286 Management and Ti'eatnient of the Horse. 



to place it so that its fore-legs are on the highest 

 ground; this is done to hide the defects of the 

 formation or disease of the horse's legs and feet. 

 Never let a dealer's groom throw the reins over 

 the horse's head and hold it back with the curb 

 while he touches it under the belly with a long 

 whip, which has the effect of putting it on its 

 mettle, and therefore it hardly knows where it 

 places its feet, consequently it will bend both 

 its knees and throw out its feet more than it 

 does in its ordinary style of going. These wily 

 servants take care to always bring the horse to 

 a stand with its fore-feet on the highest ground, 

 which makes it advance its legs so as to conceal 

 any knuckling of the knees or pastern. If they 

 object to let the horse go and stand naturally, 

 be sure that it is a screw, and has some disease 

 they are anxious to conceal, and that by their 

 placing it with its fore-feet on the rising ground, 

 they are anxious to conceal its knuckling at the 

 knees or pastern joint, and by doing so they 

 give a '^ groggy " animal all the appearance of 

 soundness. The first point for a purchaser to 

 attend to is the head at the crown, to ascertain 

 if it has had the disease I described in a former 

 page, called poll-evil \ examine its nostrils care- 

 fully, pinch both nostrils close together so as to 

 make the horse blow its nose when you loose 

 your hold; this will enable you to find out if 

 the horse is ^^ plugged," and if it blows out of 

 its nostril a pledget of tow or cotton wool, be 

 sure it is a glandered subject. Take particular 

 notice if there is a foetid smell from its nostril ; 



