DlULbllU.N.l 



MODERN VETRIilN'ATlY PRACTICE. 



[iNDioKsnoy. 



existence of tliia defect; but sotuctimoa a 

 horse will swallow com um-lu'wcil, I'lercly 

 from eiigeniesa in leoilini^. IMinij; tlic toflh 

 does not, however, iiUbril porinuneiit relief; for, 

 if a horse is again fed on corn, tiio teeth once 

 more soon wear to a sharp edge, and the injury 

 is repeated ; and though filing oif the sharp 

 points prevents him, for a time, from wounding 

 his cheeks, it does not prevent the corn from 

 falling, unchewed, into his mouth, and from 

 being swallowed in that state. There is not, 

 however, so niuoh difiieulty in niatiticatiiig hay, 

 provided the animal is allowed t;uilieient time. 

 It does not so readily fall into the mouth until 

 it has undergone considerable chewing, and 

 then it is more easily placed under the grinders 

 again, by means of the tongue. The hay is at 

 length masticated with great difGculty, and, 

 after being kept in the mouth a considerable 

 time, is rolled up like a chewed quid of tobacco, 

 and thrown out into the manger. Such horses 

 are named by dealers, quidders ; and unless 

 led ui)ou bruised oats, or soft food, must bo 

 starved. In such cases the muscles of deglu- 

 tition, or swallowing, are more or less para- 

 Ivsed ; so that if the animal is turned out, the 

 grass will return through his nose, instead of 

 being swallowed, and he will be starved to 

 death. Horses having such defects in their 

 grinders, should be fed with bruised oats, 

 grains, bran, or other food that does not re- 

 quire mastication. 



"When a horse is at grass, there is a sufE- 

 cient supply of saliva for the purposes of mas- 

 tication, swallowing, and digestion; but when 

 be is taken into the stable, and fed upou dry 

 food, there must, of necessity, be a deficiency 

 of saliva. The only method of compensating 

 for this deficiency, and of randering the I'ood 

 as fit as it can be made for mastication, 

 swallowing, and digestion, is to dip the hay in 

 water, and make the corn quite wet. This 

 should never be omitted. 



There is one cause of imperfect mastication, 

 however, which should not be permitted to 

 happen in the stable ; yet it often does happen: 

 anil that is, dentition, or cutting teeth, espe- 

 cially when a horse is changing his grinders, 

 ■wiiich he does between the third and fifth 

 year — not partially, as has been stated, for all 

 the grinders are changed for permanent teeth. 

 A horse ought to be kept out during a great 



part of this perind ; ami if ho is kept in, when 

 lie is observed to fhcw with great diniculty, 

 he should inivo soft food. A want of vital 

 power in the stoiiujch, is a disease \Nhieh, in tli« 

 horse, exists more frequently than persons are 

 aware of, and arises wholly from improj)cr 

 feeding, assisted however, too often bv im- 

 moderate work. By improper feeding is meant 

 the quantity and quality of the hay that ia 

 commonly given. This injures the stomach, 

 not only by its deficiency in nutritious matter, 

 and the impure chyle generated from it — 

 thereby leading the animal to eat a greater 

 quantity than he otherwise would — but by the 

 distension which the stomach suffers, which 

 does it a serious injury, rendering respira- 

 tion difficult, and weakening the whole mus- 

 cular system. When a horse is constantly fed 

 in this way, not only the stomach, but all the 

 large bowels are loaded, and the diaphragm is, 

 to a great extent, prevented fi'om performing 

 its office. 



INDIGESTION. 

 In a healthy state of the stomach of a 

 horse, his appetite is such as to lead him to 

 eat only such food as is fit for the formation 

 of pure blood. This food is grass, for he is 

 certainly by nature a graminivorous animal. 

 His stomach is remarkably small, and requires 

 to be frequently supplied ; therefore, in a state 

 of nature, we find him almost constantly feed- 

 ing. How great, then, must be the change 

 which he suffers when taken into the stable; 

 and what serious evils ought we not to 

 expect, unless this change is gradually brought 

 about, and his diet and exercise carefully 

 attended to! When we consider in what 

 manner ho is generally treated, there cannot 

 be any difficulty in believing that the stomach 

 must, of necessity, be brought into a morbid 

 condition. The labour he is employed in is 

 generally excessive : the food which is most 

 natural to him is often deficient in nutri- 

 ment; for even grain is not suitable, because 

 not natural to him ; and we find that horses 

 which have always been kept in a state of 

 nature will refuse grain, and require some 

 time, and the stimulus of hunger, to be 

 brought to eat it. Good hay will always be 

 preferred by them, especially when it has that 

 fragrant amell, and greenish colour, whicli it 



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