106 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



not be classed among the preventable causes, but, 

 nevertheless, a little extra care may neutralize 

 the tendency to them. Take, for instance, a horse 

 of a nervous temperament, with a light middle- 

 piece. Such an individual is very liable to scour 

 when first taken out, and in some horses this can- 

 not be prevented ; but careful attention in giving 

 non-laxative and easily digestible food in proper- 

 ly regulated quantities, with care about watering 

 and the avoidance of violent and overtaxing 

 work, especially when first taken out, will often 

 control this tendency. If nervous, light-middled 

 horses can once be made fat by proper dieting, 

 and are kept in health by light, slow work, the 

 inclination to scour will be much lessened. The 

 accumulation of fat in the abdomen has a ten- 

 dency to lessen the violence of the action of the 

 bowels and thus to counteract scouring. Horses 

 of the temperament just referred to are better 

 fed on corn than oats, as corn is more fattening 

 and less stimulating to the nervous system, so 

 that horses fed on it are less inclined to be excit- 

 able. Greedy, voracious feeders are predisposed 

 to digestive ailments from their tendency to over- 

 tax the digestive organs by the consumption of 

 too large quantities of food too hastily eaten. 

 The means of prevention of such a cause is ap- 

 parent and easy of application. These are ex- 

 amples of two inherent predisposing causes : 



