avery's own farrier. 105 



in good thriving condition that the skin is loose from 

 the texture beneath, and he is said to be healthy. The 

 reverse of which is hide-bound, and the horse is said to 

 be ill-conditioned. Now, these pores, constituting as 

 they do one of the principal outlets of the body, become 

 affected with almost every disease of the internal organs, 

 as well as by the quantity and quality of the food he 

 eats. 



The cause of hide-bound may be the forerunner of 

 some other disease; it may proceed from teething or 

 moulting, of which I shall speak hereafter. But the 

 most common cause of this complaint, is for want of a 

 good supply of nutricious food; and if this be the cause, 

 alteratives will be beneficial and a change of diet indis- 

 pensable. 



Surfeit and mange go hand in hand; surfeit is mange 

 in the first stage; and mange is surfeit in a more ad- 

 vanced stage of the disease, although they have generally 

 been considered as two distinct diseases. 



Causes. — Teething sometimes produces itching and 

 eruptions of the skin, as well as purging. In either case 

 the mouth and teeth should be examined, allowing the 

 horse to be of the age to have suspicion rest on this 

 cause. Fevers also leave a scurf on the skin often 

 causing surfeit. 



Moulting, — The horse sheds his hair twice a year, 

 viz: spring and autumn. This is called moulting, by 

 w^hich the skin undergoes a material change, both in 

 the falling oflf of the old hair and the sudden growth of 

 the new. At these periods of changing the coat, the 

 skin is more tender and irritable than at other times of 



