72 DISEASES OF ANIMALS. 



knot, unlike the other knee, it wears the appearance ol 

 spavin, which renders a horse of but little value. Splent 

 which appears on the inside of the fore leg, and wind- 

 galls, upon the ankles, are unpleasant to the eye, but 

 seldom produce any other injury than stiffness, as he 

 advances in year*. 



Ride, yourself, for the purpose of trying his gaits and 

 other qualities, as a rider accustomed to a horse by pri- 

 vate signs, such as manner of riding, bearing on the bit, 

 leaning forward or backward, holding the heels close to 

 the sides, &c, can make a dull horse appear gay and 

 spirited ; a wild horse, gentle ; a stumbler, sure-footed ; 

 one that is blind, appear to see ; and a starting horse, 

 free from that great objection, &c. Before mounting him, 

 examine his knees, to discover if they are skinned, the 

 hair off, or scarred. These are strong symptoms of his 

 politeness, to a fault. Ride with your bridle loose, over 

 an uneven ground ; if he is in the habit of stumbling, he 

 will very readily inform you. Then approach some 

 object offensive to the sight; if he appears much 

 alarmed, you may judge he has long been in the habit 

 of that bad practice. Ride him in all his different gaits, 

 to ascertain if they are smooth, easy, and agreeable 

 Move him about a mile, out and back, in fully half 

 speed ; frequently stopping him suddenly, to try his 

 wind ; also if he is spavined. If his wind has been 

 injured, he will blow unnaturally, making a loud 

 wheezing noise, with great difficulty of breathing. 



When a horse is rode by any person for you to judge 

 of his gaits, you should have him moved towards you, 

 from you, and finally by you, that you may have the 

 opportunity of discovering if there is any turning in or 

 about his knees and ankles, before or behind. A wel. 

 shaped horse will track as true, or his legs will follow 

 each other in as direct a line, as the wheels of a well 

 constructed carriage. Hard steps, short going, and great 

 apparent labor, is offensive to the sight, unpleasant to 

 the rider, and fatiguing to the horse himself. 



The following judicious remarks on choosing a horsi 

 are from Dr. Paul Jewett, of Rowley, who, some forty or 

 fifty years ago, conferred an important favor on the pub- 



