MODERN FARRIER. 175 



At two and a half years old, colts shed the two 

 front teeth, which, for a time, renders them incapa- 

 ble of biting the grass so well as they did before. 

 In this case it is proper to give them bran-mashes, 

 with either hay or straw cut like chaff. 



When a mild purgative is recommended in these 

 cases, great care should be taken never to permit 

 strong physic to be administered. Even old horses 

 are frequently destroyed by strong doses of physic, 

 and colts can scarcely be expected to resist its inju- 

 rious effects. ' A valuable blood-colt,' says Mr. 

 White, ' was attacked with colic, which appeared to 

 be of the flatulent kind, and, though violent, not 

 dangerous. The usual remedies were ineffectually 

 employed ; and it was found, in attempting to give 

 a clvster, that the internal coat of the out was so 

 loose and so enlarged, that there Vvas no possibility 

 of injecting it : the colt died about sixteen hours 

 after the attack. On examining the body after 

 death, all the bowels were found nearly healthy ex- 

 cept the rectum, or last gut, near its termination, in 

 which the inner coat was so loose and large, that 

 the cavity was nearly obliterated, and scarcely any 

 passage left for the excrement. The internal sensi- 

 ble coat of the stomach appeared also in a diseased 

 state, being very tender, and easily separated ; but 

 it was not inflamed. About a week after, I was 

 accidentally informed, that the man who had the 

 care of this colt, and was about to train him for the 

 turf, had given him three doses of physic ; and that 

 the *' last had operated so well, that he thought the 

 colt would never have ceased purging." This was 

 nearly the man's expression, which he had commu- 

 nicated in the way of conversation, to a groom, be- 

 for tlie colt was taken ill.' 



The operation of castration has been treated of 

 before. Some breeders defer this operation as long 

 as possible, in order to give the colt a finer colour. 



