INTROD.] OF CROSS-BUILT ANIMALS. 7 



least since a line first fell from this pen in 1801, 

 freely communicated to others our observations 

 and remarks on every topic connected with the 

 Art of Farriery, without reserve. We only recol- 

 lect an early aversion to horses which stood with 

 the legs much under the carcase, (one of the symp- 

 toms of adhesion,) and imagine this to have arisen 

 from a parental admonition, not to purchase horses 

 of such and such a built, (as we come to explain 

 presently) nor to rely upon their going safe, much 

 less inform, nor upon their lasting at strong work, 

 of whatever nature that might be. And this, with 

 close observation on the fact, that some given 

 disorder prevailed most with horses of a cor- 

 responding make or built, brought us to the con- 

 clusion, that this extended to all other instances of 

 cross built, hollow back, long body, narrow chest, 

 limbs ill-attached to the body, crooked or disagree- 

 ing in length, and numberless other defects. These 

 latter, we found, originated many disorders of the 

 feet before and the legs behind, and always affected 

 the tread of either pair — to say nothing about the 

 form of going, on which depend pace and speed, 

 and the lasting qualities. We ascertained, in like 

 manner, that the prevalent constitutional disorder 

 of the horse — inflammation, was frequently engen- 

 dered, and always rendered more virulent, by the 

 pain, the labour, and cruel suffering of such an 

 animal, when pushed in his work to the extremity 

 of his powers. To say that those propositions are 

 self-evident, would argue presumption of a too easy 



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