300 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



tive of any enlargement about the fetlock, pastern, 

 coronet, etc. 



ROARING 



Here is one of the very deep curses on good horse- 

 flesh, and nearly as destructive as foot-lameness. 

 How many hundred — aye, I may say thousand — 

 otherwise fresh, young, and sound horses have I seen 

 afflicted with this disease, and therefore, in most cases, 

 useless for fast work ! I am happy to say, however, 

 it has been my good fortune never to have had a horse 

 turn roarer in my own stable, having entered it sound ; 

 and I only purchased two, which cured me of going 

 to that market again. One nearly broke my neck 

 at a fence, having entirely lost all his powers in the 

 space of five fields ; and the other I christened The 

 Bull, for he could have been heard half a mile off if he 

 got into deep ground. Notwithstanding this, I have 

 seen two brilliant hunters that were roarers. 



ROARING, WHISTLING, GRUNTING, ETC. 



Roaring, and its modification, whistling, are ab- 

 normal respiratory sounds, and exceedingly common 

 amongst horses of every class. 



1 Both sounds vary in their intensity, according to the 

 degree of disease present. Many hunters are affected, 

 though they continue to do their work, but no wise man 

 would ever think of purchasing such a horse were he 

 aware of its existence. If a hunter is not sound in 

 his wind and sight, his value becomes reduced to 

 whatever he will fetch. The mere fact of one man 



