CAUSES OF UNSOUNDNESS. 139 



cause. It is rather remarkable that so few pur- 

 chasers of horses pay any attention to this matter. 

 But this is, no doubt, because the amateur buyer is 

 not in a position to ascertain the state of the heart 

 from the pulse-beats. To perform its work satis- 

 factorily, a horse must have a sound heart, and 

 weakness of this organ is a frequent cause for the 

 distress accompanying severe exertion, or, in other 

 words, embarrassed breathing. 



The Temperature and the Pulse. 



In the thorough examination of the horse as to 

 soundness it is always expedient for the examiner 

 to take note of both pulse and temperature. The 

 normal temperature of the horse at rest may be 

 taken at a hundred, or a hundred and one, but during 

 exercise the temperature rises several degrees, and, 

 of course, in all fevers, etc. The normal number 

 of pulsations per minute when the animal is at 

 rest ranges from thirty-six to forty-five, the smaller 

 number being about the average for a cart horse, 

 and the larger one for lighter-bred horses. In 

 very young animals the number of pulsations is 

 much greater, say, sixty or sixty-five times per 

 minute. 



