a\ery's own farrier. ^ 31 



CHAPTER I. 



BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 



Reader^ it is not my intention to give a history of the 

 horse in this little book, but to inform you how you may 

 cure it when diseased. Although a brief history, together 

 with a few anecdoies and sayings of the men of the old 

 world, may not be deemed out of place, and may be in- 

 teresting to some, yet we shall have to content ourselves 

 with such accounts as the history of our country affords, 

 and as I possess. 



There are only three kinds of these useful creatures, 

 viz: the horse, the ass and the zebra. You may raise a 

 cross breed from the horse and ass (called the mule), but 

 you can go no further. 



The native country of the horse remains very obscure, 

 and can not with certainty be traced from history; although 

 he has been found running wild in Asia, Africa, South 

 America, Western Prairies, Rocky Mountains, and doubt- 

 Jess in many other parts of the world. 



Not\\ithstanding, it seems most ' probable that he was 

 first domesticated in Egypt, but at what period of time 

 it is difficult to tell; 1920 years before the birth of Christ, 

 when Abraham, having left Haran in obedience to the 

 divine command, was driven into Egypt by the famine 

 which raged in Canaan (Gen. xii, 16), Pharaoh offered 

 him sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels. Horses 

 would doubtless have been added (with the same gene- 

 rous spirit that accompanied this oifer) had they then ex- 



