AIR. 34f 



safety will permit, and the shoe be rounded at the toe. or have that shape 

 giveii to it which it naturally acquires, in a fortnight, from the action of 

 such a horse, the animal may not stumble quite so much; or if the disease 

 which produced the habit can be alleviated, some trilling good may be done; 

 liut in almost every case a stumbler should be got rid of, or put to slow and 

 heavy work. If the latter alternative be adopted, he may trip as much as 

 ho pleases, for the weight of the load, and the motion of the other horses 

 will keep him upon his legs. 



WEAVING. 



This consists in a motion of the head, neck, and body, from side to side, 

 like the shuttle of a weaver passing through the web, and hence the name 

 which is given to this peculiar and incessant action. It indicates an im- 

 patient, irritable temper, and a dislike to the confinement of the stable; 

 and a horse that is thus incessantly on the fret will seldom carry flesh, or 

 be safe to ride or drive. There is no cure for it, but the close tying up of 

 the auimal, except at feeding time. 



CHAPTER XX. 

 THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE HORSE. 



Tins is a most important part of our subject, even as it I'egards the 

 farmer, although there are comparatively few glaring errors in the treat- 

 nient of the agricultural horse: but it comes more especially home to the 

 gentleman, who is too often, and too implicitly under the guidance of an 

 idle, and ignorant, and designing groom. 



We will arrange the most important points of general management under 

 the following heads: 



AIR. 



A supply of pure air is necessary to the existence and health of man and 

 beast. In some agricultural stables, the supply, if not too great, is care- 

 lessly and injudiciously admitted; for the wind blows in from every 

 quarter, and beats directly upon the animal. When he has been well 

 seasoned to this, it seems to do him little harm, except that he has an un- 

 thrifty coat, and is out of condition. Tlie common error, however, is to 

 exclude, as much as possible, every breath of air, and to have the atmos- 

 phere of the stable hot, contaminated, and unwholesome. The effect of 

 several horses being shut up in the same stable, is to render the air 

 unpleasantly hot. A person coming from without cannot breathe it many 

 minutes without profuse perspiration. The horse stands hour after hour 

 m it, and sometimes clothed; and then his covering is suddenly stripped 

 off", and he is led into the open air, the temperature of which is thirty or 

 forty degrees below that of the stable. Putting the humanity of the thing 

 for a moment out of the question, we ask, must not the animal, thus unnat- 

 urally and absurdly treated, be subject to rheumatism, catarrh, and inflam- 

 mation of the lungs? It has been replied, that the horse keeps himself 

 v/arm by exercise while he is thus exposed, and that a man, using strong 

 exertion, cares little about the quantity of clothing upon him. Is the horse 



