224 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



from eagerness in feeding. Filing the teeth 

 does not, however, afford permanent relief; 

 for. if a Horse is a^aiii fed on corn, the teeth 

 soon wear to a sharp edge again, and the 

 injury is repeated ; and though filing off the 

 sharp points prevents him for a time from 

 >vounding his cheeks, it does not prevent the 

 corn from falling unchewed into his mouth, 

 and from being swallowed in that state. 

 There is not, however, so much difficulty in 

 masticating hay, provided the animal is al- 

 lowed sufficient time. It does not so readily 

 fall into the mouth until it has undergone 

 considerable mastication, and then it is more 

 readily placed under the grinders again, by 

 means of the tongue. The hay is at length 

 masticated with great difficulty, and after 

 being kept in the mouth a considerable time, 

 is thrown out into the manger, rol'ed up like 

 a chewed quid of tobacco. Such Horses are 

 named by dealers, quidders ; and unless fed 

 upon bruised oats, or soft food, must be 

 starved. In such cases the muscles of deglu- 

 tition, or swallowing, are more or less para- 

 lyzed ; so that if the animal is turned out, the 

 grass will return through his nose, instead of 

 being swallowed, and he will be starved to 

 death. Horses that have defects in their 

 grinders, should be fed with bruised oats, 

 grains, bran, or other food that does not re- 

 quire mastication. 



When a Horse is at grass there ih- a suffi- 

 cient supply of saliva for the purposes of 

 mastication, swallowing, and digetstion ; but 

 when he is taken into the stable, and fed upon 

 dry food, there must of necessity be a de- 

 ficiency of saliva. The only method of com- 

 pensating for this deficiency, and rendering 

 the food as fit as it can be made for mastica- 

 tjon, swallowing, ana aigestion, is to dip the 



haj in water, and make the corn quite weL 

 This should never be omitted. 



There is one cause of imperfect mastication, 

 however, which should not be permitted to 

 happen in the stable, but often does happen ; 

 that Is dentition, or cutting teeth, especially 

 when a Horse is changing his grinders, which 

 he does between the third and fifth year ; 

 not partially, as has been slated, for all the 

 grinders are changed for permanent teeth. A 

 Hcrse ought to be kept out during great part 

 of this period ; and if he is kept in, he should 

 have soft food, when he is observed to chew 

 with great difficulty. A want of vital power 

 in the stomach, is a disease that exists in the 

 Horse more frequently than persons are aware 

 u.'i and depends wnolly upon improper feed- 

 ing, assisted however, too often, by immode- 

 rate work. By improper feeding is meant the 

 quantity and quality of the hay that is com- 

 monly given. This injures the stomach, not 

 only by its deficiency in nutritious matter, anj 

 the impure chyle generated from it, thereby 

 leading the animal to eat a greater quantity 

 than he otherwise would, but merely the dis- 

 tension which the stomach suffers, does it a 

 serious injury ; and by rendering respiration 

 difficult, weakens the whole muscular system. 

 For when a Horse is constantly fed in this 

 way, not only the stomach, but all the large 

 bowels are loaded, and the diaphragm is in a 

 considerable degree prevented from perform- 

 ing its office. 



ON INDIGESTION. 



In my last article I endeavoured to explain 

 the nature of digestion, it will now become a 

 matter of course to say something of itidiges- 

 tion, the two first articles of this chapter 

 coming under that head more imraediateSy, 



