BROKEN-WlKD. 195 



use these pages are principally desi(2:ned. The farmer's horse is the broken- 

 winded horse, because that on which he is fed is bulky, and too often 

 selected on account of its cheapness ; because there is little rep;ularity in 

 the management of most of the farmers' stables, or the work of his teams ; 

 and because after many an hour's fasting the horses are often suffered to 

 gorge themselves with this bulky food ; and then, with the stomach press-' 

 ing upon the lungs, and almost impeding ordinary respiration, they are put 

 again to work, and sometimes to that which requires considerable exertion. 

 A profitable lesson may be learned from this statement. The farmer 

 perhaps may contrive to give his horses a little more corn, and a little less 

 hay, and straw, and chaff, without much additional expense ; he may con- 

 trive, too, to shorten the period of fasting, and therefore prevent the 

 ravenous manner in which agricultural horses often feed ; and more regu- 

 larity may take place between the periods of feeding and of work. We 

 have recommended the nose-bag, as a preventive of stomach-staggers ; we 

 can as earnestly recommend it as a preventive of broken-wind. 



This disease depends as much upon the cramped state of the lungs, from 

 the pressure of an overgorged stomach in the ordinary state of the animal, 

 as on the effects of over-exertion. The agriculturist knows that many a 

 horse becomes broken-winded in the straw-yard. There is little nutri- 

 ment in the provender which he there finds, and to obtain enough for the 

 support of life, he is compelled to keep the stomach constantly full, and 

 pressing upon the lungs. Some have come up from grass broken-winded 

 that went out perfectly sound. The explanation of this case is the same. 

 The stomach was habitually gorged with coarse and innutritive herbage, 

 and its pressure on the lungs cramped and confined their action, and pro- 

 duced those violent efforts which burst some of the air-cells, and especially 

 when in their gambols in the straw-yard or in the field, or sometimes being 

 wantonly driven about, the lungs were suddenly called upon to perform 

 extraordinary work. There are difficulties attending this explanation of 

 the disease, but it cannot be denied that the dissection of horses which had 

 broken-wind has almost invariably presented these enlarged air-cells, one of 

 which would occupy the space of a great many of their natural dimensions. 

 The cure of a broken-winded horse no one ever witnessed ; yet much 

 may be done in the way of palliation. The food of the animal should 

 consist of much nutriment condensed into a small compass ; the quantity 

 of oats should be increased, and that of hay proportionably diminished ; the 

 bowels should be gently relaxed by the frequent use of mashes ; the water 

 should be .given sparingly through the day, although at night the thirst of 

 the animal should be fully satisfied ; and exercise should nevev be taken 

 when the stomach is full. It will scarcely be believed how much relief 

 these simple measures will afford to the broken-winded horse, and of how 

 much exertion he may be gradually rendered capable. Some treated on 

 this plan have even been hunted, and have acquitted themiselves well in 

 the field. Carrots are very useful to the broken -winded horse, not only as 

 containing much nutriment and considerable moisture, so that less water 

 may be required, but from some property which they possess rendering 

 them beneficial in every chest aft'e^ion. A broken-winded horse turned 

 out to grass will never improve, on account of the almost constant disten- 

 sion of the stomach ; but he may be fed on more succulent substances, as 

 turnips and mangel-wurzel, with evident advantage. They are easy of 

 digestion, and they soon pass out of the stomach. 



31edical treatment is of little avail, except that organs so violently excited 

 as the lungs of broken-winded horses frequently are, must be subject to 

 inflammation, and the difficulty of breathing in these horses is sometimes 



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