374 THE HORSE. 



greatly with the least unusual exertion, and if he is pressed beyond his 

 strength becomes seriously ill. 



The treatment which the groom in this case adopts is most absurd and 

 dangerous. The horse, from the deranged distribution of vital power, is 

 disposed to fever, or he labours under a slight degree of fever, sufficiently 

 indicated by the increased quickness of pulse, redness of nose, and heat 

 of mouth. The lassitude and want of appetite which are the accompani- 

 ments of this febrile state, are mistaken for debility ; and cordials of 

 various kinds, some of them exceedingly stimulating, are unsparingly ad- 

 ministered. Common sense would require, that in this deranged distri- 

 bution of power, excitants should be scrupulously avoided ; not only no 

 cordials should be given, but the usual quantity of food should be dimi- 

 nished — bran mashes should be given — a little fever or alterative medi- 

 cine should be administered, such as that which we have just described, 

 and the horse should be a little more warmly clothed, and sudden or too 

 great exposure to cold should be guarded against. There is no doubt 

 that spices hasten the process of moulting. The old hair is evidently 

 more speedily thrown off, and the new produced, but this at the expense 

 of greater derangement of the constitution — greater fever — and no little 

 danger, if, during this process of moulting, and while nature is thus unna- 

 turally forced on, disease of a febrile character should attack the animal. 

 Friction may be allowed, to assist the falling ofFof the' old hair, and to loosen 

 the cuticle for the appearance of the new hair, but it should be gentle. 

 The currycomb should by no means be used — even the brush should not 

 be applied too hard or too long. The old hair must not be forced off 

 before the young hair is ready to take its place. The exercise should be 

 moderate — the clothing rather warmer than usual, and the water chilled. 

 Nature adapts the coat to the climate and to the season. The Sheltie has 

 one as long and as thick as that of a bear ; and as the summer is short and 

 cold too in those northern islands, the coat is rough and shaggy during 

 the whole of the year. In the deserts of Arabia, where the winter is 

 rarely cold, the coat remains short and glossy throughout the year. In 

 our climate, the short covering of summer is succeeded in autumn by one 

 of considerably greater length and thickness ; and that in its turn yields 

 in the spring to the lighter clothing which summer requires. As a thin 

 and glossy coat adds to the beauty of the horse, and is identified, to a 

 great degree improperly, with his condition, an artificial system has been 

 adopted, by which the coat shall remain of nearly the same length, and 

 that a short one, during the year. Nature changes it with the change of 

 season ; man contrives that there shall be no change of season in the 

 stable. It is always summer there — always sufficiently hot to make a 

 long coat useless, and therefore nature, who accommodates herself to cir- 

 cumstances, does not give it. The exposure to cold during the few 

 liours of exercise may roughen the coat for a little while, but the hot 

 clothing and the hot air of more than twenty hours out of the twenty-four, 

 give the character to the covering which nature bestows on such an 

 animal. This system is not now carried to the injurious extent that it 

 used to be, but it yet partakes too much of absurdity and danger. The 

 inflammatory complaints to which these hot-house animals are subject, 

 and the average shortness of their lives, are sufficient proofs of the error 

 of the practice. 



The fiirmer has, or should have, little to do with this artificial manage- 

 ment of the coat, and he may be assured that his hackney, or his hunter, 

 if he does occasionally venture to follow the hounds, will, with his winter 

 hair upon him, be to all intents and purposes in as full condition, and as 



