CONDITIONING.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[conditioning. 



not mindful, bold the ball at tbe top of tbe 

 throat, till you loosen the bead, and then 

 cough it up again ; or suffer it to be lodged at 

 the extremity of the grinders, when you will 

 perceive them chewing it, and at last ejecting 

 it from their mouths: if the whole of this 

 operation be not done expertly, the horse will 

 make the more resistance. We have seen 

 awkward persons torment the horses, ami 

 spoil several balls, before they could get one 

 fairly down. 



As much water as he will drink may now be 

 given. AVarm water will occasion the physic 

 to operate the sooner, if be will drink it ; but, 

 as before stated, offer gruel if he refuses the 

 tepid water. After a few hours, give water 

 that has been standing in the stable some 

 hours ; the raw chill will then be taken off, and 

 will not hurt him. If the physic be prepared 

 without calomel, or other mercurials, which is 

 not proper medicine for conditioning horses, 

 on such occasions cold water should never be 

 administered. If all goes on well, and to 

 your wish, you must not strip his cloth oft', 

 nor dress him till liis physic has done working, 

 which generally will be about the third day. 

 "While his physic is operating, he must not be 

 taken out, though, if it can conveniently be 

 done, he may be put in a loose box, which will 

 afford him exercise quite sufficient until his 

 physic is set. Great care should be exercised 

 in keeping his bocks, legs, and thighs clean. 



When the physic has so operated as to 

 keep the body open for about twenty-four 

 hours, giving him copious and loose stools, you 

 may forbear using means of promoting further 

 operation. Let him stand until his dung is 

 set, and then give him his corn; strip and 

 dress him well. The next day take him out, 

 and give him gentle exercise. 



About the sixth or seventh day from tbe 

 time he took his first dose, the second may be 

 administered, ordering the horse as directed 

 before, and again letting the same time elapse 

 between. The third dose may then be given ; 

 and this, in general, is sufficient to thoroughly 

 cleanse him from that faint or foul condition 

 which green food naturally occasions. Proper 

 diet and exercise will then get him into wind 

 and condition for hunting : but before we pro- 

 ceed with that part, we shall make some fur- 

 ther remarks on physic. 

 118 



We have noticed the manner of ordering a 

 liorse in physic, under the circumstances of 

 the medicine properly operating and achieving 

 its end satisfactorily ; but, from various causes, 

 it may so happen that physic does not take a 

 proper course, or effect the expected object. 

 If physic does not operate in the space of thirty- 

 six hours, there must be some reason for it. 

 It may proceed from its quality, or it may 

 arise from the ball not being completely ad- 

 ministered ; for when a ball is not adeptly 

 given, and the horse gets part of it in his 

 teeth, he may only swallow a part, and the 

 residue may be dropped in his litter, and 

 never after be discovered. It may likewise 

 proceed from the habit or constitution of the 

 horse not being easily moved, so that he may 

 require a stronger dose ; and some animals 

 will keep physic longer in them than others, 

 before it operates. 



Whatever the reason may be, we should not 

 be in haste to administer another dose until 

 we had used the ordinary expedients, and 

 waited to observe the effects. 



When physic does not operate in the space of 

 thirty-six hours, keep the horse warm, for that 

 will assist the operation, and administer about 

 a quart of gruel, into which about a pint of 

 mild ale may be put ; warm and horn it down ; 

 then in a quarter of an hour afterwards, let 

 him be moved about at a brisk walk, or gentle 

 trot, but not sufficiently to heat him, or in any- 

 wise make him sweat. At night, give him a 

 moderately warm mash, into which put about 

 a handful of ground malt ; and if it does not 

 operate by the next morning, we should then 

 be inclined to doubt whether he had really 

 taken the physic, unless he has appeared sick, 

 which will be known by his being heavy and 

 dull, and refusing his hay. On the other 

 hand, if he has only a soft evacuation, it may 

 be in consequence of the warm gruel or mash 

 which has been given him. But if he throws 

 out a copious thin stool, having been sick 

 with it, it may be concluded that he has had 

 all his physic, or, at least, the greater part of 

 it ; yet, if his body is not kept open four-and- 

 twenty hours, having several copious evacua- 

 tions, we may consider his physic not to be 

 sufficiently strong, and should increase the 

 next dose accordingly; for, in general, the 

 first dose of physic operates the most. We 



