xviii INTKODUCTION 



origin and development of even some of the most common animal parasites. 

 AVith the completion of the section treating of diseases of the horse, the 

 chief object of the work may be said to have been attained, but there 

 remained some collateral subjects on which the reader might reasonably 

 expect to be informed. Among them that of the Law of Warranty in 

 relation to soundness and unsoundness, vices, and patent defects, comes 

 prominently forward. Very few experienced owners have escaped some 

 complications in connection with the purchase and sale of horses, and it 

 was deemed, therefore, advisable to make this chapter as complete and 

 authoritative as possible. 



Dentition has been treated in special relation to the changes which 

 occur in the teeth at different periods in the life of the horse, and thus 

 afford a fairly correct indication of the animal's age. The subject is an 

 interesting one for the horseman, and at times it is a matter of some 

 importance to be able to judge of a horse's age, especially when the marks 

 to which so much value is attached in early life have been obliterated. 

 The illustrations in this chapter are authentic copies of drawings from 

 nature, excepting a few that show the peculiar changes which occur after the 

 age of ten years up to thirty or later. These drawings were copied from a 

 pamphlet by Mr. Sidney Galvayne, and it will be sufficient to remark that 

 his method of judging the age beyond the period when the ordinary marks 

 are present has been tested for many years and found to be remarkably 

 reliable. 



Horse-shoes and horse-shoeing form a subject the value of which will 

 not be questioned. It has been exhaustively treated by the writer both in 

 its ancient and modern aspects, chiefly of course in its regard to the 

 application of shoes to the healthy foot. The methods of shoeing for the 

 cure or amelioration of diseases and defects have not, however, lieen passed 

 over. An index and a copious glossary have been appended to the work. 

 The last was rendered necessary by the unavoidable introduction of terms 

 in such constant use among scientists that it was inexpedient to omit them, 

 although it has been throughout recognized as a matter of moment that the 

 text should be as free from technicalities as the character of the different 

 subjects would permit. 



Lastly, it is necessary to refer to the illu.sti'ations, which are numerous, 

 and it is believed well calculated to fulfil their object. Some of the most 

 important have been drawn especially for this work, and to ensure absolute 

 accuracy advantage has been freely taken of the art of photography, which 

 has recently made such vast strides towards perfection. 



