37 



of large heavy horses behig slower than of the smal- 

 ler ; and of old ones, they are also slower than of 

 young ones. When either may be just off a quick 

 pace, the strokes increase in number; as they do if 

 they be alarmed or terrified, or hear the hound's fa- 

 miliar cry. Fever, of the simple or common kind, 

 usually increases the pulsation to double the healthy 

 number. Hence the propriety of ascertaining the 

 state of this index of health, while the animal is still 

 free from disease, goes to prove over again the pro- 

 priety of closely examining the indications of health 

 and setting down the same in a book at several differ- 

 ent times ; so that you would at all times have a cor- 

 rect record of the natural healthy pulse of each horse, 

 which will enable you to notice the first approach or 

 commencement of any disease, ascertain the cause, 

 and apply a remedy immediately, and thus never en- 

 danger the horse or be compelled to reduce him very 

 low to effect a cure. 



WHERE TO FEEL THE PULSE. 



As fever increases in violence, when the animal is 

 in great pain from inflammation of the intestines, &c., 

 the pulse beats still higher, and reaches to 100 in a 

 minute, or more. The danger is then great, and less 

 than three or four quarts of blood, drawn from a large 

 orifice, would do harm instead of good, by increasing 

 the action of the blood, and the hardness of the artery 

 would also be increased. To ascertain either state, 

 the attendant should apply the points of his fingers 

 gently to the artery which lies nearest the surface. 

 Some prefer consulting the temporal artery, which is 

 situated about an inch and a half backward from the 

 corner c-f the eye. Others again, and they are the 

 greater number, think it best to feel it underneath the 

 edge of the jaw-bone, where the facial artery passes 

 on under the skin only to the side of the face. In 

 either case.^too great pressure would stop the pulsation 

 altogether, though by so trying the rrtery against the 

 jaw-bone, will prove whether it be in such a rigid state 

 of excitement as attends high fever ; or elastic and 

 springy, slipping readily from under the finger, as it 

 does v/hen health prevails and the strokes follow each 

 other regularly. 



