4 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



This may be easily avoided by placing one grate in the 

 centre of the stall near the horse's fore feet, about four 

 feet from the wall at the manger, and another grate in 

 the centre of the stall, in a line with the gutter at the end 

 of the stall. The question will naturally be asked, why 

 would you make this alteration which is in just contra- 

 distinction to the most approved plans, drawn in the 

 present day ? I refer the enquirers in quest of informa- 

 tion, to the fields and open country. Let him study the 

 horse there, and he will always see it when standing at 

 its ease, (and it will not stand still at all if it is not 

 comfortable) with its hind feet on the highest ground. 

 I am speaking of sound horses, and this fact is quite in 

 keeping with the structure of the horse. If we will but 

 take the trouble to study its anotomy we shall then find, 

 by placing the horse in that unnatural position with his 

 fore feet on the highest ground, that we throw undue 

 pressure constantly upon the muscles of the belly, 

 causing the colon or large gut to fall upon the ccecam, 

 thereby preventing to a great extent that ireedom of 

 action which is so necessary to that organ, to enable all 

 the substances taken in to re-ascend into the cajmt eoli, 

 and to pass on to the rectum. Another great evil 

 arising out of it is the pain it causes the animal by 

 causing a great strain on the flexor tendon, and the 

 back sinews of the legs, no doubt leading to many of the 

 cases of lameness by windgall and rupture of the sheeth 

 of the tendons, commonly called broken down. I once 

 had a very bad case of break-down, though the animal 

 had not been out of the stable from the Saturday morn- 

 ing until I found it on Monday morning dead lame, and 



