THE "SCEEW." 149 



buying a horse of a neighbour. They know that a 

 farmer, we will say, or anyone else of their acquaintance, 

 has a bond fide reason for wishing to part with a horse ; 

 they know, too, that he is a good one ; in fact, they know, 

 or can find out, all about him and apparently for this 

 very reason they won't buy him. They go to a dealer 

 and pay more money for a horse of which they know 

 nothing except what the dealer tells them. The fresh 

 look of a made-up horse soon goes off, and then they are 

 disappointed in the animal's appearance ; and lucky they 

 are if the disappointment ends there. 



Now the consideration arises, how to get the greatest 

 amount of work out of a screw. Buy where you may, 

 and give what you like, you will always have a certain 

 percentage of screws amongst your stud. With a good 

 stud groom a master need not even think of a horse on 

 non-hunting days; but, as everyone does not possess 

 this advantage, the following hints may not be written 

 altogether in vain. Many hunters are inclined to fever 

 in the feet, the result of high keep and hard work. Any- 

 thing that diverts the inflammation from the laminee of the 

 foot, after work, is here beneficial. As a blister rapid in 

 its effects I know nothing to beat Fan-ell's Vesicant, and 

 a little of this, painted on round the coronets after a hard 

 day with hounds, has the best possible effects, the annoy- 

 ance caused by it to the horse being over in a few 

 minutes. Then, last thing at night, put the fore-feet in 

 bran poultices till the following morning, and if you have 

 any luck your screw should come out next morning step- 

 ping like a lion rampant ; at least, I adopted this treat- 

 ment with a groggy horse, and with the best results. A 

 mild blister round the coronets, if hunting be stopped by 

 frost, is also useful. A horse, especially an old one, whose 



