216 THE HORSE. 



themselves to carry, the flesh does not injure their 

 legs as in riding." To this I will add, what I have 

 long practically known, that good firm elastic mus- 

 cular flesh remaining upon a saddlehorse of sound 

 constitution, which has gone through regular exer- 

 cise, a case of no unfrequent occurrence, far from 

 being any hinderance to his exertions, will eminently 

 promote them both with regard to speed and continu- 

 ance ; and instead of injuring his legs, will help him 

 to keep upon them. Coachhorses, in the road work, 

 filled, satiated as they are, and must be, with dry 

 and solid corn, would be greatly benefited by peri- 

 odical mild purges. 



" A horse in a fast coach, ought not to work more 

 than four days without rest: in slow, heavy work, 

 he will do his ground every day in the year, barring 

 accidents or illness, but i it is the pace that kills/ 

 Coachhorses are subject to many accidents — to one 

 of a peculiar nature, broken legs, in the act of trot- 

 ting over level ground ; and to fractures in the feet 

 from draught. They are also subject to the megrim 

 and the lick" 



Not only coachhorses in fast work, are in danger 

 of a rupture of the canon, or leg bone — and many 

 legs and loins were broken in the insane attempt to 

 increase the already murderous speed of our coaches, 

 which the public never heard of; but racehorses are 

 occasionally subject to the rupture of the canon bone. 

 It arises from an overstrained excess of exertion, af- 

 fecting; both the leg; bone and the bones of the foot. 

 The megrim, as we are used to phrase it, "swooning 

 in the collar," results either from the horse being 



