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 



