HORSES. G5 



in danger of being injured by being brought into work at tliat age, 

 from the gentleness with which he will probably be used, than he 

 often is from being presumed after tive, to be tit for common labor 

 without time being given him to be accustomed gradually to it. 

 A horse taken from grass or the cow-yard, should eat no kind 

 of corn till he has been a long time in work. He will pufl" in 

 the lioughs and heat in the feet, after walking five miles on the 

 road ; and if tlie fever attending his fnst attempts at labor, particu- 

 larly if he is very young, is increased by full feed at the time, it 

 will throw itself into his feet already lieated by tlie unusual con- 

 cussion, and do him permanent injury. He is especially in danger 

 of this, if tirst used on the frozen roads in the beginning of the win- 

 ter, when they are perfectly unelastic, and he is excited by the 

 state of tlie atmosphere. 



Spavins and ring-bones are sometimes thrown out by a colt ; 

 and their nature is not understood by our farmers generally. At 

 the lower part of the front of the hough there are a number of 

 joints, o(-cupying together but a small space, and possessing but 

 little motion. Upon any considerable inflammation, they are lia- 

 ble to seciete bony matter, which (ills up their interstices; and 

 generally projects in front or on the inside of the hough, and is 

 evident to the eye. It appears suddenly, and soon hardens. As 

 the separ-ate bones then form one solid mass, it is obviously incura- 

 ble. It is very common in oxen ; butchers being frequently oblig- 

 ed to cut through with an axe, what was once a number of bones 

 joined together. When it is soft it is absorbed by a blister. It 

 may arise froro the inflammation occasioned by a violent blow 

 upon some part of the leg ; and I have a colt spavined in both legs 

 from a severe kicking. It is apt to keep a horse out of condition 

 from its pain ; but many of our tirst-rate work-hoi'ses ai'e spavined. 

 When I speak of spavin, 1, of course, mean bone-spavin ; bog and 

 blood-spavins, as well as thorough-pins being nothing but wind- 

 galls of the hough, A ring-bone is of the same nature as a spavin ; 

 and generally pr'oceeds tVom inilammation of the pastern-joint. It 

 has been ascribed, in some inslances, to stamping off the tlies ; and 

 1 have had one arise apparently from that cause. So simjile a 

 reason, however, it would be ditlicult to make a Arrmer believe. 

 It is not nn invariable cause of lameness. Like a spavin it is in- 

 curable, excepting in particular states ; not exactly corresponding, 

 however. Curbs aie common in thorough-bred colts ; but are. 

 comparatively, of trifling consequence, and always to be cured. 



Any one, that does not acknowledge ilic assistance which natine 

 may I'eceive from art in a youn.5 animal, must have shut his eye;* 

 upon the vegetable world. Every domestic animal was intended 

 to reap the advantages of civilization in his food and shelter as 

 much as man ; nor can he be in his highest perfection without 

 them. For the very fullest development of a horse's powei-s, he 

 must be kept continually in a liigli temi)eratui-c. It is very well 

 to laugh at the extent to which this a|)[)ears to be carried : but the 

 fact is not to be disputed. [,V. E. Farmer. 



9 Vor.. I. 



