70 THE STUD. 



which I never heard any one account In a de- 

 cidedly satisfactory way ; they are mostly fine- 

 coated horses. The only plausible reason I can 

 suggest for their being so is that possibly their 

 apprehension keeping them, as I say, on the qui 

 vive, also keeps them warmer in a general way 

 than others, in fact, keeps up an increased in- 

 sensible perspiration, conducive to a fine coat. 



The healthy or reverse state of the visionary 

 organs of the horse, is often a matter diflficuit for 

 even professional skill to determine on, and is one 

 that no other person, without great experience, 

 should trust himself to decide upon. There is a 

 description of dull, inanimate looking blue eye that 

 might induce the non-professional or inexperi- 

 enced man to set down as faulty, that is neverthe- 

 less a perfectly healthy one. This is frequently 

 the case with what are technically called "beetle- 

 browed " horses. And, again, there is a lustrous, 

 quick eye that is deceptive in the other way. 

 I have, in fact, more than once or twice seen 

 an eye quite blind that looked like a perfect one. 

 I once knew a cream-coloured, or wall-eyed, 

 poney stone blind, that even on close inspection 

 sh(^wed no symptom of blindness. 



There are so many variations in the extent, 

 causes, and effects of diseases of the eyes of horses, 

 that I should far exceed the limit I have laid 

 down for myself in this book, were I to attempt 



