THE HORSE. 



to the farmer's horse, especially when carting. It 

 consists in securing a bag containing corn over 

 the animal's mouth and nose, by a string, which 

 passes over the poll, and is locally denominated a 

 " nose-bag," or " horse-poke," and which should be 

 removed when he has finished his feed. To pre- 

 vent the effects of the wet upon the skin, an unex- 

 pensive glazed cloth may be thrown over the 

 horse's back, and secured to the collar and traces. 

 This may by some be considered very troublesome ; 

 but it will be found that when it is once begun, it 

 will be considered no more trouble than carrying 

 the rest of the harness ; and if disease is prevented, 

 the trouble amounts to nothing. To counteract as 

 much as possible any habits of greedy feeding 

 which the horse may have acquired, his corn 

 should be mixed with chopped straw, or chopped 

 clover, which will secure its proper mastication, 

 and prevent many troublesome complaints, as well 

 as render all the nutrition of the food available. 

 These may be substituted by an admixture of clean 

 chaff with corn a plan which is pursued in a 

 farm-stable with which I am acquainted, and is 

 found a useful practice. It would save the ani- 

 mals much time in eating if all their food was 

 chopped, and perhaps steamed ; but on this sub- 

 ject we have not sufficient data to determine with 

 accuracy.' 



The cure, it has been hinted, must generally be 

 left to the veterinary practitioner, whose chief object 

 should be to empty the stomach. In severe cases, 

 an ounce of laudanum and a drachm of pounded 

 ginger, in a quart of warm ale, may be used with 

 probable success. 



Broken-wind. 



When the breathing of a horse is rapid and 

 laborious, it is said to be thick-winded j and when 

 it breathes irregularly, the inspiration taking one 

 effort, and the expiration two, it is called broken- 

 wind. Inflammation of the lungs from cold is a 

 cause of thick-wind, the condition of these organs 

 preventing the full action of the air-tubes. The 

 chief cause of broken-wind is sharp work after 

 over-feeding causing the animal to run while the 

 stomach is full. Grossly fed, badly managed 

 horses, are hence most subject to the complaint 

 Carriage and coach horses are seldom broken- 

 winded, unless they bring the disease to their 

 work, for they live principally on corn, and their 

 work is regular, and care is taken that they shall 

 not be fed immediately before their work. The 

 farmer's horse is the broken-winded horse, because 

 the food on which he is fed is bulky, and too often 

 selected on account of its cheapness ; because 

 there is little regularity in the management of 

 most of the farmer's stables, or the work of his 

 teams ; and because, after many an hour's fasting, 

 the horses are often suffered to gorge themselves 

 with this bulky food ; and then, with the stomach 

 pressing upon the lungs, and almost impeding 

 ordinary respiration, they are put again to work, 

 and sometimes to that which requires consider- 

 able exertion. The agriculturist knows that many 

 a horse becomes broken-winded in the straw-yard. 

 There is little nutriment in the provender which he 

 there finds ; and to obtain enough for the support 

 of life, he is compelled to keep the stomach con- 

 stantly full, and pressing upon the lungs. Some 

 animals have come up from grass broken-winded 

 that went out perfectly sound. The exact nature 



of the disease is unknown. It appears, however, 

 to consist in a paralysed condition of the bron- 

 chial tubes and remoter air-cells, which renders 

 expiration more difficult, and necessitates the 

 double effort so characteristic of the malady. 



The cure of a broken-winded horse no one 

 ever witnessed; yet much may be done in the 

 way of palliation. The food of the animal should 

 consist of much nutriment condensed into a small 

 compass; the quantity of oats should be in- 

 creased, and that of hay proportionably dimin- 

 ished ; the moistening of the hay is also usually 

 beneficial; the bowels should be gently relaxed 

 by the frequent use of mashes ; water should be 

 given sparingly through the day, although at 

 night the thirst of the animal should be fully 

 satisfied; and exercise should never be taken 

 when the stomach is full.' Under such manage- 

 ment, and at slow work, a broken-winded horse 

 will often remain serviceable for years. 



Curb Bog-spavin Bone-spavin. 



The hock-joint is particularly liable to derange- 

 ment, so as to render the animal unsound. One 

 of these affections is called curb, which arises 

 from over-exertion of the ligaments, and takes the 

 form of an enlargement a few inches beneath the 

 joint of the hock. A more serious complaint of 

 the hock is the bog-spavin, which takes place 

 from over-exerticn, and is an inflammation in the 

 vesicles containing the lubricating material for 

 the joint. This disease is almost incurable ; and 

 the poor animal is in general only fit for ordinary 

 and moderate work all the rest of his life. The 

 bone-spavin is a still more formidable disease. It 

 is an affection of the bones of the hock-joint, 

 caused by violent action, or any kind of shoeing 

 which throws an undue strain on certain liga- 

 ments, and deranges the action of the bones. A 

 bony deposit takes place, the joint is stiffened, 

 and the consequence is a lameness or stiff motion 

 in the hind-legs. Blistering as a counter-irritant, 

 and rest, are the principal remedies prescribed 

 : or this complaint ; but the best thing of all, so as 

 to prevent not only this, but all other similar 

 complaints, is never to overload the horse, or put 

 him, especially before he comes to his full 

 strength, to any violent exertion. 



Physicking. 



Horses, even when attended to with the greatest 

 care, occasionally get into a condition which 

 requires physic that is, purgative medicine; as, 

 for example, when they have been too long on 

 hard food, and require a laxative ; when they get 

 into a heated state of body from constant high- 

 feeding; when their bowels get overloaded or 

 disordered; or when they are getting too fat 

 The most simple laxative is a bran-mash. Bran 

 is put into a pail, and softened with boiling 

 water ; when cooled sufficiently, it is given to the 

 animal as the last feed at night, instead of corn or 

 hay. About half a pailful is a dose. Horses 

 used by commercial travellers or others during 

 the whole week, and fed on corn, are indulged in 

 a mash on Saturday night; and this, with the 

 rest on Sunday, keeps them in good condition. 

 When a working-horse is lamed, or becomes 

 sick, and must remain idle for a few days, he 

 requires to be relieved by a dose of physic. 



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