10 



We now dismiss for awhile the subject of the foot, for some remarks 

 of a more geiieral nature lespecting the rearing the young horse; as it 

 must be obvious, that good feet will avail but little, without a correspond- 

 ing strength in the other paits of the body. His growth, at this tender 

 age, should not be checked or impeded: he should have a good supply 

 of food, and neither be chilled by frosts, or lowered by exposure, to damp, 

 unhealthy situations, which lay the foundation of incurable disorders. 

 From insufficient food, or of bad quality, they will be subject to various 

 deformities, as large heads, gross jaws, large bellies, gleets of the nose, 

 affections of the lungs, &c. Exposure to keen frosts, produces ill conse- 

 quences to the eyes, and appear to be the cause of a certain white glare, 

 which I had often observed in horses eyes, but was unable to account 

 for, tili I accidentally witnessed its taking place in one of my own horses 

 from this cause; this white sufTusion resembles in some respects a 

 Cararact, but is more generally diffused, and not of so opake a white as 

 those Spots. 



My experiments upon the feet of horses, led rae to purchase many 

 at an early age, in order to observe the progress of the natural foot ; and, 

 on some occasions, my knowledge was not very cheaply obtained, for 

 on using these young horses, I discovered that the greater number of them 

 were lamed in some way or other in bringing up. Out of near a score that 

 I purchased, at various times, not more than one or two were found on 

 use to be sound, though they had never been broken in or used; this I 

 could trace to the unsuitable nature of commons and farm yards, where 

 the young horse, active and thoughtless, is ever running into danger, if 

 the opportunity of doing himself mischief is not carefully removed ; 

 where many are kept together, they are exposed to the greatest risk, of 

 kicking one another, or of haviug their Shoulders beat in, through the 

 carelessness of servants leaving the gates half shut, which would close 

 upon them as they endeavoured to force their way through. Hurdles 

 caught the legs of some ; and others, by rushing through narrow doors, 

 injured their hips; others, in the absence of their masters, had been 

 vehemently rode; others, brutally assaulted with improper weapons; some 

 staked; others had strained themselves irrecoverably, by chasing about 

 in improper ground, that the hazard of their ever arriving, in a sound 

 State, to four, or even three years old, must be very great, and suflSciently 

 accounted for what I had experienced. 



