■230 
FARRIERY. 
nipper. Fig. 24, inner view of the fame. Fig. 25, a 
horfe’s tufk atfevenyearsold : a, upper part feen in front; 
b, internal furface. Fig. 26, view of a fet of grinders of 
the lower jaw, belonging to a horfe of fixteen years old. 
Fig. 2 7> grinders of the lower jaw, belonging to a horfe 
of twenty-two years of age; which prefents an obvious 
and fatisfadlory proof of the regular wear of the grinders 
in a horfe, until they are finally loft or reduced to the 
mere fork or flump ; fo very different from the courfe of 
dentition in the elephant, for which curious procefs fee 
the article Elepiias, vol. vi. p.463. Fig. 28, exhibits 
the fix incifores or cutting teeth of a horfe, with the mark 
at five years old, as they (land in the gum ; a a, the two 
corner nippers, having as yet no mark. Fig. 29, fhews 
the fame fet of teeth, and the mark in the horfe’s mouth 
as it appears at fix years old ; -a a, the two corner nippers, 
with the mark now become vifible, and which is but juft 
loft or eradicated from the two front teeth. Fig. 30, re- 
prefents the fame fet of teeth at feven years old ; a a , the 
two corner nippers, which are now the only ones that 
carry the mark, and is an inconteftible proof of the horfe 
being aged. Fig. 31, fhews the fame fet bf cutting teeth 
at eight years old, when the bean’s-eye mark is alike ob¬ 
literated from them all, and the horfe is then termed paft 
age, as having no mark in his mouth. Fig. 32, reprefents 
the jaw qf a two-yearling colt, when the firft milk grinder 
has fallen : a, fhews the permanent or horfe-tooth coming 
out, having difplaccd the colt-tooth ; b, the fecond colt 
or milk grinder ready to fall; c, the third horfe tooth 
fomewhat advanced, the fecond being nearly evolved ; d, 
the fixth grinder beginning to appear, and bent like a 
horn. Fig. 33, exhibits the under jaw of a horfe, with 
the dentition complete ; and fig. 34, the upper jaw, with 
the external rim of the fockets of tire teeth difledtedaway, 
in order to (hew the fix grinders in their natural pofition. 
Mr. Feron, in his “ Syftem of Farriery4to. published 
in 1803, informs us, that immediately after the marks in 
the teeth of the lower jaw become obliterated, and the 
horfe has completed his eighth year, that then the teeth 
in the upper jaw begin to exhibit a fimilar feriesof marks, 
from which the age of a horfe might ftill be known ; that 
is to fay, the two middle cutting teeth begin to fill up and 
lofe the black bean’s eye mark about nine or nine years 
and a half old ; at ten, or ten and a half, or fometimes 
eleven, years of age, the two fide nippers fill up ; and 
Jaftly, at twelve, or twelve and a half, the two upper 
corner nippers are entirely filled up, and rile black (pots 
■wholly eradicated from the mouth.—This obfervation ap¬ 
pears to be quite new, mentioned, we believe, by no other 
writer upon Farriery in any language. Yet Mr. Feron 
feemsdecifive on the fa<ft : “ I have (fays he) had frequent 
opportunities of examining feveral hundred horfes at a 
time, and have been very ftudious to remark every parti¬ 
cular in them ; and I fincerely declare, that I found as 
much regularity in the upper jaw, as I ever did in the 
lower one.” See his work, p. 8. 
Belides the marks exhibited by the mouth, nature con- 
ftantly puts on a variety of other appearances denoting the 
approach of old age and decay. After a horfe has ad¬ 
vanced far beyond his prime, a hollownefsof the temples 
will be perceived ; his mufcles will gradually become lefs 
elaftic and rotund ; the colour of the hair will lofe its 
finenefs and glofs, which is the charadteriftic of prime 
health and vigour ; therefore as he becomes proportion¬ 
ally advanced in life, thefe changes will be more ftrik- 
ingly obvious and vifible. The following are among the 
prevalent devices pradtifed by fome of the lower clafs of 
horfe-dealers, to counterfeit or alter the marks of age in 
horfes. At four years old, they will frequently knock 
out the remaining colt’s teeth, in order to make the horfe 
appear five ; yet the fraud remains apparent to thofe who 
underhand the mouth, by the' non-appearance of the 
tufhes ; and if it be a mare, it will be obvious from the 
ftiortnefs and fmallnefs of the corner teeth, and of the 
teeth in general. To reftore to an old horfe the mark in 
his teeth, is termed, to bi/hop him, in order to which they 
burn a hole in each of the corner teeth, and make the 
fliell fine and thin with an iron inftrument ; at the fame 
time feraping the other teeth to make them white; and 
fometimes they file them down fhort and even. To this 
they add another operation ; they pierce the (kin over the 
hollows of the eye, and blow it up with a quill : but 
fuch artifices can deceive only the inexperienced, and in 
cafe of difpute, would be detected in an inftant. Modern 
penetration and experience have been happily emploved 
in detecting and puniftung this wretched fpecies of fraud ; 
and we doubt not, but as the veterinary fcience advances, 
and a general knowledge of the phyfiology of the horfe 
becomes more extended, the practices themfelves will 
fall into difufe, as too ridiculous to impofe on an enlight¬ 
ened public. 
Of the MUSCULAR SYSTEM... 
The term mufcle, denotes a bundle or feries of red mov¬ 
ing fibres or threads, endowed with both a contractile and 
elaftic power, which form the fiefit of all animate, and 
perform every motion incident to the living body. For 
the phyfiology of this moft curious and interefting me- 
ehanifm, we beg to refer the reader to the ingenious 
account given us by the late very able profelfor Monro, 
under the article Anatomy, vol. i. p. 561-567. And 
as the mufcles of the horfe, in their ftruifture and func¬ 
tions,. fo nearly referable thofe of the human fubjedt, al¬ 
ready explained under the article Anatomy, it will only 
be requifite, in this place, to fhew the beautiful fymme- 
try and order with which they are laid upon the offeous- 
frame of that noble animal. 
The external part, which we call the coat, is the co¬ 
vering of hair, and when very fmooth and (hitting, is moil 
agreeable to the eye, and is a defence to the animal from' 
cold and heat. The firft flefhy tegument or cover, is the 
fcarf.fkin produced from the hide, which it involves and 
covers on all fides, and has from thence its nourifhment. 
Its life is not only to cover the true (kin, and defend it 
from many painful fenfations to which it would be ex- 
pofed ; but, as it refembles a curious net-work, and is full 
of little pores, it is thereby fuited to give way to the ex- 
crementitious matter which continually exhales from the 
body. The next common covering is the (kin (properly 
fo called) or hide, which lies immediately under the 
other. It is nouriflied with prominent veins, arteries, 
&c. and is alfo porous, for the paffage of the perfpirable 
matter, which is feparated from a vaft number of little 
glands, that lie on the infide of it ; and, as the fcarf-lkin 
is a defence to the hide, fo the hide is a defence to thofe 
parts which lie under it. Beneath this (kin is placed the 
panniculus carnofus, fieftiy pannicle, or great Jkin mufcle , 
which poftelfes a ftrong contractile power, whereby it cor¬ 
rugates the (kin with confiderable violence, and by this 
means throw's off the dull, flies, or other offenfive matter. 
Underthefe teguments, lie the fat, and common membrane 
of the mufcles. The fat is here diftinguilhed from that 
which covers the caul, by its oilinefs, being generated of 
the more unctuous particles of the blood, working 
through the veffels, and detained by the clofenefs of the 
flefhy pannicle. This is not one continued covering in 
horfes, as in oxen, and fome other animals, butchiefly 
fills up the interftices of the mufcles externally, and is not 
onlya defence, astheother teguments are, butcontributes • 
to make a horfe look plump, fmooth, and beautiful. 
The great membrane of the mufcles, which is the inner- 
moft of all the common teguments, takes its origin from 
the back ; and fpreading itfelf ail over the body, is knit 
to their proper coats by a great number of fmall fibres, 
yet not fo clofely as to obftruft their aCtion. It is in a 
horfe coniiderably thick, and ferves to ftrengthenand con¬ 
firm all the mufcles in their proper fituation, and to be a 
capfitla, or cafe, to defend them from injuries. 
The mufcles of the fore extremity of the horfe, are 
about thirty-four } and are fo arranged in fliape and form, 
when 
