86 MATERIA MEDICA. 



highest degree of perfection which it is ca- 

 pable of attaining. In training a horse, 

 whether he be designed for the turf, the 

 chase, or the army, this precaution must al- 

 ways be observed, — that his exercise never 

 exceeds his strength. Many horses have 

 heen destroyed by neglecting this precau- 

 tion, particularly in the army, where we 

 often see horses recruited of three years old. 

 When first brought to the regiment (perhaps 

 from a considerable distance) they are weak 

 and out of condition, often suffering from 

 strangles, which from their weak state, do 

 not come forward properly, but affect 

 chiefly the internal part, causing pain and 

 difficulty in swallowing. At this time they 

 are unfit for any kind of work; and require 

 a month to be brought into proper condition 

 for the riding school. On the contrary, 

 they are not, in general, allowed half that 

 time, but are brought too hastily into the 

 school, without taking time to reflect, that 

 as they are quite unaccustomed to that, or, 

 indeed, any kind of work, it becomes ex- 

 cessively fatiguing ; and to young horses 

 in a state of debility, particularly if they 

 are not immediately attended to, and taken 



