42 avery's own farrier. 



CHAPTER II. 



It is not absolutely necessary that a man should under- 

 stand physiology, or even anatomy, to be a pretty good 

 horse doctor; but he should become acquainted with the 

 nature of barks, buds, leaves, gums, and minerals, and 

 understand their medicinal properties, before he pretends 

 to know how to cure disease. It is safest and best to 

 gather your own roots and vegetables for medicinal pur- 

 poses, when convenient, for which directions will be 

 found hereafter. Apothecaries are not always to be de- 

 pended on; therefore when you buy medicine it is better 

 to buy it in the natural state and pulverize it yourself, 

 to avoid being imposed upon by adulterated drugs. 



How to improve the condition of the Horse. — It may 

 be proper to state here that stables should be comfortably 

 warm; and another thing of some importance is good 

 ventilation. When this is not attended to, the air is im- 

 pregnated, not only with the emanations from the body, 

 but with the gases that arise from the excrements. 

 Light is also very essential; many a horse has lost his 

 sight from being kept in dark stables. Stables are gene- 

 rally too small; horses are often too much crowded, so 

 much so as to make it extremely uncomfortable for them. 

 It is better to have the stalls five feet w^ide, than only 

 four, for they are often strained and otherwise injured by 

 trying to get up in too narrow stalls. The horse requires 

 a variety of food, as well as man; of which carrots and 

 other roots afford an essential part, as they are of a very 

 cooling and succulent nature. 



