THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 257 



grooming, and exercise, are the circumstances to be 

 particularly attended to. 



Physicing is also a usual and necessary appendage 

 to the other parts of the treatment. 



Dieting. — It would be most imprudent to take a 

 horse from so moist a food as grass and at once to place 

 before him hay and corn without caution or limitation. 

 Coming from a straw-yard this restraint is not so im- 

 perative ; yet even in this case Uttle corn should be 

 given at first, but following the removal from grass, 

 both corn and hay should be allowed but sparingly, 

 particularly the former. The hay given for the first 

 two or three days should likewise be moistened by 

 sprinkling it with water ; the corn allowed should also 

 be mixed with bran, by which the dangers of consti- 

 pation and repletion may be avoided. 



The constipating effects of the removal from a moist 

 to a dry course of feeding may be further obviated by 

 a nightly bran-mash. The bran mashing may likewise 

 be extended to twice a day, or until the bowels be some- 

 what relaxed : if the horse be very full in flesh, or have 

 his skin at all tight or irruptive, or if the legs be in- 

 clined to swell, in all which cases it likewise tends to 

 shorten the process, and prevent that almost irrecover- 

 able hide-binding which often follows these appearances, 

 if succulent food, particularly carrots, be mixed with, 

 or even wholly substituted, for hay. The privation 

 of grass renders it prudent that water should at first 

 be given in sufficient quantity : it is often withheld with 

 a view to harden the flesh and get up the belly ; but 

 this treatment at first is erroneous, and by exciting 

 heat, thirst and indigestion, frustrates its own intention. 

 The temperature into which the newly- stabled horse 

 is removed should not at first be much increased beyond 

 that to which he has been so long accustomed or the 



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