MILITARY VETERINARY POLITICS. 
487 
pottering gait of the groggy horse is truly characteristic, not to the 
sight alone, but to the ear even : a “ judge” of such matters has 
but to hear the sound made by the steps of such a horse to at once 
recognise his ailment. The sensation too, as might be expected, 
created by the action of the groggy horse upon his rider, is alto- 
gether peculiar : thus, a man both blind and deaf, mounted upon 
such a horse, would be able to tell, the moment the horse came to 
trot, whether or not he was groggy. 
Grogginess must be regarded as a state of incurable 
LAMENESS. And yet, when such a state is not confirmed , i. e. 
has not from the length of time it has existed, and the alterations of 
structure in the feet which have consequently taken place, become 
established, grogginess frequently admits of alleviation, though 
cure may be hopeless. Even in such a case, however, it rarely 
happens that any permanent relief is conferred ; seldom, indeed, 
any beyond what disappears as soon as the horse comes to return 
to any hard or severe work. Conscious of these facts, people 
seldom bring us groggy horses for treatment, while we, for our 
part, are equally shy in having any thing to do with such forlorn 
cases ; and therefore it is that groggy horses are kept at work ; 
and in certain situations, such as four-wheeled draught and agricul- 
tural employ, a great deal of useful work they will perform. The 
remark of old coachmen on the road used to be — “ They didn’t 
care how lame a horse was afore, so that he had the sound use of 
his hind limbs and for draught this is the really practical and 
proper view of the matter, the tug of draught depending principally 
on the hind quarters. 
MILITARY VETERINARY POLITICS. 
Petition of George Johnston to the House of Commons. 
Veneris , 23° die Apr ills , 1847. 
The humble Petition of George Johnston, late Veterinary 
Surgeon 6th Dragoon Guards, 
Sheweth, 
That your Petitioner begs leave most humbly to address your 
honourable House, and to lay before you a statement of the cruel 
injustice he has been subjected to during the period of Petitioner’s 
service in the 6th Dragoon Guards. 
