EXERCISE.] 



MODEEN VETERINAEY PEACTICE. 



[exehcise. 



for his trot, it would be wrone; to f:»allop him, 

 as such an act might unsettle him in his 

 esteemed pace. Therefore trot him out for the 

 space of two miles to bring him to a com- 

 fortable sweat, and walk him back. Thus his 

 limbs are extended ; his muscles made supple ; 

 and his ligaments and tendons strengthened. 

 Inactivity debilitates, and over-exertion may 

 sprain and weaken, but moderate exertion is 

 good both for man and beast. 



The sweating of horses occasions considerable 

 labour to clean them; and indolent grooms, 

 and those who have several animals to look 

 after, avoid this part of their business as much 

 as possible. Some would persuade us that 

 there is no necessity for it; but reason and 

 experience teach otherwise. 



When a horse is brought in from work or 

 exercise, if in a sweat, or wet and dirty with 

 sloppy roads and rain, he should not be left 

 until made completely dry, clean, and comfort- 

 able. Some horses, in good condition, will rub 

 dry and clean in a short time ; but others, with 

 long and curly coats, and some from constitu- 

 tion or ill condition, are a long time before they 

 can be made dry; hence, clipping has been 

 introduced ; but this we are decidedly opposed 

 to, as it is to be prevented altogether by good 

 grooming. Besides, dipt horses are apt fre- 

 quently to take cold ; hunters, especially, in a 

 slack day. We have known an industrious 

 groom to work at a horse for four hours, and 

 not leave him until perfectly dry ; and we have 

 known others to cover them with a cloth, and 

 leave them to dry, before they would clean them. 

 Much depends on the habit the animal has been 

 used to, constitution, condition, &c., whether 

 he will take injury from being left in his wet 

 and dirt. Those horses, however, that have 

 been properly groomed, and have all care taken 

 of them to keep their coats fine, and, on all 

 occasions, made dry and comfortable, will be 

 liable to take cold, if neglected at these times. 



Some persons are fond of physicking or 

 bleeding their horses, when there is no appa- 

 rent cause or reason for it. Many grooms 

 take upon themselves the duties of bleeding 

 and physicking at their own discretion. 1l 

 is, therefore, necessary to assign some reason, 

 and to show when, and for what purpose, 

 such modes are to be pursued. It is best to 

 follow such methods as preclude the necessity 



of either ; for, with proper feeding, exercising, 

 and grooming, there will seldom bo occasioa 

 for physic ; but sloth or idleness is the parent 

 of disease; and tluis it hap|)C'n3 with horses, 

 when they are well fed, and have little or no 

 work — horses not being ir.tended to stand in 

 a stall, and fatten like a bullock — the blood- 

 vessels get overcharged, and a partial stagna- 

 tion takes place, so that the economy of the 

 whole system becomes obstructed, and cannot 

 perform its several functions. The stomach 

 cannot digest its contents ; the lungs become 

 oppressed, and have not the requisite freedom 

 of expansion ; consequently, if timely relief bo 

 not given, a catalogue of disorders must ensue, 

 for nature always strives to unburthen herself 

 in some way or other. When any symptom 

 of approaching illness or disorder appears, 

 which may discover itself in various ways, 

 such as by the animal refusing his food, by 

 the appearance of languor or dulness, heaviness 

 of the eyes, heat in the mouth, swelling of the 

 legs, itchings, breaking out in various parts, 

 &c., it will then, in general, be proper to 

 bleed, as a check, and also to allay the irri- 

 tability of the system. In these cases, bleed 

 according to size, constitution, and the nature 

 of the forboding symptoms of the attack. If 

 a horse is very fat, the same quantity must 

 not be taken from him that would be required 

 were he in good working condition ; for hia 

 fat, in the first place, debilitates him, and then 

 taking blood in large quantities does this still 

 further. We have known fat horses frequently 

 fall, in consequence of five or six quarts of 

 blood being taken from them at a time, from 

 the erroneous idea that because they were fat, 

 they could lose so much more blood. If, on 

 showing any of the preceding named symptoms, 

 and the horse happens to be overloaded with 

 fat, great caution respecting bleeding should be 

 shown, and not a too large quantity abstracted 

 from him; but with horses in condition for 

 work, five or six quarts may be taken without 

 danger. In bleeding, sometimes, after pinning 

 up the orifice, the horse shakes himself. If so, 

 it may be taken as a sign that the object has 

 been gained, and that the inflammatory action 

 that was going on in the system, has been 

 reduced. 



If, however, symptoms and circumstances be 

 compared together, to account, if possible, lor 



115 



