5^ Horses and Horsemastership, 



careful regulation of the diet — the horse never being 

 allowed to eat as much as he would like — is indicated- 

 He should be kept on the soft side in condition, i.e.. 

 by feeding less corn and more laxative food than is the 

 custom, and should never be subjected to undue work 

 or excitement. Unless such conditions can be assured, 

 the probability of a recurrence must always be reckoned 

 with. But even under the most favourable circumstances 

 no one can say with absolute certainty that a horse who' 

 has once had megrims will not again suffer. Personally, 

 I would not keep such an animal for either harness or 

 saddle work. 



STAGGEKS is also a disease in which the brain is 

 implicated, and usually through its connection with the 

 stomach. It frequently follows over-gorging, a thing a 

 horse who has gone without food for a considerable time 

 is apt to do if he is given the opportunity; or it may 

 arise primarily from actual disease of the brain itself 

 without the predisposing cause, in which case death is 

 almost certain to occur. In the former case there will 

 probably be actual evidence of over-gorging in the form 

 of distension of the stomach, otherwise the symptoms 

 do not vary materially. There are two stages of the 

 disease — the first, known as sleepy staggers, and this 

 may eventuate in the second, or mad staggers. In the 

 first stage the animal appears drowsy, the breathing is 



