46 THE HORSE. 



considerations do not escape the groom who under- 

 stands his business and performs his duty. But 

 when you have to deal with tea-kettle grooms and 

 ostlers, (and these are the class of people designated 

 stablemen in the present work,) nothing but the eye 

 vOf the owner of the horse can produce any effect 

 upon them. They consider not the good of the ani- 

 mal itself, nor have they any laudable pride in the 

 appearance of the horses they turn out of their sta- 

 bles. If the latter pass muster at all, that is all they 

 care about ; and the less knowledge of horses their 

 owners possess, the more advantage they take of 

 them. 



Never buy a horse with pummice soles, for any 

 other than slow purposes. This is a disease which 

 has been brought on by violent inflammation of the 

 feet, destroying that support which ought to subsist 

 between the sensitive part of the foot, and the crust 

 through which the horse throws all his weight upon 

 the sole of the hoof, pushing it downwards, and 

 rendering him subject to severe concussion at every 

 step. A horse of this kind is, therefore, unfit for 

 travelling, as it is impossible to tell w4iere, or how 

 Boon, he must unavoidably be left behind. 



It is an excellent plan, particularly in cold weather, 

 when a horse comes in heated, to have his feet and 

 legs (but not higher than his knees) washed with 

 warm water, and then a bandage put round the legs 

 till they become dry. If the bandages be dispensed 

 with, then should the legs be rubbed until all exter- 

 nal moisture has been removed, especially in the 

 fetlock. This will always prevent cracked heels, 

 and where symptoms of these have already been 

 observed, they may be mostly cured, in two or three 

 days, by an application of an ointment, consisting of 

 a little burnt alum and hog's lard. If, however, they 

 should not get better, under this treatment, in the 

 course of four days, just wet the chaps with vinegar 



