ON PHYSIC. 109 



allude to such horses as are employed either in business 

 or for pleasure^, as cart and carriage horses, hacks, and 

 horses in the cavalry. Such horses as I have here 

 made mention of, unless labouring under disease, v^^ill 

 not, in all probability, have a dose of physic given 

 them in the course of the year ; and many cart and 

 carriage horses may be in the possession of their 

 owners for seven or fourteen years without ever having 

 a dose of physic administered to them, or perhaps 

 during their lives. Nor do I see that they require it, 

 provided they are in good health. Hacks may require 

 physic more frequently than cart or carriage horses, or 

 horses in the calvary, as they are generally going a 

 tolerable good pace, and in consequence of the weight 

 being placed on their backs, they are more liable to 

 become stale on their legs ; and from these circum- 

 stances, may require physic and rest to refresh them, 

 more frequently than the other descriptions of horses 

 above-mentioned. Now, should any horse in common 

 use fall amiss, we will say, on one of his fore legs, 

 either from the leg having been violently strained or 

 bruised, and from which the horse becomes so lame as 

 not to be able to go on with his work, he is laid by, 

 and the owner puts another horse of a similar descrip- 

 tion to work in his place ; and this the owner may do 

 without any very great inconvenience to himself. The 

 liorse which may have received the injury, may be treated, 

 as the case may require, with the usual external appli- 

 cations of poultices, fomentations, bandages, and rest ; 

 and this sort of treatment may be sufficient, probably 



