towards the head. To perform the operation, the principle thing is a steady hand. If your intention is to bleed on the near side, take your phleme in your left hand, grasp it with your finger and thumb, then with your middle and third fingers raise up the vein by carrying your hand the back- OF FAKRIERY. 21a ward wa> of the hair ; the vein being raised as high as you require, strike the phleme with your blood-stick in the centre of the vein. Let your assistant receive the flowing blood in a bucket, whilst you replace your tackle, and prepare, with a pin and tow, to bind up the orifice. This being done, let a wet sponge be applied, and remove the blood. In abstracting blood, it should be an invari- able rule never to let it fall on the ground. A bucket IP generally the usual utensil for re- ceiving blood in. By chance you sometimes meet with a graduated can, in well regulated stables, and exceedingly useful it is ; as then you have a certain measure, by which you can regulate the quantity of blood you wish to take. You will frequently find you take much more on the graduated principle, than if you trusted t. chance. As for example: in a large Horse, with a strong attack of inflam- mation upon him, on the first bleeding the recovery mainly depends. You are here work- ing in the dark ; for it will be next to an impossibility to ascertain what quantity of blood is taken, without some measure for a guide. In all inflammatory afiections, it is import- ant to draw the blood from a large orifice, and as quickly as possible, though the general system may be weakened from hastily draw- ing blood ; but the disease gives way to such treatment much quicker than if blood was drawn from a small orifice. There are two kinds of blood-letting, what is termed local and general. Local blood-letting is abstracting blood as near to the part affected as possible ; and a few ounces thus abstracted, frequently does more good than if you took a quart from the system generally. General bleeding is that, wherein the sys- tem at large partakes of the operation, de- pleted by the stores more immediately derived from the heart. Blood-letting, in veterinary practice, is very important. The amazing quickness with which some diseases run their course, and which appear to be only arrested by blood- letting, is in many instances to be considered as our only sheet-anchor ; and therefore is so much resorted to in most fevers, and those internal inflammatorj affections, to which the Horse is so exceedingly liable. Blood-letting is also important as a criterion of the state of the disease, certain appearances of the ab- stracted fluid presenting certain indications which act as a guide for our future treatment. Indeed, if it were not from a knowledge of the different states of the blood and the pulse, we should be liable to be in continual error ; therefore, the state of the blood in health, as well as in sickness, should be well attended to, ON PURGING. Purging, it is well known, is produced in the Horse, in order to renovate him, and to bring him into condition ; and though it may be treated so lightly by a great many persons, still purging is a very important matter, es- pecially when we read of the number of race, and other Horses, that annually fall victims on account of the bad management they re- ceive during the time of their physic. Though almost every groom, with that self-conceit, which so distinguishes this class of persons, declares he can put a Horse through his doses of physic as well as any man. But were you to ask him how the medicine acts, or if things do not go on quite so well as expected, he is 276 THE MODERN SYSTEM completely puzzled, and does not know where to look for an answer, to explain the meaning of cathartic, or purging medicine. Cathartics, or purging medicines, act by stimulating the intestines to a more frequent evacuation of their contents ; they also in- crease the matter so expelled ; and, under some circumstances, they alter the quality of it too. This being the simple operation of purging, it is evident how many erroneous notions are entertained relative to it. Purging is used to reduce swelled legs ; but no purge will act on the legs immediately ; for it cannot in the first instance remove fluids from any other parts but the stomach and bowels. Ultimately it may remove the fluids from other parts to make up the deficiency, and thus the legs become lessened. Notwithstanding there are certain peculi- arities of constitution generally, and certain states of the alimentary canal, which particu- larly render this process very salutary to the Horse, and which are essentially necessary to keep him up to that standard of condition which is now the pride of every gentleman and sportsman ; still, purging has its limits, and if carried too far, which it frequently is by many " would be knowing grooms," until it ends in the death of the animal, let his value be ever so great. I have here to complain of training-grooms in general. They will rarely allow a veterinary surgeon to come into their stables ; and why is this ? Does the veterin- ary surgeon not know his practice'^ or does he know too much ? One, or the other must be the case ; or why allow a man perfectly igno- rant of anatomy or pathology, to have the medical care of so great a property as noble- men are possessed of in the shape of Horses ? However, it is not my province to dictate to the world ; it is only a matter of opinion, but having gone through the whole task myself before my apprenticeship to a veterinary sur- geon, I think my experience at least may qualify me to form a just opinion. However, the world is made, and we must get through it in the best manner we can. But to our sul.ject. There are various uses to which purgative medicine becomes applicable, but may gene- rally be arranged under such as are give.n as a remedy against an existing disease; those exhibited as a preventative against a probable one also, are greatly used for promoting a certain state, called condition. Cathartics are most beneficially used against inflammation, or almost all diseases of in- creased action, except of the alimentary canal. By increasing the waste of the watery parts of the blood, it tends to deplete the system, and to lessen arterial action. In active in- flammation it greatly assists bleeding, and >d others, it is superior to it, and can be advan- tageously employed, when that cannot be with propriety attempted, as in fevers possess- inj^ a low or putrid character ; for as such appear to be often dependent on some morbid change within, or some morbid combinations formed by the biliary fluid, which purging acts particularly upon ; so that its advan- tages here are striking. In plethoric cases, which produce serous deposits in the legs, &c., as in Horses just removed from grass, &c., we depend on purgatives for their removal. In pursive, thick-winded Horses, physic not only prevents further accumulation, but also stimulates the absorbents to take up some of the existing deposit. In dyspeptic cases, in hide-bound, in lampas, and others, arising from the deranged functions of the OF FARRIERY. 277 stomach, mild purgatives act in the most salutary manner. In the removal of worms also, they act most beneficially, by ejecting them, and the nidus in which they are lodged also. As preventatives, purges are extensively employed ; also when Horses are taken from grass, or the straw-yard, and are at once re moved into a heated temperature, with cloth- ing and full diet. Were it not for bleeding and purging, but particularly the latter, we should find all the consequences of plethora shew themselves soon after ; as hide-bound, surfeits, swelled legs, cracked-heels, opthal- mia, and not unfrequently, inflamed lungs also. Here, and in all similar cases, purgatives find a vent for the superabundant blood formed. It is another fact, which serves to exemplify the want of analogy between the action of purgatives on the Horse, to those on the human sul)ject ; that when an emaciated Horse is removed from hard work, and harder fare, at once to rest and a full diet, that so far from his condition being improved, unless he be prepared for the change by previous purg- ing, his skin becomes fixed, his belly still more and more tucked up, and his hair will often actually fall off. But the same change, when accompanied by a judicious use of purgatives, operates so much to his advantage, that a few weeks brings forth a new animal, as it were. Physic is also most beneficially given at particular seasons, as at the spring and fall, to obviate the effects of the contradictory state into which Horses fall at those times ; beintr then apparently weak and emaciated, yet at the same time suffering from increased arte- rial action, employed in working the periodical change in the constitution. At these times, two or three mild purges will stimulate the j defective digestion, remove morbid a(-cumula- tions from the bowels, occasioned thereby, and by a sympathetic effect between the skin and alimentary canal, they will assist in the change of the new hair for the old. Purgatives are given to promote condition. — If their tardiness of action altogether shut them out from any other medicinal use, yet their beneficial influence in producing con- dition, would of itself render the subject important to all those connected with Horses, if, likewise, they excited only the condition we require on the young, the robust, and the already lusty animal, it would excite little surprise, and the method of action would be clear; but when we know that they equally promote if" in lean emaciated Horses, even without apparent disease, it requires an inti- mate acquaintance with the requisite func- tions, and his animal economy, to enable us to account for the fact. In such cases we give mild doses only, which prove a valuable stimulant and tonic to the stomach and bowels, thus pro- moting their digestive powers, and consequent capability of separating more organic mole- culuae from the ingesta. They also stimulat^^ the sluggish biliary and pancreatic secretions, which are so necessary to a healthy digestion and formation of chyle, fi"om which alone the strength and bulk can be augmented. Luxury and refinement have introduced an artificial state of condition beyond that ; simply, a healthy functional state. Such condition is not only necessary to i)ring the animal up to our present ideas of beauty, but also to enable him to undergo exercises, which in a state of nature were not expected from him, as hunting, racing, &c., &c. To promote this state, purges are indispensabi\ necessary, and it is from this view that thu 4a 278 THE MODERN SYSTEM subject of physicino; derives its popularity with the mere horseman ; though we have shewn that it derives no less consideration under every point of view, connected with the well- being of this valuable animal. In promoting condition, purgatives not only act favourably on the digestive organs, but their beneficial influence extends to the other solid and fluid parts of the body also ; by their means the watery parts of the blood are removed, by which the absorbents become stimulated to take up all the interstitial fluid interposed be- tween the moving masses, as well as that distributed within the cellular membrane, by which means the strength is augmented, and the weight of useless matter diminished. The unnecessary adeps, or fat of the body is also removed by the same process, which allows the muscular fibres to be more recti- linearly placed, and to approximate in their action, by which a great increase in their power is gained. It is thus that physic draws up the belly, and hardens the flesh. The lungs also are enabled to act more advantage- ously by the agency of physic, their capacity being greatly increased by the absorption of incumbering matter, either solid or fluid. In this way, the wind as well as the strength, is increased by perfect condition. The abuse and danger of purgatives. — Salutary as is the operation of purgatives on Horses, judiciously managed, and properly timed ; yet hurtful in the extreme, and often fatal are the consequences brought about by an ignorant employment of them when not proper, and an erroneous mode of managing I them when they are. In all inflammatory affections of the stomach and bowels, cathar- tics'must be highly injurious, except in intlam- ination of the bowels, when the obstruction cannot be overcome by any other means. They are almost equally hurtful in inflamma- tion of the lungs ; and it is probable, from the powers it calls forth in the Horse to produce purging, occasioned by his structural pecu- Harities, that in all great visceral inflamma- tions, active purges should be admitted with caution. In farcy and glanders, purgatives seldom do other than harm ; and in chronic affections, attended with great debility, ihey are only admissible in some peculiar instances, specified in the treatment of such diseases. Physic is hurtful, however, principally from the frequency, and quantity sometimes given. Grooms suppose that every ordinary case re- quires three doses of physic ; the reason for which, many have humorously given : — " The first being intended to stir up the humours : the second to set them afloat ; and the third to carry them oflV To very young Horses, and to delicate feeders, the giving of three doses cf physic must be attended with most injurious conse- quences, and such as they cannot recover from for months ; sometimes never. In such cases, one or two very mild doses are all that is required, or ought to be permitted ; and it is doubtful, without some " foulness," as it is termed, or rather extreme fulness and plethora be apparent, whether in ordinary cases, two moderate doses be not all that is necessary to ens^ure the condition of saddle and carriage- horses. It is an unfortunate prejudice, en- gendered by ignorance, and kept alive by obstinacy, " that to do much good with physic it mu^t be very strong." I have many time* been told by grooms, that the dose of physic I had given, could not be strong enough, for it had not purged the Horse more than fifteen or sixteen times. In many cases, these know- OF FARRIERY. 279 in£ gentlemen are not satisfied, unless a Horse have from twenty to thirty evacuations. Su- perpurgation has destroyed hundreds of Horses, and ii has irreparably injured thousands. Extra purging debilitates the Horse more than the human subject, probably from a lax state of bowels being more common in man, owing to the presence of both cystic and hepatic bile, as well as a dependent situation, it is hardly possible to conceive a more deplorable object, than a Horse under the action of an enormous purgative. The liquid aliments es- caping almost involuntarily from a red pro- truded anus, excoriated with the violence and frequency of the dejections ; the belly drawn to the flank, cold sweats bedewing the frame, appetite totally lost, and the strength so ab- ject, as to leave the animal Iiardly the power of tottering from one stall to another ; and yet to this state does the brutality and ignorance of an infinite number of the old farriers doom the Horses of their employers to. The number and strength of the purgative doses, are not the only evils also to which the Horse is liable, from improper purgation; the articles u.sed, are likewise often of an injurious nature. Fre- quently, with the coarsest aloes, the groom's prescription directs gamboge, which greatly increases its drastic qualities. Neither, in- deed, are these gentry, or indeed some prac- titioners, so attentive to previous preparation as they should be. A powerful dose of physic given to a Horse at hard work, and full keep, vs^ithout previous mashing, huiries the hardened faeces for- wards, until it forms them into an impene- trable mass ; inflammation ensues, and on the third day the Horse is found dead, and swol- len immensely. In hot weather, inflammation supervenes on physic, when at all too active, and dysentry is a very common conscijuence of summer purging. When good physic has been properly given, it has been often ren- dered injurious, and even destructive, owing to the carelessness of persons attending on the Horse. Cold water at these times must be avoided ; the doors must not be left open, or a sudden chill may bring on inflammation of the bowels ; also immoderate exercise must be carefully avoided, and only such given as will make the Horse comfortably warm, and then immediately bring him into the stable. Of the articles used in purging of Horses. — A great discrepancy of opinion prevails on this head also ; but if the distinction between laxative and purgatives be maintained, it would tend to reconcile these contentions. There are numerous articles which simply relax the bowels, i. e., slightly increase their peristaltic motion ; but very few which pro- duce active purgation. Of the former ; bran, calomel, neutral salts, castor, linseed, and olive oils, are the most usual instances; but it must be confessed, that with the exception of bran, all the others occasionally fail. There are some other medicines which act on the bowels, but are not to be depended on as purgative medicines. The most proper we shall enume- rate, and will place them at the latter end of this work. The purgative of Horses is, almost in every instance, aloes. Much difference of opinion exists on the preference due to the various kinds of aloes ; nor can we ever arrive at a just conclusion on this subject, until we unite a conclave of honest druggists, both wholesale and retail, from whom alone something like & knowledge of the various sorts can only be expected. However, for all large Horses, ( should decidedly use the Barbadoes aloec for 280 THE MODERN SYSTEM purging ; and for small thin animals 1 would recommend the Cape aloes. But never at- tempt to purge either large or small Horses, without first relaxing the bowels with bran mashes. Tha quantity of aloes requisite for purga- tion, is also very various, and must depend upon the animaJ's customary food and consti- tution. This is a matter not to be wondered at; but is a strong reason against leaving the management of purgation in ignorant hands. Some Horses are exceedingly difficult to purge, whilst others are easily affected. Old Horses generally require more than younger Horses to purge them, and if at hard meat, it makes much difference in this respect, it re- quiring more to purge such Horses, than others softer fed. These facts serve to shew the extreme necsssity of prescribing a very moderate quamtity as the first dose for a Horse, vrilh whose constitutional peculiarities we are ui/acquainted. The requisite quantity is also greatly dependant on various other circum- stances. Horses fresh from grass, purge with a much less dose than Horses long stabled , and to Horses used to bran mas^hes as daily food, a moderate quantity only is requisite ; ■while in other instances, by mashing three times a day ,or several days, we may make four or five driiHiS do the work of eight. This shews the extreme importance of previous mashing, particularly in weakly Horses, and also in such as have been previously accus- tomed to much hard food. Form also influ- ences the quantity requisite ; a thin, narrow- chested, lank-sided Horse, will purge more readily than a circular deep-carcassed one. It may be considered, therefore, that the (quantity required tG purge Horses, both pru- dently and effectually, range between five drams and ten ; the extent of which rang* will serve to shew that somethins more is requisite than a blind acquiescence in any acknowledged receipt, or invariable form. Thus far as reo'ards the account of aloes ffene- rally ; we shall presently advert to them again particularly. For the formation of physic-balls, and the quantities required, see list of medicines at the end of this book. When it is thought proper to give mercu ■ rial physic for worms, or skin affections, two drams of calomel may be given the night previous, in a mash, first mixed with a table- spoonful of flour. This, by lying all night in the Horse, may perhaps assist its efficacy particularly in case of worms ; and the aloetic ball may be given the next morning ; recol- lecting at the same time, that it should be something less strong, on account of the calo- mel already given. In giving physic, the in- testines should always be prepared for this operation by bran mashes, and which should be given two or three days previously; nor indeed should the physic be ever administered until the stools present some appearance of softening. The first dose given to every Horse, with whom we are not well acquainted, should be a very mild one ; for, as we have before remarked, that some Horses are so much more easily purged than others, it be- comes us to use this discretion , and if the (lose does not operate, it can do no harm, though it is often most erroneously supposed to do so. Exercise is of the greatest importance in phv'sicing; but, as I before stated, the attend- ants must be cautious not to trot or gallop. Bris^k and continued walking is all that ought to be allowed. The importance of exercise is by uo means sufficiently considered. Half OF FARRIERY. 281 th»! quantity of any cathartic, with plenty of 1 walking exercise, will operate nearly as much as a double dose without ; so that the degree of purging may be always regulated nearly to our wish, which is a very desirable circum- stance. When physic does not work kindly, the exercise should be repeated at short in- tervals (say two hours,) until it does; and then it should be altogether omitted, as it would fatigue. Chilled water must be given, as it is particularly necessary to ob- serve, that ample dilution of the bowels is of the utmost consequence to ensure physic working kindly. Entice the Horse, therefore, to drink by every means ; and on no account forget the necessary precaution of giving him pure water from a perfectly clean pail. When it is either smoked or greasy, it cannot be ex- pected that an animal possessing the delicate palate of a Horse, will drink. During the M'orking of the physic he should be kept warm, both by the stable and by clothing ; and he must be exercised (if in winter) in clothes proportioned to the cold. When a purge is to be given, proceed as follows ; — After havina: fed the Horse with bran mashes, for a day or two previous to the one in which you intend giving the ball, give the purge to him the last thing at night, keeping him warm. In the morning when you come to the stable, offer him warm water, or chilled, but not cold. If you take your Horse out to exercise immediately, the medi- cine, in all probability, will operate in the course of twenty minutes, or half an hour. When such is the case, immediately go home and give the Horse a handful of the best sweet hay you can procure. This will recruit his spirits, and he will then be able to eat his mash, which give him in about an hour after. You must now desist from exercising the Horse, until the physic is what is termed set, when you may feed in your usual way, until you give another dose. Why I recommend givina: the Horse his medicine at nig-ht, is in consequence of their sometimes becoming griped ; this generally happening in the night following to giving the medicine in the morn- ing part, and no person being present, the Horse may be dead in the morning, occa- sioned by inflammation of the bowels; but if you give the medicine as directed, at night, then you have the following day to watch him, taking advantage of any thing that may occur. It occasionally happens, that notwithstand- ing every attention, physic will not work on the second dray ; in which case, let nothing tempt the practitioner, as has been done, to give another dose immediately ; for it some- times happens, that purgatives will not act until the third day. But when a case occurs of non-purgation, always wait until the third day, when, if no symptoms of purging appear, either let the Horse rest altogether for two days longer, and then give him rather a stronger dose ; or commence by giving him a quarter of the original dose every six hours, till it purges ; giving him mashes, exercise, and warm water, as before directed. Let it also be remembered, that it is erroneous to encourage liquid purging to twenty, thirty, or more dejections. No good attends this prac- tice. I never wish any Horse I may have to physic, to have more than from twelve to thirteen liquid evacuations. All beyond this, weaken the intestines, and injures the Horse. In the usual course of physic, on the next day after the operation of the purgative, the faeces will resume nearly their former consist- ency and shape, when the physic is said to be 4 B 2R2 THE MODERN SYSTEM set. If it, however, continues to operate with nearly the same violence as on the day before, it must be regarded as super-purgation, and recourse must be immediately had to the treatment already directed for that disease If otherwise, the Horse may now return to his former habits, giving him corn at first rather sparingly, with moderate exercise ; and in five or six days from the physic setting, if the ope- ation has been only ordinary, a, second dose may be given, which is commonly required to oe a Utile stronger than the first. After this, with the same caution, if it be deemed neces- sary, a third dose may be given, which is usually considered a course of physic ; but the number of doses ought, as before pointed out, never to be under the arbitrary direction of custom, but should be regulated by exist- ing circumstances. FIRING. Firing is performed on Horses for two pur- poses ; one for the forming a permanent band- age, which it does, by destroying the elasticity of the skin, and lessening its surface ; the other, that of raising an active inflammation, and thereby exciting absorption. Sometimes it is used to answer one of these purposes only ; and sometimes it is performed to promote both conjointly. The Arabs fire the joints of their young colts to strengthen them ; by the constant bandage the cicatrix forms to the part. Some English breeders of blood-horses have done the same ; but the practice is rare. This is an instance where firing is performed for the first purpose In splints, spavins, and ring-bones, firing is used as a strong stimulus to the surrounding , absorbents, to remove any extraneous sub- | stance lately deposited ; hence the ossecua matter, so hurtfuUy thrown out, which foriiig such swellings, becomes swallowed up by these vessels, and is thus removed. These are instances where firing is used, princi- pally to promote external inflammation, there- by to relieve a more internal one. But even here, the future pressure, occasioned bv the cicatrix, is an assistant, and often a principal one, to the removal of the adventitious deposit. To increase the original inflammation, or to keep it up, it is common in these cases to apply a blister over the firing. In enlarge- ments after violent strains, we fire the legs both to excite the absorbents to remove the deposit of coagulable lymph ; and also, by straightening the skin, to act as a permanent bandage on the part for the future. The various cases in which firing is considered necessary, are dispersed through the body of the work ; and it would be unnecessary to enumerate them here. It need only be at present noticed, that as it is a painful ope- ration, so it should never be resorted to but when absolutely necessary for it ; and the more so, as it leaves a permanent blemish. As blisters act in the same way, except that they leave no permanent bandage ; so, when absorption only is required, repeated blister- ing will often supersede the necessity of firing . and as they can be applied as often as we wish, so, as a promoter of absorption merely, they are greatly to be preferred in many instances. On the subject of blistering imme- diately after firing, different opinions ar'». entertained. A morbid sensibility, or rather an artful affectation of feeling, induces some to blame all which does not square with the popular OF FARRIERY, 283 outcry. My life has been devoted to the amelioration of the miseries of the whole brute race, and I am the last man that would inflict one useless pang on them ; but when, by a momentary addition to their present suflFering, I could abstract years of future pain, I would not court popularity by joining in decrying all painful operations. When it is of consequence to keep up the irritation in future, or even to increase it at the present, which we dare not do by deeper firing, or by lines too near each other, then blistering immediately after is admissible. Such cases occur in long continued enlargements, liga- mentary, or osseous diseases ; but when firing is applied to four stale extremities, or even to two, which present only the ordinary appear- ance of disease, it is not only unnecessary, but it is wantonly cruel ; and what, perhaps, will be more deterring, it is dansrerous also, and has proved destructive. The mode of firing differs according to circumstances. The general mode adopted at the Royal Veterinary College is in straight lines, up and down the course of the hair, or in perpendicular lines ; the reasons for this are well known. If it be applied as a bandage, in no direction can it corrugate the skin in so effective a manner, as the lines drawn inversely to the action, as well as the enlargements of the parts. As the principles of the firing-iron have become so known, it ■would be ridiculous to say farther on that part of the subject. I think I mentioned before, that there were several methods of firing ; I should also have remarked, that there are also several kinds of irons required, of various shapes. The prin- cipal are, the searing-iron, for the tail : this iron is probably called into request more than any other. Then the budding-iron, for touch- ing cavities, and searing farcy-buds. There is also the common firing-iron, the iron to re- move lampas, and some others, according to the particular purpose for which they may be required. To practitioners these are all pretty well known, and all should be tolerably thick at the back to retain the heat; and when used, should only be heated to a dull-red heat. When performing the operation of firing, care should be taken to have a piece of board near vou, to rub the edoe of the iron on. This will prevent its getting too sharp, and cutting through the skin ; the iron also by this means becomes cleaned from all scales, which would be a very great interruption to the operator, if he had no means of speedily removing them. If you have a forge estab- lishment of your own, there will be no diffi- culty in determining where to heat your irons ; but if you have to perform the operation in the country, you will find some little diffi- culty ; but this, though it may take up a little more time, it would be better to put up with, than to shew any thing like a fastidious dispo- sition ; for country practice has a great many difficulties which cannot be avoided, and which may be removed with facility in a town. Firing is not the simple operation many persons are inclined to think ; for, if you penetrate the true skin, you produce a wound with great inflammation and ulceration, leav ing also a bad blemish. To prevent this, if the iron be made very hot, you must pass it quick and light over the parts ; then as it gels cool, you can draw more at your leisure ; and if the parts should not be level, you will be enabled to touch lightly those over again, in order to make your work look well. Ring- 284 THE MODERN SYSTEM bones, or old spavins, require the most severe firing ; but sometimes without success. I have iu that case fired a second time, which in many instances has had the desired eflFect. In all cases of firing, the hair must be closely clip- ped off the parts, for the smoke arising from burning the hair, is apt to confuse the operator. I have heard of some operators chalking out the lines first, but must confess I never saw such a practice. After you have com- pleted your firing, apply mild blister ointment lightly on the parts. From what 1 have said aliove, relative to firing as a remedy in bony and other enlargements, which require time to become absorbed, or the inflammation to be removed, it frequently happens that per- sons having had their Horses once fired, are in such a terrible hurry for them to get well, that by putting them to labour too soon, they irequently produce lameness again in its worst form. It is from this cause I advise firing a second time, which will be generally found to answer. ON BLISTERING. Blistering is an operation of great utility, and when attended with care, it is as safe a one as can be performed. It acts more as a local blood-letting, if care be taken to lance the vessicles, as they may arise ; or if not quickly removed, the serum may become again absorbed, and trie surface restored by a slight effort of inflammation, without having the desired effect ; they become more like what is called sweating-blisters, because the cuticle, or scarf-skin does not become raised ; but *vhen by continued irritation, by de- nuding the skin, or by rupturing the vessels, the cutis becomes exposed, suppuration suc- ceeds, and the part becomes thoroughly blis- tered. The salutary action of blisters depends first on the stimulus they give to the absorbents, and next on the inflammation they excite, proving a counter-irritant to some other part. Blisters act in the removal of injurious deposits, as enlargements arising from strains of the back-sinews, or ligaments ; sometimes ihey do good when applied to spavins or splents ; but should either of the above be of long standing, stronger applications must be had recourse to, or the milder blisters used, and repeated every day. Mercurial ointment, well rubbed in on any bony excrescence, for a day or two previous to applying the blister, will greatly tend to promote the absorption of the offending parts. In inflammatory affections, we find blisters of great importance, actino: as counter-irritants ; for it appears singular, tiiat two inflamma- tions seldom exist in the neighbourhood of each other ; therefore, when such an affection has taken place in any part, and we wish to remove it, we raise an artificial inflammation in the neighbourhood by means of blisters. Therefore, in inflammatory affections of the lungs and bowels, &c., it is proper to blister the chest, belly, &c., by which means the inflammatory action may be removed from the vital organs, to parts of less importance ; for if you blister a Horse affected with inflamed lunjrs, either in the chest or belly, and if the blister does not properly rise, the Horse from debility will die ; consequently shewing that the system requires rousing, though inflam- mation is going on so strong. The blister ointment generally ought to be bought at the drusfffists, as it is sometimes made of such an irritating nature, that the poor Horse is put to OF FARRIERY. 285 . . 1 !.»„ I Rut one thino', particularly mind, never blister the most excruciating pa n male, when \ Hut one min , v we well know that .he blist, property I a IW wW,out P^"«-.^\;;;^* .7,";"^ ''^ lies in the eantharides only. , . J XmnUn" to doT Cradles may genially Before you apply a blister, " * this, "smcth the hair dolnwa.and spread a piece of 3-g ^^^^^^^^^ *" '^^ then a little more ointment on the ace, with a around the Horse s necK. ' spatula. If you have occasio, bhster the becomes effectually prevented from b.tmg o pasterns and fetlocks, applv a le hog's lard tearing himself If once bhstermg dees not ' .'^^r . °. . ._ answer the purpose you anticipated, and you determine to blister again, you must first wash off all scurf, with soap and water, that to the hollows of the heels, lis will often prevent grease or troubleso; sores from forming, from the discharge of 2 blister fall- ing on these parts. Another caution is, that vm a blister is acting, the litter should all bdemoved from under him, lest the straws tici and irritate his legs so much, that he iay not only attempt to gnaw them, but strii them against the manger, or one against thether ; to pre- vent which the Horse must bveave and ^pin the cloth, but the kitchen affairs do not take up much of their time, for though these people are very voracious if an opportunity offers, they mostly live on meagre fare, which rarely exceeds a pilau of red rice with melted butter. During the dinner, sour milk, dates, honey, duphte, &c., is now and then added. The women are obliged to grind the corn, done by clumsy hand-mills. The bread is baked upon iron plates, and resembles a flat cake. Lastly, their duty consists in fetching the water, which is only to be procured but at times at a great distance. I don't think, however, they have much trouble about washing, for both sexes are alike indifferent as regards cleanliness, in- deed most disgustingly so. They are very superstitious, and much less religious than the Osmanlys : many, however, observe the Ramadan, and they pray in com- pany, ranged in one line, with a priest at their head, who makes the most horrible grim- aces. Their wealth consists of camels and horses, but no cows — in a few herds of sheep and goats, which yield them milk and butter ; they also use camel's milk. The number of camels is very considerable : many possess ten, twenty, and upwards ; and their Cheick Donechy owned three hundred, of which they annually sell a great many to the Turcomans, who, during my sojourn in the Arab camp, purchased about two thousand at the rate of two hundred, and two hundred and fifty Turk- ish piasters a-piece. The evening return of | the camels to the camp affords a sinoular si^ht to an European — from five to six thousand followed by their young ones gambolling- alon" the barren ground like goats, and these clumsy looking animals chase and frisk about like gazelles. This Nomadic people no doubt possesses the finest race of Horses known to us ; but such a mass of nonsense, such erroneous and romantic stories have been promulgated, that it will be very difl^cult to enable the reader to see through the mist of untruth : I shall, therefore, content myself by stating plain and and true facts. The Arabian Horse in general comes from Nedgit, and they are commonly called Nedji. A more noble race is called Koenlan, divided into five different families, or noble Cherifs, which five races, as the legend goes, origin- ated from the five Blessed Mares of the Prophet, and are named Tonaisse, Gilphe, Manegine, Sedie, and Seclawe. Besides these, there are a number of other ftimilies too difficult to enumerate. I must own 'here are no certain signs by which one can ascertain whether a Horse is Nedgedi or Koenlan, for I have conversed with many intelligent Arabs, and they all assured me they could not dis- tinguish them unless the origin of the dam was known to them, and for that reason they kept their mares unstained by the leap of an inferior stallion, which is considered one of the principal sins in the Koran ; and this com- mand of their religion they at least follow to the very letter. If by chance the contrary should happen, the Bedouin does not value the foal the least, and however handsome and promising it may be, he will part with it for a mere trifle. If a Koenlan mare is stinted to a Nedgedi stallion, the foal is a Koenlan ; but if 4 I 310 THE MODERN SYSTEM only to a (Jenesidek, the foal also is only Gene- sidek ; and a foal only of a Nedgedi mare by a Koenlan stallion is Nedgedi, and for that reason you will meet amongst the latter, though an inferior race, many Horses at least as handsome as the first, and even the Arabs cannot distinguish them without knowing the dam's race. The Arabs have no Stud Book as is gene- rally asserted, nor do they call together a number of witnesses when the covering act is performed, or when the foal is born : all this is false ; for I often have had opportunities to observe a leap in the night, where scarcely any, and but casual witnesses were present. They choose the best Horse amongst their own or neighbouring tribe for a covering stallion, which travels about, as in Europe, and it is very difficult to purchase him, at least during the covering: season — the Horse servino; three mares daily at about one Spanish dollar each, and travelling from tribe to tribe, at times to a great distance. Thev allow them to cover as early as two years old, and frequently the mares are not older : it happens, however, that not unfrequently they are worthless at three or four years old. Stallions, mares, and foals all graze together. The Arab generally rides without a bridle : a halter, with a nose-band covered with iron like a cavesson, serves him instead ; and in lieu of a saddle their noble coursers have only a piece of wadded linen with two napes for stirrups fastened on their back ; and they seldom have the hind feet shod, as in many parts of Germany. The many scars, from firing, seen in almost every part of the Horse, have been done on purpose, for they know no other remedy for roan and Horse, and even youna: children are covered with them. Many of their Hors>-B — even two year old ones — are disfigured bv scars above and beneath the fetlocks, which at first I took for splents, but originate from the iron manacles by which they are fastened to prevent them being stolen ; for during the whole of the day they remain out grazing, and at times leave the camp for a considerable distance : but at night every Arab has each animal before his tent, ties one of their legs, and having only three to dispose of they can- not run far. The Anaze's Horses I found a much inferior race, and I cannot recommend them for use in European studs. The Arabs are indifferent about the forma- tion and shape of their stallions : if he runs well, is of the proper origin, and has no fu- perstitious marks, they use him as such, and would put him without hesitation to their best mares ; whereas, the most splendid stallion, if his origin is doubtful, and the marks ill-fa- voured, would not get the worst mare ; and I shall .speak of their superstition — the Evil Eye — hereafter. In candour I must own, that though the stallions may possess great faults in their shape, they at the same time have extraordinary qualities, for as soon as they are mounted, all defects vanish : it would be al- most impossible to detect any, so noble is their appearance. I saw many stallions \'v ith ugly hind-quarters, the tail put on very low ; but when mounted, they carried their tails erect, so that one doubted whether it was the same Horse. A few of the finest Horses had the appearance of English thorough-breds, but were much more active and pleasant to ride, when broken in a little in the European fashion ; for, raw from the Desert, not know- ing bridle or spur, which latter is never aseil OF FARRIER V. 311 bvl^e Arabs, they walk terrified on any pave- ment, and can only with difficulty be got into a trot, as they jump out of a walk into a full gallop, and stop as suddenly ; but being very docile, they are easily broken-in properly. I have already stated that the five principal races are said to originate from the five fa- vourite mares of the Prophet, and these only deserve the name of Koenlan, and are mostly met with at Bagdad and Orfa. Those at the Euphrat are taller and stronger, but their muscles are not so finely drawn. Some Eu- ropean judges prefer the Nedgedi to the Koen- lan, as one often finds among>t them finer Horses with extraordinary qualities ; but the Oriental prejudice always returns to the Ko- enlan, as their race is bred more in and in, just like our race-horses. It is difficult to say tvith any sort of certainty whether a Horse is Nedgedi or Koenlan : the former have some- what of a Roman nose and high forehead : a true Koenlan, with a genuine certificate, has a nose drawn inwards like a jack or pike, large eyes, wide nostrils, a broad front, and a beau- tiful head. One may buy without difficulty a stallion ; but an Arab seldom parts with a mare, and, if pressed by necessity, they manage as follows. First, the price is agreed upon : the purchaser then begins to use the mare, and the first and second foal is delivered to the seller, who, if he likes, has the right to deliver in return one foal for the dam. These condi- tions often vary, for at times the owner will not sell above a fourth of the mare, which in the Arabian language is called purchasing one foot. Aware that none of our readers are likely to visit Arabia for the purpose of purchasing Horses, as a better breed may now be had at home, I shall omit giving the particulars of the different tribes of Cheicks of the Dcseri, of those who may be trusted, and those who are regular cheats, and likewise the translation of the superstitious belief of the Arabs, who are very loth to shew their Horses to stran^-ers from fear of the Evil Eye, and never omit to pray the great Macha Allaa ; and if a Horse falls ill after such a visit, they immediately call in a sort of wizard, and who, talkino- some cabalistical words, breaks an egg on the front of the patient, who, nevertheless, generally dies, and the wizard then gravely says, " God ordained it so," or "it was written so." But a French Veterinary Surgeon at the same time thought proper to administer physic, which saved his Horse, whereas that attended by the Arab died in spite of the egg, the magical words and the golden ring. Some of the pro- phecies of Mahomed are sheer nonsense, par- ticularly those about colour : others coincide with observations of the present age. If Mahomed actually was inspired by Allah, our wives would do well never to permit their husbands riding Horses who carry the tail on one side, as they are sure to be soon repudi- ated ; and maidens ought to be in awe against bachelors on stallions with white spots on the thighs. Such nonsensical revelations, if known before, might have saved a great deal of money to some European purchasers : they are kept a great secret by the Arabs, but have been translated by Mr. Bandon, Dragoman to Lady Stanhope. This (the most modern) account of the Arabians and their Horses in the desert, will throw a doubt on former statements which have been implicitly relied on as genuine. The announcement of their not keeping a stud- book, which was supposed by us from the seeming accuracy and detail of pedigree. 312 THE MODERN SYSTEM which their certificates possess, would have been an object of the first importance to them. Yet, upon reflection, we see no reason to doubt the truth of their not keeping stud-books, as from the care and superstitious reverence in keeping the breed spotless from any foreign taint, their certificates may possess generally the truth, without keeping a register for every individual. We shall proceed to enumerate the variety of Horses under their different appellations. For example : — the racer or running-horse, the cock-tail racer, the hunter, hack, hackney road-horse or chapman's horse, the cob, the lady's horse or pad, the coach and chariot- horse, gig-horse, charger and troop-horse, the slow draught or cart and dray-horse. In sporting language, the term Horse indicates one uncut, or a stallion. Gelding has ever been a common and familiar term. A Horse below thirteen hands (four inches to a hand) in height, is styled a poney ; above that height, and below fourteen hands, a gallow- way. The cob, refers to a truss, short-legged nag, able to carry any weight. The pack- horse has long since disappeared from among us. The cock-tail, a new term in the slang of the inferior turf, indicates a racer not thorough bred. The welter horse, a term of long stand- ing, but of unknown derivation, points to either racer qr hunter, master of the highest weight. The designation thorough-bred belongs to the racer of pure Arabian or Barb blood ; and the term is likewise applicable to the Horses of other nations of the South East. A nag, in which the show of blood predominates, is called blood-like, or a blood-horse. The de- grees of blood in an English Horse are thus expressed, half-bred, three-parts, and seven- eightlis bred. The first, or half-bred, being the produce of a racer and a common mare. or vice versa (the last cross not so frequent, nor deemed so successful) ; the second of tiie racer and half-bred, and the third of the racer and the three-part bred mare. This last may, and has raced capitally, as in the case of the Yorkshire black Horse, Old Sampson, which about eighty years since beat all England. Several other similar examples of successful seven-eighths bred racers, have occurred at various periods. Perhaps no instances have ever occurred, of a three-part bred Horse saving his distance in running; two miles with thorough-bred racers. The Horse and Mare, in a course of nature, are capable of procreation at a very early age, but not with the prospect of their best produce. The rule in this case necessarily depends on the convenience of the breeder ; the procreative faculty, with both Horse and Mare, remains to a very late period of their lives, more especially with the Horse, some individuals having been successful stock-get- ters at upwards of thirty years of age. Four years is generally the earliest period, whether for Horse or Mare. Indeed, unless from par- ticular circumstances, the Mare is seldom put to the Horse, until she has passed some years of labour, or has become accidentally incapable of it. It is probable that the excessive labour which they endure in this country has cur- tailed their length of days ; and that under more favourable circumstances, both their age and their services might be greatly prolonged. Racing and cart colts are put to light labour at three, and even at two years old ; but sad- dle and quick draught Horses are incapable, that is to say with safety, of the usual labour, until five years of age. From the excessive and cruel system of labour adopted, against all OF FARRIERY. 313 •©pling" and conscience, in this country, Horses are torn to pieces before their tenth year. Horses do not arrive at maturity until they are seven years old, according to the opinion of Mr. Clark; but scarcely any are allowed to complete their fifth year before they are em- ployed in the hardest labour, except among experienced sportsmen, who do not consider a Horse fit for their use until he is six years old. During the fifth year he is employed by them in moderate work upon the road, or in riding to cover. If Horses were used with moderation, there is no doubt but that they would last till they were nearly twenty years of age before they might be called old. It is, we believe, among naturalists, a general calculation that the life of an animal lasts three or four times the length of his coming to maturity, therefore the natural age of the animal would be nearer thirty years of age than twenty. Mr. John Lawrence states that he saw at Dulwich, two Horses, one forty-eight, the other fifty-four, both capable of doing light work. They were the property of his friend, the late Edward Brown, Esq., who had the portraits of both Horses placed in his parlour. This will be a memento for posterity, to learn what modera- tion in labour, and kindness will perform. It gives us great plesaure in recording the name of this gentleman, who must have been an enlightened and humane master and bene- factor to the Horse. That friendship should exist between these two gentlemen will be readily believed ; for if one had been the pri- vate, kind, and benevolent master to the ani- mal, so had Mr. John Lawrence been the public strenuous assertor of the rights of the Horse, through a longer period than is allowed to most men ; and his memory will be em- balmed in the grateful recollections of the humane, for his continued struggles to obtain a mild and considerate treatment to animals of the lower creation. It is painful to behold the crippled state of many young Horses, which shews the exces- sive exertions they must have undergone at a very early age. The Horses of mail and stage-coaches, post-chaises, &c., afford nume- rous examples of this. We often find the Horses that have been thus sold as coach or post-horses, are those of superior shape and action, of high spirits, and have perhaps distinguished themselves as hunters, or in matches against time, or in trotting-matches ; and being considered unsafe to ride, from their crippled state, are consigned to coacii-work, where they are kept upon their legs by the severity of the bit, and the frequent applica- tion of the whip. The proportion of lame Horses in this country, compared to those in France, is perhaps as ten to one. This the French veterinarians seem to attribute to their superior mode of shoeing; but, in our opinion, shoeing has nothing to do with it. The peculiar frequency of incurable lameness, or founder, in this country, is entirely owing to immoderate work. Many men consider that if they but feed their Horse luxuriously, they cannot get too much work out of him ; but feeding him well is no excuse for working him unfairly, nor is there any advantage in it ; for, although we may thereby render him capable for a time of wonderful exertions, we shorten his life, and interrupt his period of service, by bring- ing upon him various diseases. We should recollect that the power of the stomach is limited, and so is that of the muscular and nervous systems ; so that if we make an uniail 4 K 3i4 THE IMODERN SYSTEM demand upon them, and it is answered, their power is the sooner exhausted. Under cir- cumstances of great exhaustion and debility, rest is the only real and natural cordial to be depended on ; but, unhappily, tliis is too little attended to, and the poor animal is driven off his leofs, and comes to the knackers long: be- fore his natural period would require, if only treated with care and humanity. The conventional form of the Horse, as to the great essentials, may be held referable to every variety ; for example, the head should be lean, argutum caput, neither long nor short, and set on with somewhat of a curve ; the thropple loose and open ; the neck not reversed (cock-throppled), but rather arched ; the loins wide and substantial, more especially should the back be long ; the tail not drooping, but nearly on a level with the spine ; the hinder quarters well spread, as a support to the loins, and as a security against the approach to each other of the pasterns in {)rogression, from which results cutting them with the hoofs ; the hinder legs should descend straight, late- rally from the hocks, as a preventive to the defect styled sickle-liougJied or hammed ; at the same time, the curve from the hock should be to the degree that the feet may be placed sufficiently forward to prop the loins, and that the Horse may not be said to leave his legs behind him ; the muscles of the thigh and fore arm should be solid and full, though some Horses are heavy and overdone by nature in those parts. The Horse, of whatever descrip- tion, should not be leggy, and, of the extremes, short legs are surely preferable. The canon or leg-bone, below the knee, should not be long, but of good substance, and the pasterns and feet of a size to accord with the size of the Horse ; the hoof dark, feet and frog tough. heel wifle and open ; the fore feet should stand perfectly level, the toe pointing ibrvvartl ia a right line, else the Horse will knock or "cut in the speed," however wide his chest ; in plain terms, he will either strike and wound his pasterns, or his legs immediately below the knees, or both; the feet standing even, the Horse being equal to his vt'ork, will seldom, perhaps never, knock or cut, however near the hoof may approach. A full, clear, azure eye. Such are the requisites of form, whether for the racer or cart Horse. For the hack, hunter, or racer, there are certain other requisites of form and quality ; the chief of which to be quoted are the deep, backward-declining, and as it is called, the counter or coulter shoulder, well elevated forehand, deep girthing place, with sufficient racing blood to give lightness, action, and fineness of hair and .skin. This description applies with perfect aptitude to the hunter, which should have moreover great strength of loin and fillet, and should not be high upon the leg. Nor is any addition necessary for the running-horse, but greater general length, which is the usual result of full or thorough blood. As to our coach horses, such is the modern rage for speed, that our mails and stages may well be said to consist, in a considerable degree, of racers and hunters ; and our private coaches of hunting-like Horses on a large scale. In regard to the natural and peculiar form of the slow draught Horse, he carries his substance in a round, full, and horizontal mode ; his chest is wide and full ; his shoulder rather round and bluff than deep, and its summit, the apex or top of the forehand, not high and acute, but wide. Such form seems best adapted to the collar, and to enaole ttie OF FARRIERY. •615 animal to draw, propel, or move forward, heavy weights ; we, nevertheless, daily see numbers of first-rate draught Horses with deep flat shoulders. It used to be held, that a low shoulder facilitated draught ; and such was the form of the old Suffolk sorrel cart Horses, the truest and most forceful pullers ever yet known ; they were the only breed, collectively, that would draw dead pidls, that is to say, would continue repeated pulls, going down upon their knees, at an immovable object ; for example, a tree. This, draught Horses in general, even the most powerful and the best, as the writer has witnessed, cannot be brought to do, with whatever severity ; at the second or third pull, gihbing, as it is called, and turn- ing their heads, as if to point with their eyes, towards their failing loins. The following sinsfular account of an animal between a bull and a mare is so well authenti- cated, that we cannot have a doubt of its truth. It shews the possibility of a cross from an animal, so dissimilar and discordant, as it would seem to us, and the knowledge of which may act as a caution in preventing the possi- bility of such another occurrence by keeping both animals separate. Mr. Gload, Veterinary Surgeon, "says, some time ago I was at Greenwich, and my curiosity was excited upon hearing that a monstrosity was then exhibiting, partaking of the peculia- rities of the cow and Horse. The animal seemed to be about fifteen hands high (a mare, if I dare call her so), of the commonest des- cription, and three years and a half old. The most striking peculiarities were in the tail, hips, head, breast, and off fore leg. The off fore leg, from its singularity, claimed my first attention ; and I was induced to examine it with great care, as, at first sight, I suspected it might have been the result of disease. The shoulder-blade and the humerus seemed to be shorter and more upright than usual, and the latter bone was thicker, and turned very much outwards. This leg was, in every respect, similar to a cow's ; but the similarity was still more evident when I descended to the foot. There were two hoofs, with separate joints, and a natural secretion between them. There was no sign of a frog, but the animal trod upon her heels, and used the foot precisely as a cow. I walked her round the stable several times, and it was really ludicrous to observe the difference in the manner of pro- gression between the two legs. The colour of the hair on the body seemed to present a strange mixture between that of both animals; but it was long, soft, and loosely attached. The head had a very curious appearance : it seemed to be broad at the poll, and the ears were very large, and rounded, and turned backwards and inwards, and covered with long shaggy hair. The lower part of the face projected very much on each side, giving a width very dissimilar to the face of the Horse. There were six incisor teeth in each jaw, but very unevenly distributed ; and they seemed to partake much of the mixed character. The breast was wide and hung down, strongly re- sembling the dewlap. The body, neck, and near fore leg, resembled those of the Horse. The hips, tail, and legs above the hock, \vere exactly similar to those of a cow. The spinous and traverse process of the ileum projected very much, and the pubis stretched backwards, giving that great prominence of the bones of the ischium always so observable in a cow. The sacral processes did not project, and the tail did not arch over the pubis, as in the Horse, but seemed to fall more abruptly . it \ \ 316 THE MODERN SYSTEM was shaved nearly to its tip, where was left a luft of hair, which was frizzled, and very like that of a cow. The tail felt very fleshy, and at its base the skin was loosely attached ; and the vagina was without colour, and hung down as in a cow. The patellae were very thick and large, and the hinder extremities, above the hock, were totally dissimilar to a Horse. The raammse were not very large, nor was the udder unnaturally distended. At this time I related the facts to many veterinarians, and among others to Mr. Sewell. " A short time since I called upon Mr. J. Skilt, V. S., at Southwark Bridge, and he informed me that he had seen the skeleton of a very strange animal at the knacker's ; and wished me to go and examine It with him. I did so ; and was much surprized and pleased once more to have an opportunity of surveying the monstrosity I have just been describing; and I am enabled to add the following particulars to my previous description of her : — The occipital and pterygoid processes are large, and the former very broad and projecting, and differing from the triangular-shaped process of the Horse. There are no signs of horns. Just above the three anterior molars on each side is a large projection, similar to specimens of disease wherein the teeth have still remained in their sockets. The three first molars are perfect cow's teeth. The ileum and pubis are laid nearly flat, as in the cow. The num- ber of ribs and vertebrae are the same as in the Horse. All the joints seem to be unusually large. The greatest peculiarity is, however, in the off fore foot ; and I am sorry that, from the tenacity of the knacker respecting it, I am pbliged to be very concise in my account of Vit. Articulating with the lower head of the ^rge metacarpal bone is another, altogether shorter and broader than the large pastern of the Horse, and cleft nearly to its middle ; and, articulating with each division, are the remam- ing small bones of the foot. There are two hoofs, separately joined, with a natural secre- tion between them ; but they Jiave grown enormously since I saw the animal alive. The knacker imformed me that he did not perceive any thing in the stomach diff'erent from that of the Horse. Any gentleman who wishes for more information can examine this, and many other curious specimens, at Winkley's Yard, in Fryer's Street, Borough. The only history I could learn of the animal was, that the owner had purchased her from the breeder, who stated, that her dam, when very old, had been put out on Finchley Common with a bull ; that no horse could have access to her ; and that this very singular animal was pro- bably the offspring of the mare and the bull." The rail-road from London to Liverpool being now nearly, if not quite finished, has driven almost all the coaches off the road. Whether coaching ere long will revive again, seems a matter too problematical to prophesy upon ; although we know it is the opinion of some dragsmen that such will be the case. Perhaps the wish is father to the thought ; for it cannot be agreeable for any man to be compelled to give up his employment, and it may be very natural for him to indulge a hope that it may yet return. He expects that the expences of the rail-road will be too absorb- ing to leave any profits, which he says a little time will soon show, and the project will be abandoned in disgust. We have just given the conversation we have had with one of the dragsmen who had been put off the road, without being made a convert to his opinion ; for we know that X OF FARRIERY - 317 m many public companies, though the original proprietors may have been ruined, yet the project has still flourished ; and we suspect this will be the case on the present line of road between London and Liverpool. The branches from the populous towns will join it, and rail-road travelling will become the gene- ral mode of travelling, while stage-coaching will be the exception. It then becomes a question how much the breeding of Horses may be affected by it. The consumption of Horses by stage-coaches, must have proved immense ; so much so, that it does not seem unreasonable to suppose but that it may limit the breeding of Horses in the same proportion as the demand for them has ceased. This powerful element of nature (steam) controlled by the hand of man, has had the most important results? However paradoxical it may appear, it has made Eng- land, in effect, half as large again, while it has reduced her to one-third of her former size. In six hours it will enable passengers to arrive from London to Liverpool, thus anni- hilating space ; and by taking some thousands of Horses off the road, will leave the land that found food for them, to be cultivated only for the use of man. The use of steam will have the same effect, we know, in whatever country it may be em- ployed, that of diminishing space ; but it is in England only where the rapidity of the execution will be unrivalled, and projects so gigantic, have scarcely been conceived before the genius, skill, and capital of this country have forced them into maturity. It may be an assumption only that the breeding of Horses may be limited in this country, for we are not sure that they may not still be bred for exportation, as they have been much sought for lately on the continent ; and although there may be some opinions afloat amons: ourselves that our racins: breed requires invigorating by new blood (of which we shall speak more at large in its proper place), yet, from late demands for English Horses abroad, they seem to be held in high estimation. The rate of coach-travelling in this country has excited almost as much wonder among ourselves as it has amongst foreigners. It is within our own recollection that the time the coaches took in going from London to Coven- try was nineteen hours ! Since then there has been almost as much difference between the coaches of that date, as to speed, as between the rate of the present coaches and steam. It must not, however, be considered that the Horses had a sinecure of it ; for the roads were not then in the present state of repair, and in wet weather, some of them might be half-axle deep or more. A retrospective view of the roads for coaches within the last thirty or forty years, would prove an interesting article to the juniors of the present day. We avail ourselves of a description by a talented man of the state of the road between London and Parkgate, the principal place of that day where passengers landed from Dublin, before Holyhead became the regular station for the Dublin packets. It is as follows : — When I was a school-boy, Parkgate, in Cheshire, was the port whence the Dublin packets sailed : there were a few at Holyhead, but there all the principal intercourse between the countries was effected. At that time pro- bably not one craft of any description passed in a month between Dublin and Liverpool. Lpon the arrival of a packet at Parkgate, tli* passengers made their way, as they could beat 4 L ?.\H THE MODERN SYSTEM to Chester, diverging thence to the several places of their destination. I believe there mio-ht be a stag-e of some kind or other that undertook to deposit people within some limited time in London, plying for public hire ; but the manner of accomplishing the journey was most usually by means of post-coaches. These carriages were supplied by a person of the name of Paul, of the White Lion, who was celebrated at that period all over England for the magnificence of his stud. With him it was a hobby, and must have been a very expensive one. He kept no colour but greys, and of those he had always from thirty to forty pairs in his stables. I can well remem- ber what splendid cattle they were — his boys wearing black velvet caps, gold bands and tassels, and yellow silk jackets. He built his own carriages, dark brown, lined with scarlet morocco — doing the whole thing upon a scale that we find with no post-master of the present day. A party of six, with one or two servants, would contract with Paul for a set-down in London. He sent with them one of his own carriages, with its team of greys, and postil- lions : they accomplished the stages as ar- ranged every day, probably of five and twenty miles each, and at the end of eight or nine days found themselves in the Metropolis. With this fashion of travelling commenced my experience of the Road, having made my first visit to Babylon the Great through the agency of one of these long jobs. At a later date I can call to mind, on an occasion of being sent for home in the Midsummer holidays, sticking fast in the middle of the turnpike road between Whitchurch and Malpas — the latter certainly no misnomer. This antecedent of M'Adam was a desert of red sand, quartered by cart- wheels to the depth of two or three feet ; and as the phaeton in which 1 made my journey ran upon wheels of about half the diameter or those by which the ruts had been formed, of course we were let in up to the axles, where we were anchored. This took place in the nineteenth century ! In thus describing the state of our public roads at a period so little removed from our own time, I am to be understood as alluding to their general fitness for the purposes of intercourse. No doubt very long before the commencement of the present century many of the leading lines from the Metropolis, for a circle of from twenty to fifty miles around it, were far advanced towards their present ex- cellence ; but were a journey of two or three hundred miles was to be performed, it went a small vvay in the matter of expedition that the first sixth-part of it could be accomplished at eight miles an hour, where the remainder could with difficulty be done at a better speed than four. When the use of carriages first began to supersede the old method of trans- porting men and merchandise upon horseback, it became absolutely necessary to devise some plan for forming a solid surface upon the bridle-ways of sand, which offered as little support to a wheel as a Hillow to the coulter of a plough. Hence arose the system of paving the centre of the turnpike roads, so generally adopted in most of the midland counties, and of which many specimens are still in existence, more particularly in Cheshire and Lancashire. With the heavy wagons, and their slow pace, while the great reduction in the draught upon this pavement effected a vast saving in horse-flesh, the roughness of the surface was felt as no inconvenience. The gentry, in their coaches suspended from flex- ible C springs, passed smoothly over them ; OF FARRIERY, 319 and as it was almost the universal fashion to drive from the saddle, accompanied by out- riders, the servants also escaped dislocation. But there was a class of devoted wretches for whom no such good luck was found, and who, in an honest effort to procure their daily bread underwent the agonies of an earthly purgatory without any parallel in a Christian land. When Mr. Palmer first bestowed upon us the convenience of mail-coaches, as might be ex- pected, he committed a few small oversights ; among these were the coachmen's boxes, tliat w€re without springs, and were constructed upon the common principle. The consequence was, that the seats upon which they were destined to perform their avocations were pieces of pine, or other obdurate plank, sup- ported upon standards springing from the beds of the fore-axles. These " devils' sedans" were covered with a tanned bull's hide, to which, as a material for incubation, granite is as an air cushion. Old Dan Herbert, who for the last ten years of his life drove between Chester and Birkenhead, and as a very supe- rior sample of the Old School will be re- membered by many a reader of these pages, was on the Holyhead mail from Chester to Stafford in those hard times for dragsmen. For better than five and thirty years Dan was a most communicative coachman, and withal had an ambition for saying smart things. In one of our conversations upon the bumpings of his early education, I asked him how his con- stitution could have supported such inhuman exercise, and whether it had not proved fatal to men less robust than he was ? " VVh>, Sir," was his rejoinder, " it was well enough when once we got used to it : but I assure you the case-hardening was no joke : some died under the operation, and some did not ; but there never was a man who tried it that it did not make him think of his latter end." The epoch from which we may date the rapid advance in improvement as regards every department of the Road, is coeval with the system of remodelling our highways upon the plan of Mr. M'Adam. That the scheme of road-making which bears the name of that gentleman was not of his invention, all who have travelled in Scotland and Ireland must have known. Still we are indebted to him for its introduction into this country, and for many judicious innovations by which he brought it to its present perfection. As the facilities for locomotion improved, so did the appliances to aid it. The call for increased speed upon the com- mercial roads was met about twelve years ago on the Birmingham line by the appearance of three "Tally-ho's," now distinguished as "The Patent," The Independent," and "The Eclipse." Looking at the time they have been at work — their chronometrical regularity for half a score years — their pace, and the style in which they are worked through the country, and not at the ends alone, we shall hardly find any thing altogether more complete than this trio. Awful forebodings attended their starting : their speed was pronounced suicidal, and the waste of human life that was to result from it fearful to contemplate. It is a singular fact that the only fatal accident I recollect occurring to any of them was the death of poor Peck, the guard, who was killed but the other day by a fall off his coach w hile it was standing still. In the way of fast-work, however, combined with the fashion in which it was done, cer- tainly the pas must be given to the coaclies which were put on the Brighton Road tlie JUJO THE MODERN SYSTEM season before last, by Mr. Israel Alexander. 1 never heard but one opinion of them expressed by such as possessed experience in the coaching business, coupled with a wonder, how, by having all England to choose from, it was possible to get together such a lot of Horses. On that road poor Stepiienson had taught them that public travelling and elegance were to be combined ; perhaps his idea upon that head was too recherche. Taken all in all Alex- ander's " Criterion," with a certain (then) Noble Marquis for dragsman, was quite the most correct specimen of a stage-coach that has ever come under my notice. Of course, a vast deal of money was sacrificed during the short reign that this concern ruled the roast. HORSES IN ANCIENT TIMES. There is, we believe, pretty good evi- dence for supposing that, even at the time of the Trojan war, Horses were but rare animals in Greece, and were possessed only by princes or great men, who employed them, not for the purposes of husbandry or draught, but for the ornamental displays of war and chariot-drawing, as the proud and distinctive accompaniment of royalty alone. In Judea, Horses were, till the days of Solomon, very rare. Egypt is always described in the Old Testament as the land of Horse. The earliest notice of the Horse is in the book of Genesis (chap, xlvii. 17,) where Joseph is said to have given the Egyptians " bread in exchange for their Horses." In the very minute enumera- tion of the cattle stores of Abraham, Isaac, Esau, Laban, Job, &c., in the Book of Gene- sis, though there is a superabundance of other quadruped property, no mention whatever is made of Horses. Neither in the fourth or tenth commandments are Horses noticed with the other working animals. In the enumera- tion, however, of the Egyptian cattle-property affected by the murrain, Horses are mentioned in precedence of the rest : " Behold the hand of the Lord i.s upon thy cattle which is in the field, iipon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep," Exod. ix. 3. In like manner, in the excellent and very particular description given by Theocritus of the quadruped stock of An- gias, the Child of the Sun, who lived in the Peloponesus, Horses find no place. Even during the Trojan war, these animals were only in the retinue of princes, and were always associated with cattle, or with the glorious forthcoming of kings. Accordingly, we find that in all the first descriptions of that animal, and particularly in that sublime and all-sur- passing one in the Book of Job, he is depicted with beauty and majesty, as the war-steed alone. Homer speaks of him always with dignity and admir tion ; and it is apparent, that, in his conceptions, an additional respect- ability is conferred upon his princes and his war-grooms, by the title which he bestows upon them of " horse-tamers " and " horse- whippers," a contemptible commendatiota, according to our ideas, associating, as we inevitably do, these epithets with the persons and mean employments of grooms of the stable and horse-jockeys." The ancient poets and ancient people must have connected, however, beauty, majesty, and sublimity, with their idea of that animal ; not only from his noble shape and gallant appearance, but from his singu- larity, and consequently high price ; his being the friend, as it were, and attendant of princes ; his being the terrible, yet graceful, accompaniment of war ; and his being never seen, as in our modern times, degraded to the OF FARRIERY. 331 femiliar, yet far more beneficial purposes of draught in our streets, and husbandry in our fields. A modern reader, therefore, must enter somewhat into the sentiments and feel- ings of antiquity, in order to perceive the beauty or propriety of Theocritus's comparison of Helen to a Horse, or of Solomon's likening his love " to a company of Horses in Pha- roah's chariots." The hght in which the Horse is thus considered as an ornament of royalty, or an appendage of war, not only ornamental, but efficient, is explanatory of many passages, not only in the Old Testa- ment, but in the Greek and Latin Classics. In the Psalms of David, " A Horse for preservation is But a deceitful thing." — Psalra xsxiii. 17. And in Eccles. x. 7, " I have seen servants on Horses." In Deuteronomy, chap. xvii. 16, Moses forbids the Israelites, in the event of tlieir electing from among themselves a king, to allow liim " to multiply to himself Horses," and thereby foster a lust of dominion and bel- ligerent propensities, at the same time also creating, what the Lawgiver wished much to prevent, too frequent a communication with Egypt. Egypt was undoubtedly, in the most early times, tlie great breeder of Horses : the Old Testament proves it by many references. At Jacob's funeral in Judea, there came forth from Egypt " chariots and horsemen a very great company." The Hebrews were pursued into the Red Sea by Egyptian Horsemen ; Horse and rider were there overwhelmed. So- lomon, several centuries afterwards, obtained all his Horses from Egypt. With this testi- mony concurs the account given by the Greek writers; according to them, Sesostris (or Ses- onchosis, as others write his name,) was the first who taught meo to tame Horses and to ride them. In Solomon's days the price of a single Horse from Egypt was loO shekels, which according to Bishop Cumberland's cal- culation of the shekel*, is about 111. lOs. of our money ; a great sum in those times. In the days of Xenophon, 600 years later than Solomon, the price of a good Horse was about 50 danks, or 271. 12*.; at least such was the price paid by Sentlies, the Thracian, to Xeno- phon, for the steed whereon he rode during his retreat from Babylon. Next after the Egyptians, the Assyrians became the cele- brated cavaliers of the ancient world. These people are repeatedly alluded to by the Jewish prophets, not only as excelling in the beauty of their Horses and skill of their Horsemen, but also in all the showy apparatus of eques- trian garniture. Their proficiency, however, in this branch of the military art, took place long after the Egyptians had invented and brought it to some degree of perfection, which the Medes, Assyrians, and Persians, possess- ing more gold and silver, from their more enlarged empires, decked and bespangled more with blue, with purple, and with gold, " clothing their Horsemen most gorgeously." Persia became latterly mo.st renowned for its Horse-riding. Xenophon declares that, before the age of Cyrus, Persia had, from its want of wealth, or the mountainous character of its soil, no Horses ; but that, after his time, from the personal example, and encouragements, and recommendations of their king, every man in Persia rode on horseback : so much so, in- deed, that it is understood that the very name * If we take Xenophon's valuation of the shekel, as con- taining seven and a half aboii, as stated in Lib. I. of hi« Expedition of Cjtus, it makes the price much less, abou^ 6/. is. 4 M 822 THE MODERN SYSTEM (4' Persia, by which ever afterwards their country became known, was taken from Pe- KESH, a word in Chaldee and Hebrew, signi- fvinsr a Horseman. Immense numbers of these animals were reared in the plains of Assyria and Persia. We read in some author of no less than 150,000 feeding on one vast plain near the Caspian Gates. The Nysaean Horses, which the kings of Persia used in their expe- liitions, were celebrated as the finest in the world. In Greece, the art of riding Horses, and most probably the arrival of the Horse himself, did not long precede the Trojan war. The story of the Centajirs, semi-human Horses and semi-equine men, as Ovid calls them, warrants the inference that Horses then first made their appearance in Thessaly, if not in Greece. These people lived about a century before the Trojan war ; for Chiron, wiio was their chief, was the preceptor of Achilles. As the poor Mexicans at the first appearance of the Spanish cavalry ran off in a fright, con- ceiving that man and Horse were but one animal, so the people of Thessaly fled, panic- struck, at the sight of the double-shaped, in- comprehensible monster that charged them. It is almost certain that these Centaurs were a tribe of Pelasgi, or emigrants from Phrygia, and the southern shores of the Euxine Sea, which were occupied at an early period by a colony of Egyptians, planted there by Sesostris in his Phrygian and Scythian expedition. Confirmatory of this derivation is the Grecian tradition, as recorded by her antiquaries, that Phylere, the mother of the Centaurs, co- habited with Saturn in the Philyreis, an island near the southern shore of the Euxine ; and that from that island she emigrated to Thes- saly, and the mountains of the Pelasgi. In this way one might amnse himself by attempt- ing to trace, even from the few data afforded by history, the circuit by which Horses, with the consequent art of equestrian exercise, passed from Egypt, the original and central riding-school of the world, into Greece and into Europe. From Egypt they passed into Assyria and Persia ; from Assyria to Cappa- docia, Ammazonia, and Pontus, countries where Horses were most reared and most ad- mired •, and, as the most admirable objects rn animated nature, offered up as sacrifices to the sun ; from Pontus they passed with the streams of westward-rushing population, to Phrygia and the southern banks of the Propontis ; and from thence, with " Horse-taming" Pelops and the Pelasgi, they migrated into Thessaly, and confounded with their novel and terrifying appearance, the simple and aboriginal inhabit- ants, to whom " the Horse and his rider" seemed a monster outlandish and inscrutable 1 it was not customary in these ancient times to shoe Horses with iron, according to modem practice ; so that a strong hoof, " hard as brass" and solid " as the flint," was reckoned one of the good qualities of a steed. In ori- ental countries, the dryness of the roads rendered this fortification of the hoofs less necessary ; the muddy ways and miriness ot the ground's surface in the north of Europe, we suppose first caused and confirmed the practice. Hannibal's cavalry, which were principally Numidian, lost all their hoofs ia the miry and embarrassing march through tha marshy ground between Irebia and Fesulffi. The Horses of the ancients had no saddles, no stirrups ; and the Numidian Horses had even no bridles ; but their armour and their trappings must have compensated for those deficiencies by their gorgeous and extran*'- dinary splendour. OF FARRIERY. 323 TTILD HORSES OF SOUTH AMERICA. TuR wild Horses which exist in the exten- sive plains of South America, are descendants of those introduced by the Spaniards. In the province of Cumana, there are great numbers of wild Horses in the forests. They go in companies, generally to the extent of five or six hundred. They occupy the great savannas, where it is difficult to disturb or try to catch them. In the dry season, they are sometimes obliged to go two or three leagues, and even more, in search of water. They set out in regular ranks — four a-breast. Five or six scouts precede the troop by about fifty paces. If they perceive an enemy, they neigh, and the troop stops ; if avoided, they continue their march ; but if any one dare to march across their squadron, fhey turn on him, and crush him under their feet. No foe is capable ot" withstanding their attack. They have a regular chief, who /marches between the scouts and the squadron — a kind of adjutant, whose duty consists in hindering any indi- vidual from quitting the ranks. If any one attempts to straggle, either from hunger or fatigue, he is bitten till he resumes his place. When wild Horses are feeding, should any stragglers be threatened with an attack, by a particular signal, which they all understand, they close into a dense mass, and trample the assailant to death. When an attack is re- Kolved upon, their leader shows the example ; and if he consider a retreat necessary, he gives the signal, and it is instantly obeyed. WILD HORSES OF NORTH AMERICA. Herds of wild Horses, the offspring of those ■wlikh have escaped from the Spanish posses- sions in Mexico, are not uncommon on the extensive prairies that lie to the west of th« Mississippi. They were once numerous on the Kootannie Lands, near the northern sources of the Columbia. They are not known to exist in a wild state to the northward of the 52d or 53d parallel of latitude. The young stallions live in separate herds, being driven away by the old ones, and are easily ensnared by using domestic mares as a decoy. The natives are acquainted with the Spanish American method of taking them with the lasso. Major Long mentions that " Horses are an object of a particular hunt to the Osages. For the purpose of obtaining these animals, which in their wild state preserve all their fleetness, they go in a large party to the country of the Red Canadian River, where they are to 1)6 found in considerable numbers. When they discover a gang of Horses, they distribute themselves into three parties, two of which take their stations at different and proper dis- tances on the route, which, by previous ex- perience, they know the Horses will most probably take when endeavouring to escape. This arrangement being completed, the first party commences the pursuit in the direction of their colleagues, at whose position they at length arrive. The second party then con- tinues the chase with fresh Horses, and pur- sues the fugitives to the third party, which generally succeeds in so far running them down, as to noose and capture a considerable number of them." The domestic Horse is an object of great value to the Nomadic tribes of Indians that frequent the extensive plains of the Missouri, &c. ; for they are not only useful in transporting their tents and families from place to place, but one of the highest objects of the ambition of a young Indian is to posseoa a good Horse, for the chase of the icmffalo — aa 024 THE MODERN SYSTEM exercise of which they are passionately fond. To steal the Horse of an adverse tribe is con- sidered to be nearly as heroic an exploit as killing an enemy on the field of battle ; and the distance to which they occasionally travel, and the privations they undergo on their Horse-stealing excursions, are almost incre- dible. An hidian who owns a Horse scarcely ever ventures to sleep after night-fall, but sits at the door of his tent, with the halter in one hand, and his gun in the other, the Horse's fore- legs beins: at the same time tied too-ether with thonars of leather. Notwithstandino' all this care, however, it happens very often that the hunter, suffering himself to be overpowerd by sleep for a few moments, awakes from the noise made by the thief galloping off with the animal. CAPTURE OF THE WILD HORSE. Captain Hall, in his Travels in Mexico and Peru, describes the manner in which the gaucho, or native of South America, takes the wild Horse : — He first mounts an animal which has been accustomed to the sport, and gallops over the plain, in the direction where the wild herd are, and circling round, by degrees, gets near to one of them ; and as soon as he has approached suflficiently near, the lasso is thrown round the two hind legs ; and as the gaucho rides round a little on one side, the jerk pulls the Horse's feet laterally, so as to throw him on his side, without endangering his knees or his face. Before the Horse can recover the sliock, the rider dismounts, and, snatching his poncho, or cloak, from his shoulders, wraps it round the prostrate animal's head. He then forces into his mouth one of the powerful bridles of the country, straps a saddle on his hafik, and, lies( riding him, removes the poncho ; upon which the astonished Horse springs on his legs, and endeavours, by a thousand vain efforts, to disencumber himself of his master. THE HORSE IN HIS NATIVE STATE. To have an idea of this noble animal in his native simplicity, we are not to look for him in the pastures, or the stables, to which he has been consigned by man ; but in those wild and extensive plains where he has been ori- ginally produced, where he ranges without control, and riots in all the variety of luxurious nature. In this state of happy independence, he disdains the assistance of man, which only tends to servitude. In those boundless tracks, where he runs at liberty, he seems no way incommoded with the inconveniences to which he is subject in Europe. The verdure of the fields supplies his wants ; and the climate that never knows a winter suits his constitution, which naturally seems adapted to heat. His enemies of the forest are but few, for none but the larger kinds will venture to attack him ; any one of these he is singly able to over- come ; while at the same time he is content to find safety in society ; for the wild Horses of those countries always herd together. FRENCH HORSES. In France, Horses of the Bretagne breed, are strongly made, and have generally black hair, or brown bay ; and good legs and feet, with a hardy mouth, and a head short and clumsy. The Horses of Franche Comte are said to have the legs of tigers and the belly of a hind ; but they are short and thick, and of the middle size, being much more proper ft)r drawing than riding. The Horses of Gas- cony are not unlike those of Spain ; but they OF FARRIERY. 32C re not so handsome and active. The best -{orses come from Limoshi ; they have a strong resemblance to the Barb, and hke them excellent for the chase ; but they are slow in coming to perfection : they are to be carefully treated while young, and should not be backed till they are eight years old. Normandy fur- nishes the next best ; which, though not so good for the chase, are yet better for war. Besides these, there are the Horses of Poitou, &c., all differing from each other in some essential degree ; for France, in its great ex- tent, has various breeds. Great exertions have been made in that country to cope that animal against those of England. The Emperor Napoleon used every means to procure some of our best blood ones ; and he imported largely from Arabia. But all efforts have hitlierto proved unavailing, notwithstanding the French nobility have gone so far as to procure English grooms and jockies to manage their Horses. The beauty, strength, and fleetness of the English Horses, are still unap- proachable. At Waterloo the charge of our life-guards proved irresistible. We have seen quite as fine-looking men in the French army as in our own ; but their Horses are very in- ferior. SPANISH HORSES. Spain was early celebrated for a breed of fine Horses. These took their rise in the Moorish barb, when that Peninsula was sub- ject to that people. When Rome was at its highest splendour, the Horses of Calpe were in high repute. Calpe, the modern Gibraltar, is situated at the south-western extremity of Spain, opposite the Barbary coast ; and from thence Horses were imported : hence the ori- gin of the genettes. The Spanish Horses are ! well made and handsome, as "well as very active and nimble ; they have good eyes, handsome legs and heads, docile, and are easily managed. GERMAN HORSES. The German Horses were originally from Arabian and Barbary stocks ; nevertheless they appear to be small and ill-shaped ; it is said also that they are weak and washy, with tender hoofs. There are, however, some ex- ceptions, as there are some studs, in which particular attention has been paid, as well as to their breed and management. The Hunga- rian Horses are excellent for the draught aa well as the saddle. The Hussars, who use them in war, usually slit their nostrils ; which is done, as it is said, to prevent their neighing; but, perhaps^ without any real foundation. The cream-coloured breed of Horses used for the state-carriages of the Court of England, come from Hanover. DANISH HORSES. The Danish Horses are of such an excellent size, and of so strong a make, that they are preferred to almost all others for the draught. There are some of them perfectly well shaped • but this is but seldom seen, for in general they are found to have a thick neck, heavy should- ers, long and hollow back, and a narrow croup ; however, they all move well, and are found excellent both for parade and war. They are of all colours, and often of whimsical ones, some being streaked like tlie tiger, or mottled like the leopard. Ten or twelve years ago there was an importation of some Danish Horses in London, which were considered to have good action, and to be very serviceable Horses 4 N 323 THE MODERN SYSTEM SWEDISH HORSES. To the list of the Horses most usually known in Europe, may be added those of Sweden.' The Swedish Horses, in general, says Mr.' Lloyd, in his " Field Sports of the North of Europe," are small, though hardy, and capable of considerable exertion ; their manes and tails are usually left in a state of nature; they are seldom cleaned, and when in the stable, even in the most severe weather, are rarely littered down. This treatment of their Horses arises as well from ignorance as neglect, on the part of the peasants. In say- ing this, however, I am willing to admit that many of them are almost as fond of these ani- mals as if they were their own children. The average price of a good Horse of the descrip- tion I am now speaking of, may be taken at from five to eight pounds. PEDIGREE OF AN ARAB HORSE. The following pedigree of an Arabian Horse, which was purchased in Egypt during the war against the French, by Colonel Ains- lie, was hung round the neck of the animal : In the name of God, the merciful and com- passionate, and of Saed Mahomed, agent of the High God, and of the companions of Mo- hammed, and of Jerusalem. Praised be the Lord, the Omnipotent Creator. This is a high-bred Horse, and its coU*« tooth is here in a bag about his neck, with his pedigree, and of undoubted authority, such as no infidel can refuse to believe. He is the son of Rabbamy, out of the dam Labadah, and equal in power to his sire ; of the tribe of Za- shalah ; he is finely moulded, and made for running like an ostrich. In the honours of relationship, he reckons Zaluah sireof Mahat, sire of Kallac, and the unique Alket sire of Manasseh, sire of Alsheh, father of the race down to the famous Horse, the sire of La- halala ; and to him be ever abundance of green meat, and corn, and water of life, as a reward from the tribe of Zashalah ; and may a thousand branches shade his carcass from the hyeena of the tomb, from the howling wolf of the desert; and let the tribe of Zashalah present him with a festival within an inclo- sure of walls ; and let thousands assemble at the rising of the sun in troops hastily, where the tribe holds up under a canopy of celestial signs within the walls, the saddle with the name and family of the possessor. Then let them strike the bands with a loud noise in- cessantly, and pray to God for immunity fbr the tribe of Zoab, the inspired tribe. OF FARRIERY. 327 CHAPTER IV. OBSERVATIONS ON THE HORSE.— SUPPOSED DEGENERACY OF THE RACING BREED OF THIS COUNTRY, ETC We cannot but call our readers' attention to the highly important consideration of the deterioration of our racing blood. The sub- ject has for some time occupied the serious contemplation of the sporting world ; some supposing it may arise from the fashion of the present mode of breeding for length of stride, .ind for short races, which may be easily altered by our present stock, without proceed- ing to the necessity of employing fresh blood to invigorate it ; while there are others who insist that nothing less than a national estab- lishment will prevent our Horses (once so celebrated,) from becoming sorry jades The English Horse is so identified with the glory of the country, that we could not look upon any one as possessing patriotic feel- inffa, who could witness without a sigh the degeneracy of our Horses ; and there is no tax which we would pay with the same plea- sure, as to prevent it, if it were necessary. There is at the present moment one circum- stance, however, which places us in a novel situation in respect to the Horse, which time only can develope. We allude to the effect tliat rail-roads may have upon the breed of Horses in this country. It is a w^ell-known fact, that many spirited coach-proprietors have given almost hunters' prices for their cattle, and that there was a regular demanJ for Horses of any size for the use of coaches ; this traffic having in a considerable degree ceased, it will become a matter for considera- tion whether there will be any stimulant for breeding, sufficient to carry it on with profit and spirit, or will it be abandoned, and treated with indifference ? In the event of such a calamity, we confess we should hail a national, or any other estab- lishment which might have the effect of pre- serving to us our present breed of Horses.' We will not say the time may not come, when the Legislature may be called upon to devise some plan to prevent the degeneracy of our Horses, if needed, because we feel con- vinced that that, or any other measure would be resorted to, to prevent what would be con- sidered, a national misfortune and disgrace. We observe there are two opinions upon this subject ; but fearing there may be soma truth in the degeneracy of the racing blood, although not, we hope, to the extent enter- tained by the projector of the National Es- tablishment ; yet it is important that the truth should be enquired into, that if true, remedies may be adopted for the cure. If we admit for the sake of argument, that our Horses of the present day are neitfier so 3?.S THE MODERIV SYSTEM durable, or possess the speed of an Eclipse or a Childers, does that follow that the breed has become degenerate ? Are the circum- stances in other respects so exact, as we have no other alternative but to place it to the score of degeneracy? Has the racing blood of this country so intermixed and assimilated, as to produce the inconvenience and the op- probrium of good breeders ; in short, has oih" racing blood arrived to that pitch of relation- ship, which constitutes what is called breed- ing " in-and-in?" Is the management of racers now as formerly ? Both Eclipse and Childers, were six years old, we believe, before they raced ; and at the present day, they race at two and three years old. Is it to be expected that Horses worked at so tender an age can be durable ? We only ask whether the difference of manage- ment between running Horses at five or six years old, and two or three, may not accouut at least for their want of durability ? As Government is called upon to move out of its ordinary track in order to influence the quality of our Horses, by a National Estab- lishment, we shall quote the Author's views of the course to be taken in furtherance of such a plan : — A National Establishment should commence its functions by obtaining from the east a con- siderable number of well-selected ponies. The better portion would be found to possess much natural npeed, stoutness under severe exertion, with limos and feet peculiarly adapted for moving rapidly on a hard surface. It would be puerile to bring from so great a distance such ill-shapen and attenuated creatures as those now usually imported under the name of Arabians ; or to employ persons to purchase who have «ot had experience of the best Horses under severe exertion. They would search in vain amongst Oriental Horses for those properties which are acquired under a system of continued selection. Looking only for natural qualities, they should select animals as nearly in a state of nature as they could find them ; having good symmetry, a full amount of muscle, and whatever natural speed the best animals of the best race are found to pos- sess. When brought home a further trial should be made. In this we should be content with a degree of speed which is natural, and an amount of structural power as nearly natural as could be procured. The offspring of these small Horses should be tried in each succeed- ing generation ; and we should be satisfied for a few years to see the natural speed of the race gradually augment ; retaining only for breeding such as went through their trials satisfactorily. It would be folly to buy Horses of large structure in the East ; such would be found to have less speed than the small ones, while factitious structure can be given here with only too much facility. Whenever the public shall become alive to the deteriorated condition of our saddle-Horses, and anxious to obtain such as are more useful, the first step must be a recurrence to nature for those properties which art has destroyed. It has been shewn that, in the absence of fresfe blood, the elongated skeleton of the moderr racer can only be shortened by a process which would render him a starveling. The charac- ter of the whole race has been reduced in this respect to a common level. Some individuals may be more compact than others, but all havo lost something which fresh blood only caa restore. If we rear them at a roasonable ez- OF FARRIERY. 329 pence, their growth is stunted — if on rich grass, they lose their speed. Whetlier we try to renovate tliis exhausted race, or substi- tute another, the objects we seek are a more compact form and greater vigour ; and these can only be found in Horses whicli are nearer to a state of nature. So long as individual differences in a race enable us to correct indi- vidual defects, we may dispense with fresh blood, but no longer. A National Establishment having selected Horses fr'jm amongst a fine race, distinguished from their companions by their symmetry, their natural speed, and full amount of muscles, should carefully observe how far the artificial properties afterwards given to the race dimi- nished its natural ones. A mass of facts would after some years be obtained and recorded, calculated to throw for the first time a steady light on the distant, as well as pro.ximate, con- sequences resulting from factitious causes. These facts are not likely to be collected under any system less permanent and comprehensive tha:: ^ne under the controul of a National Establishmeno. Its stock should be divided into two portions ; botli snould be placed under the inrtuence of continued selection for speed and stoutness ; but one should be main- tained at a structure as nearly natural as pos- sible. With such conllieting properties as speed, vigour, and great structural enlarge- ment, a reserve of more natural animals cannot be dispensed with. The enlarged portion of the stock should again be divided into two classes, one being kept for breeding, the other for working ; the size of the former should be allowed to become as large as is required to enable it to produce animals sufficiently powerful for working ; every effort should be made to keep down the stature of the breeding animals to that point which suffices, by the aid of rich food, to produce working animals sufficiently powerful ; increasing the stature of the race as little, and that of tlie individuals as much as possible. In breeding Horses of the best race it might be found desirable to have one portion of less speed, but more mus- cular, tlian the other, in order to meet that variety of demand which exists in a hiohlv civilized nation. There should be a certain amount of foreign blood in the Horses of our heavy cavalry ; but foreign Horses, having a degree of speed which is incompatible with much muscular power, are not so well calcu- lated for heavy cavalry as liwrses with less speed, but with more muscular and constitu- tional power. Mamhrino, SweehcilUum, ov Sedburt/, were better fitted for producing pro- per stock for cavalry than Sliuike. This animal was more advanced by art than the earlier Horses as respects speed ; but he vva.s not so uell calculated for enabling us to pro- duce powerful saddle-Horses. If a foreign race is to assist in the production of our heavy cavalry Horses, it must possess as mucli structural power as can be combined with a sufficiency of action, vigour, and power. The natural qualitiesof the Horse are foimd nearest perfection when they are in a condi- tion the least removed from one of nature. Artificial structure is obtained by rich food, and artificial speed by contiimed selection. The course of the breeder is easy so long as it is in one direction ; that is, in advance: When, however, the form of a whole race has become deteriorated, the symmetry which is lost can only be recovered by "oin-J- back to nature. A National Establishment woidd, in this case, renovate the enlarged portion of its stock by having recourse to the animals whose 4 o 830 THE MODERN SYSTEM stature liad been little enlarged. Such an institution should ever be at work preparing smaller animals by means of trials, and con- tinued selection, for being crossed when re- quired with that enlarged portion of its stock which from time to time became deteriorated. The smaller animals, until wanted, should be kept in a state of nature as nearly as possible. They would thus retain their vigour while acquiring all the advantage derivable from continued selection ; they could be maintained at the least possible expence; at one which the sale of the annual draughts would nearly or wholly repay. If a new race were to be formed, under the system we have now recommended, capable of running long distances, and carrying con- siderable weight without distress, premiums might be aofain g-ranted to the winners of cer- tain tasks upon the turf. To attempt to make modern racers run longer distances, or carry more weight than at present, would be both cruel and useless. A National Establishment undertaking to form a new race of foreign Horses could not be said to succeed, unless it supplied the country with Horses as swift, stout, and powerful as the earlier racers. Knowing accurately the powers of the new race, it could point out the nature of the run- ning for which premiums might properly be granted ; and great tasks might again be per- formed on the Turf, without any of the cruelty which attends the present running. How far bounties can in future be made to influence the proceedings of the Turf, by competing successfully with heavy stakes, can only be ascertained by experience. The stallions whose stature had been adequately enlarged in the Establishment for supplying the demand of the farmers in the great breeding counties sho(dd be let out under strict regulations, or rnaintamed by the Establishment in those counties in a condition best calculated to preserve their vigour. Mucilaginous food and other expedients had recourse to by private individuals to make the animals very fat, should not be resorted to ; the stallions of a National Establishment should make their way to public favor by the good- ness of their stock. No Horse should leave the Establishment as a stallion labouring under any essential defect. If a public Estab- lishment supplied the breeding counties with the best class of stallions at a cheap rate — bred within its own precincts — a limited number of the best class Horses for different purposes, allowing the parents and their offspring to be freely inspected, the public would be enlight- ened by example ; and, becoming gradually accustomed to see the best forms, would no longer be satisfied with bad ones. In determining on the utility of some such plan as that proposed, the reader will do well to ask himself the following questions. Is there a strong disposition in every fine race of the Horse, whose structure has been enlarged by unnaturally lich food, to become either coarse or weedy ? Are the means adopted on the Turf to prevent coarseness more than palliative 1 And are not some of them ob- jectionable? Is it not better to recur to nature, when art has disposed a domesticated race of Horses to coarseness, than to such a palliative as that of breeding on one side from old parents ? Is not this substituting weediness for coarseness ? If we adopt a system under which both coarseness and weediness are avoided, by recurring when necessary to fresh blood, we sho ild be able to rear and work Horses at the least possible expence. Under OF FARRIERY. •m tins system any essential loss of vigour would be instantly repaired by the most economical means. In maintaining vigour in a race of riorses without coarseness, we should have laid the best foundation for giving to it those artificial qualities which result from annual trials, and continued selection. It is in our power to modify greatly the acquired as well as the natural properties of Oriental Horses ; but we cannot combine the highest degree of transient speed with the compact skeleton and muscular power dis- played by the earlier Horses, and required when great distances are to be traversed, or much weight to be carried. The practical utility of our Author's plans and speculations may create doubt in some minds as to the propriety of their adoption to the extent of his views : we trust, however, that they will stimulate inquiry, and be pro- ductive of all the benefit the most sanguine may anticipate. It is a subject of vital import- ance and of grave deliberation. We earnestly recommend an attentive perusal of the work, not only to our readers, but to all engaged in the breeding of, and traffic in. Horses. We hear of much despondency expressed that the breed of Horses will leave »s, and that Its advantages some of our Continental neigh- bours are of opinion will aot long remain with us : they are fully aware of the source whence we derive this superiority, and are in con- sequence endeavoring to establish Races on the English plan, which together with a more careful selection of stallions and mares than they observe in England, will very soon, they say, enable them to excel us ; and they antici- pate a day, not very distant, when the English must send to the Continent, if not for speedy, &t least for sound Horses. This hint about soundness may be w.rth attention but for tha rest there can be little to apprehend. The following account for the demand o' the racing blood of this country, would, how- ever, make it appear that in foreign countries the English racehorse is still held in great estimation, whatever may be the opinion of Englishmen themselves. England, where during the last century the improvement of her breed of Horses has been cultivated with unwearied zeal and a lavish expenditure, is now reaping a golden harvest in return for her enterprise and spirit. Pur- chasers arrive from the four quarters of the globe. America has taken up the specula- tion with an ardour worthy the scion of " the old country." Louis Phillipe, although no Sportsman, and an enemy to the Turf, as a national amusement, still felt the importance of encouraging the breeding of Horses in France upon a better principle than that of crossing the Flanders mare with the Norman stallion. With the view of turning the atten- tion of the French farmer to a nevT source of rural industry, the Royal Breeding Stud in Normandy is now conducted upon a scale of which we have no example in this country. Their stud of stallions is enormous ; and when such Horses are found in it as Lottery, Cad- land, Pickpocket, Juggler, Dangerous, Tee- totum, Mameluke, Young Emilius, Cleveland, and an endless et cetera, it will be seen they have gone the right way to work. These Horses durina: the season are sent all over tha country. Germany has purchased largely of our best blood : Holstein, Belgium, Denmark, and Rus- sia have bought from us : but no purchasers come to the English market who evince the talent and spirit of the Americans. In ooo 332 THE MODERN SYSTEM year, one buyer alone, from Virginia, took from us Shakspeare, Emancipation, Rowton, Mar- grave, and Merman. France, at least under its present administration, will never be a vent of any consequence for our Racing Stock, as such : their Government will import our stallions, and encourage the speculation in others, as the means of introducing a better description of Horse for general use, particu- larly for their cavalry ; but they will not offer, by the gift of public money, any inducement for the introduction of race-hordes in that country. The Duke of Orleans is passionately fond of the Turf, but he will not give prices such as will procure first class runners from England, because there are no Stakes that warrant such a speculation. But we have no fear of France rivalling us in the breed of Horses, so long as we have the law of primogeniture, and so long as France is without it. The expences of the Turf will never be supported in France in the same way as in England on that very account. In a country like France, where property is so di- vided, and in a country like England, where money is in such masses — the Turf being a luxury as well as pleasure — becomes the em- ployment of the nobility of the land ; the law of primogeniture preventing the division of estates, secures at once the experience and the means of perpetuating the breed of Horses of the first quality, from generation to genera- tion ; and this is the cause of our superior breed of Horses. In fact, France does not want it ; compara- tively speaking, she has very few customers for thorough-bred Horses, they would rather be an encumbrance than useful to her. Be- yond the army and the Court, there are not many Frenchmen but that would be content with a moderate priced Horse ; and would rather avoid, we believe, the extra care and attention which a higher-bred animal might subject him to. The French, as far as our experience goes, are an economical people, not likely to encourage any expence which they possibly could do without ; and therefore are perfectly contented with their present breed of Horses. There are no hounds kept in the provinces, because there are no primo- geniture estates of twenty thousand pounds a year to support them ; there are no subscrip- tion packs, for the same reason, as there is no private one ; property is so extensively di- vided, that if it secures comforts, they are satisfied, and are too wise to embark in any thing which they deem extravagant. There is no encouragement to stimulate the breed of hunters, and the breed of blood horses will, we suspect, remain in the hands of the French Government, rather than be taken up by private breeders. We avail ourselves of the following descrip- tion of two breeding studs, which will con- firm the above obervations, that the breed of our Horses is derived from the watchful care and experience of the most wealthy of our nobility and men of fortune : — Within a few miles of Thetford in Norfolk, and almost adjoining each other, txe situated two of the most celebrated breeding establish- ments in England — Riddlesworth and Eus- ton — the former the seat of Mr. Thornhill , the latter of His Grace the Duke of Grafton. The proudest feature in the social condition of the land we live in is, that the promotion and support of objects of National importance, which everywhere else is looked upon as the business and peculiar province of the Govern- ment, here either originates in individual OF FARRIERY. 333 enterprise, or is the result of public spirit, sup- ported by private wealth or influence. Two Princely instances are those before us. There a National business (it is such in fact, because no other country possesses the material, or the knowledge of its use,) which from its nature is not suited to the merely professional man, is conducted with all the care and skill that could be brought to bear upon any under- taking solely embarked in for the purpose of a profitable return. It is this public spirit, not some newly discovered Philosopher's stone in political juggling, but an inheritance descended from father to son through generations of social order and rural uprightness, in which we read the true interpretation of England's prosperity, and the recipe by which alone other lands may hope to resemble her. This stud consisted (in 1836) of thirty mares. In loose boxes were some of Mr. Thornhill's yearlings about to be sent to Newmarket. A bay colt, by Emiliui*, out of Mercy, attracted considerable attention on account of his size ; he was a Horse in all but the name. Some Russians who lately visited Riddlesworth, ab- solutely refused to believe it, tiU they looked into his mouth. The second was a chesnut colt, by Sir Patrick, out of Mangle Wurzel, with size and substance for a four-year-old. The third a bay colt, brother to Mendizabel, by Merchant, out of Misnomer's dams. These three yearlings averaged fifteen hands two inches high each ! As far as the example of these yearling colts go, there can be no cause for suspect- mg degeneracy, for with their immense growth, they had substance as well as height, one of which might be taken for four years old. If these splendid and gigantic animals flad hat' justice done them, they would not ! have been put to severe work before five or j six years old ; yet they were going into train- ing at Newmarket, directly. Where there was so much strength and substance de- veloped at so early a period, surely it cannot be unnatural to suppose that if time was given for the consolidation of those powers, instead of racing them at two years old, we should not have to deplore the want of durability in our racing-stock. If we sin against Nature, however, we must take the consequences ; for we can never do that with impunity. It may be interesting here to draw a com- parison between the English racer, and tho parent stock as to the difference in size. The difference no doubt arises principally t'trough the stomach, from the superior kind of food which it may receive, which thus increases the structural economy of the animal. To il- lustrate this, we believe, that if the large Friezland Horse were sent to Shetland, and it did not die in the seasoning, it would de- generate in time to the size of the present Shetland poney ; whilst on the other hand, if the Shetland poney was removed to the suc- culent and nourishing pasture of Friezland, its size would become proportionately augmented, and \\ ould in the end become (the representa- tive of w hat it fed on) a large bulky animal. It has been remarked that very small Horses are stronger in proportion to those of a larger make ; this may be true, ^nd yet it may be perfectly necessary to improve their size for our own convenience. It would be impossible to have the hardiness of the Shetland poney and the speed of an Arab united in the same individual, and to gain speed we must be con- tent to sacrifice the hardiness of the northern poney for that of superior speed and size. It is well known that the eastern Horse requires 4 V af54 THE MODERN SYSTEM more care and attention in the stable than the commoner breed of Horse in this country, and in consequence of that is more fitted for a gentleman's than a poor man's stable. If then the racer has been made through the stomach a more powerful animal than his ancestor ; if his speed be superior; if the English stock be at one year old fifteen hands two inches high, and of substance sufficient to be taken for four years old, we see here no cause to suspect degeneracy. We know, however, we are speaking of a very superior stock of Horses, both as to breed and management, and we do not wish to affirm, that the generality of racers by any means possess the same sub- stance as these. We shall proceed to give a description of two of the most beautiful Arabs ever seen in this country, by a gentleman who well knows what a Horse should be. They were a present from an Eastern Prince, the fmaum of Muscat, to his late Majesty William the Fourth, which will show the difference, in a most striking manner, of the present breed of English racers to what they are derived from, which must prove both curious and in- terestino; to our readers. " The first that was shewn to me was a black stallion, standing fourteen hands three inches high, branded M on the off-quarter. This Horse is the most esteemed of the two, this colour in Arabs of tite highest class being rarely or ever met with. Years, I was given to understand, were consumed in selecting the pair sent to his Majesty, and no limit put upon the price. Great as the difficulty has ever been to convey a just idea of the Horse with the pencil, to put upon paper words to eft'ect such a purpose, is ten times a more hopeless affair. The first impression that the sight of this little unpretending animal made upon me was anything save in accordance with my an- ticipations as I entered his box. The issue was precisely such as we experience in con- templating a highly-finished picture ; the more you gaze upon it, the more its beauties are developed. In this country we are by no means familiar with the Arab ; many have not even seen one : I do not even think above a score have come within my own notice ; but I must say, that if the portraits with which every Sportsman is acquainted of the Darley or Godolphin Arabians be faithful delineations of the animals they profess to represent, the whole model of the Arab Horse, as I have seen it, differs toto ceelo from, them. Here I had before me one, selected by a Prince whose subjects have ever been celebrated for traffick- ing in the purest blood of the Desert: I could not doubt his claim to legitimacy. I have said his height is fourteen hands three inches ; his form so angular that at the first glance it seems to defy all claim to symmetry. The whole character of shape and bearing is closely allied to that of the deer. When you come to a minuter examination of the parts, indi- vidually, then you are convinced how pure the fountain must have been whence such blood was obtained. The head of this Horse can be likened to nothing but exquisitely chiseled marble ; there is literally no flesh upon it ; it is marble too to the touch. The eye is small, but clear to transparency ; the cheek-bones are prominent ; and there is a fixedness about the ears that helps you to think you are really looking upon the work of the sculptor. The jaws stand very far asunder ; tlie nostrils are large and high ; and the wind-pipe is of an extraordinary size. The neck is light, and set on similar to the deer's : the shoulders more fleshy and upright than suits our taste ; but OF FARRIERY. 335 be-low the linee the legs are perfection : you find quite as much bone as in the largest sized English blood-horse, and the tendons are in your grasp like iron. His carcase, without being very full of substance, is round and tolerably deep ; liis quarters what we express by vulgar. His thighs are very thin and sinewy, his loins narrovv^, the hocks perfectly clean, and slightly inverted ; he is what we call ' cat-ham'd.' The tail is well set on, the dock small, the hair fine and scant, giving it the appearance of a mule's, more than that of a Horse. His shanks are short, and hard as adamant, the pasterns flexible, the hoofs singularly hard, but healthy, and the feet open and roomy. You read his temper in his eye ; he is a light-hearted animal, without the slightest taint of vice. " The other stallion, a bright bay, is de- scribed almost in the same words. His head is less perfect, and his bone smaller, but his quarters are fuller and more softened down by the swell of the muscles. His back, which, like the other, is rather inclined to be hollow, is not more than eight or ten inches from hip II shoulder : I never saw a poney's so short. His height is as near as possible the same as the black ; in middle piece he has the advan- tage. They were both brought out for me, and I saw them in all their paces. In their action, as in their lean spare forms, you detect nothing superfluous : it is quiet and graceful, and entirely without any expression of exube- rant exertion. Utility is the characteristic of the Arab Horse. I can imagine them going for days together without fatigue : Nature in- tended them, and she has fitted them for endurance. The impression of their extraor- dinary speed was long a vulgar error, which IS now fast exploding. No Arab that ever trod the sand could live in company with an English race-horse, weight him for inches, or after any fashion you will : with the size of a galloway you cannot have the stride essential to great velocity. Speed, regular and long sustained, no doubt they possess : our bli trouble to ascertain the proportions which the different parts of the body should bear to each other, in order to discover the relative magnitude of the head, neck, trunk, and limbs, which ought to be found in the best constructed frame. If only one particular figure, and one set of proportions, were con- sistent with strength and activity, it would be of some benefit to make ourselves acquainted with those geometrical proportions ; but in order to show that the perfections of Horses cannot be determined by any general rules, we hare extracted a part of Monsieur Saint Bel's observations on the proportions of Eclipse, compared with that of the French table. 1. In that table the Horse should measure three heads in heio^ht, counting: from the fore- top to the ground : Eclipse measured three heads and a half. 2. The neck should measure but one head in length : that of Eclipse measured a head and a half 3. The height of the body should be equal to its length : the height of Eclipse exceeded his length by about one-tenth. 4. A perpendicular line falling from the stifle should touch the toe : ihis line in Eclipse touched the ground at the distance of half a head before the toe. 5. The distance from the elbow to the bend of the knee should be the same as from the bend of the knee to the ground : these two distances were unequal in Eclipse, the former being two parts of a head longer tlian the latter. This summary comparison shews that the beauty of a Horse cannot be absolutely deter- mined by general rules, but must ever be in relation to a particular species. Nature is herself the source of all that is ingenious, amiable, and beautiful : she laughs at systems manufactured by man, who views objects only through his own medium ; and a little attention to her laws will convince us that, even in the same breed, individual varie- ties are endless in number, and great in degree, without any diminution of activity or strength. 346 THE MODERN SYSTEM CHAPTER V. EARLY HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH RACE-COURSE, RACE-HORSE, ETC. We now come to speak of the English Racer, and of the Course, which has been so long the peculiar pursuit and amusement of the English people. We shall proceed to give an early account of the Course, which will enable our readers to draw a comparisou be- tween the present and the olden time : — RACING. It has been customary, says a Chester anti- quary (the elder Randal Holme, one of the city heralds), time out of mind, upon Shrove Tuesday, for the Company of Saddlers of Chester to present to the drapers a wooden ball, embellished with flowers, and placed upon the point of a lance. Mr. Lysons, in his " Magna Brittania," mentions some old articles of a race for two bells among the Corporation records, the earliest date of which was 1512. This ceremony was performed in the pre- sence of the Mayor, at the cross in the Roody, an open place, near the city ; but this year, 1540, continues Holme, the ball was changed into a silver bell, valued at three shilling-s and sixpence, or more, to be given to him who shall run the best and furthest on horseback before them on the same day, Shrove Tues- day. In 1610, Mr. Robert Ambrye or Araory, ironmonger, Sheriff" of the City of Chester, at liis own cost, did cause three silver bells to be made of good value, which bells he appointed to bo run for with Horses, " upon St. George's day, upon the Roode Dee, from the new tower to the netes, there torning to run up to the Watergate, that horse which come first there to have the beste bell ; the second to have the seconde bell for that year, putting in money and shuerties to deliver in the bells that day twelvemonth." The other bell was run for on the same day upon the like conditions. These trophies were taken to the Course with much pomp and ceremony. Chester races are now held the first week in May, which comes as near the original time (old St. George's day) as possible. These bells were denominated St. George's Bells, and in the last year of Jas. I. (1634-5,) John Brereton, inn-keeper. Mayor of Chester, first caused the Horses entered for this race, then called St. George's race, to start from the point beyond the new tower, and appointed them to run five times round the Roodv ; and OF FARRIERY. U7 ac<'ording to the younger Randel Holme, he who run the last course, or trayne, received the bell, worth eight or ten pounds, and to have it for ever, which moneys were collected of the citizens for that purpose. By the author's having added that the vv inner of this race was to have the bell for ever, is implied, that it had been formerly used as a temporary mark of honour by the successful Horseman, and afterwards returned to the corporation : this alteration was made April 23, 1624. Sir Thomas Chaloner, who wrote in the early part of Elizabeth's reign, mentions Henry VIII. as a great admirer of horses, and of his having imported some from Turkey, Naples, Spain, and Flanders to improve the breed. John Northbrook, a puritaniuai writer, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, wiio, though very severe against cards and dice, interludes, and other idle pastimes, allows of horse racing, a proof that it was no uncommon amusement at that time, when it was considered as a liberal pastime, practised for pleasure rather than profit, without the least idea of reducing it to a system of gaming. It is ranked with hunting and hawking, and opposed to dice and card-playing, by an old Scotch poet, who laments that the latter had, In a great measure, superseded the former; and Commenius says, at this day, 1590, tilting, or the quintain, is used instead of horse-races, which, adds he, are grown out of fashion. Antecedently to the reign of James the First, trials of speed were not practised as at the present day ; nor were any horses kept solely for the purpose of running at stated seasons. It is, however, certain that this comparative mode of ascertaining the goodness of Horses was not only, previously to this period, known but that private matches were made between gentlemen, who, relying on their own skill, rode themselves. Soon after the accession of this Monarch, who was " inordinately attached to the sports of the chase *," public races were established ; and particular Horses becoming known for their swiftness, their breed was cultivated, and their pedigrees recorded with the greatest exactness. Now it was that they were trained expressly for the purpose, attention being paid to the quantity and quality of the animal's food, physic, sweats, and clothing : the weights, also, which seldom exceeded ten stone, were rigidly adjusted. Camden says, that most of the celebrated races in the kingdom were called Bell Courses : hence originated the adage, " He bears the bell." In this reign, the value of English Horses began to be duly appreciated ; many were purchased and ex- ported to France. Sir Simon D'Ewes, in his Journal, speaks of " a Horse-race, near Linton in Cambridge- shire, in the reign of James the First, at which town most of the company slept on the night of the race." Gatherly, in Yorkshire ; Croydon, in Sur- rey ; Theobald's, on Enfield Chase, when the King was resident, w ere the spots where races were run. This King (James I.) bought an Arabian Horse of Mr. Markham, and gave 500/. for him. He was the first of that country which had ever been seen in England. The Duke of Newcastle mentions him, in his * This sylvan Prince, wliose sporting dress was of the forest-green, with a feather in his cap and a horn by his side, " in the most advanced state of his age and imbecility, when vuiable to sit on liorseback without assistance, con- trived to pursue the chase by being laced or tied vijj in his saddle." 848 THE MODERN SYSTEM " Treatise on Horsemanship," to have been of a bay colour, a httle Horse, and no rarity for shape ; he was trained, but disgraced his country by being beat in his races by every Horse that ran against him. Butcher, in his Survey of Stamford, informs us, that a concourse of noblemen and gentle- men meet together in the vicinity of the town, in mirth, peace, and amity, for the exercise of their swift-iunaing Horses, every Thursday in March. The prize they run for is a silver gilt cup with a cover, of the value of seven or eifht pounds, provided by the Alderman for the time being ; but the money is raised out of the interest of a stock formerly made by the neighbouring nobility and gentry, the well wishers to the town. Races were held at Newmarket the latter end of Charles I., although the Round Course was not made till l(iCG. In this King's reign, races were run in Hyde Park, as appears from a comedy called the Merry Beggars, or Jovial Crew, 1641. " Shall we make a fling to London and see how the spring appears there, in Spring-Garden and in Hyde Park, to see the races, horse and foot'.'" At this epoch, however, the country was distracted by scenes which were brought too closely to the feelings and bo.som of every man to allow of attention being paid to subjects which can alone be prosecuted with effect in periods of tranquillity. Burton, in his " Anatomy of Melancholy," mentions Horse races as " the disports of great men, and good in themselves, though many gentlemen, by such means, gallop out of their fortunes." On the restoration of Charles II., the great patron of the turf, this sport, so congenial with the habits and manners of a free people, re- vived. The glory of Newmarket, long ob- scured, again shone in meridian splendour. The palace, as it is now called, erected by James the First, and which had fallen to decay during the Civil Wars, was rebuilt for the better accommodation of the Merry Monarch, who personally attended, and not only gave public rewards, but kept and entered Horses in his own name * ; shedding by his affability, like William the Fourth at Ascot, a lustre and dignity on the anxious pursuit over which he presided. When his Majesty resided at Windsor, races were held in Datchet Mead : he also occasionally visited other places where Horse races were instituted — Burford Downs, in particular, as may be inferred from the following doggerel verses, written by Matthew Thomas Baskervile, about the year 16.90. Next, for the glory of the place. Here has been rode many a race : King Charles the Second I saw here, But I've forgotten in wliat 3'ear ; The Duke of Monmouth hcrij, also, IMade his Horse to sweat and blow ; Lovelace, Pembroke, and other gallants, Have been venturing here their talents ; And Nicholas Bainton, on Black Sloven, Got silver plate by labour and drudging. To this Monarch, also, we are indebted for the breed of our present race of running horses. With a view to the improvement of our native stock, the Master of the Horse (by some said to have been Sir Christopher Wyvill, and by others Sir John Fenwick) was sent into the Levant to procure Horses and mares for breed- * Oct. 10th, 1671. — " After dinner, I was on the heath, where I saw the greate match run between Woodcock and Flatfoot, belonging to the King and Mr. Eliot, of the bed- chamber, many thousands being spectators : a more gign&l race had not been run for many years." — Evelyn. OF FARRIER V. Mo ing: the mares thus procured, and also many of tlieir produce, have been styled Royal Mares. Dodsvvorth, though foaled in England, was a natural Barb. His dam, a Barb mare, was imported at this period, and was called a royal mare. She was sold by the Studmaster, after the King's death, for forty guineas, when twenty years old, in fual (by the Helmsley Turk) with Vixen, dam of the Old Child Mare. Dodsworth covered several well-bred mares, as appears by various pedigrees. At this time, too, the prizes run for became more valuable : instead of bells, pieces of plate were substituted, as bowls, cups, &c., usually estimated at one hundred guineas each ; and upon trophies of victory, the exploits and pedigrees of the successful Horses were most commonly engraved, whence, perhaps, much curious information might be obtained. During this reign Plates of different value were given in various parts of the country, and which were generally advertised in the London Gazette. William tlie Third frequently visited New- market ; and Queen Anne kept race-horses, and entered them in her own name. Her Majesty's brown Horse, Star, won a plate at York, July 30, J 714, at four four mile heats, the Friday preceding her death, which oc- curred on Sunday, August 1. George the First (1720) discontinued the Cups, and or- dered One Hundred Guineas in specie to be paid to the successful competitor. We have given the early history of the Course, sufficient to shew those who were unacquainted with its commencement, who were its supporters in its infancy, and by what progressions it arrived to the state of receiv- ing the King's Plate. We now come to the still more impertant part of this work, by selecting those Sires of the Turf, from whom our racing blood has derived its celebrity. We shall, however, be- fore speaking of these individual Horses sepa- rately, say something of the Racer generally. The race-horse, like the game-cock, the bull-dog, and the pugilist, are England's pe- culiar productions, unequalled for high cou- rage, stoutness of heart, and patience under suffering. Now prize-fighting, cock-fighting, and bull-baiting, being out of fashion, it be- comes a question with us, whether these dis- tinctions will be allowed us after the next fifty years. We care not much about it, if even these distinctions should leave us ; not that we are indifferent to the hardiness of our animals, whether biped, or quadruped; but it cannot be a question but this very hardiness has been productive of great cruelty. We recollect, early in youth being taken to a place in Staf- fordshire, to see, as a curiosity, a bear-bait. On arriving at the house where the bear was kept, we were invited in, and much to our astonishment, lay a bear and a bull-dog, cheek by jowl, before the fire. The man enquired if we had brought any dogs with us. On being answered in the negative, he said it was all one, he would find a dog. Poor Bruin m as brought to the stake, and his late seeming friend, and companion, vvas led to some dis- tance from the bear, and set at him. The dog- attacked his old friend with all that deter- termined ferocity belonging to his instinct, and pinned the bear. On remonstrating on the rruelty of the treachery of suffering the bear to be attacked by her late seeming friend and companion (for the bear seemed to make little or no resistance, as if she had confidence in the dog's not hurting her) and allowing the 4 T Hr>o TOE MODERN SYSTEM poor bear to be so ill-used. The bear-guard (blackguard, if you will,) exclaimed, " the bear isn't hurt ; dug's got no teeth ; knocked 'em out wi' chisel." True enough it was, the dosT had not a sinsrle tooth left ! Cockfighting has always appeared to us a most v/anton and cruel sport. Pugilism has brought sufficient disgrace upon itself, never we hope, to rear its head again. The cruel- ties of the race-course, arising from the se- verity of punishment administered to Horses, sometimes by jockies, no man of any humanity can defend. The Turf has, no doubt, been in many instances degraded by practices which are indefensible ; still looking upon it in a national and general way, it is of immense importance in supporting and maintaining the character of the English Horse. THE RACE HORSE. The term thorough-bred, in Britain and Ireland, indicates the Horse to be either a re- mote or immediate pure, unmixed descendant of the South Eastern courser, Arabian, Barb, Turk, Persian, Syrian, Egyptian, or of the neighbouring countries ; the preference for antiquity and purity of racing blood being always due to the produce of the Arabian and African deserts. The modern English race Horse resembles most the Arabian, in the general outline of his figure, his limbs, the form of his head, and in his countenance ; but from the great care and high keep which he has enjoyed in this country through so many descents, he is of far greater height and bulk and equally superior powers. Art is the handmaid and improver of nature ; and notwithslanding the boasted speed of animals in the natural state, there is no doubt oi" the superiority of the trained courser. Thus the British race Horse, even at an equality of size and power to carry weight, is far more swift and more stout, in the turf phrase, more lasting, than the natural courser of the desert of the oldest pedigree. Such is the universal experience from trials in tliis country, and such would in all probability be the result, were the rival Horses taken young, and trained and tried upon an equidistant and neutral soil. This opinion may not altogether coincide with the sentiments of those, who have been ac- customed to read and swallow without investi- gation, those proper supplements to the Arabian Nights, relations of the speed and exient of the journies performed in a given time by Arabian Horses : a little aid may be given to the judgment of these gentlemen, by the suggestion, in the desert, are no mile posts, no clocks or watches, wherewith to measure time, no clerks of the course to start the Horses, nor judges to drop the flag at the end- ing post ; but that the jockey himself is otlen the only spectator and detailer of his Horse's performance ; and that in all the Easteni writings, ancient or modern, exaggeration is the predominant figure. In the early periods of the turf, recourse must have been had for racers to foreign Horses, and to the bastard breeds, as they were thee styled, or mixtures between foreigners and. the lightest native breed of the coimtry. Spanish jennets, the descendants of Barbs, were trained : in short, any well-shaped nag with good action in the gallop, was deemed a racer. The idea of thorough -breed and its peculiar qualities, had not then taken place, but was afterwards gradually and experimentally de- veloped. The mild climate and gramineous soil of this country, always congenial with the OF FARRIERY. ^51 nature of the Horse, were found highly to improve in size and powers, the progeny of the Horses of the South ; and thence, aided by the systematic care of our turf breeders, has arisen the British race Horse, in the state of beauty, symmetry, and perfection, which we now witness ; and the superiority of which, all the world acknowledges and admires. This species had probably arrived at perfection, above a hundred years since, in the instance of Flying Childers, as the speed of that wonderful animal has never been exceeded ; nor does it seem within the experienced powers of Nature that it ever should. From that period, the greatest attention has been paid to pedigree, and to preserving the racing breed pure and unmixed. Accidental mixtures there certainly have been, for such are upon record ; but they have been com- paratively few, mere drops of common, in the grand stream of pure and high racing blood. Such crosses have been occasionally apparent in the form and qualities of the produce, perhaps for several generations ; but they have been obliterated by time, and are not dis- coverable in the remote descents. Within the above period, but not very lately, the phenomenon has now and then appeared of a Horse not thorough -bred, proving a winning — even a capital racer. But such exceptions will not induce experienced Sportsmen to infringe the general rule, by breeding from, or training Horses for the course, which are not thorough-bred. The same rule holds, however anomalous it may seem, with respect to foreign Horses of the purest blood, from which our thorough-breed is derived. None of them, and the expeiiment has often been repeated, whatever be their age, size, or condition, are able to contend upon the course, from a race of one hundred yards, to one hundred miles, with their relatives and brethren in blood, the race Horses of this country. The first James, our first sporting monarch, also, purchased of a Mr. Markliam, a merchant, an Arabian Horse, at the very considerable price of five hundred pounds. The ill success of this Horse brought Arabians into such disrepute, that we read of but few in the scanty annals of the Turf, until the reign of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts. THE DARLEV ARABI.\N. Early in the reign of Anne, and which forms an epoch in Turf history, the famous Darley Arabian was imported. He was sent from Aleppo by Mr. Darley, a merchant there settled, who procured him through his con- nections, from the Arabian deserts ; and he is one of those few Horses, on the purity of the blood of which we can have a certain reliance. Hence the consequence to a turf breeder, of having a portrait upon which he can depend upon, to illustrate those proportions of excel- lence, which this Horse possessed. It is said the only portrait of him has never been published, but remains in the mansion of his former master. That he was the sire of that racer of deathless fame. Flying Childers, and that his blood has since invariably proved the most valuable for the stud, form the best evidence of its purity, and that the land in which he was bred, is the native soil of the genuine courser. The Leedes Arabian was cotemporary with the Darley, and it is suffi- cient for his fame as a stallion to say, that he was the sire of Old Leedes. The great success of Mr. Darley with his Arabian, turned the current of fashionable 352 THE MODERN SYSTEM opinion among our English Sportsmen, so much in favour of the Horses of that country, that it became a common inducement to style was never tried in running a single mile, hut the measured and attested performances since, of far inferior Horses, leave not the shadow all Horses imported from the Levant, Arabians, | of a doubt of the ability of Flying Childers. to whether or not they might have been really such, or Persians, Syrians, Egyptians, Turks, or Barbs. This has occasioned notable con- fusion and uncertainty, but it has been ex- perienced, that the Horses of all those countries are endowed with the properties of the race Horse in certain degrees, and the blood of our English thorough-bred Horse is derived from a mixture of all those, although doubtless the blood of the Arabian and Barb predominates. THE DEVONSHIRE, OR FLYING CHILDERS. Childers, a bay Horse, somewhat upwards of fifteen hands in height, was foaled in 1715, the property of Leonard Childers, Esq. of Carr House, near Doncaster, and sold, when young, to the Duke of Devonshire. His pedigree was as follows : — he was got by the Darley Arabian, his dam, Betty Leedes, by Old Careless ; his grandam, own sister to Leedes, by Leedes' Arabian ; his great grandara by Spanker, out of the Old Morocco mare, Spanker's own dam. The Sporting reader will notice the near affi- nities in this pedigree. The history of this celebrated racer is so well known, and has been so often repeated, that a few items of it will suffice, Mr. Parkinson, who was likely to be well informed, has said that Childers was first used as a hunter, and that in the field, both his high qualities and his headstrong, if not vicious disposition, were first discovered. He was, however, void of any taint of restive- ness. It is probable, that, like Eclipse, he did not start on the course, until five, perhaps not until six years old, when lie beat all the Horses of his time, at whatever distance. He run a mile within one minute of time ! Carry- ing nine stone two pounds, he ran over the Round Course at Newmarket, three miles, six furlongs, ninety-three yards, in six minutes and forty seconds, when he was judged to move eighty-two feet and half in one second of time. He likewise ran over the Beacon Course, four miles, one fourlong, one hundred and thirty-eight yards, in seven minutes, thirty seconds, covering at every bound, a space of twenty-five feet. He made a spring or leap of ten yards, upon level ground, with his rider on his back. As we remember, about 1778, O' Kelly caused the stride of his grey Horse, Horizon, one of the speediest sons of Eclipse, to be measured, and the extent was reported to be twenty-seven feet. Childers, as a Stallion, ranks far higher than his great competitor Eclipse. In that capacity, perhaps, no English bred Horse can compare with him, as to essentials through length of descent ; as a Racer, certainly but one. He died in the Duke of Devonshire's Stud, in 1741, aged twenty-six years. THE GODOLPHIN ARABIAN. The Godolphin Arabian was imported into this country, about five and twenty years after the Darley Arabian. They were the most celebrated and valuable for their blood and high form, as stallions, which have yet ap- peared, and are the source of our present best racing blood. There are sufficient reasons, however, for the supposition, that Lord Go- dolphin's Horse was in reality a Barb. The public has been in constant possession of tha OF FARRIERY. 353 true portrait of this famous Horse, sc» remark- able and striking in his form ; which is not the case, to the regret of all true Sportsmen, with respect to the Darley Arabian, of which there now exists, if it yet do exist, but the solitary original picture, at the old mansion of Mr. Darley ; the possessor having, it is re- ported, returned no answer to an application some years since, for leave to take an engrav- ing of it, for the pubhc satisfaction. The portrait of the Godolphin Arabian by Stubbs, gave rise to some unfavourable criti- cisms by his brother artists, in respect that the elevation of the Horse's crest was excessive, indeed, totally out of nature ; and it was as- serted that the painter must have drawn upon his imagination, in order to deck out a Horse with such a lofty and swelling forehand. Now, looking at the Godolphin Arabian, a Horse that has been of so much importance in the improvement of the breed of the racing ilud, it is an object of great regret, that the portrait of such a Horse should be received with a cavilling spirit, or at all as a matter of doubt. VVe regret, for the sake of posterity that thei'e should be Horses of such undoubted reputed excellence, as the Darley Arabian, as well as many others, of almost equal note, without any portraits to enable us to judge of their make and personal appearance. In the present day, however', we have artists who seize with aviditv the occasion of takins: the portraits of celebrated Horses, and it is not to be expected that any doubt of a likeness vv'ill take place in future, as was in the case of the Godolphin Arabian. It is but justice to Stubbs, however, to say, that the late Rev. Mr. Chafin who had seen the Godolphin Arabian frequently, vouches for the correctness of this picture. This Arabian's fate seems to have been as chequered as that of many other public cha- racters, and he has been indebted as much to accident for the development of his powers, as some of our hei-oes of the sock or buskin have. So little was he valued in France, that it is said he was actually employed in the drudgery of drawing a cart in the streets of Paris. Mr. Coke brought him over from France, and gave him to Williams, master of the St. James's Coffee House, who presented him to the Earl of Godolphin, This noble Horse, though elevated from the drudgery of drawing a cart in the str-eets of Paris, to the stud of a British nobleman, whose name the Arabian afterwards bore, was nevertheless placed in a secondary and de- grading situation, by becoming teazer to Hob- goblin, a stallion in his Lordship's stud, which Horse was so ungallant as to refuse making any advances to Roxana, and she was in con- sequence put to the Arabian, and produced a colt foal, the famous Lath, the most elegant and beautiful, as well as the best racer of his time. The Godolphin was fifteen hands in height, of great substance, of the truest conformation for strength and action, bearing every indica- tion of a real courser — a Horse of the desert. His colour was entire blown bay, with mottles on the buttocks and crest, excepting a small streak of white upon the hinder heels. He was imported into France from some capital or royal stud in Baibary, whence it was sus- pected he was stolen. This Ai'abian was said to have been foaled in the year 1724. He died in 1753, having been consider-ed the most successful as a stallion of any foreign Horse before or since imported. 4 u 354 THE MODERN SYSTEM ECLIPSE. Eclipse, fully master of sixteen stone, was bred by the Duke of Cumberland, of Culloden memory, and foaled during the great eclipse in 1764, whence the name given him by the Royal Duke. He was got by Marsk, a grandson, through Squirt, of Bartlet's Child- ers, out of Spilletta ; she was got by Regains, son of the Godolphin Arabian, out of Mother Western, which mare was got by a son of Snake, full brother to Williams's Squirrel, her dam by Old Montague, grandam by Hautboy, out of a daughter of Brimmer, her pedigree not preserved. Eclipse had several full brothers and sisters ; Hyperion, afterwards Garrick, Proserpine, Briseis, and others, but none of them racers of any high form. This famous racer, together with Flyuig Childers, whose names are familiar to every ear, stand proudly aloof, to this hour, from all possibility of competition. Eclipse, in his form, constitution, and action, seemed to compre- hend every excellence for the course — a vast stride, with equal agility ; no Horse ever threw in his haunches with more vigour and effect, and they were so spread in his gallop, that a wheel-barrow might have been driven be- tween his hinder legs. Of his speed too much cannot be said, but we have no rule by which to judge of his stoutness or game, since no cotemporary racer was able to run for a moment by his side, far less able to try his power of continuance ; and if it be said, that he contended with middling Horses only, the two or three capital ones that met him, having passed their prime, it must be remembered that those Horses he dis- tanced, and probably could have, doubly dis- tanced. The jockeys never held him, the Horse always running according to his own will, yet never swerving from his course, and always pulling up easily enough at the ending post. O Kelly was yet apprehensive that he might at some time Ireak away ; and when the Horse ran over the course at York, with twelve stone, which he was judged to have performed in eight minutes, a number of men were placed at the ending post, with the view of stopping him, in case the jockey should be unable to pull him up; a precaution which proved entirely useless. He never felt the whip or spur on any occasion. The only cotemporary which was supposed to have any pretensions to contend with Eclipse, was Mr. Shaftoe's famous Horse, Goldfinder, by Snap, a beautiful and long- reached brown Horse. He was never beaten, and would have met Eclipse, to run for the King's Plates in the following year, but that he broke down in the October Meetina:, at Newmarket. The speed of Eclipse was never timed by the watch, unless in running over the course at York, a fact never clearly ascer- tained. Immediately previous to Eclipse running for the King's Plate at Winchester, 1769, Mr. O'Kelly purchased the half share of him, for six hundred and fifty guineas, of Mr. Wild- man, the sporting sheep salesman of Smith- field, who had a stud, and trained race horses, near Epsom, Surrey. Afterwards O'Kelly purchased the remainder for eleven hundred guineas. About the year 1779, a noble Duke, or some sporting member of his family, demand- ing of O'Kelly how much be would take for Eclipse, the reply was — " By the Mass, my Lord, and it is not all Bedford Le^el that OF FARRIERY. 355 would purchase him." Old Jack Medley, of the Sporting Coffee House, declared that he heard O 'Kelly ask, with singular gravity, the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds down, an annuity of five hundred pounds on his own life, and the annual privilege of send- ing six mares to the Horse, as the price for Eclipse. O'Kelly affirmed, that he had ac- quired upwards of twenty-five thousand pounds by Eclipse. The Eclipse colt, when a yearling, was purchased by Mr. Wildman for seventy-five guineas, on the decease of the Duke of Cum- berland, at the sale by auction of his Royal Highness's stud. Marsk, the reputed sire of Eclipse, subsequently on the New Forest, covered country and forest mares at half-a guinea each. The same Marsk, which after- wards, being the property of Lord Abingdon, covered at 100 guineas a mare, and was ad- vertised, in succeeding seasons, by the noble breeder, at 200 or 300 guineas a mare. Wildman had a friend in the old Duke's stud, from whom he obtained a hint of the superior form of the Eclipse colt ; but mak- ing the journey in haste, he did not arrive until the sale had commenced, and his ob- ject had been already knocked down at 70 guineas. Appealing instantly to his watch, which he knew to be a correct time-piece, he found the hour had not arrived by several minutes at which the commencement of the sale had been publicly advertised, and thence firmly insisted there had been no lawful sale, and that the lots knocked down should be put up again. The knight of the hammer, well aware of the resolution and pecuniary weight of Mr. Wildman, very prudently offered him the chance of any lot he should choose. Eclipse was put up again, and Wildman purchased the yearling Eclipse at an advance of five guineas. Eclipse, for what reason has never been published, did not appear upon the Turf, until he was full five years old, when he was entered at Epsom for the Maiden Plate of £50. There can be no doubt but that his trials at Epsom had been watched, as the odds at starting were four to one in his favour. O'Kelly was doubtless well aware of the goodness of this maiden Horse, by the large sums he then betted at such considerable odds. In running the second winning-heat, the whole five horses were close together, at the three-mile post, when some of the jockies used their whips ; Eclipse was quietly jogging on at his moderate rate ; when alarmed by the crack of the whips, he bounded away, and notwithstanding his jockey held him back with all his force, not one of his competitors could save his distance. In running over the course at York, in the following year, 1770, for the Subscrip- tion Purse, against Tortoise and Bellario, two first-rate racers, but aged, Eclipse took the lead : and the jockey being unable to hold him, he was more than a distance before the other Horses at the end of two miles, and won the race with the utmost ease. At start- ing, bets of twenty, and in running, £100 to a guinea were offered on Eclipse. On a certain race, O'Kelly betted five and six to four, that he posted the Horses : that is to say, named, before starting, the order in which they would run in. When called on to declare, he named — "Eclipse first, the rest in no place," and won his money, Eclipse distancing all the rest ; being dis- tanced, they were consequently, in a sport- ing sense, in no place. 856 THE MODERN SYSTEM Eleven King's Plates, the weight carried for all of them being twelve stone, one excepted, ten stone, were won by Eclipse. In twenty- three years, three hundred and forty-four winners, the progeny of this transcendant Courser, produced to their owners the sum of 158,071/. 12s. various prizes, not included. The characteristics of the Eclipse racers were speed and size, and many of them bent their knees, and took up their feet in the gallop, with extraordinary activity. If few of them were stout, still fewer of them wanted ho- nesty, a restive or swerving Horse being seldom found of that blood. The eye of Turf science is directed in the portrait of Eclipse, to the curve in the setting on of his head, to his short fore-quarter, to the slant, extent, and substance of his shoulder, the length of his waist, and breadth of his loins ; to the extent of his quarters, and the length and substance of his thighs and fore- arms. Although a strong, he was a thick- winded Horse ; and, in a sweat or hard exer- cise, was heard to blow at a considerable distance. Eclipse first covered at fifty guineas ; after- wards at twenty guineas, being stinted to fifty mares, exclusive to those of his owner ; ulti- mately, at thirty guineas. In 1788, his feet having been neglected, he was removed from Epsom to Cannons, in a four-wheel carriage, drawn by two Horsoi?, his groom being an inside passenger with him, the old racer and his attendant taking the necessarj' refreshments on the road together. Eclispse died at Cannons in the following year, on February 28, aged twenty-five years ; and, according to the precedent of the Godol- phin Arabian, cakes and ale were given at his funeral. His heart weighed thirteen pounds. The uncertainty in Eclipse's pedigree arises from the circumstance that his dam, barren in the previous year, was in the next covered by both Shakespear and Marsk ; but came to Marsk'.s time. There was a strong resem- blance, however, in Eclipse, to the progeny of Shakespear, in colour, temper, and certain peculiarities of form. Mr. John Lawrence, who was well ac- quainted with Eclipse, says : — " Never, to the eye of a Sportsman, was there a truer-formed galloper in every part ; and his countenance and figure as he stood in his box, notwith- standing his great size, excited the idea of a wild Horse of the desert. His resolute and choleric temper was well known ; and al- though he held a very familiar and dumb converse with us over the bar, we did not deem it prudent to trust ourselves alono with him in his apartment ; he was nevetheless very kind and friendly \uth 1 is grocm." OF FARRIERY 357 CHAPTER VI. MEMOIR OF THE OWNER OF ECLIPSE— OBSERVATIONS ON THE TURF, ETC. MEMOIR OF DENNIS O KELLY, ESQ. In ffivins: an account of this extraordinary gentleman, the owner of Eclipse, as well of many other noted racers, we are indebted to Mr. John Lawrence, who says: — " Dennrs O'Kelly, Esq., died either a cap- lain or colonel of the Surrey Militia. He was a true Milesian, and of that naturally-privi- leged class, born for gentlemen, although not gentlemen-born. He possessed that kind of talent, industry, patience, and assurance, which are generally sure to promote a man's views of rising in life — it was Whittington and his Cat, O'Kelly and his Horse. Of liis gene- alogy we profess to know nothing, or the pre- cise period at which he left Ireland, and found his way to this country to seek his fortune. Nor is it important to determine, in what cha- racter he made his appearance in London, whether as a chairman or a waiter ; but we knevv the man personally in his prosperity ; and, in our mind's eye, we now behold him as he stood, the oracle of the betting-ring, on Epsom Downs, in the year 1779 — a short, thickset, dark, harsh-visaged, and ruffian- looking fellow, wearing an old round hat and .*.hort, striped Orleans coat. Through this un- favourable exterior shone the ease, the man- ners of a gentleman, and the attractive quaint ness of a humourist. We saw him converse with the gentle and the noble of this and other countries, with the lournure and decorous confidence of gentility, and could not help admiring the man, who from the lowest be- ginnings, had, by mere dint of talent and dili- gence, elevated himself to such a height of fortune, in the meanwhile, having qualified himself to enjoy his property with so good a grace. He v\'as a good and kind master to both men and horses ; a hearty and social friend, keeping a plentiful table at Clayhill, and giving the choicest wines. His usual summons for the desert was — ' John, bring us the apples,' (pines). His servants used to retail with much relish his Iricisms and quaint sayings. " It has been said that he was a liberal and punctual paymaster ; but in all probability, there may be something to detract from this account, and such is the uncertainty of the human character, from the favourable part of our statement likewise. We have heard that O'Kelly, as well as his betters, who mortified him with a persevering refusal of admission into their clubs, was occasionally long and largely in arrear with his jockies. This might happen in consequence of runs of ill luck, and 4 X 3.58 THE MODERN SYSTEM having very large outgoings in so expensive a concern. O'Kelly almost by himself, filled a middle rank between our Sportsmen of the Aristocracy and the professional betters ; and although it may be presumed, he was not a man overladen and depressed in his career by scruples, his character, as a man of the Turf, in all probability, would not suffer in com- parison with the highest of that class. We have not, nor is it likely we shall again soon, see his like. " For the first spoke which O'Kelly put in the wheel of fortune, he is said to have been indebted to his connection with Mrs. Char- lotte Hayes, to whom he was afterwards mar- ried ; a lady of high note in her day, and of the hiffhest consideration in her line. His nail in fortune's wheel was finally clenched by the purchase, first by the half, afterwards of the whole of the Race Horse, Eclipse. The most painful diurnal and nocturnal attention to the business of play, and the devotion to that end, of a genius and temperament singularly calculated for it, enabled him to make this purchase, and likewise the more heavy one of the estate at Epsom, where, upon the Downs, and on the verge of the course, he built a suite of stabling, replete with every conveni- ence, for the purpose of breeding and training the Race Horse." O'Kelly died about 1779, leaving a con- siderable fortune acquired upon the Turf, to his nephew, with the condition, as it had been generally understood, that he never engaged in Horse-racing ; which condition, as our con- venient laws both make and cut off entails, and as a memento to testators, was afterwards avoided. Though O'Kelly may be considered gene- rally as a keen and knowing Sportsman, which most undoubtedly he was ; yet his predilec- tion for some of his Horses, because they were got by Eclipse (and no man we can admit had greater cause for prejudice), made some of his cotemporaries say was an illustration of his want of judgment. Young Eclipse was a Horse of this description. He never merited j this splendid name bestowed upon him, being a Horse of no pretensions whatever ; and yet this, and another of somewhat the same de- scription (Boudrow, we believe,) were once his chief favourites. It had, however, been discovered, that the produce of Eclipse ran too generally and exclusively to speed : and that in toughness and continuance, they were greatly surpassed by their competitors on the course, the stock of King Herod and Gold- finder. In observing on the general character of Eclipse's running, we cannot but remark, that it was impossible to make a tool of him, if even it had been desired or intended by his owner. He was no Horse that could win a race to-day, and be beaten on the morrow by a Horse of inferior powers. He seemed to have made up his mind to be always a win- ner, and resisted all the attempts of his jockeys to force him to accommodate his pace to that of his opponents. He took the lead and gal- lantly maintained it, in spite of all opposition. Had we all Eclipses on the course, we should not witness the finesse we so often do on the course, at the present day. KING HEROD. King Herod, descended by his dam from Flying Childers, was of the highest reputation, both as a Racer and a Stallion ; indeed, stands anions: the first, if he be not really the very first of the latter class, in modern times. He OF FARRIERY. 359 ranks decidedly before Eclipse, some of Herod's stock being not only among the most speedy, but the generality of them, the stoutest and best constitutioned Horses the Turf, at any period, has produced. King Herod was a bay Horse about fifteen hands three inches high, of great substance, length, and power, and fine figure. He was bred by old Duke William, and foaled in 1758. He was got by Tartar out of Cypron. There was another Tartar got by Blaze, but Tartar the sire of King Herod, was got by Croft's Partner, one of our most famous Racers and Stallions, out of Meliora by Fox, and she was bred from a line of stout and true runners. Partner, grand sire of King Herod, was foaled in 1718; he was a chesnut Horse, of great power, exquisite symmetry and beauty, and immediately succeeded Flying Childers, as the best Horse at Newmarket, giving weight to, and beating those of the highest repute, over the course. He was got by Jig, (no pedigree of dam) son of the famous Byerley Turk, his pedigree through a list of highly reputed pro- genitors, concluding with the well known Old Vintner Mare. Partner died in 1747, aged twenty-nine. Cypron, King Herod's dam, was got by that powerful and capital Racer and Stallion, Blaze, a son of Flying Childers, and sire of Sampson, Scrub, and others ; that Blaze, of which the Yorkshiremen affirmed, that even half-bred mares would breed racers by him ; out of Sir William St. Quintin's Seliraa, a black mare and true runner, got by the Bethell Arabian, and boasting in her lineage. Cham- pion, the Darley Arabian, and Old Merlin. King Herod's pedigree consists of the oldest and purest blood. Herod, like Childers and Eclipse, did not start upon the Course, until five years old. He never ran any where but at Newmarket, Ascot Heath, and York, and always over tlia course, or four miles, stoutness or game, and ability to carry weight, being his play. He ran five times for a thousand guineas each race, and won three of them. His losino- the two, might be on account of reasons which now and then occur upon the Turf The last race he won was against Ascham, a curious one, from the circumstance of two aged Hordes carrying feathers, five stone seven, and six stone. He had previously burst a blood vessel in his head, whilst running the last mile over York, for the Subscription Purse, against Bay Malton and other. He won several matches for five hundred guineas, and a Sweepstake of three hundred guineas, nine subscribers. The fame of this Racer as a Stallion, in the Turf Register, is truly splendid. In nineteen years, namely, from 1771 to 1789, four hundred and ninety-seven of his Sons and Daughters, won for their proprietors, in Plates, Matches, and Sweepstakes, the sum of two hundred and one thousand, five hundred and five pounds, nine shillings, exclusive of some thousands won between 1771 and 178G. Herod was the sire of the celebrated Highflyer, bred by Sir Charles Bunbnry, which was never beaten ; and which, like his sire, had a great stride, and game was his best. Herod also got some of the speediest Horses of their day, as. Woodpecker, Bourdeaux, Anvil, Hammer, Sting, Adamant, Plunder, Quick- sand, Rantipole, Wliipcord, and many others. Tuberose, Guildford, and Latona, were rare examples of the family stoutness, and Labur- num was an excellent and useful racer. The list of brood mares got by Herod is extensive mdeed. King Herod first covered the property of 360 THE MODERN SYSTEM Sir John Moore, Bart, at ten guineas. In 1774 his price arose to twenty-five guineas, at which it remained till his death, which happened May 12, 1783, in the 22d year of his age. He was so shamefully neglected in his latter days, and his body so encrusted with dung and filth, that, it is said, the immediate cause of his death was a mortification in his sheath. Many much later instances are known of covering Stallions neglected in a similar way, and a famous son of Herod, exhausted by ex- cess of covering, died after three days pro- tracted agonies. George IV, when Prince of Wales, formerly allowed the breeders of the vicinity to his residence in Hants, the use of a well-bred Stallion gratis, excepting the groom's fee of a crown. The consequence of which was, the exhaustion of the animal. So many mares were sent that it was impossible for Nature to support the continued demand for one individual to perform, with any chance of a successful progeny. The Horse often co- vered, or attempted to cover, twelve mares in one day. The stock of which animal was the most wretched, puny, spindle-shanked animals to be imagined. Facts like the.se should be published, and kept alive in the memories of those who may wish to profit from this information. BLEEDING GUILDERS. Bleeding Childers, so called from his fre- quent bleedings at the nose, afterwards called Young Childers, and finally Bartlet's Childers, was full brother to Flying Childers. He was never trained, but proved a superior stallion even to his brother ; and the high character in that respect which we have awarded to the elder brother, we intend as divisible between the two The Hampton Court Childers, sire of Blacklegs, was son of the Devonshire Childers. There were in all, six nearly con- temporary racers and stallions of the name of Childers. JUPITER. Jupiter was a son of Eclipse out of the Tartar m.ire, which, by the same Horse, also bred Venus, Adonis, and some others runners of inferior note. Jupiter was fifteen hands one inch high, and like most of the .sons of Eclipse, of great bone and substance. He had also a considerable, if not a capital share of that speed which characterized the Eclipse blood. Speed was his best, to make use of the old Turf phrase, and he had enough of it to enable him to win at Lewes, at three years old, the eight hundred guineas, a mile race, against six others ; and the same year, at Newmarket, a mile race also, one thousand guineas, beating seven others ; and three hundred guineas, at Ncvvmarket, from tlie Ditch-in (upwards of a mile and half) beating eight others. He never won a four mile race, or, as it is called, over the course, and broke down in 1779, being five years old, at New- market, in the October Meeting, running for the Weights and Scales Plate of eighty guineas, over the B. C. or Beacon Course of four miles. No longer able to serve his proprietor upon the course, but the date of his services, in all probability, curtailed by that injudicious se- verity of training to which our grooms are so infatuated, Jupiter was consequently with- drawn in the following season to the Breeding Stud. It is melancholy to consider how many good Horses have been sacrificed to over-training. It is surely better to leave some superfluous OF FARRIERY. 361 flesh, than run the risk of training so fine, as lo debilitate the constitution of the animal. It would be also more wise very often to substi- tute walking exercise, than severe training, immediately before the match comes on. It is essential that rest should intervene before any extravagant demand is made upon the powers of any animal. Without such care it is not to be wondered at that Horses should break down in racing. MARSK. The brown Horse, Marsk, foaled in 1750, and so named from the place where he was bred, was the property of John Hutton, Esq., of Marsk, Yorkshire, who afterwards disposed of him to his Royal Highness the Didie of Cumberland, was got by Squirt, son of Bart- let's Childers, out of the Ruby mare, which was from a daughter of Bay Bolton and Hut- ton's Black Legs — Fox Cub — Coneyskins — Hutton's Grey Barb — a daughter of the By- erley Turk, from a Bustier mare. This is one of our highest bred pedigrees, going back to the reign of Charles I. In the year 1750, the Duke made an exchange of a chesnut Ara- bian with Mr. Hutton, for the colt, which his Royal Highness afterwards named Marsk. The history of Marsk, like the Godolphin Arabian, was highly eventful, and distin- guished by alternate depression and elevation. The fitful tide of life, seems equally to affect the quadruped as much as the biped part of the creation ; as the history of Marsk, as well as of his sire, will show. Marsk must be deemed a capital racer, since he beat Brilliant ; but he was an uncer- tain Horse. Being in low estimation as a Ktallion, in the Duke's stud, he was sold at his Koyal Highness's sale at Tattersall's, to a farmer for a trifling sum, and in 1766, as has been before observed, covered country mares and foresters, at half-a-guinea ; when Mr. Wildman finding his intelligence respecting the Eclipse colt correct, thought it advisable to get into his possession the sire of such a colt, and purchased Marsk of the ftirmer for twenty pounds, who professed himself happy to be well rid of a bad bargain. Of Marsk's subsequent advance in fame and price as a stallion, we have spoken of before under the head of Eclipse. Marsk has been styled the " Prince o Horses," and his fame will be handed down to as late a posterity as the fame of his late princely owner. It is suflScient to say that, beside so many other racers of high reputation, he was the sire of Eclipse, Shark, Pretender, Honest Kitt. Masquerade, Leviathan, Salopian, and Pontac Shark won sixteen thousand and fifty-seven guineas, in matches, sweepstakes, and plates . beating the best Horses of his day, at their own play, whether speed, or stoutness. Marsk seems to have had the caprices of fortune imparted to him as an inheritance from his sire. Squirt, after running with great re- pute, became a stallion in Sir Harry Harpier's Stud, who esteeming him of no worth, ordered him to be shot. As the huntsman was leading him out t? the dog-kennel, he was begged off by the stud-groom ; and afterwards got Marsk, Sy- phon, Prat's famous old mare that bred Pump- kin, Maiden, Purity ; with many others. Syphon got Sweetwilliam, Sweetbriar, Tandem, Daisey, and others. These curious and interesting facts, which might be greatly multiplied, surely cannot fail of having certain effect upon the minds <>/ 4 V 8R2 THE MODERN SYSTEM those, who breed and train Horses for the course. Shark was taken from this country, for the paltry sum of 139Z. ! The gentleman who writes under the name of Nimrod says : — The greatest stake on record, depending on a single heat, was 5,200 guineas. This was won by Dorimont, a Horse, four years old, the property of the Earl of Upper Ossory. at Newmarket, in 1776. This fortunate animal, the Bay Middleton of that day, also won for his noble owner, the same season, in matches and sweepstakes, eight other races, making the sum in hard cash, of 7,899 guineas, and the Grosvenor Stakes and Clermont Cup. The grand stakes already made to be run at Goodwood, in 1839, has twenty-three subscribers at 300 sovereigiiS half forfeit: 6,900/. if all run, but 4,000/. at the least. EARLY STATE OF TRAVELLING. In a former part of this work, we alluded to the state of public travelling by coach, and the state of the roads, about the beginning of the present century. We shall now take a more retrospective glance, which will trace the commencement of the use of carriages, as well as an account of some feats of pedes- trianism, which necessarily must have been the means of communication antecedent to the making of roads. Our ancestors then, instead of communicating by post, were obliged to use running footmen, whose extraordinary performances rival, we suspect, the Barclays and the Turners, of our more modern times. In referring to the olden time of travelling and the present, our bosoms swell with triumph- ant satisfaction at the immense improvement whicli has taken place, so honourable to us 03 a nation, and which proves at once our in- dustry and our scientific attainments. Watt has not toiled in vain. His invention of the steam engine has been adapted to all pur- poses. The genius of England has adapted it to ride on the bosom, or to stem the billows of the mighty Atlantic. The steam engine is the means of civilization ; it has united tlie metropolis of the empire with the smallest of its isles, and is the conductor of commerce, which adds so much to our comforts, as well as to our wealth. In fact, fifty years ago, the men, the most advanced in knowledge, and the most sanguine in the expectation of realiz- ing improvements, would be overwhelmed with astonishment at the advance of the arts and sciences of the present day. To illustrate the inconvenience which our ancestors must have suffered, and to make the present gene- ration feel grateful for those altered circum- stances, we shall proceed to speak of by-gone limes. In Scotland (says that useful and talented periodical. Chambers' Journal,) they had a class of officials called running footmen, of whose pedestrian powers many surprising ex- amples are noticed by tradition. For instance, in the Duke of Lauderdale's house, at Thirl- stane, near Lauder, on the table-cloth being one morning laid for a large dinner-party, it was discovered that there was a deficiency of silver spoons. Instantly, the footman was sent off" to the Duke's other seat of Lethington, near Haddington, full seventeen miles off", and across hills and moors, for a supply of the ne- cessary article. He returned with a bundle of spoons in time for dinner. Again, at Hume Castle, in Berwickshire, the Earl of Home had one night given his footman a commission to proceed to Edin- burgh (thirty-five miles off,) in order ta OF FARRIERY. 863 deliver a mes-^age of liigh political conse- quence. Next morning early, when his Lord- ship entered the hall, he saw the man sleeping on a bench ; and, conceiving that he had neg- lected his dnty, was about to commit some rash act, when the poor fellow awoke and in- formed Lord Home, that his commission had been executed, and that, having retured before his Lordship was stirring, he had only taken leave to rest himself a little. The Earl, equally astonished and gratified by the ac- tivity of his faithful vassal, rewarded him with a little piece of ground, which, to this day, bears the name of the post rig ; a term equi- valent to the postman's field, and an unques- tionable proof, as all the villagers at Hume devoutly believe, of the truth of the anecdote. The custom of keeping a running footman did not cease amongst noble families in Scotland till the middle of the last century. The Earl of March, father to the late Duke of Queensberry, and who lived at Neidpath Castle near Peebles, had one named John Mann, who used to run in front of the car- riage, with a long staff. In the head of the staff there was a recess for a hard-boiled eg'g', such being the only food taken by Mann during a long journey. Next to the pedestrian feats of our prede- cessors, were their equestrian performances. The pedestrian was almost independent of roads ; and hence the brilliancy of his feats. The rider was not just so independent ; but still a rough way was of less consequence to him than to a wheeled vehicle. Hence it arises that some journies performed on horse- back in former times are not much less wonderful than the above examples of rapid walking. Hori-emen of the present day would thinU it no mean feat, we suspect, to perform on horseback one hundred miles a day ; yet this undertaking appears insignificant, compared with the account of the rapid travelling of the messenger who conveyed to Edinburgh the death of Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth died at one o'clock of the morning of Thursday the 24th of March, 1603. Between nine and ten, Sir Robed Carey left London (after having been up all night), for the purpose of conveying the in- telligence to her successor James, at Edin- burgh. That night he rode to Doncaster, a hundred and fifty-five miles. Next niglit he reache\i Witherington, near Morpeth. Eariy on Saturday morning he proceeded by Norharn across the Border, and, that evening, at no late hour, kneeled beside the kings bed at Holyrood, and saluted him as King of England, France, and Ireland. He had thus travelled four hundred miles in three days, resting during the two intermediate nights. But it must not be supposed that speed like this was attained on all occasions. When we consider the state of the roads at the period at which this performance took place, it must be considered an astonishing feat of hardihood. At the commencement of the religious troubles which happened in the reign of Charles I., when matters of the utmost import ance were debated between the King and his northern subjects, it uniformly appears that ;i communication from Edinburgh to London, however pressing might be the occasion, was not answered in less than a fortnight. The crowds of nobles, clergymen, gentlemen, ami burghers, who at that time assembled in Edinburgh to concert measures tor opposinij the designs of the court, always dispersed 364 THE MODERN SYSTEM hack lo tlieiihomes after dispatcliing a message w King Charles, and assembled again a fort- night thereafter, in order to receive the reply, and take such measures as it might call for. And even till the last century was pretty far advanced, the ordinary riding post between London and Edinburgh regularly took a week lo the journey. in consequence of the inattention of our ancestors to roads, and the wretched state in wnich these were usually kept, it was long before coaching of any kind came much into fashion. Though wheeled vehicles of various kinds were in use among the ancients, the close carriage or coach is of modern invention. The word coachis Hungarian, and the vehicle itself is supposed to have originated in Him- gary. Germany certainly appeals to have taken the precedence of the nations of Western Europe in using coaches. They were intro- duced thence into England some time in the scxteenth century, but were, after all, so little jn vogue throughout the whole reign of Eliza- beth, that there is no trace of her having ever used one. Lord Grey de Wilton, who died in 1593, introduced a coach into Ireland, the first ever used in that country. One was introduced into Scotland, we rather think from France, about the year 157L It belonged to the famous Secretary Maitland of Lethington, who, during: the horrid civil war between the ad- lierents of Mary and those of her son James, made a journey in that vehicle from Edinburgh Castle, which he was holding out for the Queen, to Niddry in West Lothian, for the purpo.se of holding a consultation with some others of her friends ; the first time, it is believed, that a close carriage was ever used in Jscolland. Fynes Morison, who wrote in the year 1617, speaks of coaches as recently introduced, and still rare in Scotland. For a long time, these conveniences were only used by old people, who could not well bear riding. The young and active despised them, as tending to effe- minacy, and as not being so quick of movement as the horse. The Duke of Buckingham, in 1619, first used a coach with six horses ; a piece of pomp which the Duke of Northumberland thouo-ht proper to ridicule by setting up one with eight. Charles I. was the first British sovereign wlio had a state carriage. Although Henry IV. was killed in a coach ; the only one, by the way, he possessed ; his ordinary way of ap- pearing in the streets of Paris was on horse- back, with a large cloak strapped on behind^ to be used iii case of rain. In Scotland, previous to the time of the civil war, coaches were only used by persons high in the state. When the Earl of Roxburgh, an aged minister, was endeavouring to appease the Covenanters in 1637, he was pulled from his coach in the High Street of Edinburgh, and maltreated. He who in old age adopted this effeminate kind of conveyance, had, in youth, ridden in armour at the Raid of Ruth- ven, so that one man's life may be said to connect in Scotland the period of rude warfare with that of luxurious comfort. It is very curious to find that the same sort of complaints now made by persons interested in coaching, respecting the introduction of steam locomo- tives, were made when coaches were intio- duced. Taylor, the Water-Poet, complains in (lie reign of Charles I., that large retinues of men were now given up by the great, since they had begun to use coaches. Ten, tvvcniy. OF FARRIERY. 365 thirty, fifty, yea a hundred proper serving men, were transformed, he says, into two or three animals. The old wifical thinkers of that day were as much concerned about the fate of the discharged men-servants, as the twad- dlers of the present are distressed about the needless Horses. It is further very amusing to find Taylor, in his antipathy to coaches, complaining that their drivers were all of them hard drinkers. Till 1564, the only mode of travelling, equivalent to that by stage-coaches and loco- motive carriages in the present day, was by the strings of Horses led by the carriers. It is these caravans that FalstafT and his friends ari described by Shakspeare as attacking at G ■ .1. About the year just mentioned, the long waggon for goods and passengers came into use — the waggon of Roderick Random and Strap, and which still, we believe, in some degree continues to flourish, notwithstanding all the more lively vehicles that have recently sprung up. Stage-coaches originated less than a century later, and were for a long time confined to the great lines of road throughout England. One for the short distance between Edinburgh and Leith was started in 1660 ; but there were none for distances to which the term stages could be applied till 1678. That from London to Oxford in the reign of Charles II., required two days, the space being fifty-eight miles. That to Exeter (168^ miles) required four days. In 1703, when Prince George of Denmark went from Windsor to Petworth to meet Charles III. of Spain, the distance being about forty miles, he required fourteen hours for the jonniey, the last nine miles taking six. The person who records this fact, says that the long time was the more surprising, as, except when overturned, oi when stuck fast in the mire, his royal highness made no stop during the journey. In 1742, stage-coaches must have been more numerous in England than in Charles the Second's time ; but it does not appear that they moved any faster. The journey from London to Birmingham (116 miles) then occu- pied nearly three days, as appears from the following advertisement : "The Litchfield and Birminoham stag^e- coach set out this morning (Monday, April 12, 1742), from the Rose Inn, Holborn Bridge, London, and will be at the Angel, and the Hen and Chickens, in the High Town, Bir- mingham, on Wednesday next, to dinner ; and goes the same afternoon to Litchfield. It re- turns to Birmingham on Thursday morning to breakfast, and gets to London on Saturday night, and so will continue every week re- gularly, with a good coach and able horses." Thus the whole week was occupied in a journey to and from Litchfield by Birmingham, an entire space of probably not more than two hundred and forty miles — that is, at an average of forty miles a-day. Of the stage-coach journey to Bath about 1748, we learn some particulars from Smollett's celebrated novel. Mr. Random enters the coach before day-light. It proceeds. A highwayman attacks it before breakfast, and is repulsed by the gallantry of our hero. Strap meanwhile accompanies the coach on horse- back. A night is spent on the road, and the journey is finished next day, apparently towards evening — one hundred and eight miles. At that time thei'e was no reo^nlar stage- 4 z ma THE MODERN SYSTEM coach from London to Edinburgh ; and the newspapers of the latter city occasionally pre- sent advertisements, stating that an individual about to proceed to the metropolis by a post- chaise, would be glad to hear of a fellow-ad- venturer, or more, to lessen the expences for mutual convenience. However, before 1754 there was a stage- coach between the two British capitals. In the Edinburgh Courant for that year, it is advertised that — " The Edinburgh stage- coach, for the better accommodation of pas- sengers, will be altered to a new genteel two- end glass coach machine, hung on steel springs, exceeding light and easy, to go in ten days in summer and twelve in winter ; to set out the first Tuesday in March, and continue it, from Hosea Eastgate's, the Coach and Horses in Dean Street, Soho, London, and from John Somerville's in the Canongate, Edinburgh, every other Tuesday, and meet at Burrow- bridge on Saturday night, and set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Friday. In winter, to set out from London and Edinburgh every other (alternate) Monday morning, and to go to Burrowbridge on Saturday night ; and to set out from thence on Monday morning, and get to London and Edinburgh on Saturday night. Passengers to pay as usual. Performed, if God permits, by your dutiful servant, Hosea Eastgate. Here the distance of two hundred miles re- quires six days in winter, being at the rate of little more than thirty-three miles a-day. So lately as the end of the last century, the journey by the stage between Edinburgh and Glasgow (forty-two miles) occupied a whole day, the passengers stopping to dine on the road. It was considered a great improve- ment when, in 1799, a coach was started with four Horses, which performed the journey m six hours. The railway now accomplishes the same distance in about one hour and a half. It is not unworthy of being noticed, that, when the mail-coaches were started by Mr. Palmer in 1788, six and half miles an hour was the utmost speed attained. Eleven miles an hour has latterly been reached on various occasions. The opening of the Manchester and Liver- pool Railway, in 1830, was the era of a great change in all popular ideas respecting locomo- tion. When men first heard that carriages upon that way proceeded, under the impulse of the steam-engine, at the rate of twenty, and could even attain thirty, miles an hour, th ever, another explana- tion of this. The Irish thorough-bred Horse is not equal to the English. He is compara- tively a weedy, leggy, worthless animal, and very little of him enters into the composition of the hunter or the hackney. For leaping the Irish Horse is unrivalled. It is not, however, the leaping of the English Horse, striding as it were over a low fence, and stretched at his full length over a higher one ; it is the proper jump of the deer, beauti- ful to look at, difficult to sit, and both in height and extent, unequalled by the English Horse. Much of this difference of leaping in the two countries, no doubt, depends on the iraming, and on the nature of the fences in Ireland, there being so many inclosures with stone walls. There are very few Horses in the agricultu- ral districts of Ireland, exclusively devoted to draught. The minute division of the farms renders it impossible for them to be kept. The occupier even of a tolerable sized Irish farm, wants a Horse that shall carry him to market, and draw his small car, and perform every kind of drudgery — a Horse of all work ; therefore the thorough draught-horse, whether Leicestershire or Suffolk, is rarely found in Ireland. If we look to the commeixe of Ireland, there are few stage waggons, or drays with im- mense cattle belonging to them, but almost every thing is done by one-horse carts. In the North of Ireland, some stout Horses are employed in the carriage of linen, but the majority of the garrons used in agriculture or commercial pursuits are miserable and half- starved animals. There is a native breed in Ulster, hardy, and sure-footed, but with little pretension to beauty or speed. THE WILD HOKShS OF SOUTH AMEKICA All travellers, who have crossed the plains extending from the shores of La Plata to Patagonia, have spoken of numerous droves of wild Horses. Some aflfirm that they have seen ten thousand in one troop. They appear to be under the command of a leader, the strongest and boldest of the herd, and whom they implicitly obey. A secret instinct teaches them that their safety consists in their union, and in a principle of subordination. The lion, the tiger, and the leopard, are their principal enemies. At some signal, intelligible to them all, they either close into a dense mass, and trample their enemy to death ; or, placing the mares and foals in the centre, they form themselves into a circle and welcome him with their heels. In the attack, their leader is the 5 B 374 THE MODERN SYSTEM first to face the danger, and, when prudence demands a retreat, they foUow his rapid flight. In the thinly inhabited parts of South America it is dangerous to fall in with any of these troops. The wild Horses approach as jiear as they dare : they call to the loaded Horse with the greatest eagerness, and, if the rider be not on the alert, and have not con- siderable strength of arm, and sharpness of spur, his beast will divest himself of his burden, take to his heels, and be gone for ever. Captain Head gives the following account of a meeting with a troop of wild Horses, where the country is more thickly inhabited. Some poor captured animals are supposed to be forced along by their riders at their very utmost speed : — As they are thus galloping along, urged by the spur, it is interesting to see the groups of wild Horses one passes. The mares, which are never ridden in South Ame- rica, seem not to understand what makes the poor Horse carry his head so low, and look so weary. An Englishman once attempted to ride a mare, but he was hooted and pelted by the natives, and thought himself fortunatevto escape »vithout serious injury *. The little innocent colts come running to meet him, and then start, away frightened: while old Horses, whose white marks on the Ha ks and backs betray their acquaintance with the spur and saddle, walk slowly away for some distance, then, breaking into a trot as they seek their safety, snort and look behind them, first with one eye and then with the ♦ Sir Jnlin Carr, in his " Northern Summer," states that t i« only a short time since mares began to be ridden in Huss'a. other, turning their nose from right to left, and carrying their long tail high in the air. The same pleasing writer describes the system of Horse-management among the rude inhabitants of the plains of South America. They have no stables, no fenced pastures. One Horse is usually kept tied at the door of the hut, fed scantily at night on maize ; or at other times several may be enclosed in the corral, which is a circular space surrounded by rough posts, driven firmly into the gi'ound. The mares are never ridden, or attempted to be tamed, but wander with their foals where- ever they please. When the Gaucho, the native inhabitant of the plains, wants Horses for himself or for the supply of the traveller, he either goes with his lasso to the corral, and selects those, pos- sibly, who on the preceding day had for the first time been backed, or he scampers across the plain, and presently returns with an un- willing, struggling, or subdued captive. When the services of the animals have been exacted he either takes them to the corral, and feeds them with a small quantity of maize, if he thinks he shall presently need them sl^s'ip or he once more turns them loose on the plains. Travellers give some amusing accounts of the manner in which all this is effected — Miers thus describes the lasso, isimple in its con- struction, but all-powerful in the hands of the Gaueijo. 1 he la^so is a missle weapon used by every native of the United Provinces and Chile. It is a very strong plaited thong of equal thick- ness, half an inch in diameter, and forty feet long , made of many strips of green hide, plai'ted like a whipthong, and rendered suppift by grease. It has, at "iHie end, an iron ring OF FARRIERY 375 above an inch and a half in diameter, through wnich the thong is passed, and this forms a running noose. The Gaucho, or native Peon, is generally mounted on horseback when he uses the lasso. One end of the thong is affixed to his saddle girth : the remainder he coils carefully in his left hand, leaving about twelve feet belonging to the noose-end, in a coil, and a half flivwhich he holds in his right hand. He then swings this long noose hori- zontally round his head, the weight of the iron ring at the end of the noose assisting in giving to it, by a continued circular motion, a sufficient force to project it the whole length of the line. When the Gauchos wish to have a grand breaking-in, they drive a whole herd of wild Horses into the corral. The corral was quite full of Horses, most of which were young ones about two or three years old. The capitar (chief Gaucho), mounted on a strong steady Horse, rode into the corral and threw his lasso over the neck of a young Horse, and dragged him to the gate. For some time he was very unwilling to leave his comrades ; but the moment he was forced out of the corral, his first idea was to gallop away : however a timely jerk of the lasso checked him in the most effectual way. The peons now ran after him on foot and threw a lasso over his fore- legs just above the fetlock, and twitching it, they pulled his legs from under him so sud- denly, that I really thought the fall he got had killed him. In an instant a Gaucho was seated on his head, and with his long knife, and in a few seconds, cut off the whole of the Horse's mane, while another ^it the hair from the end of his tail. This they told me was a mark that the Horse had been once mounted. Tb«y then put a piece of hide into his mouth to serve for a bit, and a strong hide halter ou his head. The Gaucho who was to mount, arranged his spurs, which were unusually long and sharp, and while two men held the Horse by his ears, he put on the saddle, which he girthed extremely tight. He then caught hold of the Horse's ear, and in an instant vaulted into the saddle ; upon which the man who held the Horse by the halter threw the end to the rider, and from that moment no one seemed to take any further notice of him. The Horse instantly began to jump in a manner which made it very difficult for the rider to keep^iis seat, and quite different from the kick or plunge of an English Horse : how- ever, the Gaucho's spurs soon set him going, and off he galloped, doing everything in his power to throw his rider. Another Horse was immediately broughl from the corral, and s\quick was the opera- tion, that twelve Gaucll^s were mounted in a spacJe which I think hardly exceeded an hour It was wonderful to see the different manner in which different Horses^ behaved. Some would actually scream while the Gauchos were girding the saddle upon their backs ; some would instantly lie down and roll upoii it; while some would stand without being held ; their legs stiff, and in unnatural posi- tions, their necks half bent towards their tails, and looking vicious and obstinate ; and I could not help thinking that I would not have mounted one of those for any reward th