40 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



no uncommon thing for a farmer to take his nag straight 

 away from pasture, give him a feed of corn, and drive 

 him, full of grass, long-coated, ungroomed, and per- 

 spiring, six, eight, or ten miles to the nearest market 

 town. Here he is allowed to stand huddled up with 

 several of his fellows in a dirty and badly ventilated 

 stable, from eight, nine, or ten o'clock in the morning, 

 until three, four, or five in the afternoon, during which 

 time he has not eaten or drunk a mouthful. He is then 

 geared to the cart again and does the return journey. 

 His reward for that, on reaching home, is an extra large 

 feed of corn, given at a time when I unhesitatingly say 

 he should have less ; after which he is again turned out 

 into the field for the night, to stand, perchance, the whole 

 of the time in a pouring rain. 



Referring again to Percivall's observed immunity of 

 the hunter, it must not be forgotten that this animal, 

 as compared with the cart-horse, has the advantage of 

 the excitement of the chase. For him it has not been a 

 day of ceaseless, unvaried toil. Every huntsman knows 

 full well that the steed, as much as the rider, partakes of 

 the exhilarating influences engendered by the sport. In 

 other words, it is the matter of temperament, already 

 referred to in Chapter IV. 



The Influence of the Time of Day on the Pro- 

 duction of Colic. — As far as I remember, Veterinary- 

 Lieutenant - Colonel F. Smith was the first to point 

 out the enormous number of colic cases that occurred 

 after the hour of 2.30 p.m., as compared with those oc- 

 curring earlier in the day. Following his example, 

 I have tabulated my cases, and the table on p. 41 

 will show that the majority of cases in this district 

 are attacked between the hours of 12 noon and 7 p.m. 

 inclusive. 



