USEFUL RECIPE 



149 



horseback ; or, in short, does not like to carry his horse, instead of his 

 horse's carrying him must- not suffer his horse to be exercised by a groom ; 

 standing up on his stirrups, holding himself on by means of the reins, 

 and thereby hanging his whole dead weight on the horse's mouth to the 

 entire destruction of all that is good, safe, or pleasant, about the animal.' 

 And in another place he says : ' Horses should be turned loose somewhere, 

 or walked about every day, when they do not work, particularly after 

 hard exercise : swelled legs, physic, etc., will be saved by these means, 

 and many distempers avoided.' He also observes, that ' it is a matter 

 of the greatest consequence, though few attend to it, to feed horses accord- 

 ing to their work. When the work is hard, food should be in plenty ; 

 when it is otherwise, the food should be diminished immediately the 

 hay particularly.' 



I have no doubt that the noble author is perfectly right in these obser- 

 vations : I am also of opinion, that a handful or two of clean wheaten 

 straw, chopped small, and mixed with their corn, would be of great ser- 

 vice to your horses, provided that you have interest enough with your 

 groom to prevail on him to give it them. 



Such of my horses as are physicked at grass, have two doses given 

 them when they are turned out, and three more before they are taken 

 up. Grass-physic is of so mild a kind, that you will not find this quantity 

 too much ; nor have I ever known an accident happen from it, although 

 it has been given in very indifferent weather. I should tell you, that 

 my horses are always taken in the first night after their physic, though 

 the printed directions, I believe, do not require it. Such horses as are 

 full of humours should be physicked at house, since they may require 

 stronger doses than grass-physic will admit of ; which I think more proper 

 to prevent humours than to remove them. The only use I know in phy- 

 sicking a horse that does not appear to want it, is to prevent, if possible, 

 his requiring it at a time when you cannot so well spare him ; I mean 

 the hunting season. Should an accident of this kind happen, Stibium's 

 balls, of which I send you the receipt, will be found of use : 



Crocus metallorum, levigated 



Stibium's ditto 



Flour of brimstone 



Castile-soap . 



Liquorice-powder . 



Honey q. s. to make it into a paste. 



2 ounces 



2 

 1 

 1 

 1 



A ball (of one ounce weight) is to be given for three mornings successively. 

 The horse must be kept fasting for two hours after he has taken it ; he 

 then may have a feed of corn, and soon after that, moderate exercise ; 

 the same should be repeated four days afterwards. These balls purify 

 the blood, and operate on the body by insensible perspiration. 



I frequently give nitre to such of my hunters as are not turned out 



