138 CAUSES OF UNSOUNDNESS. 



he decides to dispose of the animal, and, of course, 

 the purchaser cannot ascertain from the horse's 

 appearance that it suffers in this manner. 

 Shortly after its arrival home, owing to the change 

 of food, etc. (sometimes disease of the digestive 

 apparatus is masked by treatment, or the animal 

 may be drugged right up to the time of sale) the 

 complaint to which it is subject immediately after- 

 wards returns. To sell a horse under the influence of 

 drugs constitutes the worst form of fraud, but 

 there is a difficulty in proving it. In order to 

 recover the purchase price, the buyer must be in a 

 position to prove indisputably that the complaint — 

 be this of whatever nature it may — was in exist- 

 ence at the time of sale, or that the animal was 

 the subject of previous attacks of the ailment. 

 All obscure diseases may not render themselves 

 evident during the time specified for their return 

 at the various horse repositories, and if the buyer 

 of an animal at such places had not the facility 

 for ascertaining the existence of such disease, 

 within the time specified, he would, in the writer's 

 opinion, have sufficient grounds for claiming the 

 return of his money, from the vendor of the animal. 

 Heart affections are not at all uncommon in horses, 

 and many sudden deaths are attributable to this 



