182 GENERAL TREATMENT OF HORSES. 



exchanged an active untiring frame, for a bloated 

 and breathless carcass ; and nothing can be done 

 with him until, bj purging and severe work^ when he 

 is not in a fit state to endure it with impunity^ the 

 nature of his frame is gradually altered from weak- 

 ness to vio'orous health. But this must be the 

 work of time, for, although Nature will admit of 

 improvement, she will not allow herself to be hur- 

 ried by the unreasonable innovations of man. 



Our next remarks relate to bodily infirmities and 

 local diseases, to which the horse, by the severity 

 of his labours, is always more or less subject. Se- 

 veral of these, such as splents, spavins, curbs, and 

 ring-bones, are easily checked, if discovered in their 

 incipient state ; but when, by being undiscovered 

 for only a short time, a certain progress is made in 

 them, the cure is far from certain, at all events, 

 more difficult. Now, under the old system of the 

 summer's run abroad, this was most frequently the 

 case. Horses, when taken up, were found to have 

 thrown out those excrescences unperceived, which, 

 as soon as they began to work, caused lameness 

 and disappointment ; whereas, under the improved 

 system of summering the hunter, they could not 

 have escaped the constant inspection of the groom, 

 and an immediate check would have been given to 

 them. The short-cough, vulgarly and stupidly 

 called a " grass cough," also too often swelled the 

 catalogue of disasters ; and, in six cases out of ten, 

 ended in broken wind or roaring. But it may not 

 here be amiss to address ourselves to owners of 

 hunters, who may adopt either one system or the 



