594 
COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF THE 
less than a hundred hunters, besides hacks and harness horses. 
I attribute this to several causes : — First, to having generally 
purchased young and sound horses ; secondly, to having had an 
eye to a certain form of leg, particularly in hunters — flat, short 
in the cannon, and with oblique pasterns, and a little over-kneed 
when I could get them ; thirdly, to having, when it was possible 
in chase, dismounted, rather than take a drop-leap on to very 
hard ground, a stony road especially, which a natural activity 
enabled me to do, without losing much time ; and, lastly, to what 
may be called luck. In fact, my account of “ breaking down” 
amounts but to two hunters and one hack, a thorough-bred mare, 
which, strange to say, broke down in both her hinder legs at the 
same instant, whilst cantering at the rate of about ten miles an 
hour on a good turnpike road. Neither can I recollect having 
had more than six horses of any description fired for any sort of 
disease. Still my experience of this useful and, I fear, indispen- 
sable operation in the studs of my neighbours and acquaintance 
has been very considerable indeed ; although I cannot say this 
of the seton, which, as far as I have witnessed or availed myself 
of its operation, has been confined to the eye or the chest as a 
mere counter-irritant or depletory. Nevertheless, being always 
willing to listen to the still small voice of reason, I have read the 
arguments advanced on the question of the comparative merits 
and effects of the two means of operation, and their results, with 
much attention and interest; although, as I have before said, I 
offer my opinions upon them with reserve ; and I am sure you 
will commend me for this. Experience has taught us secrets 
which the genius of a Plato or a Demosthenes or an Aristotle 
never could have divined ; but unprovided with that, and also 
its handmaid, theory, he must be a bold man, or rather a daring 
impostor, who ventures to do otherwise. 
The first horse I ever had fired was with the hope of obtaining 
a good hunter for a small sum — a practice I soon discontinued, — 
provided I could cure him of his lameness from a deeply-seated 
bone spavin. He was not superficially fired, but still the effect 
was nothing. In another case, I remember recommending a 
friend to have his horse fired for bone spavin, but the lameness 
was not removed. These failures much shook, if not nearly de- 
stroyed, all my dependence on the actual cautery for the cure of 
bone spavins, unless in their very incipient state. In cases of 
curbs I found firing infallible, as far as experience in my own 
and other stables has gone, that is to say, in those cases which 
have been taken in time ; but I also recollect a few instances of 
curbs not yielding to fire, nor any other remedy (the seton I of 
course exclude) that I have seen applied to them. Lameness 
