456 PRACTICE OF THE ARABS. [BOOK III. 



same evil course, as hath already been taught in 

 the first chapter of this volume. 



Rest is the primal remedy for all acquired dis- 

 orders of the limbs, whether those of hard work, 

 of old age, or of accident ; but employing the ani- 

 mal whilst yet too young is an universal error, 

 which is but seldom remedied by allowing it rest 

 when lameness once lays hold of him, much less is 

 it capable of being cured by these means alone. 

 The impolicy of this practice, the fruitful source of so 

 many evils, is demonstrable by the custom of the Arabs 

 in the desert country, where, although they load a 

 mare with a foal at her foot, when making one of 

 their forced marches, yet never mount a lame horse, 

 nor propagate from horse or mr.re which is perma- 

 nently marked with the effects of over-work. One 

 remote consequence whereof is, that the foal runs 

 no risk of being entailed with a predisposition to 

 contract readily such disorders as we come shortly 

 to treat of; whence we infer the superiority of the 

 Arab breed in this respect. At least, the fact is to 

 be deplored, that most of our stallions of the ivag- 

 gvn-horse breed are worked at plough and in the 

 team at two and three years old, too much for their 

 tender years, and permitted to cover mares at this 

 latter early age. The result of this lamentable cu- 

 pidity of ownership) is, that their get are impregnated 

 with one or other of the various maladies we come 

 shortly to enumerate, ere they reach maturity; 

 but the causes and symptoms whereof we have 

 shown are so similar, or proceed so naturally out 



