THE HORSE. 91 



an impression the rererse of that intended to be 

 produced. 



MASHES. 



These are admirable for horses at all periods of 

 the year, but then they should not be given in the 

 parsimonious way they usually are, doing neither 

 good nor harm. For what purpose are they in« 

 tended ? Why, just to open the bowels and gently 

 cool the body ; so as to preclude the necessity of 

 having recourse to more violent medicines, the ap- 

 plication of which would deprive the owner of the 

 horse for some days of its services. Such would be 

 the substance of the answer given to the above 

 question. There are, however, other and perhaps 

 better reasons to be assigned in favour of the appli- 

 cation of mashes — they are important as preventing 

 inflammation in the feet. Nature intended the 

 horse to feed on succulent food, and stand or move 

 on the cool ground. It may be observed that when 

 left to himself he retires during the heat of the day 

 into the shade ; preferring the time to feed when 

 the ground is cold and wet with dew, and he takes 

 his exercise at his pleasure. But for the use of man, 

 he is taken from the open fields into the close stable, 

 his feet are placed upon a warm litter, and he is 

 fed upon hot inflammatory food. This is reversing 

 the design of nature, but is necessary to enable the 

 horse to perform the work to which he is destined. 

 Yet if we reflect that he is taken out of the stable, 

 and forced to go at a considerable pace, not for any 

 length of time agreeable to himself, but so long as 

 it may suit our pleasure or business, is it not as- 

 tonishing that so much violence done to nature is 

 not resented more fearfully than it is 1 But the 

 present artificial modes of treating the horse are not 

 altogether unproductive of such consequences as 

 might be anticipated. Fevers, though perhaps 



