THE CHARACTER OF THE HOKSE. 233 



perature is nearly double what it should be : must this 

 not be very injurious ? But the horse is not merely 

 experiencing the sudden change in the temperature, but 

 he is entering a place where every breath of air taken 

 into the lungs is depositing its poison in the blood, and 

 gradually working its way through the system, until it 

 becomes a mass of disease in the form of glanders, or 

 farcy, for the former of which there is no certain cure 

 known. The horse, in his natural state, is used to 

 breathing a pure air ; hence the cause of horses running 

 at grass being so free from disease, compared with those 

 which are constantly kept in the stable during the 

 period allotted them for rest ; but if we consider for one 

 moment, we must be convinced of the injurious effects 

 of an impure atmosphere. Very many of the cases of 

 inflammation of the lungs and catarrh arise from the 

 sudden change experienced on going from the stable to 

 the open air. The horse takes cold, he appears chilled ; 

 his coat, which before was smooth and glossy, now 

 stands on end ; the blood is driven to the internal or- 

 gans, the blood-vessels of which are unable to stand the 

 sudden rush of blood, the lungs become congested, and 

 if the proper remedies are not immediately applied, 

 death is the result. Some horses may not be so severely 

 affected, as a deal depends upon the constitution of 

 animals, but a close, impure stable will sooner or later 

 tell its tale upon the most hardy horses that ever were 

 foaled. It is a bad and impolitic system to keep many 

 horses in one stable, for, independent of the heat and 



