CONDITION OF HUNTERS RESUMED 301 



buying a roarer, or another man purchasing a hunter 

 with defective eye-sight, yet both of these continuing 

 to do their work as well as others, sound in these 

 respects, is not the slightest argument in favour of 

 advising anyone to buy a horse with these infirmities. 



Nothing short of given away prices should be an in- 

 ducement, and the bargain ? may be a dear one at this. 



Too much care cannot be exercised to ascertain 

 soundness of wind and sight. 



Many hunters are sold with this warranty — perhaps 

 the only recommendation their vendor can give. 

 Roaring may be developed quite suddenly. A horse 

 may be passed as sound to-day, yet become a rank 

 roarer to-morrow. Any professional man, after 

 considering the various causes of this defect, will 

 support the Editor in this opinion. 



In the majority of instances this abnormal sound is 

 due to fatty degeneration of certain of the laryngeal 

 muscles, whereby the adjusting mechanism of the 

 larynx (air inlet) is interfered with. The functions 

 of the nerve (left recurrent) may be aberrated. Morbid 

 growths in the respiratory passage are other causes. 



Sometimes a pedunculated growth near the glottis 

 becomes displaced, and occludes the latter, temporarily 

 or permanently. Morbid growths in the nasal passages 

 are occasional causes of roaring, and occasionally 

 strangles leaves the latter as a legacy. 



Grunting — when an attempt is made to strike a 

 horse, is regarded as suspicious of roaring or whistling. 

 It is not necessarily an indication of this, because some 

 horses will grunt and yet, on testing, prove perfectly 



