CONDITIONING.] MODERN VETERINARY PRACTICE. [conditioninq. 



therefore increase the second a little if we 

 think it necessary, and particularly if we do 

 not exactly know the constitution of the horse, 

 it being safer to under-do than to over-do it ; 

 and by the second dose we can pretty well 

 judge what his constitution will bear, and, of 

 course, proportion the dose accordingly. 



On the other hand, it occasionally happens 

 that physic operates too powerfully, owing to 

 various causes, and sometimes to the constitu- 

 tion or habit of the horse's body. It may be that, 

 at the time of administering physic, he is weaker 

 than at other times ; and sometimes it may be 

 that the drugs are of a deleterious nature. In 

 these cases, you will observe the horse only 

 partialis pvirge, accompanied by a kind of 

 involuntary discharge, running down his hind 

 quarters underneath, and all down his hocks 

 and legs in a continuous wet and slimy kind of 

 stream. On these occasions, the horse must be 

 kept still, and great care taken that he does 

 not take cold, whilst he should be wiped as 

 dry and clean as possible. The evacuations 

 being of a very sharp and acrimonious nature, 

 if you find they do not abate in due course 

 of time, proper remedies must be given, or 

 the bowels may become so mucli irritated, 

 that superpurgation may be the consequence. 

 The best thing to give then is rice gruel, 

 which is made in the following manner. Take 

 a large teacup-full of rice, put it into a good- 

 sized saucepan, and boil until the rice is 

 perfectly soft, with two quarts of water. If 

 the whole of the water is absorbed by the 

 rice, put in two quarts more, and when this 

 boils, take it off the fire, and strain it through 

 a piece of tamis, squeezing the rice as much 

 as you can. AVhen this is done, break up 

 the rice as fine as possible, and put it back 

 into the gruel. "When at a proper heat, give 

 the hcrse about half, and, in about an hour^ 

 the remainder. Bran mashes must not now 

 be given, but dry and strengthening food, if he 

 will eat. If the first quantity of rice gruel does 

 not have the desired effect, repeat it. This 

 gruel may be improved by dissolving an ounce 

 of gum-arabic to give with it, which will tend 

 to remove the irritability, and, at the same 

 time, strengthen the stomach, if impaired by 

 the excessive operation of the purging medi- 

 cine. When the purging has been thus ex- 

 cessive, we should let a clear week elapse 



from the time the dung was set, before we 

 give another dose, to let the Btomacli and 

 intestines recover their lost tone, occasionally 

 administering the dissolved gum-arabic in his 

 water, which will greatly assist that purpose. 

 A'"ou must, consequently, bo mindful that the 

 next dose be less in quantity. 



Horses having gone through their physic, 

 you proceed, by proper exercise and diet, to 

 get them into wind and condition for hunting. 

 The physicking has taken between three aud 

 four weeks to get them cleansed from their 

 soft foggy food, and now, about the same 

 space of time is to be allowed to get the flesh 

 firm, the coat clean, the limbs strengthened 

 by exercise, and the wind improved by suitable 

 management of diet. As so much pains has 

 been taken to cleanse the body of soft and 

 foggy food, we must now be careful that 

 nothing but clean wholesome food should be 

 given to the horse. For this purpose, a rack- 

 rein and muzzle must be provided, and they 

 must be alternately used. When the one is 

 taken off", the other should be put on : for 

 instance, put on the muzzle when it is ex- 

 pected that the horse will lie down at night. 

 This is to prevent him from eating his litter, 

 which some horses will do even when it is very 

 foul. When fresh litter is given, many will 

 prefer it to their hay : and although clean 

 straw is not injurious to horses that are not 

 required to gallop much, yet hunters aud 

 racers are not permitted to eat it, because it 

 oppresses the wind. The rack-rein is an iron 

 chain, fixed at the head of the stall, which 

 passes through a ring sewed in front of the 

 nose-band of the stall collar. It is fastened in 

 the same manner as a dog's chain to the ring 

 in the collar ; and, when dressing the horse, it 

 can, after passing it through the collar, be 

 made to fasten him as short as may be thought 

 proper ; but, at other times, the chain must be 

 lon*^ enough to permit the horse to feed out 

 of his rack, or out of his manger, though not 

 to let his head reach down to his litter. 



The first thing to be done in the morning, 

 on coming to stable, is to take off" the muzzle 

 and put on the rack-rein ; then throw into the 

 manger about a quart, or a little better, of 

 oats, according to the constitution of the horse, 

 for some are poor feeders, and must be treated 

 in such manner as will best invite, or occasion 



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