V ADVICE TO BUYERS. 65 



nostrils clear, and after four to eight days he will have the 

 animal ready for sale, as the discharge will be dried up, 

 and the animal somewhat improved under the use of this 

 tonic; but how long will the animal's nostrils remain 

 clean ? Just as soon as the horse is exposed to the slight- 

 est degree of cold it will return with greater severity; and 

 if it was the forerunner of some serious disease, will in a 

 measure be the means of keeping it off for a little while, 

 but, eventually, the animal will fall a martyr to the dis- 

 ease. 



Another plan for deceiving the inexperienced is adopted 

 when a dealer happens to have for sale a horse a little ten- 

 der, or lame, in one leg ; he will slightly affect the other 

 leg, so that the horse will travel evenly, and not show any 

 lameness on the diseased foot ; the manner in which this is 

 done is by taking off the shoe from the sound leg, and 

 paring a spot on the sole of the foot on which the shoe will 

 rest, then replace the shoe, so as to press on the tender 

 spot and give the animal a slight pain, sufficient to cause 

 the pain of both feet to be equal ; then the animal will not 

 be lame at all, but he will travel a little short with both 

 feet, and the purchaser will be told that such is the nat- 

 ural action of the horse ; but in a great many instances the 

 horse travels so well that it is not at all noticed, unless 

 you have seen the animal walk before he was fixed in that 

 manner. 



Many horses, after an attack of rheumatism of the chest, 

 founder, &c., are troubled with an ugly hollow chest, sink- 

 ing away in ; such a horse is generally very difficult to sell 

 at a figure to compensate a dealer; but he resorts to a plan 

 to give the horse a fine fall chest, which will deceive the 

 inexperienced, but is easily detected by a careful examina- 

 tion; he will puncture the chest, and with care separate the 



