i

JOHNA.SEAVERNS

THE

GENTLEMAN'S
STABLE DIRECTORY;

Modern Syftem of Farriery.

VOL. Ji.

[Price 6s. in Boards^ or 7s. Bound.]

Of the PuBLisHERSi of this Volume maybe had, the
Twelfth Edition (with a Portrait of the Author)
of the First Volume, Price 6s. 6d. in boards.

Comprehending every ufef^iil inflru^lion for Equeftrian ma-
nagement in fickncfs or in health ; difeafes are traced to theii*
origjin, and the caufes explained ; proper modes of prevention,
are particularly pointed our, and the dire6t methods of cure
clearly alcertained. Occafional obfervations are introduced
upon the erroneous treatment, and almoft obfolete prefcrip-
tions of Gibfon, Bracken, Bartlct, Ofmer, and others ; with
general direftions for buying and felling, feeding, bleeding,
purging, and getting into condition, for^ their various pur-
pofes, horfes of every denomination. To which are now added.
Applicable and Experimental Remarks on the proper treatment
of draught horfes, the qualifications and dangerous pradice of
country farriers, and the deftrudive infatuation of farmers ler-
vants.

A COMPENDIUM OF PRACTICAL AND
EXPERIMENTAL FARRIERY,

Originally fuggefted by Reason, and confirmed by^^itA^-
TicE, equally adapted to the convenience of the Gentleman,
the Farmer, the Groom, and the Smith.

Interfperfed with fuch Remarks, and elucidated with fuch
cafes, as evidently tend to enfure the PREVENTION, as well
as to afcertain the CURE OF DISEASES.

lliuftrated with a plate of Taflin's Patteun Shoes, and
and a View of his Eouestriax Receptacle,
In one volume o6tavo, price 5s. boards.

*:^* Mr. Taplin's Horfe Medicine?, of which there is a
complete lift in page 503, Vol. I. of The Stable Dircdory, are
to be had at Keaksley's in Fleet-flreet.

THE

GENTLEMAN'S

STABLE DIRECTORY;

o R,

Modern Syftem of Farriery.

VOLUME THE SECOND,

CONTAINING

EXPERIMENTAL REMARKS

U P O N

BREEDING, ^STABLING,
BREAKING, EXERCISE, And
SHOEING, R O W E L L I N G .

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,

PARTICULAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE
GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF

Hunters and Road Horfes ;

WITH

Concluding Observations upon the prefent
STATE of the TURF.

By WILLIAM T A P L I N.

THE FOURIH EDITION.

LONDON:

PriiUed for G. G. and J. RoiiiNsoN, Paternofter-Row j
and G. Kearsley, Fleet-ftrcet. 1756.

INTRODUCTION,

jCxFTER the many publicatLons upqn
equeftrian fubjcds, it may appear to fome
rather extraordinary that matter either new^
injiru&ive, ox entertaining^ can be produced
to excite the ferious attention even of thofe
who are the moft curious in their par-
ticular ftuds and different appropriations j
but fuch admiration will as readily fubfide,
upon a retrofpedlive allufion to the origi-
nal motives of the various WTiters, the
almofl: unlimited extent of the fubjed:, the
conftantly increafing eftimation of the
object treated on, and the confignment to

perpetual

vi INTRODUCTION.

perpetual oblivion of many literary produc-
tions, (unfortunately for their authors) io
foon as they were brought to the teft of
public inveftigation.

The Gentleman's Stable Diredlory, hav-
ing by the unprecedented rapidity of its
circulation through twelve large editions, and
the acknowledged utility of its inflrudlions ;
in a great degree fuperfeded former opi-
FxionSj and eftablifhed the profeflional repu-»
tation of the writer, it will be hardly con-
fidered a mark of prefumption, that (under
the flattering influence of popularity) the
fame pen iliould once more afpire to the hope
of applaufe, in his defire to extend the fyf-
tem cf management to a degree of confift-
cncy hitherto undelcribed by any one o^ the
numerous authors, who have preceded us
upon the fame or fimilar fubjeds,

Sp

INTRODUCTION. vii

So far as health and condition are
preferable to difeafe, fo much the more dcii-
rable.muft prevention ever prove to the
neceffity of cure. The purport of the pre=-
fent undertaking will, therefore, be found
appertaining much more to fach parts of
ftabularian difcipline, as come under the
dillincSion of novelty, and not treated on
in a dire^ way, than at all applicable to the
inveftigation or cure of difeafe ; unlefs in
occafional allufions or medical references
evidently branching from the fubjecft, and
tending to corroborate and improve the in-
tentional uniformity of the. whole: it be-
ing the predominant wifh of ihe writer, to
render this publication fuch kind of colla-
teral appendage to The Stable Direc-
tory, as may conftitute in both, a com-
plete chain of ufeful and entertaining in-
ftrudion for the improvement of the fpe-
3 cies ;

vii3 INTRODUCTION.

cies ; their management mftcknefs or health,
\S\(t field or f.able^ including, under diftindl
heads, fuch faB^ from experience and infe^
rences from naiurey as will, the author is
earneftly induced to hope, procure him the
approbation of thofe, by the fandion of
whofe extenfive patronage he has been
already fo very highly honoured.

THE

THE

MODERN SYSTEM

O F

FARRIERY.

BREEDING,

"CpROM its general magnitude, prevalent
fafhion, and great utility, is certainly
entitled to precede every other fubjedt, upon
which we Ihall have occafion to enlarge,
in the courfe of the work before us ; and
will afford ample opportunity to introduce
fuch remarks and inftrucftions, as may evi-
dently tend to improve what is now become
fo univerfal, that the world at large, either
in pleafure, agriculture ^ or commerce^ feem
interefted in its fuccefs* Previous to em-
barkation in fo extenfive a field for invefti-
gation, it may be applicable to obferve,
that whatever opinions may be promulgated
as matters of recommendation^ they are not
Vol* II. B to

2 BREEDING.

to be confidcred the dclufive efFed: of fpe-
culative rumination, but the refult of long
perfonal experience and attentive obfervatioa
among horfes in my own poffeffion. from
brood mares and cohs to every defcription,
whether for the Turf, Field, Road^ or Draft,

Although fome of the fubjefls upon which
w-e proceed to treat, may have been flightly
mentioned by writers who have gone before
tjs, it is generally known to have been in
fo fuperficial and unconnected a way, that
little information or inftrud;ion could be
at all gleaned from their endeavours ; a
few loofe hints upon each having been
digreffively obtruded, or indifcriminately
introduced, amidft topics to which they did
not bear the jeaft allufion, and from whence
conclufions of the fmalleft utility could
never be drawn.

Thefe errors it has been the principal
deiign to corred:, by reducing to dijl'indl heads ^
all fuch obfervations and remarks as confti-
tute the body of the work, and arc intended
as incentives to general improvement upon
the great variety of iiibjects we fliall en-
deavour

BREEDING. 3

deavour to contradt into one regular and
uniform point of view, with as little refe-
rence to, or animadverfion upon others, as
the nature of fuch publication will admit.

So much has been faid upon the origin,
inveftigation, and cure of difeafe, in our for-
mer volume of T^he Stable Dire^ory, that
we fliall advert as little as poffible to medi-
cal confiderations, unlefs where from new
occafions, or recent difcoveries, they be-
come intimately and unavoidably connedled
with the fubjed: under difcuffion, as wdll
probably prove the cafe with fome few
heads, before we arrive at the goal of our
undertaking.

Breeding, though a fubjeft of palpable
importance to the improvement of this moft
ufeful animal, feems to have received lefs
affiftance from literary exertion than any
other that has ever attracted the time or
attention of thofe naturalifts, who have in
other refpects contributed largely to the
advantage and entertainment of the public.
This affertion, generally confidered, has one
ilriking exception in the peculiar and con-
B z ftantly

4 BREEDING.

ftantly incrcafing circumfped:ion, to im^
prove (if poflible) what abfolutely appears
to have already reached the very fummit of
perfed:ion : it xvill be readily conceived I
allude to the almoft incredible care and at-
tention bellowed upon the breed and ma-
nagement of our blood horfes for the turf,
at this moment efteemed equal (if not fupe-^
rior) in fpeed^ bottom, and difcipline to any
other in the known world, particularly' iince
the fafhionable rage for Arabians has fo
gradually declined i

Perfonal emulation amongfl: fome of the
firft charadlers in the three kingdoms for
near a century paft (with the moll unre-
mitting perfevcrance and pracflical experi-
ence of the fubordinate dalles, upon the ad-*
vantagcous croflcs in bloody bone^ fi^^p^^ make^
and Jhength) has rendered Newmarket
not only the firft feat of Equeftrian cele^
brity, but to a breeder and fportfmari^ one of
the moft enchanting fcenes the univerfe has
to produce. This part of the fpecies hav-
ing, imder fuch accumulated power and in-
duftry, attained the very pinnacle of pre-
eminence, nothing can be introduced to

breeders

BREEDING- 5

breeders of fuch nice diftinclion, that will
poflibly add weight, or give force to fo com-
plete a fyftem of unfuUied perfed:ion : As
it is, however, generally admitted this fyfte-
matic knowledge is by no means univerfal,
fuch ufeful remarks and appertaining ob-
fervations will be occafionally introduced
under this head, as will afford ufeful intel-
ligence or inftrucftion to thofe who have
commenced breeders, without adverting to
the qualifications or advantages abfolutely
requifite for the fuccefsful management of
a breeding ftud.

Taking leave for the prefent of bloody
pedigree^ and fajhlon^ we advert to the very
capital breed of real Englifh hunters, and
beautiful draft or carriage horfes, for which
the counties of York, Leice/ier, Lincoln^ and
Northampt&n are fo defervedly famous ; they
are certainly entitled to take the lead of
every other county in the kingdom, not
more in the care and fuperiority of their
breed, th'hn the confiftency of their pro-
ceedings to improve it. This preference,
lo generally known and univerfally admitted,
will create no furprife when we recoiled:
B 3 how

6 BREEDING.

how admirably gifted by nature thofe coun-
ties are with requiiite advantages, that other
parts of England have not to boaft ; nor can
they, from locality of fituation, ever obtain.

Situate as the inhabitants are for thefe
conveniences, they have confequently de-
dicated more time and attention to the im-
provement of the fpccies in general, for
the purpofes of emolument, than the natives
of moft other counties, where the attempt
(however judicioufly made) becomes in fome
degree abortive, not only in refped; to the
deceptive expectation of profit, but a cer-
tain degeneracy from fuch heterogeneous
unionSy (if I may be allowed the cxpreffion)
as will be hereafter more clearly explained,

Cufloms and opinions upon this fubjed:
are both local and numerous, notwithftand-
ing which they are frequently fubfcrvient
to exigence of circumftances, and become
produdive of a propagation calculated for
little more than a confumption of food,
without a fingle prominent or diftinguifliing
mark of blood, ftrength, or utility,

There

BREEDING. 7

There are many fubftantial rcaions to be
adduced, why the breeders of the northern
counties exceed all other parts of England,
in the conpflency, jlrength, fajhion, and fym-
metry of their ftock ; for, exclufive of their
natural advantages of the mofl luxuriant
pafture and temperate climate for fuch pur-
pofe, they are rigidly attentive to every
component minutiae of the whole ; not only
to the fliape, make, bone, ftrength, and uni-
formity of both fre and dam, but likewife
to' hereditary defedts, blemiflies, and defor-
mities, rejecting every probability oi Jla'm or
injury, divefted of the paltry penurious con-
fiderations by which the condudl of many
are regulated, who have been breeding all
their lives^ without the fatisfadtion of hav-
ing ever once had a horfe or mare of figure,
fafhion, or value in their pofieffion.

This is a fad: fo clearly eftabliflied, it will
come home to the remembrance of every
reader, when taking a mental furvey of his
rural neighbours, amongft whom he will
perfecftly recoiled: fome one or more fo invin-
cibly attached to the merits of a blind f^al-
Hotly or the virtues of his own Jfider-legged

B 4 nrare,

S BREEDING.

mare, that, deftitute of judgment and deaf
to remonftrance, he ranks in [in imagination)
the produce, a prodigy even in embryo^ and
proceeds regularly, year after year, increafing
the number, without a fingle addition to the
improvement of the fpecies.

Thefe are the kind of hypothetical breed-
ers, (and great plenty there are) who cal-
culate doubly in error, by calculating upon
profit^ without a fingle contingent reflexion
upon lojs ; ridiculoufly fuppofing a mare in
foal, or after delivery, can fupport her own
frame, and that of her offspring, upon lefs
food than any other horfe or mare in conftant
work ; and begin breeding under an idea that
it w^ill be attended with httle or no expence.
Thus totally inadequate (or indifferent) to the
generating of fiep^ bloody and hone by the ef*
fed: of nutrition, they penurioufly and inhu-
manly adopt a kind of temporary poverty, and
after a year or two of artificial famine feem
greatly furprifed, that air and exercife alone
have not produced a colt, or filly, of equal
f^'^e^ Jlrength^ and perfe^ion^ with thofe who
have omitted no one expenfe or neceffary
acquifition, that could in the leaft contribute

% to

BREEDING. 9

to the formation of points fo very defirabie,
in objed:s of fiich tedious expeftation, and
no little anxiety, before their merits or de-
ficiencies could be at all fatisfa6torily afcer-
tained. To avoid the accufation or even
fufpicion of intentional repetition, the unin-
formed reader is referred for an inveftiga-
tion of nutriment, its procefs and effed:s, to
Vol. L of the Stable Directory, under
the article of fee dingy furfeit^ and mange ^
where he may colled: every information he
can poffibly require upon the fubjedl.

Thofe who fucceed heft, and render the
bufinefs of breeding a matter of emolument,
are evidently gentlemen, graziers, ox farmers^
who adhere clofely to the plan of producing
a diftind: ftock for either the turf, field, or
draft, by a dired: fyftematic union of the re-
quifite qualifications in both fire and dam,
without falling into the erroneous opinion
of forming an excellent hunter from a blood
horfe and cart mare ; v;ith fimilar changes
eternally ringing by thofe who fall into the
egregious miftake, of expeding that an equal
partition of qualities from both fire and
dam, will be fo critically blended, as to

conftitute

lo BREEDING,

conflitute a medium exa^ly between hoth^
when every judicious obierver will be ena-
bled to corroborate the opinion, that the
event frequently proves the error, and de-
monftrates a palpable degeneracy from even
the worjl of the two,

Thefe are the kinds of connexion I have
before termed heterogeneous, upon experi-
mental convidtion, in fuch propagation; the
natural fluggiflinefs and inadivity of the old
Englidi draft horfe, whether it be in Jtre or
dam, generally predominates in the oft-
fpring, conftituting an objed: of difappoint-
ment where fo much improvement was ex-
peded by the crofs, I believe (without ad-
verting to niemory) that in a number of
years pafi:, I may boldly venture to affirm, I
could number at leail: twenty within the ex-
tenfive circle of my own acquaintance, who
full of expedation, and certain of fuccefs,
(in oppolition to every perfuafion) pofitively
believed they fliould produce ftrong ho-
ney hunters of figure, fafliion, fpeed, and
ftrength in this way, when Time, the ex-
pofitor of all doubts, has at length reduced
the conjundurc to a certainty ; and after wait-

I ing'

BREEDING. ii

ing four or five years for the fruit of their
expectation to attain perfedtion, the prodigy
has been unavoidably doomed to the drudgery
of a .butcher's tray, or the market cart of
Ibme induflrious mjechanic.

To this defcription of breeders, who are
continually promoting the propagation ot
the fpecies, without a fingle coniillcnt idea,
or relative confideration to the neceffary re-
quifites of country and keep^ or qualifica-
tions oi fire and dam^ (with an additional
prepofiefiion in favour of certain ridiculous
croffes) are we indebted for the infinity of
horfes annually produced in almoft every
(improper) part of the kingdom, that from
want of fliape, make, bone, fize, and ftrength
are of no proportional value to the expenfe
they have occafioned ; they can pafs under
no diftind: denomination, are applicable to
no particular purpofe, but become an expen-
five burden to the owners, who, too fre-
quently fond of their own production, fix an
imaginary value upon their imperje^ions, and
year after year permit them to confume food
snd fodder that might evidently be appro-
priated

jz BREEDING.

priated to fervices of much greater public
utility and private emolument.

To the conftant increafe of horfes that are
of //'/t/e or no value, may be attributed, in a
collateral degree, the alarming advance irx
almoft every neceffary of life where the in-
digent and neceffitous are moftly interefted
without exception : but as the introduftion
of minute calculations to demonftrate the
fad:, would be digreffing from the fubjedl
before us, I fhall only refer the attention of
the curious reader for a moment, to a com-
parative refledtion upon the incredible con-r
fumption of paflurage in fummer, and corn
With hay in winter, that rqight through ot/jer
channels be much more adapted to the pro*
motion of '4 general good.

After the remarks hitherto introduced
upon the inconfiftency and very fajhionalle
ahjurdity^ of even attempting to breed horfes
in fuch parts of the kingdom as are but ill
adapted to the purpofe, whether from the
hilly ftate of the country, the infertility of
the foil, want of luxuriance in the pailure,
9r many other concomitant obflacles, (totally

unat-

B R E E D 1 N tr. 13

unattended to by the parties concerned) it
becomes perfedtly applicable, to revert once
more to the frequent and inconfiderate prac-
tice of uniting horfes and mares, with every
joint hereditary blemifh or defect that can
render the offspring unpromifing ; with^
out a fingle perfeftion, or encouraging ray
of expeftation, to conftitute a jundtion of
points, poffibly tending in the leafl: to form
a produce even tolerably adequate to the par-
ticular purpofe for which it may be intended,
when at a proper age it is brought into
ufe. Such breeders feldom pay the leaft at-
tention to merits^ tempers^ vices , conjlltutmial
bleinijhes, or hereditary defed:s of either
fire or dam ; the grand and leading objedl is
to obtain a horfe or mare of their *' own
breed: '' in that happy thought alone is to
confift their perfection, and in fuch ex-
panded idea is buried every juft or relative
conlideration.

Predominant reafons are by no means
wanting to elucidate this ftrange and invin-
cible infatuation ; for penury in fome, abfo^
lute inadvertency in others, and palpable
indolence in the remaining clafs, affedt the

annual

14 B R E E D 1 N G^

annual increafe to a certainty ; the fame un-
accountable prejudice that prompts them to
commence breeders, without a confiftent
qualification in horfe or mare^ influences
them alfo to referve a colt of fuch breed to
perform the ofiice of Stallion, in the
vicinity of their oVv^n refidence, that the
abfurdity began by themfelves may be per-
fevered in by others : this prodigy^ with all
his imperfedions, is permitted to cover gra^
tis^ or for a trifling pecuniary conlideration
to the fervant, (as a complete gratification
of the owner's ambition in breeding) and
proving a local convenience, is readily em-
braced by the ina6tive clafiTes before defcribed,
while others of more prudence y fplrit ^ emu-
latloriy or confiflency of conduct, will rather
fend a mare fifty miles, and encounter
any confequent e^cpenfe, to obtain a horfe
whofe fhape, make, bone, ftrength, and ac-
tion are calculated to correfpond with the
dam, promifing to produce a colt or filly,
adequate in figure and value to the purpofe
originally intended.

Notwithflanding thefe neceffary precau-
tions, the long llanding adage of there.be-

BREEDING. 15

ing '* ho one rule without an exception,^' is
fometimes verified ; and this even in the
firil blood Jiuds in the kingdom, where the
ftridtefl: attention to every confonant point
is fo rigidly perfevered in, that the leaft de-
viation from fymmetry, fpeed, and perfedlion
could hardly be believed, did not the refult
fo clearly demonftrate the frequency of the
faft.

Extraordinary as fuch circumftance may
appear, it is certainly true that many of the
moil capital runners, when they have be-
come ftallions, feldom or ever begot a win-
ner, though the mares have been fele(^ed
with the greateft care as objects of equal
perfection. Thefe remain among the ab-
Itrufe recefies of nature, that will, perhaps,
ever continue unexplained ; we may there-
fore patiently adopt a fuppofition as a fubfti-
tute for difcovery, prefuming, ** io far fiiall
ye go, and no farther," is all that can be
advanced in elucidation of fuch a fubjeiS.

In corroboration of this well-authen-
ticated affertion, great numbers might be
particularized of the prefent day, where the

progeny

ib B R EE t> I N a

progen}'' have degenerated in aim oft every
point from lire and dam ; but the rapid fuc-
ceflion of one capital horfe upon another,
(feafon after feafon) would render the names
of fuch as might now be mentioned, a matter
of oblivion to future readers, and prove to
them little or nothing of an opinion wc
tvifh to eftablifh beyond the power of con-
tradidlion*

So much chance appertains to the ad; of
breeding for the Turf, that one lucky get
very frequently conftitutes a Stallion of
Fashion, to which the rage of future fea-
fons becomes incredibly fubfervient ; innu-
merable inftances might be quoted in proof
of this fporting credulity, but we will con-
trail the number to fuch only as are too
eminent in their flock ever to be forgotten,
fo long as the pedigrees of *' great, great,
great, great, great grand dams and grand-
fires" fhall be tranfmitted to pollerity.

It is now within the memory of hun^
dreds upon the turf, that old Marjk (a moft
capital runner of his time) covered in Wind-
for Foreft .and its neighbourhood, a very
great number of mares fo low as half a

guinea

BREEDING. 17

guinea each, but upon the produdon of
Eclipse, (a horfe whofe almoft uiiprece-
dented quahfications and performances will
in all probability never be forgotten) his
price was enhanced to fifty guineas, and
that only for a certain number in the feafon,
out of which, (though much advanced in
years) he produced many winners, when
the feledlion of mares became fo much in
his favour.

Such fludtuation of popularity ftill de-
pends upon the uncertainty of events, an
additional proof of which delerves to be
recorded as worthy the attention of fportf-
men, to whom it is not very generally known,
though too well authenticated to admit even
a Ihadow of doubt, and reduces to a certainty
the former obfervation, that Chance alone
is often entitled to the merit fo conftantly
attributed to judgment and penetration.

The dam of Eclipfe having been covered
in that feafon by both Shakespeare and
Marsk, it remained a matter of doubt for
fome days with his late Royal Highnefs the
Duke of Cumberland and his ftud groom,

Vol. IL^ C to

i8 B R E E D I N G.

to which the colt fliould be afcribed ; how-
ever, the time of the mare^s bringing forth
(during the great Echpfe) coming neareft
to the day Ihe was booked to have been
covered by Marjk, to him was attributed
the diftinguiflied honour of getting one of
the firfl: horfes in the known world ; w^hofc
ftrength, power, and fpeed was fo great, that
he with eafe double'dijlanced the mqft capital
horfes when running with twelve ftone for
the king's plate, and afterwards walked over
mofl of the king's plate courfes in the king-
dom. The doubt refpecSing his jire hav-
ing been thus removed, with at leaft an
apparent ^degree of precifion, it may natu-
rally be fuppofed to have been decided
with the ftricleft juftice j but had fuch
doubt ftill exifled upon his own pedigree,
the fuperiority of his ^qualifications would
have appeared in his produce, he having
proved the fire of a mofi: wonderful progeny
in Mercury^ Meteor^ Soldier^ Gunpowder^
King Fergus y Dungannon^ Bovudfow, Ju-
piter ^ FertumnuSy and many others too nu-
merous to recite, whofe blood (in fo great
a variety of branches) will no doubt be

continued

BREEDING. 19

continued with fafliionable crofles to the
end of time.

It is hardly poffible for one little acquainted
with the culroms and manners of the turf
to .conceive, how the decifion of a fmgle
match or fweepftakes alters the properties
and value of a ftallion, whofe reputation
is placed (in blood and performance) upon
the fummit of eminence ; for fhould fome
©f the firft of his get that ftart fortunately
become winners, fuch circumflance inftantly
enhances his fuperiority to a degree of
enthufiafm, and more bufinefs. being marked
out for him in the ad: of procreation than
nature is equal to, his number of mares are
Gonfequentiy limited, and he becomes im-
mediately an objed: of great annual emolu-
ment, feveral inftances having occurred in
the laft twenty years, where different ftal-
lions have produced to their owners five and
twenty hundred pounds in one feafon.

But in this ftate of acknowdedged ex-
cellence and fuperiority, they are ftill fub-
ject to the Verfatility of chance, and one
''unlucky flep forever da?nn5 their f Lime \'

C z for

20 BREEDING.

for two or three of his get being beat at a
fubfequent Newmarket meeting, the vic-
torious fire foon fuperfedes the favourite,
who, falling into the back ground of the
pidlure, glides imperceptibly to an almoft
total oblivion. In fuch fiuftuation or fuc-
ceffion fubmits the fate of an Herod to an
Eclipfe, an Evergreen to a Swcetbrier^ and
a very long lift of etceteras to thofe reign-
ing favourites of the prefent day, Highjlyer
and Woodpecker^ the former of which hav-
ing produced thirty-nine winners of ninety-
one capital prizes, and the latter feventeen
winners of fifty-four, both in the year 1789
only, it will create no furprife that they at
prefent enjoy, under the funfhine of popular
influence, a more extenfive and beautiful
feragUo than any Arabian on earth has ever
had to boaft.

Having ventured a few remarks upon
what I before termed exceptions to general
rules, or predominant opinions, it becomes
perfedly confiftent to ftrengthen a belief of
fuch poflibilities, by the recital of a direfh
contraft within my own knowledge and
perfeft remembrance, of a galloway that

never

BREEDING. 21

never exceeded thirteen hands, though got by
Marjk, (who was a large horfe) out of a
full-fized hackney mare in the neighbour-
hood of Windfor ; as well as a very large,
bony, handfome, ufeful gelding full fifteen
hands, out of a pony tnare under twelve^
that was bought of a troop of gipfics near
Bafingftoke for a fingle guinea. An in-
creafed lift of fuch inftances might be eafily
formed and equally authenticated ; but thefe
are fufficient to encounter the affertions of
thofe who feem firmly to believe the im-
prafticability of obtaining bo?ie, ft%e^ or
Jlrengih, but from horfes and mares of fuch
fize and bone only ; and although it is cer-
tainly right to admit the probability of de-
viation from fire and dam in fuch cafes, yet
the minute inveftigation of caufes muft
lead us into a field of phyfical reafoning,
and anatomical difquifition, that would prove
in general reading too remote and extenfive
for the fubjed before us.

There are, however, very juft and fair
reafons to be adduced, why thefe contrafts
fo frequently occur in oppofition to the ef-
tabliflied notions of breeding, without at all

C 3 advert-

22 BREEDING.

adverting to an abftrufe animadverfion upon
the ** animalculse in iemme mafculino/" the
probable expanfion or contrad:ion of the
uterus, the ad: of generation, the crifis of
conception, the formation and growth of
the foetus in embryo, with other relative
confiderations that might very well bear
ferions and fcientific inveftigation, were we
at all inclined to perplex^ by the introduction
of conjediires calculated to promote the
learned lucubrations of a certain fociety,
but little to entertain the members of a
fporting club at Newmarket, or to improve
the different gradations of their numerous
dependents.

The uncertainty of all human expedlations
being therefore univerfally idmitted, and
fuch matters of opinion only paffed over as
can never be brought to the decifive teft
of infallibility j it is natural to conclude
(notwithjftanding fuch cafual deviations)
much more may be expedled in the produce,
from a dired: coincidence of parts with an
union of flrength, fhape, and fymmetry, than
from any improper or convenient connexion
founded only upon the 7(if^/ y?/^^//o;^ of fire

and

BREEDING. 23

and dam, without a fingle reference to their
different natural blemifhes, defcdls, imper-
fediions, or hereditary taints, of which many
may be. frequently difcovered by care and the
neceffary circumfpecflion.

After the introdudlion of fuch remarks
as evidently tend to conftitute the neceffary
apology for, and prelude to the undertaking,
it w^ill be naturally expeded I fliould revert
to inftrudions that become immediately
w^drthy the attention of every young and
inexperienced breeder, who feels a defire
to excel in his ftock from the motive of
emulation, amufement, or emolument. It
has been before hinted, that thofe fucceed
beft for either who propagate the different
kinds according to the diltind: fpecies of
each, whether for the Turf, Fields or Drafts
without defcending to the adoption of
croffes in themfelves erroneous and feldom
produdive.

In the prefent enormous . price given for
horfes of every denomination (univerfally
faid and believed to be occafioned by the
conftant and unprecedented exportation of

C 4 our

24 BREEDING.

our moft valuable Englifh breed) it is almoft
difficult to decide, which clafs contributes
moft to the profit of the breeder. I can-
not, however, in my own opinion, hefitate
a moment to pronounce the preference to
have fallen upon thofe that turn the fooneft
into fpecie : of thefe, for inftance, are
the beft bred blood Jlcck^ now in the higheft
and moft incredible ftate of cultivation ; the
common marketable prices of thefe, if of
the firft pedigrees, and brought to a promif-
ing fize when yearlings, are one hundred and
fifty guineas for colts^ and one hundred for
Jillies, at which they pafs current, provided
they are croffed in blood from any of the
ftallions whofe celebrity we have before had
occafion to mention.

Without enlarging upon this fort of fport-
ing fpeculation, I fliall only obferve, that
under certain regulations and very nice dif-
tindtion, with great care and unremitting at-
tention, this may prove a much more profit-
able mode of breeding for thofe who wifli
to afcertain a fixed emolument, (without
hazarding the lofs of a certainty in breaking,
training, racing, &c,) as is the prudent

practice

BREEDING. 25

prafticc of the moft eminent dealer in the
kingdom, who is annually accumulating a
very confiderable fortune by the conftant
transfer of equeftrian property in its in-
fancy, rather than encounter the incredible
expence and anxiety of a ftud in training,
the glorious uncertainty of the turf, the un-
bounded infolence of the neceflary depen-
dents, and the hnmactilate -purity of thoie to
whom your honour and property mull be
eventually intrufted, as will be more fully-
explained when the fubjecl comes again
under confideration, towards the conclufioa
of the work.

Concluding, therefore, this clafs of breed-
ers to derive the greateft pecuniary advan-
tage from their increafe of flock, by con-
verting it expeditioufly into cafli with io
little trouble, expence, and inconvenience,
it is not matter of furprife that the rage for
blood and pedigree lliould be daily increaf-
ing, (and likely to continue fo) though the
palpable effedl of *' training on, and training
off,^^ annually diffipates and reduces to
humiliating indigence fome of the moft
princely fortunes in this and the neighbouring

kingdom

26 BREEDING.

kingdom, of Ireland, where the thirfl: for
equeftrian pre-eminence is equals if not
fuperhr to our own.

The breed of horfes moft profitable to the
graziers and breeders of Lincoln, Leicefter,
Northampton, and fome few other counties,
adapted by nature to the purpofe, are pro-
bably the old Englilh black draft horfes, fo
remarkable for their bone, ftrength, and
hardinefs of conftitution : thefe, from their
great fize, beauty, and uniformity, become to
every curious obferver, objedls of lingular
attraction ; their wonderful power in bufinefs
renders them in general requeft, and the
breed is cultivated with the ftrid:eft atten-
tion to correfponding points and perfedlions
in both iire and dam, little inferior to the
clafs laft treated on. Stallions of emi-
nence in the above counties are eftimated
at very confiderable fums, and frequently let
cut ta cover from one hundred to two hun-
dred guineas for the feafon ; the flock gene-
rally comes into gentle ufe at two years old,
or under, and when brought to a good fize
in proper time, frequently fetch from thirty
to fifty guineas at two and three years old.

Thofe

BREEDING. 27

Thofe horfes paffing under the denomi-
nation of hunters^ but more particularly the
common croffes for roadjlers and hacks, can
by no m'eans prove fo generally profitable,
wht^n all contingencies are taken into confi-
dcration ; the length of time they are obliged
to be kept on hand and maintained, (till at
leaft four years old) with the unfavourable
changes they m.ay probably undergo before
they can be brought to the ultimate market
of emolument moft applicable to their dif-
ferent qualifications, render the whole a
matter of m.uch greater uncertainty than with
horfes of the preceding defcription ; for the
unavoidable difficulties of cuttmg, breaking,
backing, docking, and nicking, render them
ferious operations, the fuccefs of which
cannot be afcertained without encountering
a chance of misfortune or failure to injure
the fubjed: and affedl; his value.

Notwithftanding thefe confiderations are
intended for general application, it muft be
remembered they w^ill ever remain fubjed: to
tlie different degrees of fuccefs, arifing from
the variety of circumftances already explain-
ed. Counties, as I have before remarked,

differ

28 BREEDING.

differ fo very much in their fituation and
fertility for breeding, that many will not
produce horfes of fize, and the defirable
qualifications, at even treble their r^W/ value ^
when brought to the very higheft market
for difpofal : for it is a fad: indifputably
certain, that nothing but a part of the king-
dom remarkable for the abundance and luxu-
riance of its herbage, can ever produce
ftock of fize and value to render breeding a
matter of emolument ; the attempt, there-
fore, in unfavourable fituations, muft ever
recoil upon the adventurer with additional
difappointment.

Thefe obfervations, fo immediately rela-
tive to the idea of profit and lofs, are by no
jneans introduced to reflrain or deter thofe
from the pra6tice, who are fo unavoidably
circumftanced in Jituation, as to breed under
fuch difadvantage from the motives of amtife-
tnent only, where pecuniary compenfation is
no way concerned or expedted ; it is, how-
ever, to be prefumed, that occafional refe-
rences to the inftruftions hereafter incul-
cated, upon an extenfive fcale for the im-
provement of ftock in general (without again
z adverting

BREEDING. 29

adverting to the fuperiority that one part of
the country enjoys over another) may con-
tribute "more to a gratification of their wifhes
than to. pay an implicit obedience to the
effedl of chance unaffifted by any perfonal
effort ** to better the example/'

Previous to further difcuffion of the fub-
je6l before us, it is worthy admiration in
how many ways the animal production of
the temperate region we enjoy has been en-
abled to demonftrate its individual excel-
lence over a fimilar part of the creation,
when tranfported from any other part of the
globe. This remark might be juftified by a
very (light comparative view of the different
animals, whofe abilities or power (according
to their diftindl qualifications) have been
purpofely placed in competition with others
to prove the inferiority ; one, however,
comes immediately applicable to our prc-
fent defign. Attempts have been repeatedly
made by very ftrenuous advocates of the
firft eminence and property, to improve the
breed of our own nation by the elaborate in-
troducflion and crofs of the moil celebrated
Arabians, carefully feledcd under impor-
tant

30 BREEDING.

tant commiffions, where expenfe and trouble
proved only inferior confiderations : but the
trial afforded by time, and experience by ob-
fervation, have fully fhewn the improbabi-
lity of adding to the perfeftions of the true
Englifli blood horfes by the importation of
theirs.

This rage for improvement with a crofs
from the blood of Arabia, was near half /a
century paffed very fajhionably predominant ;
but has fo gradually declined for the laft
twenty years, that they are held in no kind
of eflimation by any fyftematic fportfm^i or
breeder in the kingdom. The original ad-
vantage expected in the crofs, was fome ad-
dition in fpeed, even to our fleeteft mares;
this, when obtained, w^as totally counteracfled
by a want of bottom, for after repeated trials,
the moft exad: and difinterefted , they were
found in (^apable of keeping thi^i?^ rate, for
much more than a mile, and conicquently
became ot lo little confequence to a racing
jtud^ that a fhort time will, in all probabi-
lity, render them of no other utility than to
conftitute part of the retinue in the trium-
phant return of an Englijb Nabob, or an ad-
I dition

BREEDING. 31

dition to the of rich, porcupine, and rhinoce-
ros, of fome eccentric colledLor of curiofities.

Bracken has introduced a few judicioxis
remarks upon the fubjecl of breeding, but
in his nfual way fo perpetually interfperfed
with inapplicable ftories and ftrange con-
clufions, that you are dragged through forty
or fifty pages of extraneous and digreffivc
matter to be informed, that ** Spanking
Roger, belonging to the late Sir Edmund
Bacon, was a round barrelled horfe ;'* *' that
Mr. William Penry cured his ftammering
patients of that defed: in fpcech hy purging y'^
that '' a mare belonging to Mr. T. Makin,
of Prefect, in Lancafliire, run with her fore
feet as wide as a barn door ^ yet fhe ran as
faft as moft of her fize, which was all owing
to bringing in her haunches quick, for
" they niu ft needs go ^ujben the devil drives -^^
that " an old woman can cure a wound as
well as a furgeon ;** that '*phyficians may
from their ignorance, be coniidered a fet of
vile pick-pockets, almoft as numerous as the
catterpillars oj the law ;" that *' he who
fails with a had vjind had need underftand
tacking about ;'" with a great number of
curious remarks^ equally fublim.e, and as

highly

3^ fe R E E D I N a

highly applicable to the fubjed: he was
treating on ; upon which he has introduced
no new matter in any dired: chain of con-
nexion, tending at all to enlighten the topic
or improve the m.anagement, having lite-
rally taken up the bufinefs by way of amufe-
ment, and laid it down precifely where he
found it.

We might here, v/ith great feeming pro-
priety, introduce a long lift of inftru6lions,
containing the fliape, make, bone, ftrength,
with all the variety of points neceffary (or
at leafl likely) in horfe and mare, to confti-
tute a progeny of promifing perfedions ;
but thofe requifites are fo cxteniively and
accurately defcribed between the twelfth
and twentieth pages of The Gentleman's
Stable Diredtory, Vol. I. and muft be fo
nicely implanted in the mind and memory
of almoft every fportfman or breeder, that
a repetition here m.ight be candidly deemed
entirely fiiperfiuous, and confequently ren-
der us fubjed to an accufation we wiih moll
attentively to avoid.

Such defcriptions of points and qualifi-

fications

BREEDING; 33

cations, ftanding therefore hot onlj incon-^
troverted, but in pofTeffion of general ac-
^uiefcence, to ^ho/e pages the juvenile or
inexperienced inquirer is referred for any
additional information he may wifli to ob-
tain ; this reference being juftified only upon
the natural prefumption, that there will
be very few purchafers of the prefent work,
but what are holders of the firft Volume of
the Stable Directory likewife.

Having there fo extenfively fhewn what
are the requifites defirable to obtain, we no\V
proceed to explain v/hat the defedls are moil
teceflary to be difcovered in either (ire ot
dam, that the poffible retention of heredi-
tary taints, defe^ls^ or dejormitles^ may be the.
better avoided ; for although it remain^, and
in all probability ever will, a matter of am-
biguity why an unblemifhed horfe and mare^
may produce a colt <St filly full of difeafe or
deformity^ it by no means follows that a dif-
eafed or deformed fire and dam are equally
likely to produce a progeny of perfection „
This being unequivocally admitted, (as by
every impartial inveftigator of nature, if cer-
tainly muft be) it will undoubtedly prove

VoL,IL D an-

34 BREEDING.

an adl of confiftency to evade fo palpable a
chance of difappointmenl, by forming an union
of propriety apparently calculated (from every
external appearance) to tranfmit fuch original
purity to their produce.

To cfftA this, the mare having been ob-
tained correfponding in fize, frame, bone,
and ftrength, with the wifli of the breeder,
and found upon accurate examination to be
perfectly free from the blemifhes and defedts
fo frequently mentioned, the choice of a

Jiallion becomes the object of ferious atten-
tion ; in him ihould be accumulated all the
points and good qualities it is poffible for a
iingle objed: to poffefs, upon a proof exceed-
ing all fpeculation, (and this every obfervant
naturalift will allow) that the produce, Whe-
ther male or female, much more frequently
acquires and retains the fhape, make, marks,

' a*id difpofition of the fire than the dam ; and
although fuch affertion may not obtain im-
mediate credit with many, yet rigid obferva-
tion has long lince demonftrated the fad:,
and juftifies the great confiftency of rejecSling
fiallions v/ith the lead appearance of difeafe,
bicmifh, or bodily defed:, indicating even the

flighteft

BREEDING. 35

flighteft probability of tranfmiffion to the
offspring.

Suppciiiig a neighbouring JlaUtGn, and
fuch there generally is in every part of the
kingdom, to have great recommendation in
his favour, as to the matter of common in-
quiry and fafhionable figure, it is ftill ne-
ceffary to defcend to the minutiae of fym-
m.etry in head^ neck, Jhouldcr, forehand, ribs,
back^ loins, joints, and pajierns^ attending to
a ilrid uniformity in the fhape, make, and
txi^xture of the very hoofs ^ and were it poffible
(which in almoft every cafe it certainly is
not) even to afcertain the temper and difpo-
fition of both fire and dam, rather than be
accelTary to a procreation of vices or imper-
fections, that by a more judicious ele<flion
may be fo eafily avoided.

After all that can poffibly be written
(and if it were probable that all could
be univerfally read) upon this flibjed: every
reader pofTeffing the power of free agency
has ftill the privilege to rejecfl any opinion
not perfectly coincident with the plan he
may have adopted, and to enjoy the uncon-

D 2 trolled

36 BREEDING.

trolled right of pcrfevering in his own de-
Gifion; but prefiiming on the talk I have un-
dertaken, I confcientioufly recommend a
proper examination to difcover the ftate of the
"wind, fpavins, curbs, tendency to cracks or
greafcy bad conformation of thej^^/, as corns,
thrulh, or long and narrow heeled hoofs,
either of all which would furniih fufncient
foundation to prejudice me againft him as a
Jire, however well I might be pleafed with
his other moft promifing perfections.

Thefe cafual blemifhes or hereditary de-
fe<fts being carefully avoided, we come to an
inquiry of much greater confequence, the in-
attention to which has been prodiiftive of
more difappointment and vexation to the
before- defcribed clafs of unthinking breeders,
than perhaps any other part of their incon-
fiftency. Oppofite opinions will always be the
fupport of two diftind: clailcs, the right and
the wrong ; for while one party afl'erts (^from
experience and obfervation) the great ha-
zard and certain danger of breeding from a
blifid Jiallioriy the other, "from innate objfti-
nacy or afFefted fuperiority of penetration,
is determined to encounter fuch indifcretion
I upon'

BREEDING. 37

upon the heroic bafis of *' the more danger
the more honour,'* and in the event repen-
tantly difcover the want of knowledge and
prudence in themfelves they fo exiiltingly
prefume to arraign in doubting the judgment
of others.

The introduction of new opinions as mere
matter oi f peculation is a communication of
juft as much as amounts to nothing-^ fuch
conjeftures, without the fliew of reafon to
eftablifh an apparent difcovery of the proofs
would be gaining no ground in the eftimation
of public opinion, nor laying any juft claim
to credit for the refponfibility of our affer-
tions. Luckily, however, for the fupport of
the fubjed: before us, accumulated proofs are
by no means wanting even (within the pale
of my own perfonal experience and convic-
tion) to counterad: oppofite opinions, whe-
ther imbibed from prejudice, obftinacy, or
ignorance.

Adverting again to what I fo lately admit-
ted, xht pojibility of found fires and mares pro-
ducitig a defedive progeny ; and, vice verfa^
that blind Jl alii 071 s may fom.etimes get colts

D 3 with

38 B R E E D I N G.

with good eyes ; yet the chance, or rather
imprudence, of 'breeding from fuch had much
better be avoided j as the incontrovertible
evidence I fhall introduce, \ipon the folly of
embarking in fuch an expedition, (where the
odds are entirely againft the adventurer, with-
out a fingle point in his favour) muft prove
exacftly fimilar to playing at hazard with
fcdfe dice, where you may eternally lofe, but
never can rife a winner.

It is likely thcfe confiderations may want
proper weight with thofe who fupply a con-
temptuous fmile of diibelief at the very idea
of tranfmitting hereditary blemifhes or defefts
from fire to fon, as the refult of cynical op-
pofition to the more rational fyftem they
adopt of annually breeding under every pof-
iible difadvantage, in confirmation of their in-
experience : 1 fliall therefore recommend to
their incredulity a few inftances, confirming
as faEls what may have been hitherto confi-
dered matters of doubt, without the leaft
criterion for rencral decifion.

o

The hrit opportunity I could avail myfelf
cf to juftify or render nugatory my opinion of

the

BREEDING. 39

the impropriety and danger of breeding from
horfes of this defcription, was in the year
1773, or 1774, when a great number of
mares in that neighbourhood had been co-
vered by a very popular ** blind Jiallion,^* (for
that Vv'as really the appellation under which
he paffed) of the Hon. T. King's, near
Ripley, in Surrey, whofe pedigree, Ihape,
make, figure, and qualifications, were fo
effedually fafcinating with the multitude,
that the want of eyes did not feem at all to
impede the daily progrefs of his procreation.
The infection of fafliion was then (and ever
will be) as predominant as at prefent ; for the
flaves to that gcx'-gaw continued to bring
their mares in unremitting rotation, and
never difcovered their own want of fight, or
common comprehenfion, till the third or
fourth year, when the major part of the
produce became as blind as the fire.

Still anxious to afcertain to fomc Itate of
certainty, an objed: of fo much confequence
(not only to the fporting people, but the
world at large) as the hereditary tranfmiffion
of this defedl, I was conftantly upon the
watch to enlarge my inquiries to fome de-

D 4 gree

40 BREEDING.

gree of fatisfadion ; I remained, however^
without any thing perfedly conclufivc till
the fpring of the year 1780, when a grey
horfe called Jerry Sneak, (that had proved ^
tolerable runner, in the poiTeffion of Lord
Spencer Hamilton) coming into my
hands upon very eafy terms juft as his eyes
w^ere failing, I covered a few mares gratis^
with him in the neighbourhood of Frimley^
near Bagshot, which having made memo-
randum of, with a defign to purchafe any of
the produce that appeared tolerably promif-
ing, and making my excuriion through the
different pariflies to obtain from the parties
the neceffary information, I found in the
fourth year many of the produce totally hUnd^
and the remainder nearly fo v/ithout excep^
tion.

Fad:s (it is univerfally admitted) are ftub-
Dorn things, and to the eftablifliment of
this fati I have been anxioufly labouring
as to the acquifition of ir]dividual emolu-
ment, though I have ever confidered it a
promotion of general good, in which the com-
inunity is fo much interefted, that it v/ould
he an abfojute want of philanthropy to con-
ceal

BREEDING. 41

f:eal whatever could in the leaft tend to an
additional difcovery upon the fubjed.

Jt is not the purport of the prefent work
(nor is it at all applicable to the purpofe)
to enter into phy ileal refearches, leading
the reader through a long chain of philo-
fophical difquiiition upon Lewenhock's
microfcopic inveftigation of the anmalculce
contained in the fe7n-e?i of animals, founding
upon fuch inquiry a thoufand ronjeclures
refped:ing this abftrufe procefs of nature,
that may very much perplex the mind, but
can neither tend to entertain or improve the
judgment.

Of as little confequence or advantage it
muft certainly prove, to attempt any exadt
decifion by what nice and undifcovered ope-
ration in the animal fyftem, a horfe is ren-
dered firft partially^ then totally blind by too
frequent or hard racing ; as w^ell as the very
common occurrence of a flallion's becoming
equally fo by too conftant and repeated cover-
ings though the ad; itfelf is a fpontaneous
effort of nature.

However

42 BREEDING.

However difficult it may be to furnifli an
opinion applicable to every idea, I believe
with the fcientific inveftigator there need be
little fcruple to hazard a profeffional defcrip-
tion, by w^hat means fo ferious a revolution
in the frame is efFefted ; for the brain being
the very bafis of the nervous fyRem, and
the nerves the acknowledged feat of pain and
p/eafure, any exquifite or preternatural ex-
treme in either may be productive of great
debilitation, and the optic nerves being neareft
th^ origin, may become more fen fibly affec-
ted in a paralytic or fome other degree, than
any fubfequent pair, and the fight gradually
decHne from a partial vifion to total blindnefs.

For the honor of human nature, I can
but moll earneftly wifli the applicable intro-
dudlion oi thefe remarks may induce the par-
ties interefted in the event, to be m future
a little lefs llrenuous in their different exer-
tions, whether for credit or emolument ; the
firrt, never to diftrefs one of the noblefl: ani-
mals on earth, by thofe frequent and fevere
runnings that evidently exhaull: nature to fuch
a ftate of mortification ; or the latter, in the
truly contemptible method of letting a horfe

cover

BREEDING. 43

cover fuch an infinity of mares, as not
uncommonly terminates in the irretrievable
lofs of his eyes, but the inevitable lofs of his
reputation alfo, as ''■ a certain foal-getter ;^*
for the great number of mares covered by
him ivithout produce^ brings his chara<5];er the
following feaibn into difrepute, fliould even
the ftate of his bodily ftrength, conflitution,
or chance, prcferve his eyes from the great
probability of annihilation : this remark
appertaining only to the owners of ftallions
wbo attend the markets of different towns
every day in the week during the whole
feafon, exclufive of the additional portion of
bufinefs in their own neighbourhood on the
Sunday morning.

Of thefe there are {o great a number, and
in their performance fo general a failure, that
it is abfolutely wonderful how fo many can
become dupes to the cuffomary infatuation,
of leading a mare to any market town, to
be ferved by a horfe who is continually
covering from four or five, to eight or X.^n
mares in every twenty-four hours during the
feafon ; with the additional confideration, that
thefe extra exertions are moft frequently

made

44 BREEDING.

made under the corrupt influence of

^jiimulants^ frovocatives, and cordials adapted
to the purpofe, and fuppofcd to ad: with the
fame excitement as cantharides upon the
human body. Incredible as it may appear,
to thofe whofe fituation in hfc has rendered
them Httle fubjedl to difcoveries of this kind,
I have been repeatedly called upon in my
profeffional department, to difpenfe large
quantities of this very article to many of
thofe who travel the country with ftallions,
of fuch denomination ; firft obtaining from
them a communication of the \\{^ it was in-
tended for before they were entrufted with
it, upon an experimental convidion of its
danger ; having in the courfe ot my private
medical practice known one life loft, and
nnother miraculoufly faved, where it had been
given under the denomination of love powder
for the unfair gratification of the worft of
purpofes.

Without entering again upon the act of
generation, the femen, or animalculse con-
tained in it, as before adverted to, can any
intelligent reader, to whofe deliberate atten-
tion thcic pages may become fubjed:, be at

all

BREEDING. 4^'

ail furprifed, that in fuch a conftrained and
proftituted ftate of nature, fo few of her
attempts fhould be prodiKflive of fuceefs ? . . .
Here we might be readily induced to enter
another large field for fcientific difquintion ;
but as it would evidently extend not only be-
yond the prefent purpofe, but prove ** cavicr
to the 7miltitiide ^'\owx inferior clafs of readers-
might occafionally exclaim with Mukgo in'
ihe Padlock, '* What fignify me read^ if
me no underjland /*'

Avoiding, therefore, the indifierence vci
general Ihewn to remote medical explanation,
and dull anatomical defcriptive, 1 come
direclly to a queilion founded in reafon, upon'
the merits of which the interefted part of
the world will be enabled to decide, at leait
fo far as correfponds with their own opinions
tipon the fubjed:. Can it be poffibly be-
lieved or expected (but by the moft illiterate,'
who, in facl:, poffe-fs the grofs comforts of life
only^ and never enjoy the fublime gratification-
of thinkings) that horfes thus eternally jaded
and haraffed, not only with the diurnal
routine of copulation, but the incefifant
fatigue of travelling perpetually, can be at all-
equal'

46 BREEDING.

equal to the Herculean tafk affigned them ?
Can it be nlatter of furprife, that not more
than one-third, or, upon a more favourable
computation, one half at 7noJl^ of the mares
covered in this way produce a colt, and that
the half of thofe fo produced, never come
to a proper lize, bone, or flrcngth ; then can
there remain a doubt in the mind of any-
unprejudiced man living, but to thefe caufes
may be attributed fome portion of that defi-
ciency fo generally complained of, and too
frequently attributed to the icw// of bone in
fire or dam ?

Having liithxrto introduced what I con-
ceive to be the leading qualifications in horfe
and mare to render the bufinefs of breed-
ing pleafant and advantageous, we come next
to confider the feafon m.oft proper for bring-
ing them together ; as it mull be admitted,
an inconvenience will certainly arife to the
mare by foaling too early in the fpring,
or to the produce by falling too late in the
fummer, it will undoubtedly prove more
eligible to adhere a little to the line of me-
diocrity, letting either extreme be carefully
avoided.

Never-

BREEDING. 47

Neverthelefs, it muft be underftood, this
circLimflance can by no means be altogether
univcrfal, as it depends in fome meafure upon
the country and iituation ; the pafturagc
being of different ftates in different counties,
and dependent upon the fertihty of foil as
well as the temperature of climate, the fea-
fon is confequently forwarder, at leaft the
herbage, (bv a fortnight or three weeks) in
one part of the kingdom than another,, a
circumftance that fhould always be properly
attended to by the parties concerned.

It will therefore prove perfectly confiftent
in all counties, however they may be lituated,
to have the produce and pafture appearing
at the fame time as nearly as fluctuating or
unavoidable circumftances will allow ; for
when mares are permitted to take the horfe
too foon in the feafon, they bring forth be-
fore there is fufficient grafs for their fupport,
and being neceffariJy affifled with dry food,
the lafteals, (or milk veffels) for want of
gradual fupply and expanfion, become con-
tracted ; the very iliarp winds early in the
fpring, with a reftraint in food, fometimes
fo ftints the colt, (particularly, fliould a

wet

48 BREEDING.

wet unfavourable fummer and fevere winter
follow) that he never reaches a proper fize
in growth, but difplays the difadvantage of
his earlieft ftate when arrived ^t niaturity.

It is no uncommon thing in different parts
of the country, to obferve mares that have
dropped their foals early, (before there is a
blade of grafs for their fupport) placed in a
rick yard, where, by inceifantly tugging out
a fcanty livings it is ridiculoufly believed
both mare and colt are indulging moft luxu-
rioufly, though the dired: contrary is really
the cafe j hay may undoubtedly, if admi-
niftered in due fupplies, contribute a fuffici-
ency of fupport for the mare, but is not
calculated to yield, even in almoft conftant
maflication, any great nutritious fuperfiuxr
for the fubfiftence and defirable improve-
ment of the colt. As there is a very great'
difference in the nutritive qualities of food,
fo there is a very material difference in the
milk it produces ; indifferent or fparing ali-
ment will certainly produce a thin aqueous
impoveriflied milk, of quality and in quan-
tity to fuftain and barely fubfift nature^ but
by no means to give it Jlrengthy vigour,

growth.

BREEDING- 49

growth, or the formation of flefh and hone
fo generally defirable.

However haftily fome part of the world
may be inclined to decide, (as every obferver
has a right to indulge his own opinion) there
can be no doubt but to the inconliderate
pradlice of inadvertently leaving mares and
colts to fubfift upon bare la?id, or barren
paftures, for the firft fummer, and a fuccef-
five fcene of poverty in the enfuing winter,
are we in fome degree indebted for a propor-
tion of thofe horfes I have before defer ibed,
as coming under no denomination, applicable
to no particular purpofe, never rifing to any
confiderable worth, and doing fo little credit
to the breeder, that you can never difcover
(if you were fo inclined) from whence they
came, after they are once out of his polTef-
fion.

In this miftaken notion and ridiculous fyf-
tem of breeding fails every penurious and
mercejiary breeder, who, prompted by his
own narrownefs of difpofition, affedls to be-
lieve, there is little or no difference between
filling and feedings confidering a run after

Vol. IL E the

so BREEDING,

tjbe cows as good as a run with them ; that
chaff is a rriuch more profitable and healthy
food than oats^ and that an open farm-yard,
with a crib of barky or oat ftraw, during
the fevere frofc and fnow of a long dreary
winter, are preferable to all other accommo-
dations of food and flielter, as (to make ufe
of his own juftificaticn) they are then in the
moft proper ftate, ** a Jiate of nature ^
Thefe are the perfuafive motives affigned alfo
by thofe ftrenuous advocates for general im-
provement, who barely fubfift their mares
during the tedious months of geftation, un-
der an idea perfedly coincident with the
principles juft defcribed, that a mare after
having been covered, requires but '* Utile or
no keep^^^ as (with fuch contemptible fpecu-
lators) the a^i itfelf is ridiculoufly fuppofed
tQ make the mare/^/. This is the invariable
opinion among the lefs enlightened clafs of
ruftics ; and though the act and its confe-
quence may be jullly faid to make the mare
big, yet the original remark is certainly too
ludicrous for ferious qonfideration.

After the ncceffary introdudiion of fuch
obfervations as are evidently connedled with,

and

BREEDING. 51

and branch diredly from the fubjeft, we re-
turn to the time befl: adapted by nature and
the feafon to the foaling of the mare. A few
words - having been already interpofed upon
the inconvenience of dropping her foal too
early, fomething confequently appertains to
its falling too late ; this Ihould never happen
when the year is too far advanced, as the
produce then has to encounter hourly increaf-
ing difficulties, the daily declination of the
genial fun, the decaying ftate of the verdure,
the impending rains, bleak winds, long
nights, foggy days, and the lank weak grafs,
form fo ftrong a combination againft im-
provement, (particularly if the winter fliould
prove an additional ftroke of feverity) that
the colt frequently feels the difadvantage, and
conftantly difplays it by the deficiencies in
frame and figure, as before defcribed.

Taking however the variation of different
counties into the aggregate, to fix a criterion
of time applicable to all parts, I fhall not
hefitate a moment to pronounce the laft week
in April, and the three fir ft in May, the moft
proper month in the year for mares to take
the horfe, provided it can be by any means
E 2 effefted;

52 BREEDING-

cfFedled ; to promote which the following
methods fhould be adopted : it is generally
perceptible when a marc is horftng, and it is
likewife univerfally know^n fne will then take
the horfe without farther trouble, mutual con-
fent therefore renders animadverfion unnecef-
fary; but fliould the mare, upon being brought
to the horfe, not make any Jhew^ on the
contrary, give proofs of denial by repeated
kicking and other violent exertions, let her
(after fuflicient trials) be taken away, and
fome addition be made to her keep ; give her
a fubftantial feed of good oats and a pint of
old beans twice a day, continuing to offer her
the horfe once in three days till a compliance
is effefted.

After which it w411 be neceffary to offer
her the horfe at the expiration of eight days
(that is, on the ninth) from the day of her
having been covered ; if llie again take the
horfe (which is not at all uncommon) you
reckon from the lail time of covering, upon
a fuppofition no conception took place from
the firfl copulation, and that it is confequently
obliterated. On the contrary, fliould £he,
after repeated offers, perfeverc in rejedling the

horfe,

BREEDING, 53

horfe, the ^' rft covering is then fuppofed t6
have been eff:fl:ual ; notwithft inding which,
the mare, in either cafe^ is io he produced and
tried with the • horfe at the end of a Jccond
eight days, when circumitances mufl be re-
gulated as at the end of the firft, entirely by
her comphance or rejedlion.

Sentiments have varied exceedingly upon
the little probability of a mare conceiving
when the ad: of copulation has been forcibly
committed without the leafl external difplay
of defire, and in oppofition to the moft vio-
lent exertions of the mare. However my
opinion might have originally fludluated with
the various reprefentations of others upon this
fubjed:, I availed myfelf of an early oppor-
tunity to afcertain the fadt, and remove any
doubts that my have arifcn within my own
mind, although the recital \x'\\\ not perhaps
render a repetition of the trial equally fuccefs^
ful in the opinion of others ; yet I have been
fince repeatedly informed, the experiment is
very frequently made, and not without its
lliare of fuccefs.

In the year 1773, (refiding thei> at Hor-
E 3 fel.

54 BREEDING.

£el, near Cobham, in Surrey,) I intended
covering two mares, by Woodcock, half-bro-
ther to Edipfe, that then remained at Eg-
ham, for the feafon ; one of the mares took
the horfe, without reludance, the other re-
jected him with the greateft violence ; at the
expiration of time before-mentioned, they
were again offered the horfe and both rtfufed.
On the ninth day I made the fame jour-
ney with the fame fuccefs, and then con-
cluded the mare that had been covered to be
perfectly fafe ; determined, however, to make
BO more journies of uncertainty upon the bu-
finefs, I aflvcd Townshend, the owner of
the horfe, if he had any objedion to let the
horfe cover the mare compulfively, upon
condition fhe was fo completely trammeled as
not to injure the horfe ? This being readily
agreed to on his part, and the mare Jlrongly
hobbled, the horfe was brought out, and be-
ing luckily very felh, full of vigour, and
eager as flie was reluctant, the leap was ob-
tained with much lefs difficulty than could
be poffibly expecfted : at the end of the
eight days I again attended with the mare,
and found fhe rejed:ed the horfe with more
inveteracy than in any of my former journies.

I now

BREEDING. 55

I now made up my mind to take no more
trouble in the bufinefs, but leave the reft to
chance ; in a very few months fhe was vifi-
bly in foal ; and produced mc an exceeding
handfome colt, that I difpofed of at a high
price to a gentleman in Norfolk, when rifing
two years eld.

This circumftance 1 have related, to efta-
blifh by proof the confiftency of adopting
the alternative, when the feafon is fo far
advanced as to hazard the lofs of the year by
longer delay ; for my own part, (and it is
clear I fpeak experimentally) I fhould never
hefitate to cover a mare in this way, if ftie
continued to rcfufe the horfe till the laft week
in May^ or the firft week in June, much
rather chafing to ravijh the mafk of delicacy
from her difpofition, than lofe her contribu-
tion to the ftock for that year, or have a colt
fall fix weeks or two months too late in the
feafon.

It will become perfectly applicable here to
introduce a few words refpeclmg tht^xa^ pe-
riod oi geftation in mares, upon which I never
remember to have heard or read any thing

E 4 di(5la-

56 B R E E D I N G.

didatorially decilive more than the general af-
fertion of their going eleven months (or the
common witticifm, that ** a hare and a mare
go a twelvemonth'.'') but whether it is un-
derftood eleven lunar or calendar months, I
beheve has never been critically explained (at
leaft generally known^ and this is in fad the
more extraordinary when we recoiled: that
eleven calendar months make within two
days of twelve ot the other ; nor indeed are
there but few inftances in w^hich the know-
ledge of fuch nice diftindion can be pro-
dudive of much utility, yet it creates fome
furprife that it has not been particularly
noticed by fucceffive naturalifts, as circum-
ftances have arifen and may fometimes hap-
pen, where fuch precifion would effedually
remove a doubt or eftablifh a fad.

A want of early attention to a difcovery of
this minutiae was attended with a trifling lofs
to me fome years fince in my firft breeding
embarkation, when in poffeffion of much lefs
obfervation and experience ; for having ob-
tained the loan of a ftrong bony mare from a
friend in Windfor Great Park, for the purpofe
of breeding, I had her covered by a large,

powerful

BREEDING. 57

•powerful horfe then in the neighbourhood,
and booked the leap according to cuftom ; but
having made no calculation of the calendar
months, I kept her eleven lunar months and a
fortnight (by the almanack) and not perceiving
her X.0 fpring in the udder ^ nor grow larger in
the carcafe, I returned her (after taking the
opinion of almoft every farmer and breeder
in the country^ upon an univerfal decifion,
that '* ihe had no foal within her." Thic
ultimate event proved for once the error of
general judgment, for the owner (Mr. John-
fon, then one of the keepers of the Great
Park) taking a morning's walk among his
ftock, found her with a fine colt at her
foot in about ten days after her return, which
proved a valuable horfe to him 2X five years
old, that I had loft entirely by my inadver-
tency and impatience.

The mare having taken the horfe but once,
and that under my own eye (a truft I never
delegated to another) added to the ftrideft
attention in point of time, formed a com-
bination to give proof, that a mare carries
her young twelve lunar or eleven calendar

months,

58 BREEDING-

months (which accurately taken are juft the
fame) or that the exad: given time varies in
different fubjefts, and is fo regulated by age
or conftitutio.-!, that there has yet been no cri-
terion fixed for a nice diftindion. The mat-
ter, however, if at all entitled to confidera-
tion, may be moft eafily reduced to a cer-
tainty, by any gentleman having a variety of
brood mares in his pofleffion, who will note
thofe that have taken the horfe but once in
the feafon, and take the trouble to book the
day of their bringing forth ; when by com.-
paring the whole, the exadl time of geftation
-will be nearly demonftrated, where no fe-
cond covering has intervened to render the
decifion imperfed:.

The treatment of mares after being co-
vered is regulated entirely by the clafs to
which they belong ; for having twice refufed
the horfe at the periods of time before ftated,
they are then faid to be Jiinted, and conclud-
ed in foal. But this is by no means always the
cafe, for it frequently happens that fuch mares
produce no foals, although appearances are fo
much in their favour. Thcrcugh bred mares
(that is, mares whofe blood is entirely un-
tainted

BREEDING. 59

tainted with any inferior crofs, and kept as
brood mares for the turf only) are thrown
out to grafs for the fummer feafon without
farther confideration ; only taking particular
care that no geldings, or yearling colts, are
fuffered to accompany them in or near the
fame pafture, for fome few weeks after con-
ception.

Mares of an inferior defcription in ge-
neral ufe for the faddle, or thofe for agricul-
ture, may be continued in their common em-
ployment with moderation, they feldom fuf-
fer abortion but by great and improper exer-
tions ; they are therefore very frequently ufed
till within a few weeks of dropping their
burthen, without the leafl: fear ot inconveni-
ence. This is a fad: fo univerfally eftablilhed,
that inftances have repeatedly happened of
mares obtaining Jiolen leaps when out at paf-
ture, without the knowledge and very much
againft the inclination of the owners ; this
circumftance, from various motives, has been
coniidered fo prejudicial, (where breeding has
not been intended) that difl'erent and powerful
methods have been adopted, as the adminiftra-
tion oi favine in large quantities, violent ex-
ertions

io BREEDING.

ertions in drawing, or long and very fpccdy
joiirnies t; ken to promote abortion, and thofe
Without the leaft efFedl; to corrobate which,
the introduction of one only becomes at all
neceflary, as it is too well authenticated to
adm.t a doubt of its certainty.

Some few years fince. Sulphur, a well-
known running horfe of the Duke of Cum-
berland's, having leaped the paddock pailing of
an imme lie height in Windfor Park, covered
a hunting mare of Mr. Jephs's (then refident
at Sandpit Gate) in the iight of many labour-^
ers, who reported the occurrence. As hunt-
ing ibafon approached Ihe was perceptibly in
foal; this was what he by no means wifhed,
and was fo much hurt at the awkwardnefs
of the circumftance, that he continued to
hunt her inccffantly, covering the Jirongejt
(caps and taking the decpeft ground to obtain
abortion.

The event, however, fufficiently proved the
folly (not to add cruelty or prefumption) of
oppofing nature in her niceft operations ; for
all the feverity fo inconfiderately put in prac-
tice, never in the leaft l;urt the marc, or de-
bilitated

B R^E E D I N G. 6i

bilitated the foetus : at her proper time (he
produced a foal, that (to render the circum-
ftance more remarkable) at five years old won
the fifty, pound plate annually given for the
keepers and yeoman prickers to be run for
over Afcot.

This invincible ftamina or hardinefs of con-
ftitution fo worthy recital in this inftance, is
not (let it be underftood) fo entirely general
as to. be applicable to all the clafs without
exception; it therefore becom.es perfecSly in
point to introduce a cafe in direct contrail,
that may be likewife produd:ive of utility,
in preventing too great exertions with mares
in fuch ftate, under a firm opinion that the
lofs is lefs likely to happen than it really is
and adually may.

Having about feven years fince purchafed
of the breeder at Horton, in Buckinghaiv.Jhire^
a four year old mare, got by Bell's De?7mark^
I obferved to him (during the negociation for
purchafe) that from the depth of her carcafe
and hollownefs of the flank, fhe was certainly
early in foal j on the contrary, he allured
me, pofitively, no horfe had ever been near

her,

62 BREEDING.

her, and that it was merely the effedl of lay-
ing at grafs. This mare, though fo young,
was a very excellent trotter ; and having foon
after occafion to take a profeffional journey
with fome expedition (the road being exceed-
kigly good) I made obfervation by my watch
that fhe trotted the feven miles in five and
thirty minutes without the leaft feeming in-
convenience; but on the morning following
I found Ihe had Jlipped a colt foal very per-
fect of about three months conception, though
no extraordinary exertions were ufed on the
occafion.

The recital of cafes fo exadlly in point lay
claim to the attention of breeders in general,
as they undoubtedly conftitute a bafis in ex-
perience, upon which the judgment may be
difcretionally formed at what time it will be
proper to difcontinue the working of fuch
mares, when it is clearly afcertained how
flight a portion of labour may endanger the
dam, and prove deftruftive to the progeny.

The neceflary qualifications for procreation

in both fire and dam having been fully invef-

tigated, and the blemiflies, defeds, and local

q contin-

BREEDING. 63

contingencies, that tend to forbid the attempt
fairly explained, we now come to the crifis
of delivery, or the mare*s bringing forth ; an
event fo wonderfully accomplifhed by the al-
nr.olT: unerring efforts of Nature, that upon
the faireft calculation, not one mare in a
hundred fuffers in any refped:, more than the
temporary difquietude, from an exertion ^f
fo much magnitude, although in the moments
of refle6tion it abfoluteiy becomes a matter of
admiration how the fnock is fuftalned, with-
Oui a much greater frequency of the dango:
that fo feldom enfues.

Notwithftanding this providential interpo-
fition for the fafety of animals fo little ena-
bled to relieve themfelves, it is worthy re-
mark, that where difficulty and danger onc^
occur, the cafe becoming preternatural, it
generally terminates in the death of one or
the other, and not uncommonly in the de-
flrudlion of both ; this may probably proceed
from the conftrudtion of parts not being ge-
nerally underftood, and the little chance of
affiiting nature w4th the fame eafe and accu-
racy as fome other parts of the creation.

Alofs

64 BREEDING.

Aiofsof 'this deftrlptlon, after a year or
more of tedious hope and expcdation, con-
fequently produces temporary gloom and fe-
lious difappointment ; in fom.e inftances the
dam becomes the victim, in others the foal;
to the latter there is no palliative, to the
former but one alternative : it is a cuftom al-
moft univerfal, upon the death of the mare
(foon after relief from her burthen) to defpair
of fuccefs in raifing the foal by art, and it is
frequently difpofed of without delay, that a
circumftance fo unlucky may be the fooner
erafed from memory and buried in oblivion.

This hafly decifion is by no means to be
commended, although it is almoft generally
known the power of inftin6t is fo very pre-
dominant in this fpecies, that it mull be a
fad: exceedingly rare, to find a mare that will,
by whatever llratagem you can put in force,
cherifh any other foal than her own ; this
moft undoubtedly arifes from their feldom or
never producing a plurality of young 2iX. one
time ; a, circumftance by no means uncommon
"with almoft every other animal in the creation,
who are the more eafijy impofed upon to nou-
rilh and protcdl a fpurious offspring.

he

BREEDING. 65

The general defpondency before-rhen-
tioned, refpediing the furvivor, is not to be
juftified where the foal is of value adequate
to the -trouble; nor indeed to be neglected
upon the fcore of humanity^ when unremit-
ting induftry and perfeverance can {o readily
furnifli an artificial fubftitute for nnaternal
care and nutrition. It may be naturally con-
cluded I allude to the great probability (and
in forrc cafes certainty) of bringing the foal
up by hand ; a remarkable inftance of which
becomes immediately applicable, in the per-
fed; recolled:lon of a horfe bred by his late
Royal Highnefs, William, Duke of Cumber-
land, that at his death became the property
of the celebrated Captain O'Kelly, and in
the fucceffive poffeffion of both, for a feries
of years, won more ^/Vr-^/zi-Z^^r plates than
any other horfe in the kingdom.

The fact was exaftly thus : the colt being
the firft foal of a young mare that had been
taken into the brood ftud without training,
upon the produce of which his Royal High-,
nefs had formed great exped:ations, it proved
matter of much furprife and difappointment
(being totally repugnant to the reciprocal af-

VoL. II. F fedion

66 6 R E E D I N G.

fec5!:ion in nature) that, {o foon as the colt
had fallen, the marc abfoliitely tool: fright at
her own offspring, and never could be once
brought to the leafl: alfociation with it what-
ever. Every frrat-'gem that could be devifed
was put into pradice under the immediate
infpedtion of his Roj^al Highnefs, to effect a
natural union between the dam and her foal,
but w^ithout the leail probability of fuccefs ;
thofe friiitlefs efforts were therefore relin-
quiflied, and alternate attempts made to ren-^
der the abandoned orphan a fen of adoption
with different mares in rotation, but with no
profped: even of hope. In tins dilemma the
Duke, whofe humanity in matters of much
greater importance will ftand recorded to the
end of time, fully intent upon preferving the
colt, if poffible (with a declared prefenti-
ment of his future eminence) determined
upon his being brought up by hand, if poffible,
without a relative confideration to trouble or
expenfe, and iffued his orders accordingly.
The event juftilied the endeavour, and the
fuccefs of the undertaking was tranfmitted
to pofterity by the Royal Sponfor, with the
name of the horfe; for under the appellation
of Milksop, his very capital performances

may

BREEDING. 67

may be found in the *' Racing Calendar,^' {o
long as it (hall retain a place in the fporting
libraries.

Circumflances of this kind happen, how-
ever, fo very rarely, that inftrudlion§ refped:-
ing cafualties remote and unlikely, might
be deemed fLiperfiuous, did not a vindication
immediately arife from the exulting confola-
tion of knowing by what means to encounter
. fuch difficulties whenever they occur.

Returning therefore to the ad of foaling,
which, as before obferved, getter ally happe/is
w^ithout the leaft danger or difficulty, and
nine times cut of ten in the night, it be-
comes the bufinefs of the owner or fuper-
intendant to difpofe the mare in fuch place
of fafety, that mifchief is at leaft not likely
to enfue; and this caution may prove the
more acceptable, when it is recollected by
every breeder, fportfman, or refident in the
country, how very comm.on it is in the fea-
fon to hear of foals being; f mothered in a
ditch, or drowned in a rivulet, to the pcffibi-
lity of which, the attention of the inadvertent
F 2 ov/ner

68 BREEDING.

owner had never been even for a moment
directed. It is likcwife by no means in-
applicable to obferve, that for fome days
previous to the expeded foaling of the mare,
Ihe (liould be kept in rather a fparing thaii
plentiful fituation ; to prevent a too great re-
pletion of the inteilines and confeqiient com-
prcffion upon the uterus, producing extreme
pain, difficulty, and delay in the delivery,
which might otherwife never occur.

The mare having (as is generally the cafe)
been freed from her burthen without in-
convenience, and no circumftance arifing to
forbid it, let her be immediately removed to
a healthy and luxuriant pafture, calculated
to furniili not only a fu friciency of fupport
for her own frame, but affording a fuperflux
for the fubilantial and nutritious fupport of
her young. In this a proper difcrimina-
tion is abfolutely ncceffary; lank, fwampy,
four grafs will certainly expand the frame,
fubfift the dam, and contribute a flow of
milk for the foal, but not of that rich
and luxurious quality that is derived from
feeding upon the ^ fucculent herbage of mai-
den meadow, or upland grafs in high per-
i fedion;

BREEDING 69

feclion ; both which contribute fo very
much to the daily growth and improvement
of the colt, that it is a matter of the utmoft
confcquence to the breeder, whofe principal
objed: fhould be to attain every poffible ad-
vantage in height^ konc^ and condition^ pre-
vious to the commencemeni: of fevere wea-
ther, during which growth is in general fuf-
pended, unlefs liberally promoted by the f^-
lutary interpoiition of good food, and proper
fhelter to encounter the inclemency of the
feafon.

This is the firft ftep to be taken where
no difagreeable traits intervene to require a
different mode of treatment ; but fhould the
mare (by foaling before her time, or in fe-
vere iliarp winds, a cold wet night, long and
painful delivery, or other circumftances too
abftrufe to be difcovered) viiibly labour wxi-
dtx Jixed dcjeBion^ bodily languor \ lofs of ap^
petite, laying down as if painfully weary,
and totally inattentive to the infantile fond-
nefs of her foa) ; it may be juftly pre fumed,
nature has fuftained a fevere fhock from fome
one of the caufes jull: recited, that cannot
be too foon attended to and counteracted,

F 3 for

70 BREEDING.

for the prevention of more diftreffing confe-
quences.

Fate is in general rapidly decifive in cafes
of this complexion, therefore delay (under
any pretence whatever) may prove not only
dangerous but dcftrudlive ; the mare upon
fuch difcovery fhould be immediately re-
moved, with her foal, to a ftill and com^
fortable fituation, as a large open liable,
clofe cow-houfe, or bay of a barn, where
fhe fhould be expeditioufly fupplied with
fuch articles as invigorate the fyftem, in^
creafe the circulation, and recruit exhaufted
nature. About a gallon of water made warm
and impregnated with a portion of bran,
or oatmeal, may be directly given to allay
the thirft which pain, fatigue, or difquie-
tude never fails to excite, as well as to form
a kind of fubftitute during the preparation
of a plentiful mafli of malt, oats, and bran,
equal parts, into which lliould be ftirred
fix ounces of honey ; this being given to the
mare, of confiftent warmth, will not only
gently ftimulate the debilitated powers,
and gradually aflift the ftrength, but pro-
mote an early flow of milk for the grati-
4 fication

BREEDING. yi

fication of the expectant foal, which is al-
ways in fome degree obftrud:ed, it not to-
tally fupprefied, by the leaft indifpofition of
the dam.

The madi may be repeated twice every
day, with plenty of the beft hay, and oc-
cafional fupplies of the water before- men-
tioned, till her recovery is fiifficiently efta-
blidied, and the v/eather proportionably
calm for her enlargement, in the way above-
defcribed, had no difficulty intervened.
Should the fame laffitude and dejedlion con-
tinue more than four and twenty hours,
after thefe methods have been adopted,
bring into immediate ufe a dozen of the
cordial peftoral balls from ** The Geiide-
man*s Stable Directory, Vol. I.'* and let one
be given every night and morning in its
prepared ftate, or diiiolved in half a pint of
gruel, and adminiftered as a drink, or in-
corporated with each ma(h at the ftated
periods, till the whole are taken ; continu-
ing the aids of ma/Jjes, warm watery nurf-
ing^ and cloathing, (if fy mptoms of great
cold appear) till every appearance of com-
F 4 plain

72 BREEDING.

plaint is removed, and nature perfecftly re-
llored.

Some mares, whether from a rigidity of the
veflels in not having their firft foals till an
advanced age, flight colds that obftrud: the
fecretionSi or whatever caufe unaffigned, are
very deficient in a ncceffary flow of milk, by
which means the foal is deprived of perhaps
half the fuftcnance nccefiary for his fupport
and expccSted improvement : this is a matter
well w^orthy minute infpeclion for the firft
three or four days after foaling, by which
time the food fhould be perfedily ailimilated,
the ladleals expanded, and an ample fecre-
tion furniflicd for the full feed of the foal.
This not being the cafe, fuch deficiency
Ihould be very early difcovercd, and as ea-
gerly affifted when known.

The richefl and moil luxuriant pafture
that can be obtained, with good foft water
at will, is the firft and beft natural ftep to
remove fuch obftrucSion in its infancy ; tbat^
upon obfcrvation, not fucceeding in the de-
fired degree, and the colt becoming percep-
tibly

BREEDING. 73

tihly Jiinted, (which may be plainly per-
ceived not only by his external appearance,
but inceffant attempts to obtain fiipplies with-
out fuccefs) artificial means muft be adopted
to folicit a due difcharge of this very necef-
fary fluid, without vvhich every expectation
of the foaFs growth and gradual improve-
ment muft be rendered abortive.

This objed: can only be accomplifhed by
enlarging the mode and increafing the means
of' conveying a larger portion of more nutri-
tious aliment into the fyftem : from the ge-
neral difFufion of which, the lymphatics and
ladleals become proportionably difiended, and
are confequently enabled to fecrete and dif-
charge a m.uch greater quantity than nature
in her rnore reluftant ftate feems inclined to
beftow.

This fyftematic procefs of nature may, to
the lefs enlightened reader, feem matter of
fo much ambiguity, that fomevvhat more in
explanation may be probably required; but
as abftrufe reafoning and phyfical definition
(it has been before faid) is not the purpole
of the prefent publication, every irrelative

matter

74 BREEDING.

matter will be carefully avoided that can
tend to perplex the mind or embarrafs the
judgment. It would, therefore, be deviating
widely from the plan originally formed for
the accommodation of general com.prehen-!-
lion, wxre we, by unneceffary introduction,
to enter into the very extenfive field of ana-
tomical firudlure and animal mechanifm,
demonftrating phyfically by what admirable
means the excrementitious part of aliment is
rejected from the ftomach and conveyed
through the inteftinal canal, when diveiled
of its more fubtle and nutritious properties ;
which being totally abforbed by an infinity
of vefiTels in the very work of digeflion, is
carried into the circulation, and there confti-
tutes, by its different fecrctions, the fource
of life and fupport ; from w^iich fyflem.atic
transformation is derived that formation of
blood, that gradual enlargement of flefli and
bone, only to be explained by much literary
information on one fide, and underftood by
no fmall portion of medical knowledge on
the other.

It will confequently fufficc to fay, that
the reader, whofe mind is more enlarged,

whofe

BREEDING. 7^

.vvhofe views are more extenfive, and who
cannot reconcile his opinion or found his
judgment upon the quahty of aliment^ the
procefs-of digeflion, or the effecS of nutrition^
by what has been concifely introduced upon
thofe fubjecls, mufl derive more fubftantial
affiftance from the variety of excellent pro-
feffional pubhcations more particularly adap-
ted to fuch inveftigation and inquiry; as
the majority of thofe who do me the ho-
nour of occafional infpedtion, will certainly
expecfl, under the head we now write upon,
to find much more matter pf amufem.ent
and rural inftrucftion than fcientinc difquifi-
tion.

Declining, therefore, a matter of fo much
extent, and fo little applicable to the prefent
purpofe, we naturally revert to the ftate of
the mare, and the m^eans of enlarging the
powers ; from which alone, the foal is to
receive not only a fufficiency of nutriment
for bare fubfiftence, but an abfolute abun-
dance or fuperflux for the promotion of ad-
vantages Vv^e have fo particularly explained.
The deficiency before-mentioned having been

attentively

76 BREEDING.

attentively afcertained, and excellent paflure
with good water not being found to increafe
the flow of milk fo much as is evidently re-
quired, an addition of more fubiiantial and
nutritive food muft be aiiociated with what
has been always confidered the lirft and moil
natural aliment for equeftrian improvement.

All rules, however eftabliuied, are perpe-
tually liable to fome exception, and nature is
not uncommonly aflifted, or counteraded,
by ways and means the very leail expected ;
for every conftitution will not be aoied upon
in the fame manner either in the human or
brute creation. In fa(fr, daily experience
with the human fpecies affords ample proof,
that the J^'ime articles in phylic or food lliall
ad: in a diredt contrary way, and produce
a very different efied: upon one habit to
w hat it Ihall in another ; a circumftance fo
generally known and admitted, would fur-
niih fufficient latitude for conjedure refped-
ing the anim.al we now treat qf, was proof
really wanting to ellabliih fuch opinion,
which is by no means the cafe, as numerous
ipftances might be quoted to corroborate 4

variety

BREEDING. 77

variety of fimilar contrafts, were they at all
neceffary, to confirm a belief of what inre-
ality there cannot be the leaPc doubt of.

Convinced, therefore, of fuch fadls, it is
but a natural interference to conclude, the
beft, or indeed pafture of any kind, may not
be fo equally conducive to the improvement
and condition of all immediately after foal-
ing, but that it may adl as a powerful re-
ftorative upon one, while li relaxes and de-
bilitates the fyftem of another ; particularly
where, from a vitiated or difeafed ilate of the
ftomach and intefiines, it palTes fo rapidly
and indigefted through the body, as to de-
pofit but little of either effcnce or fuhfiancc-
for the fubfiftence of the fram.e or funport of
the foal.

This is undoubtedly one of the predomi-
nant caufes of the defedt, and fliould be
counteradled by fuch means as arc calculated
to ftrengthen the digeftive powers, animate
the circulation, and diffufe a plentiful fup-
ply of chyle to preferve the neceffary fecre-
tions, without which a hcaltliv and im~

•roving

78 BREEDING.

proving ftate is not to be expecfled. To
effed: this, give a warm mafli every morn-
ing compofcd of brown malt three quarts,
and one of cracked oatmeal, (commonly
called grits) let the water be poured on boil-
ing hot, and repeatedly ftirred up till of a
proper warmth, when it may be given in
either field or ftable, unlefs any feverity of
weather fliould render the latter moft eligi-
ble. In the evening of each day, give half
a gallon of good found mealy oats, wqth the
addition of a pint of old beans, either whole
or fplit, as will be moft readily taken by
the fubjed: for whom they are intended ;
thefe feeds, excluilve of their great nutritive
property, will powerfully affifl: in retaining
the aliment in the ftomach by their reftrin-
gent quality, thereby contributing largely to
the. general purport of the whole.

This plan fhould be perfevered in for fix
days without intermiffion, when an increafed
fupply of milk from the mare may be ear-
neftly expedted ; but fliould that improve-
ment not become perceptible, flie may be rea-
fonably deemed a very poor Jiurfcy and no other
extraordinary means be attempted to afTift

the

BREEDING. 79

jlie imperfecSLion ; but care miift be taken to
\vean the foal very early in the enfuing win-
ter, (as will be hereafter explained) upon a
well juilified preftimption , that at the aatum-
nal declination of grafs, her {lender portion
of fuppcrt for the foal will difappear alfo*

How far it may be confiflent, at leaft
prudent, to breed a fccond time from mares
whofe powxrs are evidently deficient in fur-
ni filing fuch portion of milk as is abfo-
lufely necefliiry to ftamp the attempt v/ith
fuccefs, mufi be left entirely to the decifion
of the parties intereflcd in the event ; fome-
of whom 1 have before obferved, are, from
different motives, too much attached to
undeferving favourites ever to fuffer their
opinions to be warped by any confideration
or remonflrance whatever. For i^ny own
part, I feel juftified by pcrfonal experience
and attentive obfervation, in again making
public declaration, that in fo ferious and
expenfive a builnefs as breeding for either
the turf, field, road, or diiSiviy no blind pre-
judice or infatuating prepoffeflion fnouid in-
fluence me to perfevere in the pradlice with

palpable

8o BREEDING.

palpable points, defedls, or difqualification^
againft me in either horfe or mare ; and I
have not the leaft fhadow of doubt remain-
ing, but thofe who confidently make the ex-
periment will have fufficient reafon to repent
the hazard of the undertaking.

Returning now to the fuccefsful foaling
of the brood mare, properly adapted to a con-
tinuation of breeding, we revert to the ac-
cuftomed method of foon taking her again to
horfe ; upon which a variety oi opinions have
been tranfmittcd from fire to fon, and re-
echoed from one generation to another. It
has been the invariable pradice with fome,
to offer the mare a horfe on the fourth day
after foaling, to infure ** tl\e greater chance
of immediate conception ;'' with others, *' to
promote an increafed flovv' of m.ilk ;" and an
cftabliilied opinion, '* that the horfe will be
more readily taken at that time than at any
future part of the feafon.

Thefe are opinions in themfelves fo per-
fedly inoffenfive, and of fo little confe-
quence, that tliey require not the leaft ani-

madverfion ;

BREEDING. Si

fnadverfion ; on the contrary, are left open to
the judgment of every reader, upon the con-
fiftency of which, he may determine as moil
coincident with his own wifli, or the pra6tice
of the place he lives in. As it is my invariable
plan not to enlarge upon points that are unne-
ceffary, or ftart obftacles and condemn cuf-
toms that can be attended with no palpable
prejudice, I lliall only introduce fome flight
remarks as occur, without obtruding any
thing dictatorially decilive to effed; or difcou-
rage the local cuftoms of others.

To prevent, however,/ fuch inconvenience
as may probably arife from too hafty a de-
termination, let it be taken into confidera-
tion, that by having the mare covered fo
very foon after foaling, you bring her (fhould
fuch covering be productive) full three wrecks
or a month fooncr the next feafon than the
year preceding; and fliould that have been
only in proper feafon, (viz. the latter end of
April or beginning of May) you encounter
the probability of much inconvenience ; for
this calculation remaining unattended to,
your produce may fall early in the month of
March, not only under the difadvantage of
A^oi., IL G bleak

82 BREEDING.

bleak winds and frigid fliowers, but before
there is a fingle blade of exuberant paflurc
to fubfiil: the dam, or encourage the growth
of twelve months tedious expetftation.

From what has been fo lately and re-
peatedly urged, refpe(!!ting the properties of
different kinds of aliment, and its effect
upon the animal fyftem, little more can be
required to prove, that whenever a neceffity
abfolutely exifts for fubfifting the mare en-
tirely upon dry food, the fecretion of milk
muft be inevitably reduced, and the im-
provement of the foal proporticnably ob-
ftrudied. Taking this, then, as a matter
univerfally admitted, and, in fad, what no
man living w^ill attempt to difprove, we
may naturally conclude no rational invefti-
gator of truth and confiftency will ever
deviate fo much fi-om the line of his own
intereft, as to promote the propagation of
what muft, at the time of his birth, be in
a great degree deprived of its moft natural
means of exiftence ; a deficiency not in his
power to fupply by any adequate fubftitute
whatever.

Relin-»

BREEDING. 83

Relinquifhing, therefore, fo extravagant
ian idea, we proceed to the time moft natural
for bringing the mare to the horfe after her
foaling, if fhe is intended to continue her
fervices as a brood mare, and to be managed
accordingly. The time moft applicable in
one refpedl, may not prove always the moft
convenient in another, as it fliould be re-
gulated, ifpoffible, to avoid the before-men-
tioned extremes of the foal falling too early
or late in the feafon. Moft mares will take
the horfe on either the ninths fftcenth^
twenty-jirjl, or t-iceiity-feventh day after foal-
ing ; of thefe, neither will occafion any great
variation in the time of her foaling the next
feafon, though I ftiould adhere to either of
the two lajf, unlefs the mare had foaled late
in the year, when the frjl or fecond fhould
certainly be preferred. After which cover-
ing, or refufal of the horfe, flie fliould con-
tinue to be tried at the ftated periods fo
particularly fpecified in the earlier part of the
work ; always concluding the mare to be
ftinted, and in a ftate of conception, when
ftie has repeatedly declined the horfe in the
manner there defcribed.

G % Before

$4 B R E E D I N G.

Before we take leave of this part of our
fubjed, it comes diredlly in point to offer
a few words upon the almoft univerfal prac-
tice of continuing to breed year after year,
from the flune mare, till nature, over-driven,
thw^arts the attempt by the occafional intro-
dudtion of a barren year, in dircd oppofition
to the intent of the breeder, demonftrating
upon compulfion the neceffity of what he did
not intend to comprehend by choice.

The very means by which the embryo is
generated, and the nutriment required, not
only to fupport its growth during the months
of geftation, but the fubfequent term of its
fuBion^ evidently point out the confiftency
of fome portion of reft or refpite for the
dam, to acquire additional ftrength, after th6
incefTant labour of continually colledling a
double portion of food to fiiblift herfelf and
fupport her offspring.

Tlie fafhionable and predominant plea of
attachment to intereft and felf-prefervation,
will render deaf to this remonftrance num-
bers, who, unvvilling to " lofe the year,''

and

BREEDING. 85

and incapable of imbibing inftruflion from
the niceft laws of nature, will be regulated
implicitly by the didiates of their own mer-
cenary fenfations ; affedling to believe, that
the mare, producing a foal every year ^ will
continue her Hock equally ftrong, healthy,
and valuable, wuth thofe that are favoured
with occafional and neceffary intermiffions.
This is not the fad:; attentive obfervation,
accurate eftimate, and impartial decifion, will
clearly prove fuch fucceflion to degenerate in
bone, fize, flrength, and value, when pro-
duced from the fame mare for a feries of
years without the leaft cefiation ; while, on
the contrary, a Jingle yearns fallow in every
three or four, will, upon comparifon critic
cally made, prove in the aggregate decidedly
in favour of the breeder.

Having gone regularly through every
branch of information at all appertaining to
the propagation and prefervation of ftock,
we now come to the time and manner of
weaning; a matter that muft ever be regu-
lated much more by the circumftances of the
cafe than the ftate of the feafon, depending
G 3 in

86 BREEDING.

in a great degree upon the conditions we pro-.
ceed to explain. Confiderations upon this
fubjed: are fo unavoidably complex, and de*
pend fo much upon contingencies, that a
nicety of dilcrimination is upon all occafions
neceffary how to proceed in the bufinefs be^
fore us.

The difference of a mare foaling early or
late in the feafon ; her remaining fallow,
or having taken the horfe and renewed her
conception ; the forward growth and rapid
improvement, or puny and backward ftate
of the foal, are all conditional matters upon
which variations are to be formed. For
inftance, where the mare has dropped her
foal early in the feafon, has again taken the
horfe, and the foal at her foot has improved
properly, and acquired the defired ftrength
and fize previous to the commencement of
fevere weather; fuch foal fhould be taken
from the dam fo foon as the decay of paf-
ture perceptibly occafions a reduftion in the
fupply of milk ; and this feparation becom.es
the more immediately neceffary upon an efta-
bliflied truth, that the longer a foal is per-
mitted

BREEDING. 87

to opprefs nature, by a compulfive fecretion
and evacuation of milk from a mare again
advanced in foal, the more will the fubjed:
in embryo be confequently impoverifhed and
reftrained, when deprived of its portion of
nutriment, then converted through another
channel, and appropriated to a different ufe.
This incontrovertible fyftem of the animal
oeconomy muft be fo evidently clear to the
mod uncultivated comprehenfion, (accuf-
tomed to dedicate but little attention to the
flighteft indications of nature) that it be-
comes matter of adnpiration how fo abfurd a
practice can ever be fupported upon the bafis
of inadvertency ; when it- would be rendering
nature acceflary to a perverfion of her own
laws, even to fuppofe it was ever intended,
that any animal exifting fhould longer fubfiil
or prey upon the very vitals of its dam, when
the frame w^as again advancing in pregnancy
with another.

From this neceffary allufion to a practice
that is not only exceedingly common and
too little attended to, but is alfo prejudi-
cial to the fubjeds themfelves in a greater
G 4 degree

88 BREEDING.

degree than generally iinderftood, (merely
for want of a little fcientific refled:ion upon
the properties of food and its different ef-
fefts) we come to a cafe appofite in itfelf,
that muft be regulated accordingly ; as,
where the mare has foaled late in the year,
^and has not been again put to horfe, or
where the retarded and unprcmifing ftate of
the foal renders extra care and nurfing ab-
folutely necelTary ; in either of which, eve-
ry encouragement fhould be given to pro-
mote the flrength and growth of the foal,
during the inclem_ency of the winter feafon,
which, it fhould be remembered, he is not
nearly fo well enabled to encounter, as thofe
of a greater age poffeffing the advantages be-
fore defcribed. In fuch inftances as thefe,
although the flow of milk from the dam
will be very confiderably checked by the al-
teration of food dependent upon the different
feafons, yet with frequent fupplies of good
hay to the mare, it may be proportionally
affifled, and with occafional aids of proper
food to the foal, great advantages may be
derived from letting them run together
through the feverefl months of the winter ;

to

'breeding. 89

to evade the ill effeds of which, nodurnal
flielter will very iniich contribute.

Notwithjftanding every poffible informa-
tion that can he introduced, fuch variety of
cafes may occur with fo great a complication
of circumilances, that no literary defcription,
however diffufe, can prove completely ade-
quate to every idea upon the fubjed: ; condi-
tional inftrucSions muft alwavs become fub-
fervient to the difcriminating , judgm.eat of
the owner or fuperintendant, upon whofe fa-
vourable opinion or prejudice, caprice or
coynpUance^ will depend the cfFecl of the
whole j and to fuch precarious decifion alone
muft the writer ultimiately fubmit the confif-
tency and execution of his directions, though
he were to produce an immaculate vohnv.e
upon the fubjedl,

Confcious, however, of the compulfive
neceffity for fuch dependence, and the diver-
fity of cafes requiring conditional changes to
the variety of circumftances that may occur,
no particular ireek or month can be invaria-
bly fixed for weaning; as fome of the con-

lingencieg

90 BREEDING.

tingencies before-mentioned may render it
unavoidably neceiTary in the earlieft month of
the winter, or protrad: it to the lateft in the
fpring; which muft, after all that can be
offered in print, depend entirely upon the
difcretion and intereft of the parties more
immediately concerned.

Waving, for thofe reafons, farther ani-
madverfion refpedling the tiinc^ we advert to
the manner of effeding a change, fometimes
attended with difficulty, but feldom or never
with danger, particularly when regulated by
due attention to circimjfanccs, feafon, Jiate^
and condition ; confiderations that never ef-
cape the eye of vigilance, and generally en-
fure their own reward. Towards the con-
clufion of the year, the foal acquires, by in-
ftind and obfervation, fome reliili for paf-
ture, but unluckily begins to enjoy it juft at
its autumnal declination, when long dreary
nights, damp fogs, and frequent rains have
fucceeded the enlivening rrys of the genial
fuu, depriving it of its former fubftance
and vernal fweetnefs ; at this critical pe-
riod all nature undergoes a vifible alteration,

and

BREEDING. gt

and the change is as fevere in its efFedts
upon the animal as the vegetative part of the
world.

In this general revolution, the expefted
and former nutriment from the da?n becomes
not only reduced in quantity, but impaired
in quality ; diverted in a great degree of its
balfamic and nourifhing property, it M^ifely
points out to the foal, the feeling neceflity
of an adequate fubftitute for fuch defici-
ency ; under fo predominant a fenfation as
hunger, he readily fubmits to an alteration
in the means of fubfilience, and in a few
days becomes perfedlly reconciled to the food
allotted him, provided it is applicable to the
flate of his infancy, good in its kind, and
properly felefled to gratify the calls of na*
ture.

Of thefe tliere are various kinds, that
have each their different advocates, whether
in oats, bran, chaffs barley, wheat, hay^ or
Jiraw^ and each advocate loaded with reafons
of the firft importance and felf confequence,
(regulated perhaps by pecuniary fenfation)
to jufiify the opinion he has formed : but as

it

9z BREEDING.

it is by no means the purpofc to lead our rea-
ders through a dull and tedious labyrinth of
perplexities, without a glimmering of either
utility or information, we (liall endeavour to
afcertain the preference without animadvert-
ing upon the judgment and opinion of others,
wiiliing, upon the bafis of truth and con-
fiftency, oiily to eilablifa the criterion of our
own.

It has been generally faid of Oats (al-
though the univerfally eftabliilied food for
horfes) that they are dangerous to foals at
the time of weaning, under an idea of the
optic nerves being fo violently aifedled by the
ftrength required in maftication, as to occa-
lion future difeafe, debilitation, and fome-
times lofs of the eyes ; as this is, however,
a matter that can never be reduced to cer-
tainty, but mull: always remain dependent
upon conjedure, without even the poilibility
of proof, it m^ay be perfedlly applicable to
the difpofitioh of thole who entertain doubts >
to adopt the alternative of feeding Vv^ith the
grain or grits only firft divefted of the hulls,
as in the Jhell or bufl^ fuch difficulty muft be
refident, and not m the meal.

Bran

BREEDING. 93

Bran may have its occafional ufe, when
called in aid of other aliment^ but is enti-
tled to little or no eftimation on the fcore
of nutriynent^ being like the different kinds
of Jiraw or chaff, evidently calculated more
to amufe the appetite and expand the frame
than fubfift the body. Barley, (particu-
larly when manufactured, and meliorated
into malt) as well as Wheat, commands
the priority of invigoration with almoft every
part of the creation ; for whether the expe-
riment be made on ?}ia>2^ bcaft^ or the more
inferior claffes of JVjjI or vermin, it becomes
every way confpicuous. The great falubrity
and nutritive property of found, fragrant,
well-m.ade Meadow and Clover Hay are
too univerfally known to require a fingle line
upon their excellence.

In addition to thefe, m.oft of which are in
conftant ufe, may be introduced two articles
equally applicable, though not in fuch ge-
neral requeft; they are, neverthelefs, in the
higheft eftimation with thofe who have
proved their utility, and ftand entitled to
the warmeft recommendation. Firft, the
I fulfe.

94 BREEDING.

fulfe, paffing under the denomination of"
Horse Beans, which from their great fub-
ilance, adhefive quahty, and known invigo-
rating power, are juftly fuppofed to convey
a greater portion of nutriment to the fyftem
tlian any other corn appropriated to the fame
ufe. Admitting this to be really the cafe>
they hkewife retain the advantage of being
readily adapted to horfes of every defcription^
from infancy to age, and may be given as
exigencies require, either in their natural
Hate whole, or fpHt^ as is the ufual method
when given with bran (a feed very common
with horfes of the lower clafs of mechanics)
or completely ground, (and called bean meal)
for the ufe of foals or colts, fo young that
they are incapable of receiving them in any
other ftate*

The other article, whether recommended
as a ufeful winter fubftitute for the more
fucculent herbage of the fummer, or only
as a cheap and additional m.ethod of fubfift-
ence, need only be more generally known to
eftablifh its own reputation ; whether joined
to the accuftonied food of draft horfes ufed
4 in

BREEDING. 95

in agriculture, colts during thofe months of
the year when the growth of pafture is re-
ftrained, foals when wxaning, or in addition
to the keep of mares whofe foals are required
and permitted to run at the foot all the ^ujui^
ter^ it is of equal utility, particularly to the
latter, whofe flow of milk it greatly enlarges
if given in fufficient quantities to promote
the advantage.

CarPvOTs, the article thus highly com-
mended, after fair and impartial trial, is one
of the moft valuable in the vegetable w^orld,
and fo eafy of cultivation, that in a light
fandy foil no crop is fuppofed to produce a
greater fhare of emolument ; of this, certain
adventurers are fo well convinced, that the
very labourers in the north-weft parts oi the
county of Surrey, rent from the neighbour-
ing farmers a moiety of even the pooreft land
upon the \txgQ. of the barren heath, at the
exorbitant price of three and four pounds per
acre for the fummer feafon, only to produce
a fingle crop, when it is immxcdiatcly refigned
to the landlord for his izziow of wheat to
follow.

The

96 B R E E D I N.G.

The largeft and handfomeft they begin to
pull in September and OcSober ; thefe ar®
very neatly formed into bunches, and con-
figned to the London market by the waggon
load, at the enormous expenfe of two gui-
neas for the carriage only, which, with the
additional trouble and cliarge of double ^6^?^-
ing^ pulling, "Wcijhing, and bunchwg, gives
it the appearance of a very expenfive crop ;
but when it is taken into the calculation, that
three, fometimes/i^r loads are produced from
a iingle acre, that (according to the feafon)
fell in London from four to frj: pounds per
load, the great advantage becomes palpably
ftriking even to the moft indifferent arith-
metician. • But the en\oIument ends not here ;
for upon the average, no more than two-
thirds of the produce are included in the
above proportion,- as turning out fufRciently
handfome for the trade before defcribed ;
the remaining proportion, that are Jljorty
i/i'fiaped, Tind forked, are deemed rejl/fe, and
ufed in the winter by inch growers as have
flock of their own, or difpofed of by thofe
who have none to their neighbours at a very
moderate price. To the corroboration of

this

BREEDING, ^7

tnis fad: I fpeak experimehtally, having been
a confumer among my own ftock of four-
fcore bujhels in one winter, purchafed at only
jixpence each bufhel, exclufive of a very con-
siderable quantity produced from a part of
my own land, then under fimilar cultivation
from a thorough convidion of their utility
and profit.

The method to preferve them for the win-
ter confumption is as follows : let them be
taken up early in the autumn, fo foon as
their fuperlicial or vegetative parts begin to
decline, and laid upon a bed of new wheat
Jiraw, in a dry room or clofe granary^ with-
out cleaning, juft as they are taken out of
the ground ; they are then to be plentifully
covered w^ith the fame bedding, to proted:
them from long and fevere frofts that fre-
quently enfue, after being affeded by which,
they foon decay and become rotten ; no fear
of this need, neverthelefs, be entertained,
provided proper care and attention be paid to
the bed and covering, as they then continue
perfedly found to the expiration of a very
long winter. There is alfo another equally

Vol. IL H effcc^

98 BREEDING.

effeflual method of prcfervation much in life
in the neighbourhood alluded to, by f'ubfti-
tuting fund for ftraw, letting them be very
fubftantially covered to exclude the external
air; but as that article is not fo univerfal, or
to be obtained by any rneans in many parts
of the kingdom, Jiraw muft undoubtedly
prove moft convenient for the purpofe.

During the feafon required for confum^p-
tlon, let any quantity be taken from the heap
and placed in a miafli or other tub, there co-
vered with water from a pump, or pond,
as may be moft convenient; when having
flood an hour or two, to foften the furround-
ing earth left on for prefcrvation, they fhould
be well waflied with a heath broom for a
few minutes, till properly clean ; then pour-
ing off the foul water and waftiing them once
more with a pail or two of clean, they will
foon become dry enough for the following
operation.

Let them be cut firft longitudinally, then
tranfverfely ; or, to make ufe of a more
comprehenfible term, (at leaft rather better

adapted

BREEDING. 99

adapted to the ruftic capacities of thofe likely
to become the operators) ** athwart and
acrofs,''' into fmall fquares about the fize of
a horfe or tick bean ; in which ftate they will
be confumed in the winter w^ith the greateft
avidity, by any clafs of horfes, mares, or
colts, either alone or intermixed with chaff,
oats, bran, or any other dry food to which
they are accuftomed.

To remove fuch doubts as may arife in
the minds of thofe who pafs through life in
the true mechanical dog-trot of their great
grand fires, and who, from their perfonal
pride and innate dulnefs, never condefcend to
make an experiment ^ or fandtion an improve^
?nent when mad^ ; I think it neceffary to re-
peat the fad:, that I have with the greateft
fuccefs introduced this additional article of
food to all the different horfes in my pof-
feffion (hunters excepted) during a long,
dreary, and fevere winter, never remember-
ing to have had them in better health, vi-
gour, and condition. Among thefe were a
team of draft horfes in eonflant employment,
not only in agriculture, but occafional hard
H % work

i6o B R E E D 1 N d.

work upon the road : growing colts of dif-*
ferent kinds, as well as brood mares and
foals, who all equally enjoyed a participation
of the experiment in every kind of way it
could be offered them ; tending fufficiently to
juflify every thing I can pre fume to offer in
recommendation of the practice, more parti-
cularly with ftock required only in mproving
condition during the winter, and not deftined
to any kind of labour.

In this jufl reprefentation, I beg by no
means to have m^y expreflions mifconftrued
or my meaning perverted, but defire it (hould
be generally underftood, I urge their utility
in applicable proportions as a cheap auxiliary
to other food, without indulging an idea of
their being ufed alone ; as well as to have it
held in remembrance, however ferviceable
and healthy they may have proved, and cer-
tainly are to the unemployed part of ftock,
it was never my intent to declare them ca-
pable of conftituting the bafis of nutrition and
fupport for horfes in conftant and laborious
work. On the contrary, knowing experi-
mentally the great expenfe of breeding, and

how

BREEDING. loi

how neceflary it is to acquire occafional aid
from the frequent interpolitions of oeconomy^
I earneftly recommend the culture of them
upon that fcore, (in thofe parts of the king-
dom not fo favourably adapted to breeding)
as a very ufeful and profitable affociate with
other food for brood mares, foals, and grow-
ing colts, in fevere or long winters, when
hay and corn are at an exceeding high price
from a general failure in the crop, or an in-
different feafon for the harveft.

From this unavoidable deviation we return
to the bufineis of Weaning, a matter that
will be in fome degree more eafdy reconciled
by permitting the foal to feed with the mare
for a few days upon the dry food previous
to the entire feparation. The queftion natu-
rally and indeed generally arifing at this pe-
riod, is not, what food is the moft falutary
for the fubjed: in queftion ; but, which is
the kind of food moft applicable to the fen-
fttions of the owner ? Though was reafon
or prudence confqlted, that food would be
adopted moft adequate to the probable value
cf the foal ; for notwithftanding all that can
be urged in th^ defence of breeding fyftemati-
H 3 qally,

102 B R E E D I N a

cally, to produce ftock of fliape, ftrength,
figure, falhidn, bone, or fpeed, (according
to the purpofes for which they are defigned)
there will ftill remain a more than moderate
proportion of the breeders formerly defcribed,
who muft inevitably continue to propagate
ftock, not worth the proper fupport of even
the firft twelve months, was their intrinfic
value to be brought into arbitrative competi-
tion with the year's confumption.

No doubt can be entertained but the fweeteft
hay, with a daily portion of the hulled oats,
and a trifling addition of the be^n meal, would
be as perfedly grateful to the weaning foal of
a five pound pony 7nare as to the palat-e of a
fon of Highflyer ; but it is natural to con-
clude, in the prefent hourly increaling age of
fagacity and penetration, felf-interej}^ with
its concomitants, will never be fo totally ob-
fcured, as not to regulate the condud: of the
majority, and that mares and colts will in
general be fupporjed with a political reference
to proft and lofs, however fome exceptions
(with favourites of a former defcription) may
produce many a four-year old at the dome!-
tic expenfe of t/oirty, forty ^ or ffty pounds^

whofe

BREEDING. 103

whofe whole accumulation oi points ^nd per ^
fc^ions will never exceed jive and twenty^
w^hen brought to theteftof infpeftion at a
public market.

Confcious how many will continue to breed
under every diladvantage, and to perfift under
every peculiarity, I ihall fubmit the diftind:
kind of aliment to be felecled, and the quan-
tity to be regulated entirely by the judgment,
whim, caprice^ experiment, or local cuftom
of every individual, upon a perfect conviction
he will JLiilly claim and exert that privilege,
in cppofition to any opinion or dilation of
mine; whofe farther inftruflions upon this
head might be candidly confidered obtruiive,
w^here conditional direcflions under fo many
contingencies (as the ftate of various fubjedts
and temperature or fe verity of different fea-
fons) muft prove totally inadequate to general
application,

Convinced, however, on the contrary, how
very many there are, who, anxious for infor-
mation and open to inftrudiion, pofiefs' pa-
tience to receive, and judgment to adopt,
every fpecies of improvement calculated for
H 4 the

104 BREEDING-

the promotion of general good ; it is entirely
for their accpmmodation, that I have minutely
defcended not only to an explanation of the
quality of different kinds of food, but repeat-
edly to the work of digeftion and effecft of
nutrition, that the very means of growth,
Jlrengthy2cci^ condition may be more rationally
confidered and fundamentally underftood.

Prefuming on the care taken to inculcate
fuch knowledge, and thoroughly convinced
of the advantages that arife from a liberal
diftribution of provender to ftock of every
kind upon certain emergencies, 1 beg to con-
clude my obfervations under this head, with
an additional injundtion to breeders of every
denomination, to endeavour in the two Jirjl
winters, to acquire all pofTible advantage ii;i
fize, ftrength, and bone ; which I have be-
fore faid, and again affert, depends as muc^i
upon the judicious and plentiful fupplies qf
food, as the quahfications of horfe and mare,
fo folely relied upon and eternally echoed by
thofe fubordinate cavilifts who pofiefs the
opinion, but not the means to juftify their
affertion. For fize, ftrength, and bone being
thus conftantly promoted by care and atten-

tiona

BREAKING. lo^

jion, they not only form the frame for a
ready acquifition of flefli in that feafon o^
the year when nature difpenfes her gifts with
a more hberal hand, but being once obtainei
can n^ver be obhterated; while, on the con-
trary, the firft opportunity of acquiring thofc
perfedlions being totally loft by an unfair
reftraint in fuftenanee during the firjl two
years^ the ftock is more or left Jii?ited, and
an irreparable deficiency conftituted that can
never be fupplied in the fa?ne fubje^s^ by ei-if
thtf prefent regret or future repentance.

BREAKING.

IT will not come within the limits of this
work, or the intention of the writer, to inter-
fere with the operative part of the art, offer-
ing a differtation upon the routine of leadings
hinging^ hackings ridi?2g^ vtounting, or dtf-»
mountings with eafcy grace^ and agility ; 'thefc
are the profeffional privileges of Breakers
alone, from the ruftic rough rider of the moll
obfcure village in the country, to the fafhion-
able and accomplillied Menage Master

General

io6 B R E A K I N a

General of the metropolis. Profeffing,
therefore, no interference with, or attack
upon, the principles of the fcience, I proceed
to fuch aUufive remarks and inferences as in-
tereft not only breeders and fportfmen, but all
thofe who have any immediate intercourfe
with the fpecies, whether from the motive of
attachment, pleafure, health, or bulinefs.

The firft objed for general confideration, is
the age moft proper for bringing into work
horfes of different defcriptions, according to
their diftind: appropriations ; but this, like
moft other matters, has become fubfervient
to the prevalence of fafliion, and in much
lefs than half a century undergone a total
revolution. Some years iince (and not a
great many) colts and fillies were haltered
and handled a little at three ; turned out
again and completely broke at four ; ufed mo-
derately during their ffth year^ and thought
to be fufhciently m.atured for conflant work
at fix ; fuch fyftcm has been, however, gra-
dually changing as the value of horfes con-
tinued to increafe, a circumftance that in all
probability effeded the alteration, by tempt-
ing breeders to turn their ftock into fpecie,

with

B R E A K I N a 107

with much lefs trouble, expenfe, and anxiety,
than when kept fo long upon hand before
thej could be taken to market.

This has turned fo much to advantage in
their annual transfer to the London dealers,
who purchafe at the famous fairs of Banbury,
Northampton, Leicefter, Reading, and many-
others, (exclufive of their extenlive agencies
in Yorkfliire and other diftant counties) that
they are now broke and fold fo foon as they
have obtained Jizc, and undergo the moft in-
famous praftices upon their teeth, to enable
the confcientious fcllcr to difpofe of two,
three, four-year old, iox z. four ^ jive ^ ox Jix ;
which he frequently does with fuch affurances
of truth and integrity y that the cheat is very
little likely to be difcovered by any fagacity
or circumfpedtion whatever.

A fimilar degree of refinement has been
effeded upon the turf, as with the more in-
ferior claffes j for what has been promoted
by inter eji on one hand, has been extended
by the invincible fpirit of oppoftion on the
other. It is but a few years fince a four year
old plate was conlidered the firft public trial
4 of

io8 B R E A K I N G.

of fpeed and bottom, between young horfes
calculated and trained for racing : but horfes
(as well as women) are, by the great and il-
lumined effed: of modern penetration, found
to be fo much forwarder in the 7jatural Jlate
©f their conftitution, that they are brought
into ufe many years fooner in the pre fen t
than the paft century ; having not now only
plates conftantly run for by three years old,
but frequent matches and fweepftakes with
two years old and yearlings.

In this general improvement (if it can be
fo termed) I believe any obfervant or experi-
enced reader will coincide with me in opinion,
and hazard the affertion, that many hundred
horfes are annually crippled and irrecoverably
injured before they arrive at maturity ; that
is, before they arrive at a proper age for the
work to which they are fo frequently moft
injudicioufly deftined. In fupport of this
fad:, no greater or more indifputable author
rity need be adduced, than a reference to the
infinity of invalids to be daily feen on all the
popular roads leading to the metropolis ; but
Ihould a ftronger proof be required, to meet
the opinions of the intercfied and incradulous,,

let

BREAKING. to^

let it be extradled from the vifible effed of
the burning cauterj^ or rotational multiplicity
of FIRED Horses in perpetual liberation
from the hands of ever}^ eminent operator in
the various parts of the kingdom. As this
cuftom is now too far advanced in practice,
and too firmly eftablillied by intereft (at the
original fource of circulation) to admit of cure
or palliation, farther animadverlion upon its
ill effecfls cannot be produdive of either fuc-
cefs or utility ; continuing, therefore, our de-
termination to avoid remarks extraneous or
defultory, we proceed to fuch practical ob-
fervations as are more likely to excite general
attention.

Of thefe, none becom.e more entitled to the
confideration of hojfe breakers and their em-
ployers, than the natural difpolition and tem-
per of the fubjetSl they are taking in hand ;
for it is a pofitive faift that more horfes have
been injured in their tempers and difpofitions
by the indifcretion, impetuofity, or profef*
Jional intoxication of thofe to w^hofe manage-
ment they are unavoidably entrufted, than by
any other means whatever.

Reafon

no BREAKING.

Reafon and obfcrvation afFord evident d^-
monftration that horfes have their different
degrees of fagacity and penetration; their fpon-
taneous efforts are all regulated by the moft
impreffive and inherent fenfations, dependent
upon paffigns confpicuous as our own ; fub-
jed: to an equal difplay of fortitude, fear,
joy, grief, courage, timidity, attachment, and
prejudice, as any of the human fpecies ; and
this is fo perfedily- known to thofe who have
made nature the objcd: of frequent medita-
tion, that they cannot conlider the communi-
cation a matter of novelty; while thofe who
receive the information under an impreffion
of doubt, muft, in the moments of reflexion,
be ferioufly convinced they have read but lit-
tle in the fertile volume of experience.

Upon the moft palpable convidion that
thofe paffions have a predominant afcendancy
over their different fubjeds, I prefume to
urge the confiftency of rendering the animal
obedient to the will, by fuch methods as are
calculated more to acquire his fubmiffion than
excite his anger; or, in other words, to ac-
complifh the bufinefs more by gentle means
than coercive exertions. The neceffxty for

earneftly

BREAKING. in

earneftljr recommending this lenity in the
pradlice, has arifen from innumerable in-
Itances within my own know^ledge of horfes
rendered invinciby reftiflf by the dint of per-
petual ill ufage and unjuft opposition ; when
from the natural bent of their difpofitions, a
different mode of treatment would have pro-
duced a dired: contrary effed:.

To this part of the fubjed I have ever
paid the greateft perfonal attention, and de-
clare, with the ftrideft adherence to truth, I
never yet faw a rejiiff horfe made better by
violence and abufe. If any vociferous dif-
putant, fond of difplaying his courage and
exerting his power, feels his innate cruelty in
fome degree abridged by the intervention of
humanity, and arrogantly afk, ** Whether he
is to abandon his pnrpofe, and permit the
horfe to gain the vidory and become his maf-
ter ?" I anfwer him with the greateft ferenity,
** On no account whatever." Such is not
the purport of my recommendation ; our
intents are undoubtedly the fame, but to be
eventually accompliflied by very different
means ; I repeatedly urge the propriety of
due attention to the various tempers and dif-
pofitions

112 BREAKING.

pofitions of horfes, upon the pureft convidioj^
that the treatment really neceflary for a horfe
of very high courage and almoft invincible
fpirit, cannot be confiftent or proper for one
©f extreme timidity ; that one horfe may be
fubdued from any predominant vice, or regu-
lated to any particular aftion, by a moderate
exertion of power, while another will fubmit
only to a conftant difplay of the greateft ten-
dernefs and familiarity. Thefe extremes fre*
quently exift in horfes of a fimilar clafs, va*
lue, fpeed, and qualifications ; equally liable
to injurious impreffions from being managed
in a way diredtly oppofite to the very nature
of their difpofitions.

A due degree of patient difcriminatiotl
fliould be always exerted, to difcover the
temper of the fubjed: and afcertain the line
of diftindtion ; what may be expected from
a fteady firmnefs and perfuafive mildnefs,
previous to the too ready exertion of vio-*
lence^ in general very eagerly conceived and
maliciouily executed. Horfes are perfedly
confcious of the different treatment they re-
ceive, and give the moft flriking proofs of
their attachment or diflike in confequencc x

this

BREAKING. 113

This is a fad: but little known amidft the
multitude oi fuperjicial obfervers and metro-
poll tan fportftneriy but incontrovertible with
thofe who furvey this animal with the daily
eye of exquifite pleafure and admiration.

The equa7iimity^ fortitude, and fobriety^
fo indifpenfably necelTary for the fuccefsful
breaking and management of young, reftiff,
timid, or high-fpirited and refradlory horfes,
mull: be too fenfibly felt by every judicious
Reader, to require the leaft animadverfion
upon the advantage of fuch qualifications ;
I fliall therefore proceed to a few remarks
upon the almoft fyftematic condudl of grooms,
breakers, and fervants, (to whofe care horfes
of the firft eftimation are unavoidably entruft-
ed) who perfifting indifcriminately to effedl
all their purpofes by force, frequently err
much more from the very motive that Pope's
ruftic hero whiftled, ** wa7it of thought ^'^
than any pre- determined fpirit of oppofition
to the rules of confillency and difcretion.

It is no uncommon occurrence with con-
ftant travellers, to perceive one of this de-
fcription mounted upon a horfe denominated

Vol. IL I reftiff,

.^4 B R E A,K 1 N G.

reftifF, that without any apparent motive
(at leaft perceptible to the rider) by which
the caufe may be difcovered, fiiddenly Jfop,
retreat, or t'arn round upon the road, vifibly
increafing his rcliicSance to go forward, in
proportion to the anger and violent oppoli-
tion of the rider ; who, too frequently a
Have to irafcibility, raflily fuppofes his cou-
rage is now put to the teil, and becomes im-
mediately determined to conquer by violence
or lofe his life in the attempt. This hafly
refolve affords no moment to refled upon
the imperfecftions of our oisjn ?7ature^ the
daily inconfiftency of our proceedings, or the
means by w^iich they arc excited or reftrainad ;
a total ftranger to. the Jchool of philofophy^
and little read in the book of refined fenfatio?2^
he deals about him with whip and fpur
moft unmercifully, till the animal, (with
perhaps a difpofition diredlly like his ov/n)
revolting ftill more at the feverity or inhu-
manity of the treatment, becomes outrageous,
and by exertions of ftrength or flratagem,
difmounts his rider, or in a retrograde motion
depofits him in a ditch, on one fide the road
or the other. The adlion is now renewed
between horfc and foot in a different way,

the

BREAKING. ill

the latter attacking the former with the ut-
moft violence over the head and eyes, erro*
neoufly adopting a n Ir i ci s m , to bring him
■forward by driving him back : this perpe-
tual and fevere difcipline often foufes in the
fubjedt a certain kind of habitual callofity
to every future intervention of tendernefs,
and renders him ever after incapable of
becoming cheerfully obedient to what he
confiders his moft inveterate enemy.

Some horfes are alfo brought to a certairi
degree of ftarting exceedingly dangerous, by
a fimilar and equally improper mode of treat-
ment j for there can be no doubt but horfes
that are young, or have been but little ufed^
muft have fome time, patience, care, and
attentiorr bellowed to reconcile them to the
Jl range and numerous objects upoii a public
road, before they can be expecfied to ap-
proach or pafs them without fudden furprife
and trouble. Indeed, the great variety and
velocity of the different vehicles upon all the
populous roads, but particularly round the
metropolis, render it a matter of abfolute
wonder, how fuch an infinity of the highefi:
mettled horfes in the kingdom, fhould be

I % eternally

ii6 BREAKING,

eternally palTing each other in crowds without
thofe dreadful accidents fo natural to exped:
and fortunately fo little heard of.

It is really a matter of concern, that a cuf-
tom fo inconliderate and abfurd fliould ever
have gained ground, as the pracStice of inflantly
heating and goading a horfe upon his only
method of exprcffing a momentary and na-
tural impulfe of fear, at any ftrange or un-
common objedt that may come fuddenly upon
him, or to which he may not have been
accuftomed : in this, as the former cafe, a
limilar degree of fe verity and cruel difplay
of power are exerted by the major part of
the hmnane and enlightened clafs before-
mentioned j for upon the horfe's firft ftart-
ing, whether from fear or diilike, he in-
itantly receives a blow on the head with whip
or ftick, accompanied with the very empha-
tical impreffion of both fpurs, without allow-
ing the poor animal a moment to recover from
the firft furprife ; this repeated, conflitutes a
ceremony we have before explained, and totally
deftroys the balis of mutual confidence, that
fhould be carefully preferved to infure the
I faithful

BREAKING. 117

faithful fervices of one and the protection
of the other.

Great inconveniencies arife from this un-
juft and fevere method of treating horfes in
general, where from blows indifcriminately
dealt in paffion, the bones of the head, or
the eyes, are irreparably injured by the fer-
vant, and the real caufe never truly known
to the mafter ; feveral inftances having oc-
curred within my own knowledge, of exfo-
liations from the jaw bones, (wdth and with-
out a diflodgement of teeth) fome of which
I difcovered upon infpe^ling what the owners
imagined to be a difeafe or canker in the
mouth, and not till an examination of the
bones of others after death ; the greater part
or all of which, I have no doubt, were pro-
duced by blows with w^eapons very little cal-
<:ulated for rods of corrediion.

That there can be no doubt of horfes fuf-
taining great injuries by thefe means, I have
every reafon to believe, from numbers I
have feen fall injiantly to the ground, upon
receiving a blow feemingly flight and of no
great force immediately behind the ear :
I 3 among

II

8 BREAKING.

among thofe, my memory fumifhes me with
inftances of two that happened in the public
parts of different large towns; one paffio-
nately inflidted by a brother of the facuhy,
the other by a fon of the church ; the laft
of which was almoft accompanied with {q
fingular a circumftance, that I cannot refift
the temptation of a fhort digreffion to recite
it.

Being a man of very low ftature, and
engaged to preach, for an abfent friend, in
an exceeding large church and high pulpit,
not a hundred miles from one of our univer-
iities, he delivered his text from that part
of fcripture including the words, ^* L? a littU
time you JJoall fee me, and in a little time
you Jh all not;'' at this moment, the ftool
upon which he ftood, to render himfelf con-
fpicuous to the congregation, flipping from
under him, rendered him not only inftantly
invijible, but proved the words of his text
to have been feledled with the niofl prophetic
infpiration.

Leaving to the force of imagination the
general conflernation of bis auditors and the

confufion

BREAKING. 119

confufion of the preacher, I proceed to his
additional mortification in the fame town a
fhort time after ; where riding up to the door
of his draper upon a favorite horfe, and the
horfe very little ufed to the hurry of large
towns, inftantly ftarted at fome objed: with-
in or without, when the little man, in his
zvan7ith, giving him a petulant blow upon
the head, brought both horfe and rider to
the ground in the prefence of twenty inha-
bitants, wdio having his former dilemma
frefli in their memories, it doubly infured him
the appendage of *' A little time ye fhall fee
me, and a little tim.e ye fhall not ;" which
honourable diftincTiion will, in all probability,
accompany him to the grave, he being at
prefent only in the prime of life.

From fuch remarks as I thought abfolutely
necefiary to expofe the cruelty of ill ufing
horfes, and demonftrate my invariable opi-
nion, that violence and unjuft feverity, nine
times out of ten, injures their tempers and
confirms their vices ; 1 come to fuch proof as
may tend not only to obtain converts to that
opinion y but to introduce a juftification of my
own; viz. that horfes of mild tempers and
I 4 pliable

120 BREAKING.

pliable difpofitions may be brought to every
ftate of perfed:ion by gentle ufage correfpond-
ing with their own frame of mind j while,
on the contrary, the ferocity of the higheft
fpirited may be gradually fubdued by exer-
tions oi jleady authority and ferfcvering forti-^
tude, blended with intervening adls of kind-
nefs and cccaiional encouragement, without
defcending to the moft unjullifiable ill ufage,
tending only to excite invincible prejudice
and perpetual oppofition.

The proofs upon which fuch opinion is
incontrovertibly founded, conilitute an expe-^
rience of twenty years, in which time I have
attentively anahzed the tempers of horfes,
and the pradlical principles of their breakers
with as much fervency as the profeffional
abilities and medical knovv^ledo;e of Countrv
Farriers^ fo fully and repeatedly explained in
different parts of the former Volume. There
is a certain analogy in the practice of both ;
and kill or cure may be adopted by each for
bis motto, without injury to either ; and with
much greater propriety than one of the fame
learned fraternity defined his employer's horfe
to be ''-fcfupcr eadera^^' worfe and worfe; or

the

BREAKING. 121

the other, Vvva?it Rex, dead as a door nail^
by G-d, Sir.'* Thefe flips are, however, to
be charitably confidered fublime cffuiions of
fancy, to which men of fuperior genius are
juftly intitkd, as laudably emerging from
vulgar explanation, and fublimely foarmg be-
yond the limits of common comprehenfion.

Experience is, upon the foundation of
the ancient adage, univerfally faid '* to ynake
fools wife''* To a little of that falutary ex-
perience I acknowledge m.yfelf indebted, and
am not aihamed to confefs, that in the very
early part of life, I became a temporary
Have to cuftom, and creduJoufly beftowed my
premium of three guineas, exclufive of the
keep, to have si colt rendered every thing
that was bad^ by the moft popular diftri-
butor of equeftrian difcipline in the neigh-
bourhood of my refidence ; when after an
abfencc of fix weeks, the time fixed on ne-
ceffary to complete his education and render
him a paragon of perfedion, he was re-
turned fo caparfoned, bitted, cavifoiied, 7nar''
tingaled, and cruppered, that he feemed ad-
mirably decorated for the immediate adven-
tures of a knight errant, the field day charger

of

122 BREAKING.

of a general officer, or ready accoutred for
the champion of England to make his public
entry into Weftminfter Hall. My inftruftions
were, to ride him for fome time ** in his
tackle, though he was as well broke, z^fteady,
temperate^ and fafe as any horfe in the
kingdom.'* My very firft excurfion, how-
ever, convinced me of the honour and pio-
bity of this fcientific operator j for the colt
was in poffeffion of every vice without a fingle
perfed:ion in his favour, except a wonderful
alacrity at Jiopping, which he had the kind-
nefs to do unfoh'cited, at every public houfc
upon the different roads for fome miles round ;
to all which he had been rotationally led, and
daily placed for many hours in the ftable
of o?ie or the other, while his indefatigable
tutor was, \\kt'' friend Razor'' in the Uphol-
ftercr, conftantly getting drunk for the good
pf his country !

As I before faid, he was much worfe in

qualities and condition than at his depar-
ture; but as the reward had been gradually
drained during the time the fuppofed work
was in hand, pur chafed experience and pati^
ent repentance were the only remaining con-

folations.

BREAKING. 123

lations. This mortifying impofition having
excited no fmall degree of ftabularian emu-
lation, 1 commenced rough rider to my own
little eftablilliment, under the influence
of juft refentment, determined to try the
effed of frequent affociation, regular per--
fond feeding, conftant exercife, and gentle
treatment, to complete my purpofe ; which
attempt having beefi crow^ned with the moft
perfed: fuccefs, and formed the bafis of all
my future endeavours, I have never fince (a
period of twenty- one years) condefcended
to accept or reward the fervices of hreaken
or rough riders of any denomination lor
their inefiimable affiftance ; although in fome
inftances I admit their utihty, and acknow-
ledge there are many,\vhofe merit and in-
tegrity are entitled to commendation and re-
ward j but their proportion is by no means
equal to thofe pot valiant heroes, who take
their rides and potations in ftrid: fucceffion,
upon the principle of Fan in Midas ^ who
fays, '*When I am moft rocky, I beft lit
my faddle." This I can never be induced
to doubt in oppofition to ocular demoniira-
tion, as it is the general ftate m which I
meet the rnoji eminent profejjbrs in every

part

124 B R E A K I M G.

part of the country ; from whofc fober fyf.
tern of inftrudion their fubjed muft cer-
tainly derive every necefiary advantage.

Without defcending to a tedious enunie^
ration of the injuries colts in breaking, or
horfes in exercife, receive from pretended
h'eakers or w^orthlefs grooms under the efiedl
of intoxication, I return to the fubjed: of
thofe that are rejiiff or addided to Jtartiiig ;
the general mifmanagement of which, I have
already defcribed without at all heightening
the pidlurc to a degree of exaggeration, and
have now to add, that upon a well-founded
opinion of the inconiiftency of fuch fevere
treatment, I firfl: formed my determination
to encounter the cure of thofe defcds, by a
a method direElly oppofite^ whenever time
fhould afford me applicable opportunity.

It is, I muft acknowledge, fome little gra-
tification of perfonal ambition, to have fuc-
ceeded fo well in a coniirmation of the opi-
nion I had indulged, refpcciing the erroneous
and cruel treatment of horfes of fuch de-
fcription ; and with no trifling fatisfadion I
communicate the fad, of having been pof-

feffed

BREAKING. 125

feffed at different times of three horfes incor-
rigibly rejtiff, and as much fubjed: to that
dangerous failure of Jiarting as any horfes in
the univerfe without exception. Thefe were
feparately purchafed with a perfedl knowledge
of their defers, and at a price proportioned
to their deficiencies ; each of the owners and
their fervants confidering themfelves in fuch
perpetual danger^ that it w^as determined to
afford no farther chance of a fraBure for the
Surgeon or a furvey for the Corojier ; but to
difpofe of them at all events as incurable.
The horfes purchafed under fuch accumu-
lation of difad vantages, without arrogating
to myfelf a fuperiority in horfemanfliip or
courage, I reduced by a patient perfeverance
in the plan I have already laid down (as
i7ifaUihlej to the moft pliable and beft con-
ditioned horfes I have ever had in poffeflion ;
ufing no other correction of feverity with
either 'whip or fpur^ than juft fufficient to let
them be convinced I did not pradife lenity
from the motive of pujillanirnity, but to af-
ford them the alternative of fubmitting to
treatment much more adapted to their own
eafe and fafetv.

By

126 B R E A K I N G.

By this invariable prefervation of temper
and perfeverance of difcipline, I never found
but little difficulty in effecSting my purpofc,
not only in reducing them to unconditional
fubmilFion, but in exciting fo great an attach-
ment from them, that their obedience and
perfe6tion in the field, or upon the road,
rendered them objects of general requeft
among my friends, at any equitable price I
thought proper to fix t!:^em at. If I had,
however, a fingle doubt remaining upon the
propriety of this mode of treatment, a recent
cafe has arifen to eradicate a thoufand if they
had exifted ; and left me in the mofi: unfullied
poffeffion of an opinion not to be relinquifned
upon the perfuafion of any advocate for the
violent meafures I have fo juftly reprobated,
and io earneftly defpife.

The inftance fo far exceeding all others I
have feen, is of a blood horfe now in my
pofTelTion, and univerfally known to be one of
the fleeteft in five of the moft fafiiionable
popular hunts in the kingdom ; this horfe,
when purchafed, was perhaps the moft refiiff^
fulleriy and refradiory, ever brought into ufe j
his figure and qualifications were neverthelefs
4 fo

BREAKING. 127

fo palpably ftriking, they naturally excited
every unremitting endeavour to reclaim him.
The tafk, however, for the firfl: two or three
weeks bore the moft unpromiiing afped ; no
method that I could adopt, feemed to have
the leaft effect upon the obduracy of his dif-
poiition ; hardened to an almoil invincible
fpirit of oppofition by former vidories on his
fide, and repeated ill ufage on the other,
neither perfuafive encouragement nor violence
could prevail on him to move a fingle yard
forward but when it was perfedly his own
pleafure ; he would not only continually flop
in all paces, without the leaft obftacle or
vifible caufe whatever, and continue his de-
termination not to go at all forward for a
great length of time, but perfevere in a re-
trograde motion an incredible diftance, with
the ufual concomitants of rearing^ plunging^
and kicking, to fo violent a degree, that num-
bers of a much more ferene and philofophic
temper than myfelf, would have certainly pro-
ceeded in their refentment to the utmoft extre-
mity, and fome time or other have left him
crippled or dead upon the fppt. In this daily
dilemma, it was the general opinion of mti-
mate friends, and thofe who were conftant

fpedators

128 BREAKING,

fpedators of the danger I rode in for fome
weeks, that he was abfolutely not to be fub-
dued, and they politively advifed me to aban-
don the undertaking ; but the inftindlive fpi-
rit of attachment to that induftrious motto,
** Persevere and Conquer/* encouraged
me to continue my original plan, which I
have repeatedly explained, and moft forcibly
recommend ; for under that fyftem of fteady
and unremitting firmnefs, diverted of vio-
lence, and blended with intervening ads of
tender encouragement, he is become one of
the fteadieft and moft temperate hunters in
the field ; though it is plainly perceptible by
the agitation fo conftantly difplayed in the
eye, the eat\ and action, upon the approach
of every Jlrajiger^ that he had repeatedly ex-
perienced the fevere effefts of bodily abufe
and ill uGige before he came into the tempe-
rate region of my poffeffion.

•^.
Thefe cafes are not introduced from any
motive of vanity, to blazon my own pradlice
with the ftamp of perfedlion in fafliionable
*' feats of horfemanfcip/' but to afford expe-
rimental, demonftrative, and incontrovertible
proof, founded upon repeated perfonal trials

of

BREAKING. 129

of time, patience, and danger^ that horfes
the moft perverfci obftinate, and refraftory,
are to be fubdued and rendered completely
tradable, with much more certainty, huma-
nity, propriety, and expedition, than by thofe
unjuftifiable ads of violence fo repeatedly
mentioned and accurately explained.

Convinced of this fad: by the rnofl: atten-
tive obfervation, my mind is too fcrupuloufly
formed to adirit of an alteration in opinion;
and I cannot indulge the leaft doubt but the
fubjed will undergo in future a nicer decifion^
by thofe gentlemen whofe opportunities have
hot been fufficiently num.erous to afcertain the
cfFed of the different mode of treatment upon
different fubjeds to a critical degree of dif-
tindion ; venturing alfo an additional belief,
in which I flatter myfeif moft obfervers will
coincide, that horfes originally rejlijf or ad-
dided to fudden Jlarting^ are continually ha-
bituated in their vices by repeated ill ufage of
fervants, and the perpetual transfer from one
owner to another^ under all the difadvantage,
prejudice, and refentment inflided upon a
bad name, without the lucky chance of once

Vol. II, K falling-

130 SHOEING.

falling into patient and proper hands to eflcit
the work of reformation.

SHOEING

is a matter of fo much importance, tliat
it cannot be too clearly explained, or too ge-
nerally underftood, confequently creates no
lurprife that fo many writers have conde-
fcended to offer their fentiments upon a fub-
jed: of fuch magnitude ; but it is to be feri-
oufly regretted, thofe opinions have been fub-
mitted to public infpeftion in fo remote a
way, as applies much more to the profeffional
conception of individuals than the irandard
of general comprehenfion.

The various differtations upon flioeing, or
difeafes of the feet, have been in general too
fublime in their language and too much inter-
fperfed with anatomical difqullition and tech-
nical jargon, to acquire public patronage and
commendation ; to fuch inconiiAency -alone
may perhaps be juJftl/ attributed their con-
^-fignment to oblivion fo focn after publication.

A mi-

SHOEING* 131

A -minute and fcientific inveftigation or ana-
tomical defcription of all the correfponding
parts, their ad;ions, and' effeds, cannot be
the mod proper and confident method of
being clearly underftood by the very clafs or
claffes of people particularly interefted in the
explanation. Ruftic Farriers and unedu-
cated grooms cannot^ and gentlement will
?2ot, embark in the dull and difagreeable ta(k
of theoretic or ptad:ical diffedtion, to difcover
the feat and appropriation of the tendo AchiU
les, or the articulation of the coronary bone ;
nor do I confider it more neceflary for a gen*
tleman to pafs through a ftudy of this kind
to afcertain a proper conditional method of
ordering his horfes to be Hiod, than to go
through a courfe of anatomical lectures and
phyfical inquiries, becaufe^ like the reft of
mankind, he is fubjedl to daily indifpofition*

Abftrufe ftudy upon fo plain a fubjedl can
never be expefed from all the dalles fo im-
mediately concerned, it therefore becomes the
province of the writer, to reduce his inftruc-
tions to fuch concife, undifguifed explana-
tion, and mode of plain reafoning on one
K 3 fde.

1^1 SHOEING.

Jidc, as may require no uncommon powers
of comprehenlion on the other. Authors are
too frequently vain of their own abilities, and
feem to believe too much matter cannot be
introduced (however extraneous or digreffive)
to give their works the appearance of elabo-
rate ftudy and profound erudition ; loiing the
fubjed: in an affcdlcd fublimity of diftion,
without adverting to the great numbers who
either wifh to acquire information by every
poffible means where the trouble of reading
can be avoided, or to obtain the purport oi
their medical refearches by the moft fuperfi-
cial and leaft expenfive inquiry.

The various anlmadverfions of different
writers under this head are evidently too
clofely wrapped in the veil of obfcurity, and
feem purpofely addreffed much more to the
anatomical judgment of the fciei^itific Artift
and operative Farrier, than to the underftand-
ings of the many, by whom we are to fup-
pofe it Ihould be equally tmdcrjiood. An ele-
gant arrangement of words, and ambiguity of
expreffion, may conftitute a loftinefs of ililc
more pleafmg to the gentleman or the fcholar,

delight-

SHOEING. 133

delighting in a judicious difplay of polifhed
periods; but in the prefent inftance is re-
quired fuch eafy flow of plain defcriptive
matter, as becomes perfectly applicable to
the inferior capacities proportionably inte-
refted in its effedls, who have not the lead
right to be excluded their fliare of knowledge,
for the oftentatious introdudion of pedantic
phrafeology.

Such connedled chain of ufeful informa-
tion, divefted of obfcure references to remote
confiderations, (that ferve only to eredl one
myftery upon the bafis of another) muft cer-
tainly prove much more applicable to the in-
tentional purport of common conception and
general improvement, than the many la-
boured differtations whofe titles promife fo
muchy and whofe learned contents communi-
cate fo little^ at leaft, to be generally under-
ftood : under the influence of this impreffion,
I have ever confidered fuch concife, plain,
intelligent advice, as will enable every gen-
tleman, fportfman, or traveller, to perceive
the neceflity of adapting the mode of fhoeing
to the fhape of his horfe's foot, and the man-
K 3 ner

134 SHOEING.

ner of his going, is all that can be required |
to prevent bowing implicit obedience to the
felf-fufficient dilation of every rural Vulcan^
who in general fpeaks fuch *' an infinite deal
of nothing/' that it is equally difficult to
underfland as to be underftood.

Previous to farther progrefs upon a fubje^t
we will endeavour to treat with great plain-
nefs and perfpicuity, it becomes unavoidably
neceflary to take a flight furvey of the incon-
fiftent ground-work, upon which the fabric
of fuch publications have been raifed ; as
we may, perhaps, have occafion to intro-
duce fome few obfervations of practical rcr
marks upon the propriety of their recommen-
dations, which fliall neverthelefs be produced
with all poffible delicacy to the diflferent
writers, wiil:iing by no means to irritate their
feeling in the fupport of an oppofite opinion,
where an incumbent duty renders the incul«
cation indifpenfable.

The inconfiderate career of fome pens, an4
the invincible cacoethes fcribendi of others,
compel the involuntary taflc of difquifition, tq

prevent;

SHOEING. 135

prevent the ill effedl of literan^ impofition, or
milreprefentation, upon the credulity and in-
experienced judgment of individuals ; who
are in general, particularly the irn cultivated
clajfcs, (by far the moft numerous) difpofed
to believe every thing fandtioned with the au-
thority of the prefs and the name of the prin-
ter bears the incontrovertible flamo of infal-
libility. Under the influence of this reflec-
tion, and to prove the ftrid: juftice of the af-
fertion, it becomes directly in point to irate
fuch inconfillencies as evidently arife in re-
tro fpect ion. A writer of the prefent day
confidently tells us in his title-page, he is
^* an experienced farrier of fifty years prac-
tice/* and promifes (according to cuftom)
a great deal more information and infliruction
than he ever condefcended to perform. He
then leads you through tw^o hundred pages
of dull, unintereiling, anatomical defcriptivey
obliquely copied from the elaborate work of
Gibson ; interlards the remaining hundred
and feventy pages with the almoil obfolete
prefcriptive parts of the ancient Syftem of
Farriery, (flightly varied to evade the charge
of dired: plagianfm) without the coinage of
K 4 a fww

136 SHOEING.

a new thought, or the leaft indicated know*
ledge of a ?iew medicine. The utility of bark^
opium, antimony^ and mercury, thofe grand
fiipporters of the materia medica, feem
almofi: unknown to him; and that great bafis
of external application in modern practice,
with its accumulation of valuable properties,
the Sx'\TURNiNE Extract, he has never
once given proof of the moft fuperficial ac-
quaintance with. But what renders it ftill
more extraordinary is, that out of fo great a
number of pages he has thought proper to
bellow upon the fubjed: of fjoeing, and all
the dif orders, accidents, or infirmities^ to ns^hich
the feet are liable, twelve only, including his
Jong and inoffenfive prefcripts for their miti-
gation or cure. However, as the circulation
of the book has been too contradled and in-
lignificant to gratify the wants, or eftablifli
the reputation of the writer, it will be but
an adl of charity to con trad: the remarks
alfo, fubmitting both to their inevitable obli-
vion.

Another of not only longer flanding, but
much greater eftimation, has condefcended to

afford

SHOEING. 137

afford a few more *' reflections upon
Shoeing Horses ;" but, exclufive of its
being a confeffed tranflation (and confequently
entitled to little more refpe<3: than hear-fay
evide?2ce in a court of jufticc) it is fo replete
with mechanical principles and mathematical
reafoning ; fo interfperfed with abftrufe refe-
rences and technical allufions to certain l)ones
and tendons^ their motions and effeBs^ that I
cannot reconcile the defcription as at all ap-
plicable to the intelledtual capacities of thofc
moflJy concerned in the operative or fuper-
intending part of the procefs.

A third has produced what he denominated
*' A Treatife on the Difeafes and Lamenefs
of Horfes, with a proper Method of Shoeing
in general ;'* but whether from a want of
^ability in his own difpofition (or what other
motive I know not) he foon took a formal
Jeave of the principal fubjecft, and entertained
bis readers with a dance through Turkey, the
defarts of Arabia, and ^ comparative furvey
of the whole animal creation; ornam.enting
almofl every page with various Latin quota^
fiqns^ as an excitenient to the general im-
provement

138 SHOEING.

provement of all parties interefted in the ex-*
pla?2atory parts of his work.

This author, in the early part of his tracft,
fays, '' If you pretend to have your horfe
fhod according to your own mind, it is a
general faying among thefe men, that they
do not want to be taught/' This very ac-
know^ledgment of his juftifies the neceffity of
recommending to the remembrance of every
gentleman, fportfman, or traveller, that he
is, hi the bujinefs of Jhoeing^ only the imagi^
nary main fpring in the operative part ; and
that his inclination or dired:ions become un-
avoidably dependent upon the will of another.
That this remark may be diverted of its para-
doxical appearance, let it be underftood how
very much the fafety^ propriety, and excel-
lence of manual execution depend upon the
well-timed liberality of the Gentleman;
or, in farther illuiiration of a paflage that
may favour too much of ambiguity to thofe
whofe pecuniary pulfations render it difficult
of comprehenfion, it is almoft incredible
how very much occafional judicious interpo^
litions of good heer, (or the means to obtain
it) with the fubordinate operator, improves,

ia

SHOEING. 139

io a certainty^ the fyftem of '' Shoeing in
Ceneral/' through every part of England,

The mechanical world at large ftand iii
no need of information, that in all climates,
regions, countries, and counties, there are
(paffing under the denomination of gentle^
77icn) poffeffors of horfes, too mean and
mercenary ever to be obevcd. farther than
they can comimand by the inceffant fufpi-
cion and perfonal fatigue of ocular dem.dn-
foation j whofe very fervants, as well as
tradefmen^ ]vA\y hold them in io much de-
teftation, and whofe condud: is fo incojijiji^
cntly conJifrC?it^ that it ferves only to in-
<:reafe the general odiuin of their charadiers,
(with the additional mortification of feeling
the weight of the opprobrium) without the
power or inclination to retrieve them..

This univerfal refentment extends itfelf,
in its efFecls, to his moft trifling concerns ;
the fame diflike and indifference that fol-
low him in all other refped:s, attend him
m this; the fignificant appellation of ^^ a
d—-d bad one'' is equitably bellowed upon
Iiin) by the domeftics under his own roof,

aii4

I40 SHOEING.

and re-echoed from fervant to f mi thy and
fniith to fervant ; while the poor animal
becomes the fabjed: of paffive obedience;
for whether well or illjkod, pricked or lamed y
is a matter of indifference to all parties ex-
cept the owner, who being thus acknow-
ledged fo defpicable a character, no one feels
for his difqiiietude or misfortunes, but ex-
ultingly exclaims, that what's too had for
another is too good for him.

Such characters as thefe are not the pro-
lific effed: of a fertile imagination, but ex-
ad: pidures of ohjeBs the produce of every
foil. No gratification of ambition, no per-
fonal oftentation, can be indulged in the
prefent difcrimination, by arraigning the
difgraceful want of liberality in others, or
vainly endeavouring to extol my own : it
is, however, matter of the mofl unfuUied
exultation, that fuch accufation has never
been known to reach the hofpitable hall
of a Sportsman's Habitation ; their
univerfally admitted generofity, calculating
upon the principle of felf-prefervation,
ftands much more in need of the curb
than the fpur^ the general tenor of every

purfuit

SHOEING. 141

piirfuit leaving them totally exculpated from
the bare lufpicion of being included in the
'* beggarly defcription."

Taking leave, therefore, of that part of
the fubjed: as can but ill accord with the
feelings of thofe who may become perfo-
nally affeded by fo faithful a reprefenta-
tion of their domeftic penury ; I beg per-
miffion to recommend for their delibera-
tive imiitatlon a part of m^y invariable prac-
tice for a feries of more than twenty years.
This has always been, to let the manual
operator (or journeyina?!^ whom I ever con-
fidered the 7naln fpring of the machine)
enjoy fome pecuniary compenfation, in ad-
dition to the profeffional emolument of
the mafter, not more from a confcientious
convidiion of its being greatly merited by
the trouble, care, and danger of (hoeing
high-fpirited and rcfradory horfes, than
experimental demonftration, that Genero-
sity, founded upon the bajis of equity ^ will
inevitably infure its own reward. This
is at leaft a leflbn I have every • right to
inculcate, when I can affirm with the ftridl-
eft veracity, I have never had a horfe Hif-

tain

142 S H O E I N Cr.

tain the moft trifling injury under the hands
of the Smith, nor ever a horfe p/ated but
what proved a winner^

The trifling attention, the humane bene-
faftion of a coohng beverage to allay thirft
in the exceffive heat of fummer, or the
falutary interpofition of an invigorating cor-
dial to encounter the extreme feverity of
froft or fnow in winter, are offices of kind-^
nefs that in their vifible effeds upon the
ha?id and hammer, infure, beyond a doubt,
the fafety of the horfe and the reputation
of the owner. The philanthropic influence
of ** doing as you would be done unto,"
is repaid with the moft flattering interellj
die fame care and attention beflowed upon
the feet in flioeing, are extended in general
tendernefs to the fafety of the whole frame
upon all other profeffional occafions ; if
refradlory or vicious, he is foothed by kind-
nefs, not provoked by violoice ; in fhort,
whatever fatigue enfaes, w^hatever diflJiculty
occurs, the execution is cheer fuly com-
pleated, with a retro fpedive reference to
the perfevering hofpitality of the Master,
who living in an unvaried fcene of uni-

verfal

SHOEING/ 143

verfal benevolence amidft his happy do-
meftics, enjoys the very anticipation of his
wiilies in the cheerful fervices of a long
lift of old and faithful dependents.

A contraft in charadler fo exceedingly
common, that it may be found in almoft
every parifli in the kingdom, is perhaps
well worthy the attention of thofe who
may be at all interefted in the defcription,
or their different effects. The conftant ill
ufage and violent abufe of horfes, either
ti7niiU vicious, or rfractory, under the hands
of the operator, is a matter of fufficient
notoriety to every m»an who has had occafion
to fuperintend their pracflice ; fuch cruelties
require not to be fought after in remote cor-
ners by fcrutinizing curiofity, they m.eet the
eye of the Traveller daily in the moft
public fituations. No judicious obferver, no
old groom or young fmith, need be reminded
what an infinity cf fine and valuable horfes
go through a tedious talk of mifery in re-
peated bleedings, mercurial purges, roivels,
and courfe of alteratives, for defedls or
difeafes in the eyes, originating only in the
cruel hand and heavy hamm.er of the Smith,

with

144 SHOEING.

with the emphatical accompaniment of

*^ Jiand Jiill and be d— — -i to ye,^' when
lliifting and uneafy under the operation of
fhoeingj a circumflance that during a cer-
tain feafon of the year, is frequently o€ca-
lioned by fies only, and confequently to be
removed with very httle trouble either to
the animal, or his more inveterate perfe^
cutor.

This dehneation may ferve as an epitome
of the many injuries fuftained from fimilar
adts of injuftice, the true caufes of which
are never difcovered or known but to the
inhuman perpetrators : from fevere blows
with inllruments of this kind (as hammer^
pincers, blood-ftick, &c.) frequently ori-
ginate lamenefs in various parts, tumours,
formation of matter, wounds, exfoliations^
with others too numerous and probable for
enumeration ; all or either of which, are
generally attributed to a different caufe, or
defed: in the conftitution, and treated accor-
dingly. Injuries to the eyes and diflodge-
ment of the teeth are, however, among the
moll common evils of this kind ; which are
in general tolerably reconciled to the too
4 gi-cat

SHOEING. 145

great credulity of the owner, by the plan-
iible ficlion of the experienced adept in im-
poiition, who is always prepared to report
one the effecl of a kick^ the other a bite.
Dangerous as thefe praciices are to horfcs of
any age or qualifications, they are doubly fo
to young ones ; for a degree of fe verity and
iil ufage at their firft and fecond ihoeings
very frequently fixes in the difpofition an
habitual averfion to Smiths, and a reluctance
in approaching their fiops, never after to be
obliterated by any means whatever ; and how-
ever opinions may clafli upon the fubjed: of
extreme feverity to horfes, I ihall continue
to perfevere in the truth of my former affer-
tion, — it they are innately timidy viciotcs, or
rejiive^ unconditional' violence alone will
never make them better.

Having found it unavoidable to introduce
remarks that are not only evidently con-,
necfted with, but neceffary to ufher in the
fubjed:, we now proceed to fuch fuperficial
knowledge of the operative part, as it is
abfolutely requiiite every perfon fhould be
in poffellion of, who wiihes to underfcand.
and retain the power t'.^ diredt a method of

Vol, II. L fhoeing.

146 SHOEING,

Ihoeing beft adapted to the foot and aftion
of his own horfe. I never confidered it at
all neceflary that a gentleman, fportfman,
tradefman, or traveller, is to commence
blackfmith in theory, and go through the
rudiments of the trade to promote his inten-
tion; that has hitherto been the fyftematic
mode of tuition : but when it is conlidered
how very few will enter a wide field of
abftrufe ftudy, to comprehend what lie is told
is a proper mxthod oi Jkoeing his horfe ^ it can
create no furprife that it has been attended
with fo little fuccefs.

My conception of the neceflary know-
ledge is unequivocally this : although every
Smith in profeflional etiquette may be
deemed an artijl, I defy the force of logic
itfelf to render every artift a conjurer ; and
as there muft inevitably remain among the
collateral defcendants from Vulcan (as in
moft other profeflions) fome prodigies of
brightncfs^ who, incapable of diftinguifliing
right from wrong, fljoe one horfe as they fJooe
another^ or, in plainer Englifh, Jhoe all alike ;
fuch difcrimination becomes palpably ufeful,
as will enable the owners to give condi,

tional

SHOEING. 147

tional directions for the eafe and fafety of his
horfe, without relying entirely upon thofe
who will frequently be found to pcffefs little
or no judgment at all.

The greater part of thofe writers who
have favoured the public with a communi-
cation of their fentiments upon this fubjed:,
feem extravagantly fond of an idea borrowed
from antiquity, and transferred from one to
another, upon the practicability of horfes
travelling the road, and doing their conftant
work without any fhoeing at all : fuch ceco-
nomical plan may be admirably calculated for
the theoretical journey of fome literary fpecu-
latift, up two or three pair of flairs in a re-
mote corner of the metropolis ; but I will
venture to affirm, no fuch excurfion can take
place of any duration, without material in-
jury to the Hoof, unlefs to the high bred
horfes of authors^ many of whom enjoy their
journies, as Bajazet enjoyed i:is cruelty, only
^* IN imagination/'

One of thefe (Osmer) has introduced his
remarks with the following rhapsodical ex*
poftulation ;

• L 2 '' When

148 SHOEING.

** When time was young, when the earth
was in a ftate of nature, and turnpike roads
as yet were not, the horfe needed not the
affiftance of this artifl ; for the divine Artift
had taken care to give his feet fuch defence
as it pleafed him ; and who is weak enough
to fuppofe his wifdom was not fufficient to
the purpofe in fuch a ftate ?'*

He then proceeds to juftify an opinion,
that horfes are adequate to their different
fervices in a ftate of nature without the offi-
cious obtrufions of art ; venturing to affirm
that they '* will travel even upon the turn-
pike roads about London, without injury to
their feet/' I avail myfelf of the prefent
opening to difclaim every idea of attacking
the remarks or opinions of others, from a
motive of intentional oppofition, or to in-
dulge a vein of fatire, that affertions fo
cynically fingular and extraordinary naturally
excite ; and ftiall therefore introduce upon
the prefent occafion no other refleftion than
a certain fenfation of furprife, that he did
not infmuate the palpable fuperfluity or lux-
ury oijhoes and /lockings to the natives of our
own country, particularly when even the

fair

SHOEING. 149

fair fex of many neighbouring kingdoms
convince us they can walk equally upright
without.

In farther confirmation of the behef he
wifhes to eftabhihj he fays, ** we may every
day fee horfes, mares, and cohs running
about upon all forts of ground unlhod, and
uninjured in their feet/' This is certainly
a truth too univerfally known even to be
queflioned ; but by no means to be fo far
ftrained in its conftrucSion as to be rendered
applicable, in a comparative view, to the
ftate of working horfes upon hard or ilony
roads, where the conftant fricSion in riding,
or the fulcruT}! in drawing, muft inevitably
prove injurious, if not totally deftruftive to
the foot in general ; producing fand-cracksy
tbrujldy bruifes of the frog^formatioris of mat ^
ter^ and other infirmities, as is very fre-
quently the cafe, (when a fhoe has been for
fome time call unobferved by the rider ;)
conftituting a blemifh or defed in the fub-
jedl never to be retrieved. Mares and colts
or horfes turned out to grafs without fhoes,
are generally kept upon low, moift, or marlhy

L 3 ground.

j^o S H O E I N G.

ground, admirably adapted to prefefvc th^
foot in a growing ftate of perfed:ion ; the
cafe is exceedingly different, and will bear no
parallel with horfes of the above dcfcription ;
nor can I heiitate to believe, but the abfolutc
neceffity of fubflantially guarding the foot,
is too well eftabliihed, by immemorial expe-
rience, to be at all iV.aken by the introduc-
tion of any new opinions upon that part of
the fubjcd:.

I muf!:, to avoid a mifconception of my
purpofe, before 1 proceed, confefs my obli-
gation as an individual, to the memories
of thofe gentlemen who have formerly at-
tended to and written upon this head, with
a defire to improve it for the promotion of a
general good ; and am forry a total want of
paffive pliability in my own pen, will not
permit me to adhere to the '* good old cujloni'^
of implicitly tranfmitting to fucceeding gene-
rations, the immaculate purity of their dic-
tations, without prefuming to introduce an
opinion of my own.

** Learn to do well by others harm'* is
an axiom of too much excellence to be ob-
literated

SHOEING. 151

llterated from a memory replete with obfer-
vant advantages arifing from reflection. If
I could become fo fubfervient to the fafli ion-
able impulfe of literary ambition as to ex-
ped: to be generally read, and after fuch
reading to be generally underftood, I might
enjoy much pleafure in going over the de-
fcriptive confirmation of the bo?ics, tendons^
the inner jlejhy^ and the outer horny f ok ^ the
frog, and crujl or hoof^ with their different
appropriations i but having the moil indif-
putable reafon to believe, that very abjlrucity
of reafoning^ and myfterious introduction of
technical terms y have in a great degree pre-
vented the reading of publications upon this
fubjecS, I fhall (in earnefl hope of laying jufl
claim to fuperior attention) defcend, like the
orator in one of the celebrated Foote's
comedies, *' to the vale of common fenfe^
that I may be the better underftood.'"

It has been the fecondary confideration
of thefe fpeculative writers, or theoretical
fportfmen, (fuppofing a perfeverance in the
cuftom of flioeing not to be aboliihed upon
the power of their perfuafions) to propa-
gate and re-echo a doc^lrine equally abfurd,

L 4 tending

1^2 S H O E I N a

tending to what they prctcfid to believe^ a
proportional reformation in feme part of the
operation; vi^r. ** That the Jo/c and Jrog of
a horfe'?^ foot need never be pared at alL''
To take up as little of the reader^s time as
the nature of the obfervation will admit,
I ihail very much contra (ft what I wifli to
introduce more at large upon the inconfift-
ency of the declaration ; particularly, as
tlicfe rcjincmcnts feem brought forward more
from a fcarcity of matter, neceffary to com-
plete tlieir arrangement of pages for the
prcfs, than the leaft probable utility to be
derived from remarks fo erroneous in their
formation.

Says the author before-mentioned, in con-
tinuation of his affcrtions, borrowed froni
La Fojfc, ** There is another reafon equally
obvious ; which is, that the wifdom of the
Creator intended this outer Ible, and its ob-
duracy, as a natural and proper defence to
the inner fo!e, which lies imm.ediately under
the other, between that and the bone of
the foot/' He then proceeds, *' If it be
afked, what becomes of the fole when not

pared ?

SHOEING. 153

pared ? It dries, feparates, and fcales away."
In concife reply to this fublime juflification,
and very Jt?7iplc explanation, I ihould, in any
converfation with the writer, if he had not
pafTed '* that bourne from whence no travel-
ler returns,'* have folicited a greater degree
of candour in his opinion : v/hether the nails
were not furnifhed to our ov/n frames by the
'' wifdom of the Creator as a natural and
proper defence" to parts of the moft exqur-
fite fenfibility ? And Vv^hether the exuberant
fuperflux in conftant growth was never to
be reduced to the ftandard of mediocrity, till
every individual of the human fpecies became
a voluntary Nebuchadnezzar ; becaufe, upon
the opinions of La Fosse, Osmer, and
others, it would be the greateft prefumption
to fuppofe ** the divine Artift" had left any
part of his works the lead room for rc6lifi-
cation ?

We might certainly introduce with pro-
priety, a fucctfiion of fimilies perfectly in
point to render the idea ridiculous ; refifting,
however, the great temptatiori to anim.advert
upon palpable abfurdities, we come to the

proof

154 S H O E I N G.

proof of its *'*' dryings feparating^ zxidifcalmg
away.'^ The fadt is not literally fo, as may-
be corrobrated by any judicious obferVer ac-
cuftomed to examine the feet of horfes with
the degree of accuracy and nice diftin(!l:ion,
neceffary \,o jiijiify or dif prove any opinion that
may be promulgated for public inveftigation
or improvement. It is a matter too well known
to admit of momentary cavil, that the foot, by
being permitted to remain too long in its na-
tural ftate without redudtion, acquires in its
feveral parts the appearance of deformity;
the hoof grows long, narrow, and weak ; the
foky as he fays, feparates, (but in part only)
and comes way in partial scales, leaving
a rough, hard, uneven furface oi cavities and
frojcBions ; the frog becoming bruifed, rag-
ged, and putrefied, even to different degrees
of lamenefs. This being the exadl reprefen-
tation of a foot left to growth in a rude and
unimproved ftate, the propriety or impro-
priety of judicioully parirg each part, to pro-
mote a correfponding firmnefs, and preferve
the neceflary uniformity, can never become
the fubjedt of difputation, but among thofe
whofe intellectual faculties are abforbed in

fuch

S H O E I N G. 155

fuch an abundant flow of imaginary matter^
as to render pradlical refearches and ocu-
lar demonftration too infignificant for the
condefcending inquiries of fuperior under-
iiandings.

Previous :o a dcfcription of the different
kinds of feet, at leaft the quahty or texture
of their formation, and the mode of shoe-
ing beft adapted to each; a few words may
be properly introduced upon the many horfes
rendered temporary cripples by the injudici-
ous or improper mode of forming or fetting
a fhoe, without a relative confideration to the
Jhape or 7nake of the foot, or the fizc and
a^ion of the horfe. What renders the cir-
cumftance ftill more extraordinary is, that
this error in judgment fo conftantly happens
without the leaft difcovery by either owner
or operator in their frequent furveys and
tedious confultations ; and I am the more
ftrengthened in my confirmation of this fad:,
by the repeated inftances where the ceremxO-
nies of embrocating with thofe Vulcanian
fpecifics, origanum and turpentine, have been,
perfevered in (even to the ails of Blister-
ing

256 SHOEING.

ING and Rowelling) till by my defire the
JJdoe has be 672 taken off, when the caufe has
been inftantly difcovered and immediately
removed.

This is a circumftance that I doubt
not has fo frequently happened in the re-
membrance of every reader of experience/
it can ftand in no need of flirther illuftra-
tion ; we therefore proceed to fuch defcrip-
tion of the exterior parts immediately con-
cerned in the operation of ilioeing, as upon a
fuperficial furvey meet the eye of every in-
fpedtor. Thefe are, firll, the bottom or lower
edge of the Hoof, furrounding the whole
extremity of the foot, not only as a fafe-
guard and general defence againft external
injuries, but is the dired: part to which the
fhoe is fcientifically fixed, to effed: the pur-
pofes for which it was generally intended*
Secondly, the horny or outer sole, co-
vering the entire bottom of the foot, except
the Frog, which is fituate in the center,
(pafling in a longitudinal diredion from heel
to toe) and forms by its elafticity the ful-
crum, or expanding bafis of the tendon,
4 upon

SHOEING. 157

upon which the very adlion of the horfe de-
pends,

Thefe are the external parts appearing
upon the fur face, that prefent themfelves
to the fpeftator, and conftitute in general all
that he is fuppofed or required to know ; re-
mote confiderations and operative confequences
appertaining much more to the profeilional
knowledge of the Artist than any acquired
information of the Owner.

Perfedlly convinced that every man may
judicioufly fuperintend, or properly dired: the
(hoeing of his horfe, in a manner evidently
adapted to his foot, f^^, iveight, purpofe^
and manner of going, without the ill-accord-
ing intervention of an abftrufe ftudy very
little attended to, (however elaborately urged)
I forbear impofition upon public patience,
by any attempt to introduce an imitation or
oblique copy of anatomical defcriptive, io
accurately delineated and defcribed in the
copper-plates and references of Gibson and
Bart LET, with, I am forry to fay, fo little
fucccfs ; if I may be allowed to explain, by

an

158 SHOEING.

an opinion that tht/lirr/ers themfelves, a very
inferior proportion excepted, feem to have
imbibed no additional knowledge in equef-
trian anatomy, from ftudies fo laudably ex-
erted and clearly explained.

We come next to an explanation of the
different kinds of feet, as they appear in dif-
ferent fubjefts in their natural ftate. Thefe
may be defined under three diftinfl: heads :
the fliort, found, /?/ack, fubllantial hoof; the
fhallow, long, weak, zvhite^ brittle hoof; and
the deep, \z.y., poroiu^fpongy hoof. Of thefe,
the firft is fo evidently fuperior, that unlefs
by improper or unfair treatment, it hardly ever
becomes the fubjedt of difeafe. The next is
carefully to be avoided in the purchafe if pof-
lible, not only on account of their being more
fubjedl to coj^ns than any other, but indicative.
in a great degree of conftitutional delicacy in
either horfe or marc, they not being fowell
enabled to bear hard work or conftant fatigue^
The laft of the three is fo equally inferior to
the firft, that from a variety of caufes it is
frequently productive of incefl'ant attention,
anxiety, difeafe, and lamenefs.

Having

SHOEING. 159

Having taken a view of the kinds of
feet that conftantly pafs through the hands
of the Smith in his daily pradice ; and
knowing the various ftates and forms in
which they become fubjed: to his infpec-
tion, it is abfolutely impoffible, in all that
ever has been Vv'ritten, or can be advanced, to
lay down certain and invariable rules for the
exacfl management of this, or the direct
treatment of that particular foot^ without a
conditional reference to the judicious eye
and difcretional hand of the Ov/ner or
Operator. It muft prove palpably clear
to every enlightened inquirer, that no opinion
or dired:ions JlriElly infallible can be commu*
nicated through the medium of the prefs, ap-
plicable to every particular purpofe, without
proportional contribution from the judgment
of the parties concerned, to give the ground
work of conditional information its proper
effed.

Such inftruftions, however accurately dc^

fcrihed^ muft unavoidably remain fubjedl to

contingent deviations, regulated entirely by

(he ftate of the foot and circumftances of the

cafe;

i6o SHOEING.

cafe; in a multiplicity of which, fo many
unexpedled variations occur, as render one
fixed mode of fhoeing abfolutely impractica-
ble with every kind of horfe, notvvithftanding
what may have been hitherto advanced from
SUPPOSED HIGH AUTHORITY to the Con-
trary.

There are, neverthekfs, fome general rules
in the proper fyftem of flioeing and preferv-
ing the feet, not eafily to be miftaken by folly
or perverted by ignorance, that fliall be fub-
mitted to confideration before we take leave
of the fubjed: before us; previous to which,
fome part of M. La Fosse's obfervations,
fo ftrenuoufly recommended by Bart let,
become wxll worthy the attention of every
gentleman -or fportfman, who may wifli to
affift his judgment in the inquiry, and enable
himfelf to decide iinpartially^ upon the pro-
priety or impropriety of having bis horfe fliod
upon principles that have ftood hitherto in-
controverted, from a fear (I fufpedl) of ar-
raigning authorities, the dread of whofe names
may have deterred many practitioners of emi-
nence from fo defirable a purpofc.

I have

SHOEING. i6i

I have more than once alTerted my determi«
nation to interfere as httle as poflible with the
opinions or inftrudiions of former writers, but
where it became unavoidably neceffary to
eftabhfh an oppofite opinion, or corroborate
a fart. It is a matter of fome furprife that
authors of eminence, who are naturally fup-
pofed to be *' armed at all points," (hould be
fo incautioufly off their guard, as to contradidt
themfelves in the very ad: and emulation of
conveying tuition to others. I have given a
mofi: ftriking inftance of this error in my
former volume, upon the inadvertency of
OsMER, who repeatedly fays, with the greats
cjl confidence and feeming beliefs '' Tendons
are unelaftic bodies ;'/ and frequently, in the
fame or the very next page, tells you, '* the
tendon 'was elongated y I believe fuch affertion
is of a complexion too paradoxical to require
from me the moft trifling elucidation.

Faffing over this privilege of authors with
no other remark than bare remembrance, I
come direcftly to the analyzation of as palpable
a profeffional contradicftion broached by La
Fosse, and given to the public by Bart-
let, in the true fpirit of im.plicit and

Vol. II. M enthufiaftic

i6i S H O E I N G,

cnthufiaftic obedience. Thefe Gentlemen
have in fuccefllon, after going over (as before^
obferved) a great deal of unneceffary ground
totally unintelligible to the fportiJig world^.
endeavoured to convince us, that pari?7g the
fole or frog is not only unneceffary, but
abfolutely prejudicial ; for, fay they, to efta-
blifh a credulous confirmation of their erro-
neous conjecture, *' if you pare away the fole
or frog in any degree, the more you pare,
the farther you lake from the ground the
fupport of the tendon, which fo entirely de-
pends upon the elafticity of the frog."' If
any one perfon living could be found {o un-
expectedly ignorant as to pare \k\^foot partis
ally (that is, all behind and none before) fuch
effect might probably enfue ; but furely no
rational obferver v/ill attempt to deny or dif-
prove a palpable demonftration, that all parts
of the foot being equally pared-, (that is, the
HOOF, SOLE, and frog) the centre of fup-
port and aftion muft be ftill the fame.

But was it really as they have faid ; if
what they have fo learnedly advanced was
literally and juftly true, what do they im-»
mediately do after this judicious and dida-

torial

SHOEING. 163

torial decifion ? Why, ftrongly recommend,
with the full force of theoretic perfuafion,
the introdudion of a mode of ilioeing di-
reElIy contradi^ory to the opinion juft re-
cited, that may be perfedtly adapted to and
coincide with the fentiments of any writer
in the ad: of amuiing himfclf, employing
the Printer^ and deceiving the Public ; but
can never be brought into general pradice,
without perpetual hazard to the horfe, and
imminent danger to the rider. This is fo
perfectly clear, that I v/ill go very far be-*
yond bare literary affertion, and be bound
to ftake both property and profeffional re-
putation, upon the certain failure of their
improved propofition of fhoeing, with what
they call their half-moon flioe, with all its
boafted advantages. A long chain of re-
marks in oppofition is by no means neceffary,
a very concife and candid invefiigation will
afford ample proof of their having reconciled
(in compliment to their patient readers) as
palpable contradidions in defcription as
OsMER, whofe ** unelaftic tendon" was im-
mediately after *' elongated.'"

You are given to underftand (as I have
M % before

i64 SHOEING.

before obferved) that in their opinion, if you
pare the fole or ft'og^ you prevent the heel
of the horfe from coming into conftant con-
tad: with the ground ; and the tendon is de-
prived of the elaftic alTiftance of the frog
to promote its expaniion and contraction .
This is at leaft the exad: purport of their
defcription, if not given in the very fame lan-
guage, and is very well entitled to the delibe-
rate attention of thofe who wifh to underftand
accurately the ftate of the tendon (or back
finews) when in the Stabularian tongue they
are faid to be *' let down,^^

Such a paring and hollowing out of the
heel as they feem to defcribe, muft be a moft
unmerciful deilrucStion of parts, and what I
believe can feldom happen in the prefent age,
unlets in the remote and leaft improved parts
of the kingdom. Concluding, however, they
took only a conjedlural furvey of this mat-
ter, I muft beg leave to obferve, that im-
mediately after reprobating the idea of raifing
the frog from the ground by paring, they
ftrenuoully recommend a much more cer-
tain method of producing the very evil they
tell you they wifti to prevent. And this by

raifing

S H O E I N G. 165

raifing all the fore part of the foot, with
*' the half-moon fhoe, ict on to the mid-
dle of the hoof,'' not only forming an irre-
gular and preternatural furface, but (by a
want of length and fupport at the heel) con-
llituting an unavoidable chance of relaxing
the finews in their perpetual probability of
their being extended beyond the eUiJiic 'power
prefcribed by nature.

This difference of opinion becomes fo im-
mediately connected with a particular pailage
in my form^er volume upon the fubjed: of
"• Jlrains''^ that it is abfolutely neceffary to
quote a few lines for the better comprehen-
iion of the cafe before us ; for I have there
faid, '* To render this idea fo clear that
it cannot be milUnderllood, let us fuppofe
that a horfe is going at his rate, and in fo
doing his toe covers a prominence, or the
edge of one, where the heel h.is no^ fup-
port^ it confequently extends the tendons
beyond the diftance afforded by nature, and
inftantly continues what is called a letting
down of the back finevv'^s,'* a circumftance
that conftantly happens upon the turf in run-

M3' ning

i66 S H O E I N G.

ning for a heat, and the horfe is then faid to
have ** broken down.'*

This defcripticn comes to diredlly in point
with the fliape and ftate of the horfe's foot
in tbeir mode of JJjoeirig, that the horfe miift
be at all times liable to fudden lamenefs,
and more particularly at the riling of every
hill, where his foot would be exaftly in
the fituation by which I have defcribed ftrains
to be acquired. Every Reader at all ac-
quainted with, or having even a tolerable
idea of the anatomical ftrudure of the leg
and foot, by taking a comparative view of
the mode of. Ihoeing recommended, and the
evident manner of fuilaining an injury in the
baek fijieivs, as they are termed, will be
fufliciently enabled to decide upon the eon-
Jijlency of the propofed plan, and, I flatten
myfelf, enough convinced of the danger, to
coincide w^ith me in opinion, that a horfe
Ihod in this manner, to cover a hilly coun--
try either in a journey or the chaee, muft
inevitably fall dead lame from a relaxation
of the tendinous parts ; or, even in a low
flat country, become fo exceedingly weary
from a want of proper fupport for the heel,

that

SHOEING. 167

that he could never be able to go through
a lecond day's fatigue without an alteration
in his favour.

Eftablifliing this as a fadl not to be con-
troverted by the fallacious eftcd: of fpecu-
lative rumination, and perfedly convinced
neither entertainment nor utility can be de-
rived from farther tedious explanatory re-
marks and obfervations upon the inconve-
niencies of fuch mode of llioeing, as well as
the numerous difficulties not to be furmounted
if inadvertently encountered ; I fhall only
flightly infinuate the abfolute impojjibility of
hunting or travelling (particularly in the
rainy feafons) in various hilly or chalky
parts of the kingdom, without the accumu-
lated probabilities of lamenefs to the horfe,
continual danger to the rider, and the inevi-
table certainty of bruifing the heel and frog to
a degree of difeafe, which mull: prove the rcr.
fulting evil even upon the flatteft and beft
turnpikes ; but in the rough and ftony roads,
or ftrong and dry hard clays, fuch events
may be expeded as totally unavoidable.

jBidding adieu io a mode of (lioeing calcu-
M 4 lated

i68 S H 0 E I N G.

lated only for the foft and artificial floor-
ing of a French Riding School, we
come to fuch confiderations as are adapted
to the fiate of our own roads, the ciiftoms
of our country, and the intellediual faculties
of thofe to whofe fcientific Ikill the mallea-
bility of the metal, the important ufe of the
butteris, the judicious formation of the fhoe,
and the equally decifive direction of the nail,
are univerfally entrufted. Adverting for a
moment to the before-mentioned allufion to
OsMER'S obfervation upon thcfe men, who
fay, ** they do not want to be taught/' it
is very natural to fuppofe, from the profef-
lional knowledge they Jhould have acquired hy
ftrid: attention and fteady experience, that
they CANNOT ** want to be taught ;'' but
that their judgment, founded upon the bell
bafis, fnanual art^ and ocular infpcBion^
OUGHT TO BE much fuperior to any theo-
retical inftrudlions that can be obtruded or
enforced. Under that perfuafion, and feel-
ing for thofe few who have induitrioufly
rendered themfclves adequate to all the diffi-
culties of the trade, I feel no furpnfe that
fuch fpirited expoftulations (hould be made,
as mull frequently happen in reply to many

pedantic

"^

SHOEING. 169

pedantic confequential pretenders, who by
their futile re?narks and ignorant inJiruElion^
excite the jealous irritability of men, who,
confcious of their own ability and integrity,
poffefs (hkc Hotfpur) too much innate fpirit
and perfonal courage to be perpetually pef-
tered by ^' a popping jay.**

It has been before obferved, that many
horfes have undergone various operations for
fuppofed Ia?neneffes in different parts, when
TIME, and the lucky interpofition of a ju-
dicious opinion, have difcovered the caufe
to be (where it is too feldom accurately
fearched for) in the foot> Lamenefs of this
defcription proceeds in general from fome one
or other of the following caufes : the nail
holes for the faftening of the flioe to the foot
being inferted too far from the outer edge,
in the web of the fhoe, and confequently,
when tight clinched, bearing too hard upon
the flefhy edge of the inner fole, conftitutes
a preternatural compreffion upon the internal
parts and confequeut impediment to cafe or
adiion.

Another caufe exceedingly common, (when

the

170 SHOEING.

the horfe is faid to be pricked in (hoeing) is
the oblique direcflion of a nail, which, taking
an improper and inverted courfe, either per-
forates, or in its progrefs prefles upon the
inner fole, pundluring feme of the foft parts,
thereby producing certain lamcnefs : which,
rjot immediately difcovered, tends to inflam-
mation, that too often terminates in a remote
formation of matter conftituting a cafe of the
moil ferious confequence,

A third caufe is the inconfiftent method of
forming the web of the flioe too wide for
the foot of the horfe, and railing it fo much
or hollowing it out ?M round t/jc inner edgc^
as to give it a palpable convexity when fixed
to ti'ie hoof. By this convexity round the in-
ner edge of the w^eb, the fupport becomes
unnaturally partial, and even in the conftant
weight of the horfe only (vv'ithout recurring
to adtion) conftitutcs an oppofition to its ori-
ginal purport ; for the invariable preffure
upon the curved part of the llioe only muft
raife in the furrounding parts fuch a propor-
tional counteradlron, that the harder the horfe
bears in aclion upon a hard furface, the more
muft every motion tend to force the very nails

from

S H O E I N G. 171

from their hold, but that the clinches prevent
their being withdrawn : in this ftate the horfe,
though not abfolutely lame, limps in perpe-
tual uneaiinefs, till the clenches of the nails
are {o relaxed as to bring the center nearly to
a level with the reft of the foot, where it
frequently forms an additional caufe to the
original ill, by coming into clofe contad; with
the fole, which prcffing upon with any degree
of fe verity, occafions a flight lamenefs that
becomes immediately perceptible.

Another very common caufe of lamenefs
with horfes of this defcription originates in
the fhoes being formed too fiort and narrow
at the heel, by which means, in lefs than a
week's conftant wear, the hoof (or *' cruji,^^
fome writers have termed it for the fake of
refinement) being alfo narrow, the heels of
the fhoes make gradual impreffion and con-
ftitute a palpable indentation upon the edge
of the fole, direcflly over its articulation with
the hoof, producing to a certainty, if perfe-
vered in, the foundation of corns, or a tem-
porary lamenefs, that is generally removed by
jremoving the flioe.

A few

172 SHOEING,

•A few additional bad effecfls, but of infe-
rior confequence, refulting from injudicious
Ihoeing, may be concifely ranged under the
heads of railing the Jhoes too high in the heels
without due difcrimination, throwing the fet-
lock joint into a diHortive pofition ; corns ill
treated or horfes ill floods to occafion the im-
perfeftion of cutting either before or behind,
an evil arifing much more from want of pro-
feffional accuracy in the operator, than any
abortive effort in the procefs of Nature.
Thefe are, however, merely fuperficial incon-
veniencies to be remedied by fuch attention
and circumfpedion as no one friend to the ani-
mal wc treat of will ever refufe to beftow.

Rules for the prevention or cure of thefe
are luckily calculated by their brevity for
communication or retention. The heels of
horfes fhould never be artificially raifed only
in exad: proportion to the flate of their feet,
the feafon of the year, and their manner of
going, not without fomie additional reference
to the road or country they generally travel ;
all which, every Smith of the leafl emi-
nence fhould perfedly underfiand from prac-
tical experience y without a long table of con-
2 ditional

SHOEING. 173

ditional inftruftions to fix a criterion, which
muft, after all the fpec illative matter or ex-
perimental knowledge that can be introduced,
be regulated by the exercife of his own pro-
feffional penetration, or the perfonal fuper-
intendance of thofe, whofe inftrudions it
muft be his intereft to obey.

. Corns, in general occafioned much more
by the unobferved ftridure of the Jl^oe (as
before defcribed) than any defed in nature,
are not fufRciently attended to in their earlieft
ftate for fpeedy obliteration; but permitted
to acquire by time and continuance of the
caufe, a rigid callofity before the leaft attempt
is made for extirpation j during which inat-
tention they become io inflexibly firm in their
bails, that they are not eafily to be eradicated,
though great care and perfeverance will greatly
alTift their mitigation, if not entirely eftablilh
their cure.

The befl and mofl confiftent method is to
reduce it with the drawing knife, as much as
the extent of the corn and the depth of the
fole will admit, obferving not to exceed the
bounds of difcretion in penetrating the horny

fole

174 S H O E i N G.

fole too deeply, rendering by a ftep of impru-*
dence, the remedy worfe than the difeafe*
When it is thus reduced as much as the ftate
of the corn and the texture of the foot will
jufi-ifv, let the entire deftruftion of it be at-
tempted by the occafional application of a few
drops of Oil of vitriol over its whole furface ;
or its rapidity of growth reftrained by the af-
fiftance of Goulard *s extraB offatur?2^ trau-^
matic (com.monly called Friar's) balfam^ cam-
phorated fpirits of wine, or tincture of myrrh.

This being performed, if the vacuum is
large or deep from whence the fubftance has
been extrad:ed, and the operator has been
under the neceffity of nearly perforating the
outer fole, fo as to be produftive of additional
tendernefs to the original caufe of complaint i
care muft be taken to prevent the infinuation
of extraneous fubftances of different kinds,
as Jlones^ gravel, dirt^ or fuch other arti-
cles as may very much irritate and injure
the part. This is beft effedted by plugging
up the cavity with a pledget of tow, firfl:
hardening the furface well with one of the
before-mentioned fpirituous applications ; re-
membering not to infert the tow too clofely to
I deftroy

SHOEING. 175

deftroy its elaftic property, forming a hardnefs
from its abundance, that may painfully prefs
upon the tender part it is defigned to defend.

It has long been an eftablilhed practice
after drawing a corn ; an injury fuftained in
any part of the hoof, caufing a partial defecft
or a difeafed ftate of the frog, as inveterate
thrufb, &c. to protect the part with a bar-fioe
formed and adapted to fach purpofe : this is
certainly a conditional fecurity, but there is
ftill a fpace between the foot and the fioe to
receive and retain any fubftance, that may be-
come injurious by its lodgment and painful
preflure as before-mentioned. To prevent
the poffibility of Vv^hich I fliould always re-
commend (in cafes that require it) the infinu-
ation of a fufficient quantity of tow to fill up
the interftice j and that its retention there
might be rendered a matter of greater cer-
tainty, it ihould be w^ell impregnated w^th a
portion oi diachylon with the gums ^ firfl: melted
over the fire; this will not only fill up the
opening with neatnefs (properly managed) but
form a boljier of cafe to the part, and exclude
to a certainty the admiffion of articles we
have juft defcribed.

The

176 SHOEING.

The cutting of horfes is in general attri^
buted to feme impropriety in the mode of
forming or fetting the llioe ; though this is by-
no means to be confidered the invariable caufe,
forfuch inconvenience is fometimes produced
by very different means. Horfes, for inftance,
frequently injure themfelves when in too long
and repeated journies they become leg weary,
and though of great fpirit and bottom, com-
pulfively fubmit to the power of exhaufted
nature ; when hardly able to get one foot be-
fore the other, it can create no furprife that
they feel it impoffible to proceed in equal di-
red:ion, but move their limbs in the moft ir-
regular manner, ^warping and twijiing^ as if
their falling muft prove inevitable at every
fucceffive motion. In fuch ftate of bodily
debilitation, injuries of this kind are un-
doubtedly fuflained, and too often by the in-
advertency or inexperience of the rider or
driver, fuppofcd to arife from fome imp'er-
fedion in the operation of flioeing, which in
this inftance is no way concerned.

It is not fo in others, where the fhoe be-
ing formed too w^ide for the hoof^ or with a
projeding fvveep at the hcel^ (particularly in

horfes.

SHOEING. 177

liorfes, who, from an irregular fhape of die
foot, called turning out the toe, are addi£led
to a kind of curve in action againft the fet-
lock joint of the other leg) the evil is con-
ftituted to a certainty ; but when it arifes
from thefe caufes, it is always to be removed
or greatly mitigated by the judicious in-
terpofition of the Smith, whofe particular
province it is to difcover and remedy the
defedl.

Another caufe of this inconvenience very
frequently proceeds from what I have ever
t:oniidered a palpable abfurdity in the fyftem
of fhoeing, and anxioufly wifh it to undergo
a general improvement : this is the incon^
Jijlent, ridiculous y and I hiay almoft venture
to add, ijivincible folly of forming a groove in
the web of the flioe, neither large enough
nor deep enough to admit the head of the
nail, for the entire reception of which the
plan w^as originally formed ; though feldom
or ever made fufficiently wide to complete the
purport of its firft intention.

The difadvantages arifing from this want

(or proftitution) of judgment in execution, is

Vol. II. N not

178 SHOEING.

fiot more the irx-egular furface of the (oot^
upon a hard road or pavement^ throwing it
unavoidably into a variety of unnatural poii-
tions by the heads of fome nails being ridi-
Guloufly high or projecting from the flioe,
and others as much below them, than the
certainty of all the clinches being raifed in
a very few days ufe by the weight and adion
of the horfe, which on the infide of each
foot conftitute the evil to a degree of feve-
rity with horfes that go clofe, particularly if
permitted to remain long in fuch ftate unat-
tended to. Upon expoflulation, you are told,
** this is a matter of no inconvenience ; that
they will foon be worn down and become
equal.*' If fuch affertion was to be admitted
without oppolition refped:ing the irregularity
of the furface, and diflortive pofitions of the
foot, it by no means affeds the certainty o>f
rendering the clinches not only evidently
injurious in the degree before recited, but of
little utility (after a few days wear) in fe-
curing the flioe in the lituation it was origi-
nally placed.

This is a circumftance fo exceedingly clear,
that every rational obferver, poffeffing a defirc

to

SHOEING. ^ 179

io promote general improyement, will coin-
cide with me in opinion, and afiift the re-
Commendation by the force of example ; in
having the groove in the web of the fhoe,
for the reception of the nails, formed fuffici-
ently wide and deep to admit the heads nearly
or quite equal^with the flat furface of the (hoe,
by which effediiial infertion the fhoe firmly
retains its fituation, and the nails their
clinches, till a repetition of the operation
becomes neceffary.

There are (as I have before hinted an in-
tention of explaining) fome general rules to
be remembered, as invariably applicable to
all kinds of feet without exception.- The
flioe (hould be uniformly fupported by the
hoof only ^ entirely round the foot, and brought
fo regularly into contad:, that it fhould not
prefs more upon one part than another ; it
fhould alfo be formed with a concave inner
furface, to keep it perfedly clear of the folcy
that the point of the picker may occafionally
pafs under the inner part of the web, to free
it from every extraneous or injurious fub-
ftance. The fhoe fhould not be made too
wide in the web, or too weighty in metal,
N z for

i8o SHOEING.

for the fize or purpofe of the horfe ; if {o,
the infertion of the nails become unavoidably
neceffary nearer the edge of the flelhy, or
inner fole, and the compreffion upon the in-
ternal parts proportionably greater, in the ad-
ditional hold required, to prevent the inner
edge of the web from linking diredtly, iy
conjlant preffure, upon the centre of the outer
fole, conftituting certain uneafinefs in action,
if not perceptible lamenefs. The heel of the
ihoe fliould always rather exceed the termi-
nation of the hoof behind, and be formed
fomething isuider than the heel itfelf; not
only to conftitute a firm bafis of fupport for
the frame, and prevent the i7identatio?i before
defcribed, but to aflbrd room for the requifite
growth and expanfion of the heel, if a well
formed found foot is at all the objedl of at-
tention.

The hoofs of horfes' fhould never be fuf-
fered to grow too long at the toe^ for exclu-
five of its foon conftituting a flat, weak,
narrow foot, it is not uncommonly producftive
of fumbling and tumblings to the no great
entertainment, but certain danger of the
rider j and this frequent error in the prefent

praQiice

SHOEING. i8i

practice of flioeing is the more extraordi-
nary, as the very form, length, and texture
of the hoof will ^alv/ays afford fufficient in-
formation in how great a degree it will bear
reducStion, with the additional conlideration,
in point of effedl, that fhortening the toe will
always proportionably wide?:, and give ftrength
to the heeL

Horfes faid to be '* flefliy footed," are
thofe whofe inner and outer fole are found
to be too . large in proportion to the fub-
fiance of the hoof that furrounds them ; or,
in other words, (to render it as clear as pof-
fible) whofe hoof is too thin at the lower
edge or bottorn, for the fize of the whole.
This may be producftive of inconvenience,
and requires a nicer difcrimination in the
mode of forming the groove in the w^eb,
as well as in fixing the fl:ioe; for the fpacc
upon which it muft be unavoidably fixed
(without an alternative) is fo exceedingly
narrow, that the greateft care and attention
is abfolutcly neceffary to bring the nails io
near the edge of the hoof, as to avoid
^very probable chance of injury by too
great a ftricfture upon the component parts i
N 3 a matte

i82 S H O E I N a

a matter that has been akeady more than
once concifely recommended to fruBical
circumfpecliori.

That fuch hazard may be the better
avoided, it will be found an infurance of
fafety, to advance the front 7iails nearer to
the extremity of the toe, where the feat
of infertion is much wider, and bring the
hinder nails farther from the points of the
HEEL, where it is not only diredily the re-
verfe, but fornetimes too narrow to admit
of the infertion without danger. And in all
cafes where horfes are remarkably full and
flefh footed, with a heel exceedingly narrow,
it is certainly the fafeft method to let them
be fliod with the nails entirely round the
front of the foot, omitting their infertion in
a proportional degree behind.

La Fosse, echoed by Bart let, con-
demns the cuftom of turning up the Ihoe at.
the heels, upon the before-mentioned objec-
tion of its '* removing the frog to a greater
diftance fropi the ground, by which the
tendon will be inevitably ruptured ;'^ but
could they now become fped:ators of thq

hundreds

SHOEING. 183

hundreds of poft horfes conflantly running
the roads with bar shoes, that totally
preclude the pojjihility of the frogs touching
the ground, to fiipport fuch elafticity, they
might be convinced what little refped: fach
affertion muft be held in, under a demon-
ftration exceeding all contradiftion. Nor is
this retrofpedlive remark brought forward
upon any pther motive, than to juftify the
great confiftency and fafety of judicioufly
raifing the lieels of the fhpes, to defend frogs
that have been bruifed, or are naturally de»
fedlive, and heels that are flat and narrow ; as
well as to infure the fafety of the rider, and
prevent the flipping of horfes, which mufl:
oiherways become inevitabh xn rairy fcafons
upon chalky roads or hilly countries.

Adverting once more to their promulga-
tion upon *' the inconfiitency of ever paring
the fole or frog,'" I mufl: avail myfelf of the
prefent opening to make one addition to my
former obfervatiops upon that part of the
fubjed:; recommending it to the attention
of every breeder, to make occafional infpec-
tj^ons of the feet even when yearlings^ and
in their progreflTive gradations, to prevent

N 4 their

i84 S H O E I N G.

their acquiring an ill conformation : by a
want of proper corrcd:ion they will very fre-
quently be found fpreading to a long flat thia
foot, which left to time, will become irre-
coverably weak ; on the contrary, proportio-
nally pared at the bottom^ fliortcned at the toc^
and rounded with the rafp, will conftitute the
very kind of foot in fhape and firmnefs of all
others the moft defirable.

Before we entirely difmifs this fubjedl, a
few remarks upon the management of the feet
mjlablcd horfesy cannot be considered inappli-
capable to our prefentpurpofe of general utility.
Firft, it fliould be remembered, an equal in-
convenience arifes from having horfes un-
neceffarily fiiod too ofteji^ or the ceremony
poflponed too long ; the former, by its fre-
quency, batters and breaks the hoof (parti-
cularly if of the brittle kind) to a perceptible
degree of injury ; the latter promotes an
aukward growth of the foot, an indentation of
the flioe upon the fole, or inner edge of the
hoof, and a probable deflrudion of the frog.

Various opinions may have been fupported

upon tlie propriety of flopping and oiling

4* the

SHOEING. it^

tlie feet ; but as it is not my prefent piirpofc
to animadvert upon the diffufe remarks of
others, I (hall confine i,nyfelf to practical
obfervations of my own. The falutary effedls
of plentifully oiling, and nightly flopping,
the fubftantial, firm, black and white brittle
hoofs, defer ibed in a former page, are too
firmJy eftablifhed by long and attentive expe-
rience, to render oppofition (from any au-
thority whatever) worthy a momentary con-
iideration or condefcending reply.

A comparative ftate of the hoof that is
carefully managed in this way, w^ith one in
its Hate of nature, (more particularly in the
hot and dry months of fummer) will evi-
dently befpeak the advantage and neatnefs of
fuch care and attention. In one, the hoof
is always in a ftate of pliable uniformity;
in the other, a harili, conftant, and irregular
fcaling of the fole, an almofl inflexible ri-
gidity of the hoof in flioeing, and moft fre-
quently very large and dangerous cracks that
feparate the fo/e from the fj^og on both fides ;
leaving ample room on either for the infinu-
ation of fand, gravel, or other injurious ar-
ticles

tS6 shoeing.

tides that may by thejr retention reach the
coronary articulation, conftituting irreparable
lanienefs too frequently attributed to every
caufe but the right.

Having gone through fuch chain of in*
\xfligation, and courle of inftrudtion, upon
the fubjedl of Ihoeing, and its efFedls, as I
conceive to be at all calculated to affift the
genc|-al judgment of thofe whofe equeftriaa
purfuits render fuch knowledge an objed: of
importance ; I Ihall proceed to that kind
of communication, as I flatter myf^lf will be
equally acceptable to thofe who do me the
honour of perufal and attention, whether foi:
amufcment, information, literary difquifition,
er to render the influence of example more
preferable to precept, by a contribution of
their perfonal afliftance to the promotion of
general improvements

S TA-

I ^S7 1

STABLING

WILL prove a chapter mere immediately
appertaining to the proprietors of extenlive
receptacks ^n jtlie metropolis, as v/dl as
other large cities, and thofs interefted in thei^r
effedls, tnan at all applicable to the prefent
improved fiate of gentlemen's ftables in every
part of the kingdom wherp the mode of
ipanagement is approaching too near a degree
of perfed:ion to admit the aid of inftrucTtion,
from either the pen of theoretic information,
qr practical experience. As it will, however,
be unavoidably neceffary to introduce under
this head, fuch occafional remarks or ufeful
obfervations as cannot with propriety appear
linder any other, hints m.ay perhaps be dif-
covered, in which every reader may fed him-
felf in fome degree individually concerned^

The very inferior ftate of action and ap-
pearance, fo vifibly predominant in horfes of
frequent ufe, from the large public livery
ilables, when put into competition with

hunters

i88 S T A B L I N G.

hunters or hacks, enjoying the advantage of
regular food, drcjjing, air, and exercifc, will
conftitute all the apology I think it necefTary
to introduce, for any degree of freedom I may-
be inchned to offer, in drawing a comparifon
very little obfervable by metropolitan
HEROES ON HORSEBACK, but univcrfally
i:nown to the difcriminating eye of every
^Experienced fpartlm-^n in the kingdom.

Such inferiority arifcs from an accumula-
tion of caufes, very little ccnfidered or in-
quired into by the owners, or riders, who
philofophically define and experimentally dcr
monftrate, the liorfe to be an animal of ge-
neral utility, and appropriate him to all their
different purpofes accordingly ; with as little
attention to his colGur, perfcdions, or defeBs^
as a tradefman at Mancheiler, who having
fome few years fince occafion to attend the
alTizes at Lancafter, hired a grey gelding iox
the purpofe, but unluckily returned with a
hay mare, and obfhinatcly perfifted (in oppo-
iition \.o every witnefs and expoftulation) that
he had brought back the very horfe and
equipments with which he had flarted, in
obedience to the legal injunftion he had re-
ceived.

STABLING. 1S9

ccived. Of thefe equeftrian Quixotes, nature
has been fo exceedingly liberal, that we find
numbers, who, when their fteed is brought
out of the ftable, whether in high or low con-
dition, fee or not fee, fwelled legs, crackei
heels, fhoes or no foes, his carcafe expanded
to its utmoft extent, or contracSed to a degree
of unprecedented poverty, mount him with
equal unconcern, and go through their jour-
ney, long or ihort, as prompted by neceffity
or inclination, without a iingle refledliori
upon the wants or weakneffes of the animal,
unluckily deftined to receive the honour of
fo humane an appendage.

In fuch unaccountable flate of negh'gencc
ftands many a valuable horfe furrounded with
an accumulation of ills and hourly promotion
of mifery from one week's end to another,
and never enjoys the favour (if I may fo term
k) of his mafter's ptefence but of a Sunday
morning; when making the expeditious tour
of Riclwiond, Hampton Court, Windfor, or
fome other of the fafhionable excurfions, he
is configned to his ufual hebdomadal dark
abode of inadivity, to enjoy a profufion of

hay.

ipo STABLING.

hay^ water^ and eafe ; but, in conformity with
the idea of Major O* Flaherty ^ *' a plentiful
fcarcity of every thing eh^e.'*

It is impoffible fjr any man living, who
6as made tJicfe ereatures, their wants ^ gratis
feat ions, perfeElions^ and attachments, the
objed: of his contemplation, not to feel the
greateft mortification when chance or choice
brings him to a furvey of the ftables in Lon-
don, with all their horrid inconveniencies*
To thofe totally unacquainted with the fu-
perior and fyftematic management of ftables
in general, it may all bear the appearance of
PROPRIETY, confequently paves no way for
the corroding reflections of vexation and dif-
appointment ; but to the experienced and at*
tentive obfervcr, whofe fenfations. move in
direct unifon w^ith the feelings of the animal
he beftrides, and the accommodation of whofe
horfe is held in equal eftimation and retention
with his own, they excite the joint emotions
of pity and furprife.

Horfes in general, produced from ilables
of this defcripticn, all bear the appearance of

temporary

S T A B L I N a. igt

temporary invalids or confirmed valetudi-
narians ; from living or rather exifting in a
fcene of almofl total darknefs, they approach
the light v/ith reludance, and every new
objed: with additional apprehenfion. They
walk, or rather totter out of the liable in a
ftate of debilitation and ftiffnefs of the extre-
mities, as if threatened with univerfal lame-
nefs. The legs are fwelled from the knees
and hocks downwards, to the iitmoft ^xpan*
fion of the integument; which, with the dry
and contracfted ftate of the narrow-heeled hoof ^
bears no ill affinity to the overloaded fhoe of
AN OPULENT ALDERMAN, when emerging
from the excruciating admonitions of a gouty
monitor. Upon more accurate infpection,
we find the lift of happy effeds ftill increafed
with thofe ufual concomitants, inveterate
cracks^ running thmjh^ very frequently ac-
companied by a hufRy fliort cough, or afthma-
tic difficulty of refpiration, in gradual progref-
fion to a broken wind ; and the long lift of
inferior et ceteras, that conftitute the invaria-
ble advantages of ftable difcipline, diredly
contrary to every eftabliftied rule that can
be laid down for the promotion of ease,

HEALTH, and INVIGORATION.

la

19^ S T A B L I N G.

In confirmation of which, without a tedi*
©us animadverfion upon fo long a feries of
inconfiftencies, let us advert concifely to the
caufes of fuch ill effects as we have ven-
tured to enumerate. The difadvantage arif-
ing from horfes ftanding in perpetual dark^
jnefs, or with a very faint and glimmering
light, muft be too palpably clear to require
much elucidation ; for in fuch ftate^ with
the full and increafed power of hearings they
are inceffantly on the watch to difcover what
i^ conflantly affedls one fenfe^ without the
expccfled gratification of the other. To this
eternal difappointment may be attributed the
alternate ftare and twinkling of the eye-lids,
fo common to every defcription of horfes that
ftand in the mofl remote part of dark ftables^
at each time of being brought forward to
face the light ; as well as the additional ob-
fervation, that being accuftomed to fee things
but impcrfedly in the ftable, when brought
into adlion upon the road, they are fo much
afFeded by the change, that they become
liabitually addicted to Jiop or Jiart at every
ilrange or fudden objcd: that approaches.
A certain danger alfo attends, when hurried
by a carelcfs or drunken oftler, from the ex-
3 ternal

STABLING. 193

ternal glare of light to the extreme of total
darknefs ; for in fuch hafty tranfition, blows
iare frequently fuftained againft the racks,
flails, or intervening partitions, that fome-
times terminate in the lofs of an eye, with no
other caufe affigned for its original appear-
ance than the JiuBuation of hu?nours^ which
the fuffering fubjedt immediately undergoes
repeated confultations and a long courfe of
medicines to eradicate.

The ftiffnefs of the joints, the fwelling
of the legs, the fe verity of the cracks, the
frequency of the thrufli, the contradtion of
the hoofs, and the difficulty of refpiration,
are all fo evidently the refulting efTedls of
deftruftive fituation and erroneous manage-
ment, that to the fporting world alone, lite-
rary definition would be deemed fuperfluous ;
but to that infinity of Juvenile Eques-
trians, who are *' daily rifing to our
view,'' and Wonder, ** why their horfes, that
they keep at fo much exfence, are unlike
moft others they meet in their rural excur-
fions/' fuch explanation becomes matter of
indifpenfable neceffity .

Vol. II. O To

194 STABLING.

To the want of general cleanlinefs, pure
air, and regular exercife, may be juftly attri-
buted all the ills we have juft recited ; and
that fuch alTertion may lay impartial claim
to proper weight in the fcale of refledtion,
let it be firft remembered, that horfes in
the fituation I allude to, are conftantly liv-
ing in certain degrees of heat, not only be-
yond the ftate required by nature, but very
far exceeding even the ftable temperature of
horfes in regular training for the turf.

That this may be the better underftood by
thofe whofe fituation s in life have precluded
the chance of fuch infpedtion, and that great
body of readers in various and diftant parts
of the kingdom, w^ho 2tcver have, and per-
haps 72 ever may make a iurvey of public
ftables in the metropolis ; I think it necef-
fary to introduce an exad: reprefentation of
fyjiematic inconfijlency, perfeftly exculpated
from even the flighteft fufpicion of exagge-
ration. As I have repeatedly obferved, and
it is univerfally admitted, there is no rule
without fome exception ; fo the following
defcription may have fome but very few
to boail; of.

Upon

STABLING. 195

Upon entering the major part, (particu-
larly if the door has been a few minutes
cloftd and is opened for your admiffion) the
olflidory and optic nerves are inftantane-
oufly afiaiied with the volatile effluvia of
dujig and urincy equal to the exhalation from
a flock bottle of hartfhorn at the fliop of
any chemift in the neighbourhood. Here
you find from ten or twelve to twenty
horfeSj ftandin^ as hot. and everv crevice
of the flable as clofcly flopped, as if the
very external air w^as infed:ious, and its ad-
miffion mufl inevitably propagate a conta-^
gion. Naturally inquifitive to difcover what
irritating caufe has laid fuch hold of your
moft prominent featurCj you obferve each
horfe flanding upon an enormous load of
litter, that by cccafional additions (with-
out a regular and daily removal from the
bottom) has acquired both the fubftance and,
property of a moderate hot-bed^

Thus furrounded with the vapours con-
flantly ariflng from an accumulation of the
mofl powerful volatile falts, ftand thefe poor
animals a kind of patient facrifice to ignorance
and indifcretion ; and that the meafure of

O 2 mifery

196 STABLING.

mifery may be rendered perfed: by every ad-
ditional contribution of folly, each horfe is
abfolutely loaded with a profufion of body
cloths, but perhaps more to gratify the often-
tation or difplay the opulence of the owner,
than any intentional utility to the horfc.
The flieet, quarter piece, bread cloth, body
roller, and perhaps the hood, are all brought
forward to give proof of perfevering atten-
tion and unremitting induftry. In this ftate
fuch horfes are found upon critical examina-
tion, to be in an almoft perpetual languid
perfpiration ; fo debilitated, depreffed, and
inactive, for want of pure air and regular
exercife, that they appear dull, heavy, and
inattentive, as if confcious of their imprifon-
ment and bodily pcrfecution.

The efTedl of this mode of treatment foon
becomes perceptible to the judicious eye of
obfervation ; .the carcafe is feen unnaturally
full and overloaded, for want of thofe gra-
dual evacuations promoted by gentle mo-
tion j the legs fvvell, becoming ftiff and
tumefied, till nature, in her utmoft efforts
for extravafation, terminates in either cracks,
fcratches^ gr^afe, or fome one of the many

diforders

S T A B L I N G. 197

diforders arifing from an impurity, vifcidity,
or acrimony in the blood. Ttie hoofs, by
being almoft invariably fixed to the conftant
heat of the accumulating dung before de-
fcribed, acquires a degree of contradion in-
dicating hoof- bound lamenefs. The eyes
frequently give proof of habitual weaknefs,
in a watery difcharge from the continual ir-
ritation of the volatile effluvia, the dilatation
and contra(flion of the eye in fearch of light,
the heat of the body, &c. all tending to
conftitute a frame direftly oppofite in health,
vigour, and appearance, to thofe whofe coji-
dition is regulated by a very different fyftem
of ftabularian management.

The evils arifing from this miftaken treat-
ment are only yet enumerated in part, being
thofe that evidently appear upon a fuperficial
furvey of the flables and their contents ;
others become difcernible upon being brought
into adlion. They are certainly lefs enabled
to encounter fatigue than any horfes in the
kingdom ; from fo conftant an exiftence in
the abfolute Jumes of a hot -hath, they never
an be expofed to the external air in a cold^
"Wetj or ijuinter feafon, without danger to

O 3 every

iqs stabling.

every part of the frame. By fiich contrafl
they are inftantly liable to a fudden collap-
fion of the porous fyftem, which locking up
the perfpirative matter, fo violently propelled
to the furface, throws it back upon the cir-
culation with redoubled force ; where na-
ture being too much overloaded to admit
its abforption, it becomes immediately fixed
upon the eyes or lungs, laying a very
fubftantial foundation of difeafe and dif*
quietude.

If fuch horfe is put into ftrong exercife,
he foon proves himfelf inadequate to either
a long, or an expeditious journey ; for whe-
ther the body is overburthened with weak
and flatulent food and water at fetting out,
jaded with early fatigue, to which he has
not been accuftomed, or debilitated with
the ftable difcipline we have fo minutely
defcribed, the effed: is nearly the fame. If
his journey is of any duration, or his exer-
tions of any great magnitude, it is no un-
common thing to find he has fallen Jick^
lame, or tired upon the road ; and under
the worft of curfes, a bad charaBer, is fre-
quently fold to the firft bidder ; under whofe

fyftematic

STABLING, 199

fyftematic care and rational mode of ma-
nagement, a few months perhaps makes him
one of the befl: and moft valuable horfes
in the kingdom.

This is a circumftance that happens fa
very conftantly in the equeftrian fludluntion
of fortune, and the aflertion fo repeatedly
juftified by ocular demonftration and prac-
tical experience, that I ftand not in the
leaft fear of a contrariety of opinions uppn
fo confpicuous a part of the fubjedt.

The ill effeds of the ftable treatment
we have hitherto defcribed, would be ftill
more injurious did high feeding conftitute a
part of the fyftem we prefume to condemn ;
hut a fu per -abundance of food is what I by
no means place to the inconjijlency of the
account. Prudence (divefted oi f elf -inter eji)
powerfully prompts the parties concerned,
to perceive the ahfurdiiy of over-feeding
horfes whofe ftate fo little requires it. Sta-^
ble keepers are not fo deftitute of pene-
tration, as to be taught by me, the folly
of feeding horfes that *' don't work'* Oats
are not only unneceffary but fuferfluous ; hay

O 4 in

200 STABLING.

in fmall quantities will fupport nature fuffi-
ciently, by a conftant maftication of which
the appetite will be properly prepared to
receive plenty of water; an article that
is not only of very little expence and trouble,
but by expanding the frame and filling the
flank, will afford to the city /port/man
and Sunday traveller^ fufficient proof that
the horfe is amply fcd^ and " well looked
ajter''

Having fubmitted to confideration the
reprefentation of facts, that neither the
interefted can^ or the experienced w//, at-
tempt to deny, I fliall (without much
hope of effedling a reformation where fo
great a variety of opinions are concerned)
beg permiffion to offer a few remarks, for
the attention of thofe who are, from the
nature of their lituations, unavoidably con-
necfled with ftables of this defcription ;
leaving the more minute inftrudions for
the management of hunters or road horfes,
to be collected from the matter that will
be hereafter introduced under thofe heads.

The pernicious properties of foul air muft

bQ

STABLING. 20I

be too well known, or at leaft too readily
comprehended, (by every one to whofe feri-
ous perufal thefe pages will become fubjecft)
to require even the moll fuperficial elucida-
tion; though in fad:, entering into its de-
ftrudive efFeds, with all its contingent con-
fequences, would be to ivrite, quote , and ani-
madvert a volume upon the fubjedl j which
is in fad of too much fcientific magnitude for
prefent difquifition, in a publication that pro-
mifes to be generally read, and it is intended
- lliould be as generally underftood.

Under palpable convidion of the numerous
ills that may arife in different ways from air
fo very much contaminated, and replete with
impurities, I am convinced no one advocate
for improvement can rationally objed to the
adoption of Ventilators in all public
ftables, where the fituation is inevitably con-
fined; as in London, and other large cities,
where they muft unavoidably continue fo
without the moft diftant probability of redi-
fication.

The utility, the convenience, the exhila-
rating

202 , S T A B L I N G.

rating rays of ** all^cheering light,**
(that enables us to enjoy fociety, for which
we were formed) is a matter ftanding in no
need of tedious recommendation; it there-
fore cannot be too forcibly inculcated, or too
cheerfully adopted.

Cleanlinefs is fo indifputably neceflary to
health and invigoration, that it is matter of
furprife how fo palpable a fyftem of filth
could ever be permitted to pervade the
cqueftrian receptacles of thofe who would,
no doubt, be exceedingly hurt and offended
if they were to have the inconfiftencies of
their condud: perfonally demonftrated, and
be compul lively convinced they either do. not
hiow or Jee7n to care any thing about the
matter. In fad:, there is but one reafon
that can be urged, (and none with fo much
energy as thofe prompted by felf-interefl)
in favour of a pradice replete with fo many
difadvantages ; this mufl be the high piice
and difficulty of obtaining flraw in the me^
tropolis, which in its transformation to
manure becomes fo reduced to a mere no-
thingnefs in value, that the fojfibility of be-
ing

EXERCISE. 203

ing cleanly in thofe ftables (we are told) is
abfolutely precluded by pecuniary confide-
rations. But when the fixed emoluments of
the 'weekly keep are taken into the aggre-
gate, and it is not the effed of rumination
but matter of fadl, that many of the horfes
fo kept, are, from want of exercife and the
numerous caufes before affigned, fo very
much OFF THEIR APPETITES, as not to
confume in a day but one or two of the four
feeds of corn that are charged ; an extra
trufs of ftraw from the loft liberally
EXCHANGED for cach bufliel and a half of
oats accidentally faved in the granary, would
certainly prove no violent proftitution of ge-
nerofity I

EXERCISE

IS a matter of too much importance in
the promotion of health and condition to
be excluded its place in our prefent arrange-
ment ; and fo evidently neceffary to the na-
tural fecretions and regular evacuations, that
the foundation of every difeafe may be laid

by

204 EXERCISE.

by a want of it. Horfes are in their very
nature and difpofition fo formed for motion,
that they become dull, heavy, and un-
healthy without it; of this nothing can af-
ford greater demon ftration than the pleafure
they difplay in every adtion, when brought
irom the dark recefs of a gloomy ftable to the
perfed: enjoyment of light, air, and exercife.
The natural fvveetnefs of the external air is fo
happily fuperior to the ftagnate impurity of
the ftable, that mod horfes inftantly exult
in the change, and by a variety of ways con-
vince you of the preference.

Survey a fpirited horft with the eye of at-
tention, and obferve the aftonifliing difFe-
xence before and after his liberation from the
manger, to which he is fometimes, under
the influence of ftrange mifmanagemcnt, hal-
tered for days together without interraiffion.
In the ftable you perceive him dejeBed, fpi-
ritlefs, and almoft inanimate, without the
leaft feeming courage or activity in his com-
polition; but when brought into acftion he
inftantly aftumcs another appearance, and in-
dicates by bodily exultation and exertion, the
abfolute falubrity and neccflity of what the

E X E k C I S E. 10^

i'nftindlive ftupidity of many can never (from
their inexplicable want of comprehenfion)
be brought to underftand. Such inconfide-
rate obfervers might certainly improve their
very Jhallow judgfne?it^ by fome trifling at-
tention to the indications of nature in horfes
of any tolerable defcription, who all difplay
in different attitudes and by various means,
the gratification they enjoy in their diftindt
appropriations. In fad:, the animated afpedt
of the whole frame, the lively eye, the crefted
neck, the tail erecft, with the mofl fpirited
bodily aftion of neighing, fnorting, and cur-
vetting, all tend to prove the conflitutional
utility of exercife in length and manner
adapted to the fize, ftrength, make, condition,
and purpofe of the horfc.

Perfedly convinced of its indifpenflible
neceffity to horfes of all kinds, in proportion
to the ufes for which they are defigned, and
the portion of aliment they receive, I am not
unfrequently very highly entertained with the
management of many within the extenfive
circle of my own acquaintance, (and thofe
too with inherent pride fufficient to affume

the

^bS E X E k C t S E.

the charafler of fportfmen) and who are irt
conftant pofleffion of good and valuable
horfes, perpetually buying, fellings and ex^
changing ; but never, for years together, have
one in their ilables three months without fwel-
led legs, cracked heels, greafe, bad tyts^
broken knees, or fome of the many ills that
conftitute a ftable of infirmities j all which
they very philosophically and errone--
oufly attribute to /// lucky that I moft juftly
and impartially place to the account of in-
advertent mailers, and much more indolent
fervants.

The advantages arifing from an unremit-*
ting perfeverance in the regularity of daily
exercife, (both in refped: to time and con-
tinuance) cannot be fo clearly known and
perfectly underftood, but to thofe who have
attended minutely to the good effeds of its
pradicc, or the ills that become conftantly
perceptible from its omiffion. This is un-=*
doubtedly the more extraordinary, when it is
recolleded there is no one part of the animal
oeconomy more admirably adapted to the
plaineft comprehenfion, than the fyftem of

repletion

EXERCISE. 207

repletion and evacuation; which may (avoid-
ing technical defcription, and profeffional
minutise) be concifely explained and clearly
underftood, as matter necelTarily introdudlory
to what we proceed to inculcate, upon the
palpable confiflency of conftant and moderate
exercife for the ellablifliment of health and
promotion of condition.

I believe it has been before faid, in either
this or the former volume, that the ali-
ment, after fufficient maflication in the a<5
of chewing, is paffed to the ftomach, w^here
it undergoes a regular fermentation (in ge-
neral termed digeftion) producing a certain
quantum of chyle, in proportion to the nutria
the property of the aliment fo retained : this
chyle, in its procefs of nature, (which has
been before accurately explained) becomes
wonderfully fubfervient to all the purpofes of
life and fupport in its general contribution to
the fource of circulation, and the various fe-
cretions j while the groffer parts (from which
the nutritious property is extradled in their
progreft through the ilomach and inteftinal
canal) are thrown oif from the body by ex-
crementitious evacuations.

4 This

2oS EXERCISE.

This is a concife abftradl of nature's ope-
ration; as neceffary to conftitute fufficient
information to comprehend our prefent pur-
pofe of explicit animadverfion upon the great
advantage of bodily motion, fo far as it fhall
appear conducive to the prefervation of
health. Enough is confequently advanced to
gratify every competent idea ; and afford am-
ple convidlion, that fliould the body be per-
mitted to receive, and continue to accumulate
in the frame, more aliment than can be
abforbed into the circulation, and carried off
by the different emundlories in a certain por^
tion of time ', over repletion, difquietude, and
ultimately disease, acute or chronic, mufl
be the inevitable confequence.

The fyflem and effedl are too palpably
clear to be at all miflaken in even a theo-
retic furvey of the procefs ; for when the
blood vefTels become over-loaded with an
accumulated retention of perfpirable matter,
and the flomach and inteftines preternatu-
rally extended by indurated excrement (all
which fhould be occafionally carried off by
exercife) indifpofition mufl arife in a greater

or

EXERCISE. 209

or lefs degree, fo foon as the repletion pro-
duces oppreffion, that the ftruggling efforts
of nature are unable to fubdue.

Thefe unembellifl:ied fadis are too plain
and ftriking to require much time from the
WRITER, or patience from the reader,
for farther irlVeiligation or comprehen-
fion ; concluding, therefore, this part oi
the animal inechanifm is perfedly under-
ftood, I fhall proceed to an explanation
of the aBive caufes of fuch difolrders as
originate in impurities of the blood, occa-
fioned by want of motion and confequent
evacuation.

It is therefore neceffary we take a furvcy
of a horfe brought from the liable in a
ftate of plenitude after temporary inadlivity,
when we find the body too full and over-
loaded to make his firft efforts with any
degree of cafe or pleafure ; every one not
totally abforbed in a ftate of ftupefadtion or
natural illiteracy, muft have obferved the
unremitting attempts and Jlrai?iings of the
animal to throw off the fuperfluous burthen
by repeated evacuations (b foon as brought

Vol. IL P into

2fO EXERCISE.

into afticn. If at all hurried before the
carcafe is in fome degree relieved from its
accumulated contents, you perceive a wheez-
ing or difficulty of refpiration, occafioned by
the prcffure of the flomach thus loaded,
upon the lobes of the lungs, retraining
them in their natural elafticity for the pur-
pofes of expanlion and contraction.

In this ftatc alfo, if his pace is extended
beyond a walk, you find him break into a
more violent perfpiration than a horfe in
proper condition and regular exercife would
difplay in a long journey, continued at the
lame rate, without intermiffion. Thefe are
all indications of nature not to be miftaken
or denied, by thofe at all connected or con-
verdant with the fubjecSt before us, and fuf-
ficiently demonftrate the refulting efteds of
continuing to over load the fyftcm with a
greater quantity of food than there is pro-
portional exercife to carry off.

Perspiration (that is, the gradual
emiffion, phyfically termed infenfible, as not
being profufe to perception) will, even in
gentle exercife^ take from the fuperflux of

the

6 }t E R C t S E. 211

the BLOOD, what the neceffary evacuations
bf dung and urine take from the accumu-
lated contents of the intestines; which,
fuffered to remain in an abundant and pre-
ternatural proportion, mult, by its com-
puliive retention, acquire a degree of putrid
or acrimonious morbidity inevitably pro-
ducing difeafe. Thefe morbid attacks adt
differently upon different fubjeds, accord-
ing to their ftate or tendency, at the time
of the blood or body*s aiTuming a cor-
rupt or infectious influence ; difplaying it-
felf in fuch w^ay as is moft applicable to
the conftitutional predominance of difeafe
in the horfe previous to the leaft trait of
difcovery.

I fhall, in compliance with my promife in
the introductory part of this work, forbear
to lead the reader farther into a tedious
train of remote medical refearches, but re-
fer him to the different difquilitions of the
former volume for any gratification he may
wiflr to obtain ; letting it fuffice to obferve^
that from fuch original caufe may arife
the various diflrelling difquietudes io re-
peatedly enumerated, as fwelled legs, cracked

P ^ heels.

,li^ EXERCISE.

heelSj greafe, afthmatic cough, fret, fl:rangiir}%
farcy, fever, convulfions, or in fad: any of
the numerous difeafes to which horfes arc
fo conftantly liable.

Thefe caufes of the various difeafes, (o
perfedly clear not only to every fcientific
inveftigator but every rational obferver, are
what are for time immemorial, in the fta-
bularian dialed:, palTed under the undtjined
denomination of humours with the nu-
merous tribe of cqueftrian dependents, from
the firft ftud groom of the firft fporting
nobleman, to the rnofc illiterate ftable boy
in the kingdom ; Avitbout a lingle profef-
fional exertion of refpedability, to wipe
away the abftrufe and ignorant fubterfuge
of attributing the generality of diforders
X.O the efFed of humours, without any per-
fpicuous attempt to explain in their dif-
ferent publications, what they have univer-
lldjy taken the hberty to condemn.

I am exceedingly forry to fay (and fay it 1
do, not from any intentional oppofition or
difrefped to the writers) that the more I
Compare former literary opinions with ex-
perimental

EXERCISE. :ii3

perimental pradice, the lefs reafon I find to
be fatisfied with what they ventured to
promulgate ; particularly upon the fubjeft
of humours ; which in all my inquiries and
minute inveftigations, I could never find
fyfi:emically explained, at leaft to encoun-
ter the e)''e of profeflional infpeftion.

Bracken, who for years was confidered
as a prodigy of V e t e r i n a r i a n inflrudion ,
after condemning the farriers frequent ufc
and the convenient fubterfuge of the word,
makes many eflforts to go through an elabo-
rate explanation, that, he lays, '* the igno-
rance and ftupidity of the vulgar are inade-
quate to ;" but very unluckily, after attackr
ing the fubjeft in nin^ differ e?it ways, at leali
in as many different places, he as repeatedly
digreffes from the point, without ever coming
into the probability of an explanatory con-
clufion,

Bart LET, in his ufual condefcending
ftile of imitation, (or rather compilation)
affords Jix pages of duodecimo, replete with
technical abftrufity, collefted from the re-
niote allufions and eccentric remarks of hi§

P 3 learned

214 EXERCISE,

learned predeceflbr j beginning with a pro-
mife of unlimited explanation, and almoji
immediately taking leave with the following
apology, that *' what ought to be under-
ftood by the word humours, would take
up more time than the brevity wx have
prefcribed ourfelves will admit on/^

Taking no more time from the reader
than is necellary to explain what has beea
already introduced, and to juftify what is
to follow, upon the hacknied Jiibjeci of hu^
mours ; I advert to fuch profeffional remarks
as have arifen from attentive obfervation,
with occaiional oblique references to the
opinions of thofe who have gone before us,
fraught with temporary popularity ; having
for fuch introdudion, no motive but an
eager and acknowledged defire to eftablifh
the TRUTH, by a proper and incontrover-
tible criterion of pradiical inveftigation.

Admitting, therefore, the repletion arifing
from a fuperflux of alimentary nutriment,
(not carried off by thofe gradual excretions
promoted by moderate exercife in gentle
motion) to conftitute what has io long paffed

under

EXERCISE. .^.15

under the vague denomination of humours^
without a fear of being controverted bv
any refpeilable opponent ; I fliall proceed
to the proper mode of rectification in fuch
cafe, and the degree of^ diftinction to be
afcertained when fome of the difeafes be-
fore mentioned proceed from a different
caufe.

To effecl this, it is firft necelTary to ob-
ferve, that when fuch repletion becomes
perceptible, and is immediately countera(5led
by regular and daily increafing exercife, it
may probably (if the horfe is in no con-
firmed ftate of foulnefs) be again abforbed
into the circulation, and carried ofi without
the affiftance of extra evacuations promoted
by medicine. But it Ihould be always held
in remem.brance, that fuch exercife mufl be
in the firft inftances not only of great
gentlenefs but long duration ; ufing no
violence or fpeedy exertions, till the body
is by gradual perfeverance perfectly unloaded,
and the carcafe and extremities have re-
covered their original form and pliability ;
when the exercife may be increafed to a
greater degree of action, that the fuper-

P 4 fluous

zi(^ EXERCISE,

fluous and offending matter thus abforbed,
may tranfpire by the moft natural effort of
perfpiration.

To promote which, with the greater
fafety and facility, bj.ee ding lliould pre-
cede in proportion to fze^ firength, and
condition, that the real ftate of the blood
fliould be the more clearly afcertained ; as
may be found particularly explained in va-
rious parts of the former volume, where it
is abfolutely neccfTary its predominant ap-
pearance flio^ild undergo critical examina-
tion. But in this confcientious recommien-
dation, 1 am unavoidably drawn into ad-.
ditional remarks upon the opinions of
others ; to demonllrate the inconfiftcncy of
ihcir^s, as a necelTliry prelude to the juftice
and eftablifliment of my ozt'n, And I muft
confeis it gives me fonie cpnc^rn, that I
am under the neceffity of differing m a
fingle opinion from authority fo very refpedt-
able, and judgment fo truly profeffional, as
his Majefty*s Farrier for Scotland, whofe
elegant publications entitle him to univerfal
applaufe, for the great pains he has takers
ip elucidate and imfrpve a fyflcm thaf

has

EXERCISE. 217

has for ages remained in an acknowledged
ftate of barbarity and ignorance.

Mr. Clarke, in his *' Obfervations on
Blood Letting/' fays, ''It is difficult to fix
any precife ftandard how we may judge either
of the healthy or morbid ftate of the blood
in horfcs when cold." This is an opinion
fo diredly oppofite to what I have frequently
advanced upon former occafions, (with rea-
fons at large for infpefting it in fuch ftate)
that my filence upon the paflage alluded to,
w^ould bear fo much the appearance of pu-
fillanimity, or profeftional ignorance, that I
gladly avail myfelf of the prefent opportu-
nity to fubjoin a few words in fupport of the
opinion formerly maintained ; but with the
moft unfullied refpedt for a writer of fo much
perfpicuity and eminence, whofe abilities I
hold in the greateft eftimation.

It may, as Mr. Clarke feems to think,
*' be difficult to fix any precife ftandard to
difcover the e^ad: ftate of the blood when
cold'i^ but I doubt not his candour, upon due
deliberation, w^ill admit the certainty of

dif^

2i8 EXERCISE.

diftinguifhing its property, or predominant,
tendency, much better in that condition, than
a ftate of liquidity as juft received from the
vein. If that certainty is admitted, (as I
flatter myfelf it will not, upon reflection,
be refpedlably denied) it mull: undoubtedly
prove, much more eligible and fatisfacSory
to obtain profeffional prognofl:ics in part,
than not to acquire any information at alL
This being a pofition beyond the power of
confutation, it is only neceffary to add a An-
gle remark ariling from daily practice, long
experience, and accurate obfervation, upon
the certainty of afcertaining from a minute
examination of the blood ivhe?!- cold, the pro-
portion of crassamentum, SERUM, SIZE,
VISCIDITY, probable inflammation or acri-
mony it contains; from 'all which, furely
diagnoftics may be rationally formed to re-
gulate future proceedings ; at leaft, fo I con-
ftantly find it in the courfe of my own
pradiice-; and until fuch infped:ion, by any
deception, fliould convince me of its un-
certainty and inutility, I fhall not be rea-
dily induced to alter an opinion founded
upon practical convidlion ; though I muft

ac-

EXERCISE. 219

lacknowledge there is no publication upon
thefe fubjeds extant, to whofe dictates I
fhould more cheerfully become a convert,
than the productions of the very author
whofe opinion, in one injiance, I am com^
pelled to oppofe.

It is fo perfedtly in point to adopt the vul-
garifrh of *' killing two birds with one
ftone,'* that I cannot refift the temptation
;and prefent opportunity to introduce a few
words upon an inconfiftent paffage in
Bracken, that equally dallies with an opi-
nion of mine frequently introduced in my for-
mer volume, where the operation of Bleed-
ing, or- i\\Q Jiate of the blood, neceflarily
became matter of recommendation. In p. 1 1 1
of his Second Volume, he fays, '* the blood
becomes vifcid, poor, and difpirited.'' This
paffage is fo ftrangely fequeftered from com-
prehenfion, fo ridiculoufly replete with pa-
radoxical obfcurity, and fo diredily contrary
to my own obfervations, founded in pradlice,
and long fince comxmunicated under the fane-
tion of inviolate veracity, that I cannot per-
mit fuch a profufion of profeffional contra-
rieties

220 EXERCISE.

rieties to pafs current upon the public, with-
out obtruding a few words to elucidate, or
rather expof^ the myllery.

To eflabhfli the credit and juftify the re-
putation of the *' Stable Directory/' as well
i^s to obtain the approbation of thofe who at
no time condemn without infpedtion, or ap-
plaud without reafon ; I have never advanced
/^n opinioft, or reported a fa^, but what
has been founded upon principles of in-
controvertible information or acknowledged
utility. It has been my invariable fludy to
enlighten, not to perplex j what has been
too much the fyilem of other writers upon
limilar fubjedls, may be more properly col-
lefted from a revifion of their productions,
than the pen of a competitor. But I will
venture to afiirm, if any part of my obfcr-
vations had contained {q many abfurd con-
trarieties, or tedious and inapplicable digref-
lions, as the elabonite volumes of Bracken" ;
the ienih edition of tlie former volume, or
the title-page of the fecond, could never have
3)iet the light, in the prelbnt enlightened fcene
of cquellrian iiKuiiry and literary in^ prove-?

ment.

EXERCISE. 22t

Aient. On the contraTy, had I proftituted
niy judgment or my pen, to fo unfcientific a
declaration as the blood's being '' vJfcid, poor,
and difpirited,'' the united force of menftrual
criticifm would have irrevocably doomed ZvIe
AND MY OPINIONS to the lowejl rcgh?: cf
oblivion.

How, at the fame tinle, blood can be
** VISCID and poor," or the two v/crds of
a diredl contrary meaning become {o conve-
niently fynonimous, I am at a lofs to learn %
but perfcclly anxious that the profeffional
confiftency, the fyflematic uniformity of my
aflertions, may be arraigned and brought to
iffue with opinions fo diredly oppofite, I find
it unavoidably neceilary, to foJicit from ever}''
impartial inveftigatof, a comparative viev/ of
what has been advanced on either fJe rcfpccl:-
ing the blood, when he will be enabled to
decide, whofe fyftem approaches neareft ta
truth, fupportcd by reafon.

To juftify and corroborate my remarks
upon Mr. Clarke's idea of ** not difcovering
the true ftate of the blood when cold,'"
I muft beg to repeat the very words of nij

opinion

222 EXERCISE.

opinion previously given to the public isi
the former volume, clafs the third, under the
head ''Farcy/' where will be found the
following defcription, neceffarily again fub-
mitted to the difquilltion of every enlightened
reader.

** In refped: to cure, upon the very eilrlieli
appearance, take away blood in quantity as
before defcribed ; and after fo doing, attend
minutely to the qjtality, which circum-
ftances will enable you to form a very deci-
five judgment, how foon and to what pro-
portion the fubjedt will bear this evacuation,
fliould it again be necellary ; for according
to the extra proportion of the Crajfamentiim^
or CoagulutUy and the fize (or gelatinized
fubftance upon the furface) with the difpro-
portion of ferum or watery part, it may be
very readily afcertained how much the blood
is certainly above or below the ftandard of
mediocrity neceffary for the abfolute preser-*
VATioN of health.

This is the opinion originally held forth
in my iirfl: publication, and with fo firm an
adherence to truth, founded upon experience,,

that

EXERCISE. 223

that I never (particularly after lb much addi-
tional pradlice and inveftigation) can conde-
fcend to change iny opinion, and admit its
uncertainty, in compliment to the unfupported
ipfe dixit of any pen whatever; and that I may
iland totally exculpated from the charge of
publijhmg an opinion fo contrary to the re-
fpedable authority of Mr. Clarke, I muft
beg to obferve, that my opinion had not only
the ^r/cr//)/ of his in publication, but had -been
in circulation full tvv^o years before Mr.
Clarke's treatife came into my px)ffeirion.

We come now to the judicious declaration.
of BRACKEh^, rcfpcfting the blood that he
calls ''vifcid^ psor, 2Siii difpirited \^ to cor-
red: which unaccountable profeffional flip,
the above quotation w^ill in a certain degree
contribute; particularly when I fubm.it it to
recollediion, that in many parts of my for-
mer volumie (appropriated entirely to medical
refearches) I have reprefented vlfcid^ Jizey^
blood, to be the refulting effed: of too much
plenitude arifing from alimentary repletion
w^ith a want of proper exercile ; while, on
the contrary, I have defcribed too great a
portion of ferum to conftitute an mpove-.,
4 ' rijk^d

^24 E X E R C 1 S E.

rijhed blood in being deprived of its due pro-
portion of Crassamentum, as before re-
cited.

To renew cind corroborate which, I muft
be permitted to rcconfimend to the retrofpec-
tive attention of thofe anxious to diftinguifli
between the fpecious delulion of theory and
the eftabhfliment of fad:, my obfervations in
the fame clafs, under the article of ** mange, **
uhere it will be found I have defined the
poverty of the blood in the following expla-
natory pafTage.

" t'or the blood being by this barren con-
tribution robbed of what it was by nature
irt tended to receive, becomes impoverillied
even to a degree of incredibility (by thofe
tihacquainted with the fyftem of repletion
and circulation;) it lofes its tenacity and bal-
fam'ic adhejive quality, degenerating to an
acrid ferous vapour, that acquires malignity
by its preternatural fcparation from its ori-
ginal corrector,'^

Thefe explanations are fo phyfically cor-
rect, fo perfcdly clear, and fo evidently

2 adapted

EXERCISE. 225

adapted, to every comprehenfion, that I am
fatisfied to reft the certainty of its procefs,
and my own profeffional reputation, upon the
arbitrative deciiion of any impartial invefti-
gator. And that this comparative procefs
may be brought to a fpeedy termination,
I fhall only beg leave to obferve, if Mr.
Clarke's hypotbefs, ** that no difcovery
can be made from the blood when cold,''' is
a fad:, or the ** vifcid, poor^ and difpirtted
blood''' of Bracken, can be defined one and
the fame thing, diverted of paradoxical com-
plication, and fuch eccentric opinions are
founded in truths and ran be fupported by
incontrovertible JaBs ; my affertions, however
fcientific, however eftablifhed by time, and
confirmed by experience, muft inevitably
fall unfupported to the ground, unwoithy the
future attention of thofe by w^hofe approbation
and applaufe I have beenfo highly honoured.

Having endeavoured to refcue from public
prejudice, any hafty decifions that might be
made upon fuch clalhing opinions undefined -,
we return to the operation of bleeding, re-
commended previous to the conftant exer-
cife, and with that bleeding an accurate exa-

VoL, IL Q^ mination

^^6 E X E R C I S E.

mination of the blood when cdLD ; and this
upon the bajfis of my former opinion again
repeated, that fhoiild the crajfamentum (or
coagulum) be proportionally greater in quan-
tity to the ferum (or watery part) than the
Jerum to the coagulum^ I ihould not hefitatc
a moment to pronounce fuch horfe to be
dbovc, himfelf in condition, more particularly
if the blood has acquired a vifcld tenacity^
perceptible upon its furfacc.

When I fay above himfelf in condition, I
wifh to be underftood, he is in the very
ilate we have already defcribed, viz, the whole
frame is overloaded by a fuper-abundance
of nutriment, not carried off by exercife; and
the impurities thus collcdcd, to have no re-
ference to latent difeafe, but merely the effed:
of fuch fuperflux fufpended in the conflitu-
tion, producing a temporary ftagnation of
what I have already defined humours X.o be,
for want of gradual motion and confcquent
evacuations. This being the exadt ftate of
a horfe labouring under plethora and its con-
comitants from fulnefs only, I Ihould imme-
diately adopt the ufe of a mafh each night,
compofed of malt and bran^ equal parts,

merely

EXERCISE. 327

hisrely to foften the indurated contents of
the inteftines, and promote their more expe-
ditious difcharge during the gradual exer-
die in the following days ; exciting the
veflels to an increafed fecretion of urine
by the interpofition of two ounces oj nitre^
thoroughly diffolved in the water of each
morning, when horfes will in general drink
it with a greater degree of avidity. This
plan regularly perfevered in for fix or eight
days, with daily increafing exercife and good
fubftantial dreffings in the ftable (more par-
ticularly patient rubbing of the legs down-
wards) may be reafonably expefted to carry
off the repletion, in party or all^ according
to the ftate and condition of the horfe, or the
time of its accumulation.

On the contrary, (hould the blood in five
or fix hours after it is taken away, be found to
contain but a fmall portion of crassamen-
TUM, in proportion to the much greater of
SERUM; and fuch coagulum to be of a
florid healthy appearance, I could not doubt
even for a moment but fuch fwellings of
the legs, cracks, greafe, defluxions of the
eyes, (or any other complaints ufually arifing
0^2 from

228 EXERCISE.

from fuch caufe) may be the effedl of an
acrimonious, impoveriflied, and difeafed flate
of the blood ; for the due correcfting of
which, proper remedies may be feledled from
the former vohime of this work, under the
different clafTes and i%eads to which they are
the molt applicable.

Defiuxions of the eyes arifing from what-
ever caufe, whether the repletion already
defined, that by its accumulation diftends
the finer vefTels in proportion as the larger
are ^overloaded, and in fuch retention ac-
quires tendency to difeafe ; from fuch ex-
ternal injuries as bites and blows ; or a re-
laxed, defed:ive, or paralytic aifecftion of the
internal organs, they are all in general deno-
minated HUMOURS without dijlindiio7i^ and
phyfically treated accordingly. Hence arifes
a very predominant and almoft univerfal error,
for want of judicious difcrimination in paying
proper attention to the ftatc of the blood;
the difference and property of which have
been fo accurately and repeatedly defcribed,
that there is no opening left to admit the plea
of ignorance in any one cafe where it is en-
titled to infpecSion.

2 If

EXERCISE. 529

If a threatened diTorder in the eye is fup-
pofed to be the effed: of repletion and re-
flating vifcidltyy fome judgment may be
formed from a minute examination of the
blood, which will bear refemblance to the
ftate accurately explained when the horfe is
too much above himfelf In condition^ and the
veffels more or lefs overcharged with impu-
rities. Exclufive of a fole dependence upon
which prognoftic much information may be
colledled from external appearance ; the eyes
are full, heavy, and dull, with an apparent
tendency to inflammation in the lids above
and below, and exceedingly turbid in the
centre ; difplaying in fuch ftate a perpetual
drowfinefs, his eyes being frequently clofed
when ftanding in the ftable undifturbed and
feemingly unperceived, but without the leajl
dif charge tending to difcover the original caufe
of complaint,

On the contrary, when arifing from an
impoverifhed and acrimonious ftate of the
blood, the eyes become upon the firft attack
full and inflamed ; almoft immediately dif-
charging a fharp fcalding ferum, that is in-
celTantly rolling down the cheeks, and in its
Q.3 paflagq

230 EXERCISE.

paflage (by its conftant heat and irritation)
frequently occafions excoriation ; the eye
gradually contrading and finking in its orbit,
in proportion to the length and inveteracy
of difeafe. This defluxion is fo very oppo*
iite in caufe and effed:, and requires a fyftem
of treatment fo very different to the cafe
juft defcribed, as arifing from a vifcldity in
the bloody (conftituting humour of a diftind
kind) that a nicer judgment is neceffary than
generally exerted in fuch difcrimination.

I n cafes w^here one eye only is affedted in
either of the ways before-defcribed, it may
with a great degree of reafon be attributed
to external injury, and the refnlting pain,
inflammation, or difcharge, fo far dependent
upon the original caufe as to be merely fymp-^
tomatic j unlefs from the great irritability
and exquifite fenfation of the part, fome of
the humours of the eye fliould be fo feverely
injured as to occafion its lofs ; a circumftance
that is too frequently known to happen by
an accidental blow, but undoubtedly many
more by thofe wilfully aimed and fatally
executed.

As

EXERCISE. S3X

As I have before obferved, one grand error
has formerly arifen, and is ftill continued by
all the advocates for, and invincible followers
oi jincient Farriery, to treat '* the humours
that have fallen into the eyes'' (making ufe
of their own language) exaftly in the famQ
way ; whether they proceed from any of the
caufcs juft recited, or the long hi}: of poffi-
bilities that might be added to the catalogue.
It is really in reflexion a dreadful conlldera-
tion, that experience enables me to proclaim
fo ferious a fad:, and with variety of proofs
to eftablifh the certainty, that more horfes
are deprived of their eyes and rendered to-
tally blind, by the unbounded ignorance,
quackery, and felf-fufficiency oi fome^ w^ith
the confidence and afFeded medical knowledge
of others, than any bodily difeafe or local
defed: to which the frame is fubjed in the
^ourfe of nature.

It is a matter of no fmall concern to thofe
who wifh to fee a rapid improvement in the
medical management of this ufeful animal,
to find in cafes of conf^que?ice^ upon every in-
quiry to difccvcr the caufe and what methods
0^4 have

231 EXERCISE.

have been taken to relieve, all the infor-
mation mufi be derived from interrogato-
ries to the /c'ra:ant ; who is in general polTeffed
of all the myfery^ and the master (how-
ever valuable the horfej js frequently found to
know little or nothing at all of the matter.
The gjfoom's judgment is in general fo per-
feftly vifallible^ that it would be abfolute
prefumption in his employer, to inquire into
the caufe of complaint or method of cure ;
yet upon accurate inveftigation of thefe ex^
iefijivc abilities^ we find very flender caufe
for the unlimited confidence and implicit opi-
nion of the m.afier. If inquiry is mad^
whether the horfe has been bled, /^nd we are
anfwered he has, w^e are aheady arrived at
the ultimatum of information ; for what quan^
tliy was taken away, or what quality it was
v/jiEN COLD, rnufl: :remain in its former ob-
fcurity ; one general anfwer fuffices for every
quefticn ; and with a blufh of conjcious Jlupl-
dity, we are told, the horfe was ** bkd on the
dungioill'' By this fpecimen of enlightened
information, every additional fuggeiiion may
be fairly fuppcfcd equally cone In five and Ja^
t'lsfatlory.

Howevers^

EXERCISE. 333

However, to avoid farther digreffion in the
prefent inftance, and come to a palpable de-
monftration of an aflertion juft made ; I fliajl
very concifely introduce from the multiplicity
that have occurred, two recent cafes only, as
dired:Iy applicable to our prefent purpofe of
corrqboration ; and it is rather remarkable
they fliould both happen on the fame day,
and within a vejy fhort timxC of this repre-
fentation going to prefs, the horfes being the
property of perfons of the firft fafhion, and
each of them fent upwards of twenty miles
for my opinion.

The firft was a hunter of high qualifi-
cations and confiderable eftimation ; upon ac-
curate examination I found him in the exa(5t
ftate I have defcribed when labouring under a
defluxion of the eyes, (arifing from a difeafed
and acrimonious ftate of the blood) the dif-
charge from which, in its long continuance
and feverity, had ** fretted channels in his
cheeks ;" the eyes were fo very much periihed
that they were abfolutely contradted in their
orbs, the frame weak and emaciated, difplay-
ing a fpeftacle with very flender and difcou-
raging hopes of redlification.

Anxious

234 EXERCISE.

Anxious to obtain every poffible informa-
tion upon fo extraordinary and unpromifing
a cafe, I commenced my inquiry with cau-
tion, and continued it with piecifion, to the
attainment of every particular Hep that had
been taken for his relief ; and doubt not but
every reader will be as much furprifed in the
perufal, as I muft have been in the recital,
when he is informed, that the horfe had
been in this gradually increafing ftate for two
months ; with the additional mortification to
the parties, that every method adopted for his
improvement had evidently contributed to his
difadvantage.

Every degree of admiration, however natu-
rally excited by the force of this refledion,
will as naturally fubfide when the communi-
cation of the meffenger and the ftate of the
horfe have undergone a little deliberative re-
trofpedlion. In the firft inftance, his keep
was fo reduced as barely to fubfift nature;
he had undergone jive bleedings, (without the
leaft reference to either quantity or quality)
three dofes of llrong mercurial phyfic, two
ounces of nitre a day from the origin of the
complaint; and /^/k, to render complete a

fyftem

EXERCISE. <i35

iyftem of inconfiftencies, a rowel had
been inferted, as if the whole procefs had
been intentionally calculated to increafe the
caufe and inveteracy of difeafe. From the
ill effefts of this cafe (which is critically ac-
curate and authentic) may be derived a leffon
of the greateft utility to thofe who, perfecftly
happy in the vortex of perfonal confidence
and felf-fufficiency, fo frequently become the
dupes of their own imaginary fuperiority and
indifcretion.

If the caufe had been inflammatory, arif-
ing from the vifible effedl of plenitude, vif^
cidityy or grofs impurities in the habit, the
various evacuations might have been rotatio-
nally adopted, and juftified upon the prin-
ciples of rational pradice and medical conlif-
tency ; but unfortunately, in the prefent in-
ftance whatever tended to reduce the fyftem
and diffolve the craflamentum of the blood,
inevitably increafed the very evil they were
endeavouring to mitigate. It Vv'as equally
remarkable and extraordinary, that no one
article was brought into ufe but what be-
came additionally injurious to the caufe it
was intended to ferve j all which might have
4 been

zs6 EXERCISE.

been prevented by the precaution of minutely
infpcdiing, and properly comprehending, the
crafis of the blood ; the indifpenfable ncceflity
of which, I am an^^io'ufly induced to hope,
will acquire fuch weight with thofe who are
adequate to U'it talk of decifion, that it will
in future become a buiinefs of more general
mveftigation.

The repeated bleedings^ the red ud: ion of
dimcnty the perpetual adminiflration of nltre^
(attenuating the blood that was before too
ferous and watery) the injudicious interpo-
iition of purges, and laftly, the infertion of
the ro\vel to allift in the general devaftation,
certainly exceeds every idea that could have
been formed of random quackery and bodily
depredation; this is, however, no more than
one reprefentation of what is eternally carry-
ing on in different places under the infpec^
tion of thofe, who are too illiterate to poffeft
a conliftcnt opinion of their own, and too im-
pertinently conceited to folicit ^ffillance fron^
others,

Delpaiiing of fucccfs by any relief that
could be obtained from medicine, I ordered

e X £ R C i S E. 237

the fyftem to be immediately invigorated
Xvith increafed fupplies of food, that by form-
ing the means of nutrition, the crafiamentum
of the blood might be augmented ; affifting
this with a peroral cordial ball every morn-
ing, not more to enliven the circulation, than
by warm and gentle ftimulation to reftore th<^
tone of the ftomach and inteftines, totally de^
bilitated by the injudicious adminiflfation of
mercurial cathartics, and the long and impro-
per ufe of the nitre, Thefe defirable points
being obtained, I recommended, at the end
of fix or feven days, the fair trial of a courfe
of the advertifed Alterative Powders^
to gradually obtund the acrimonious particles
of the blood, with the external application of
the Fegeto Mineral^ properly proportioned to
allay the irritation j but I muft confefs,
without any great hopes of fucceeding in
parts of the frame fo very remote from the
a(5tive power of medicine.

The other was the cafe of a coach
HORSE, little lefs Angular in its mode of
treatment; as no one ftep taken feemed to
be at all regulated by any well-founded in-
tention

^38 EXERCISE.

tention of utility. The eyes (one more paf--
ticularly) had been feme months in a ftate
of fliilure and fluctuation, alternately pro-
ducing hope and defpair; when, after un-
dergoing every experiment at home without
even a probability ot fuccefs, he was con-
jfigned to my infpeftion, with a defire that I
would be very minute in my inftrudions,
which fhould be implicitly obeyed. Upon
examination, I difcovered the defedl to have
taken its feat in the humours of the eye,
with no external inflammation attending, nor
any other predominant trait than a dull cloudy
afped: of the entire orb ; difplaying a pearly
tint upon the outer edge of the cornea,
furrounded by the tunica fclerotis, indicating
the great probability of film and opacity^
conftituting in its gradual termination total
blmdnefs.

This horfe, I found upon inquiry, had
been treated in a way nearly fimilar to
what we have juft defcribed ; for, having
h^^n repeatedly bled and purgedy he had
been fubiiited upon hot majhes, and fur-
niflied w^ith Jom- ounces ofi nitre a day in

his

EXERCISE. 239

his water for weeks together; had received
the farrier's operative contribution of a rowel i
and, to fum up the total of empirical fpe-
culation, and to verify the vulgar adage of
'' the more cools ^ &c.'* the meffenger (who
was the commanding officer of the ftabularian
department) confidentially entrufted me
with a Jecret remedy of his own he had
privately 2idoptQd ; ** the propriety and fafcty
of which application, he did not at all doubt
but I Ihould applaud, as it was, in general,
a perfect; cure for bad eyes of every kind y
and was no more than tvvtg ounces of
BLUE VITRIOL diffolvcd in a quart of fpring
water y with which the eyes were to be well
wafhed every night and morning." What-
ever may be my inclination, however highly
1 may be again difpofed to animadvert
upon thefe acls of defperation or madnefsy
(for fo I muft be permitted to term them)
I fhall here drop the curtain upon the in-
vincible ignorance and cruelty of this prac-
tice ; referring the reader to various parts of
the former volume, where he will be am-
ply furniflied with obfervations at large,
perfecftly applicable to the mode of treat-
ment

240 E X fc R C I S E.

tnent fo ridiculoufly adapted to the cafes ill
queilion.

Not entertaining the leaft doubt but upon
thefe reprefentations, by much the greater
part of the judicious and enlightened world
will perfeftly coincide with me in an opinion
not to be eradicated ; that numbers of horfes
annually lofe not only their eyes but their
lives, by the dreadful effeSs of unbounded
ignorance and confidence; that it is to be
lamented, too frequently adl in conjundion,
to the palpable prejudice of undifcerning cre-
dulity. Confidering this a fail too fubftantial
to be ftiaken by fpeculative or inexperienced
opinions, it becomes for the completion of
our purpofe, abfolutely neceilary we advert to
the mifchiefs fo frequently occalioned by the
fafliionable and indifcriminate ufe oi nitre, in
confequence of the general encomiums of
former writers, before its properties were fo
critically afcertained ; which added to the pe-
cuniary eafe of acquifition, has brought the
article into too great a degree of conftant ufe,
in almoft every cafe, without a relative con-
fideratjon to its medical property, the caufe

or

EXERCISE. Ml

or fymptoms of difeafe, its injurious tendency
in fome cafes, or evident deftruftion in
others, as in the former of the two juft
dcfcribed.

That the frequent ufe and abiife of nitrs
may not only be better underftood but
more perfedlly retained in memory ; as well
as to eflablilh the propriety of its ufe in
fome cafes, and to confirm tlie juftice of my
affertion refped:ing its prejudicial efteds in
others ; I mufl be under the necefiity of in-
troducing the repetition of a few lines defcrip-
tive of its properties, fo particularly enlarged
upon in my former volume, where it may
be found by reference to the index. In ani-
madverfion upon the unlimited eulggiums
of Bart LET, who has, without proper
difcrimination, recommended its frequent ufe
to ** three or four ounces three times a day^*
I have faid,

** He urges the adminiftration of it to at-
tenuate and thin the denfe fizy blood during
the effed: of inflammatory fever ; this pro-
perty of attenuation being allowed, what mufl
be the natural conclufion and confequence

Vol. II. R of

242 EXERCISE;

of giving it in fuch large proportions ? Why
every profejjtonal man, knowing the mode by
which it muft inevitably afFedt the circula-
tion, would naturally exped: it to dilTolve
the very craffamentum of the blood,' and
reduce it to an abfolutc ferum or aqueous
vapour.'*

Admitting this reprefentation of its anali-
zed properties to ftand incontroverted, what
muft prove its evident efFed:s upon the crafis
of the bloody already too much impoverifhed
for '^ the ftandard of mediocrity neceffary to
the prefervation of health?^* and how dif-
treffingly erroneous m.uft have been its intro-
dudlion and continuance, in the former cafe
of the two we have recited ! to elucidate its
deftrudlive tendency in which, the prefent
repetition of its defcription is particularly
applied.

It is abfolutely aflonilhing how very much
tJms, ailifted by the torrent of popular im-
preffion, may pervert the belT: intentions to
the worft of purpofes ; this has been fo truly
the cafe in the frequent proftitution of this
medic-ine, that little need be introduced to

infure

EXERCISE. 243

infure its credibility. Nitre is the general
arcanum for every ill, while one-half of
thofe who prefcribe, and the other half who
give it, may be equally ftrangers to its ef-^
fecfls or mode of operation. If a horfe is
attacked with cold from an obflrudlion of
the pores, that has thrown the perfpirable
matter upon the eyes, lungs, or glandular
parts, what is the eftablifhed remedy ? Nitfe !
Inflammatory fever enfues, what follows J
Ni^re ! Swelled legs, craclced heels, or
greafe ? Nitre ! Bad eyes (from whatever
-caufe) ? Nitre ! In fad:, fuch is thi predomi-
nant rage of fafhionable frenzy, that ihould
any cafe arife, bearing in experience no pa-
thognomonic fymptoms to afcertain the cer*
tainty or probable affinity of difeafe, its
origin or termination, Nitre, wkhfagaciou:
grooms and co?idefcending farriers^ muft be-
come the grand fpecific ; to which infatua-
tion, I am much inclined to believe Bart-
let's unbounded partiality, and its echo from
one conjurer to another^ has very much con-
tributed.

A chain of attentive obfervations, collefled
in the courfe of long experience, has fully

R 2 juftified

^44 EXERCISE.

juftified me in a former opinion, that nu*
merous injuries are fuftained, and ills inflid:-.
ed, upon horfes of gentlemen by the ha-
zardous experiments of grooms and fervants ;
who piqueing themfelves upon heterogene-
ous and felf-planned compofitions or obfolete
prefcriptions, increafe danger or promote
deflrudlion without detection. And what
renders the bulinefs a matter of more ferr-
ous confideration, is the unaccountable ob-
llinacy, pride, and Jialularian confequence
(of all other the moft difgufting) annexed to
their affe^ed knowledge and phyfical penetra^
tlon. Too ignorant to be convinced, and too
rude to become fubfervient, expoftulation or
explanation can hold no weight in the fcale
of converfation ; confequently no reforma-
tion can be expected in fuch infernal fyftem
of domeftic deception and deftrudlive quack-
cry, unlefs gentlemen, for the promotion of
their own intereft and the fafcty of their
ftuds, will condefcend to exert their autho-
rity, and abolifh a cuftom in the encourage-
ment or permiffion of which they are fo
materially injured. To the eftablifhment of
tiijs \iS.^ a numerous catalogue of moft
iubftantial pro.ofs are within my own know-
ledge.

EXERCISE. 245

ledge, was their communication of the leaft
utility, in confirming an affertion that will,
I believe, be readily admitted by all the world
without exception.

From fuch medical remarks as unavoid-
ably branch diredlly from the fubjedt, wc
return to exercife ; the great importance of
which cannot be too perfe6lly underftood, or
regularly perfevered in for the prefervation
of health. Having, I believe, properly de-
fined the phyfical effecfts of gradual motion,
fo far as it appertains to the animal oeconomy
in fecretion and excretion, (with its confe-
quent advantages in air and exercife) it be-
comes neceflary to introduce fuch general
rules as eftabliih the bafis of regular exercife,
although the t'mie and manner muft ever be
regulated by the temper and caprice of the
parties, feafon of the year, fituation, wea-
ther, and other contingencies not to be go-
verned by the privilege of the pen, or the
power of the prefs.

The apology for, or rather burlefque upon,
the exercife of horfes (or more properly
invalids) in the Hvery ftables of London,

R3 is

246 EXERCISE.

is evidently calculated to complete the mea-
fure of milery fo fully explained in our
laft chapter, particularly in the winter fea-
fon ; that it is nec^^ffarily a matter of pre-
vious coiifideration to fuch inftruftions as
ive may hereafter introduce under this head.
The poor animals I now allude to, feern
to exiil: as an almoft different fpecies to
thofe enjoying the inexpreffible advantages
of comitry air^ f^^^S ^^^^(^^f^^ ^^^ rural
management. Here you perceive all fpirit,
animation, and vigour, with both the horfes
and their attendants : in the metropolis, bo-
dily infirmities and debilitation with one ;
jcHenefs, decepiicn^ Jloih^ and deje^ion with
the othen In fadt, the caufes and cffeds
have been fo perfectly clear in the gantlet
of perfonal infpedion and pecuniary ex-
perience, when the prevalence of fafhion
(or rather felly) influenced pie to keep
t/wo in 'fitch fiuation^ that no inducement
whatever fhould prevail on me to leave
a horfe of the leail: value open to the in-
con veniencies of fuch ftate for twenty-four
hour.s ; pcrfedly convinced he would have
every probable chance of fuftaining greater
injuries than might be obliterated in twice

twenty-

EXERCISE. 247

twenty-four days. The more we inveftigate
this bufinefs, the lefs fatisfadtion it will
afford to the parties more immediately in-
terefted in the explanation ; particularly to
thofe whofe fituations in life, or profef-
iional avocations, leave them without aa
.alternative.

After taking a retrofpedlive view of th;e
'** Stabling^' already defcribed, let it be
remembered, that what they call exercife
depends entirely upon the inclination and
.convenience of the motley crew to whom
the management of the yard, and fuper-
intendance of the horfes are entrufled ;
thefe are a fort, in general, feledled as the
greateft adepts in falfehood and impofition,
beft adapted to the convenient purpofes of
the mafter, and the purified principles of
a flable-yard proficiency. When fuch ex-
ercife is, however, correfponding with the
inclination and convenience of the parties we
defcribe, obferve in its manner how little it
is calculated to promote the very purpofe^
for which it is intended.

yhe horfe is brought in general from the
R 4 evapo«

248 EXERCISE.

evaporating fleams of the moft volatile falts,
^\^ith the perfpirative pores all open, parch-
ing with thirft, to a large open trough of
told water, (with little refped: to feafon)
where he is permitted to fatiate the appetite,
unreftrained by judgment or fear of confe-
quence; till chilled by the frigidity of the
element, the porous fyflem becomes in-
ftantly collapfed, and you perceive by at-
tention, the tail almofl immediately clung
to the hind quarters ; a violent trembling and
bodily agitation fucceeds, and the perfpira-
tive matter thus obftruded in its very a^
of fu&uaiion, (through every part of the
frame) lays the , foundation of various ills,
that however they might have been avoided
iti the fir ft inftance, cannot be prevented in
the laft.

This ceremony is fucceeded by one of
two others equally prejudicial to the frame
in general, however its ill eft'eds may not
prove imm.ediately difcernible; but remain
dormant fome fliort fpace of time in the
habit before it is difplayed in one of the
many diteafes fo repeatedly defcribed in
different parts of the laft and prefent chap-
ters.

EXERCISE. 249

ters. For fo foon as the horfe has been thus
permitted to glut himfelf with an immode-
rate quantity of the cold water before-men-
tioned, he is diredtly configned to his fialt^
where its injurious effects are prefently vifible
in a fevere rigor, or violent fit of fliaking,
not unlike the painful paroxyfm of an inter-
mittent; producing an almofi: inftantaneous
contradtion of the cutaneous paffages, and
" flaring of the coat/' (as it is called) when
we obferve,

<* Each particular hair to {land on end
^' Like quills upon the fretful porcupine."

The alternative to this practice is io tho-
roughly contemptible, that it is abfolutely
difficult to decide which is the moft dcflruc-
tive or dangerous of the two ; tor it the piin
above-defcribed is not adopted, but at times
admits of variation, it is directly in the ibl-
lowing way : the horfe thus watered is im-
mediately mounted by one of the juvc:::ic
ragamuffijis, who conftantly give daiiy atten-
dance at thofe receptacles, to obtain a p'-o-
ficiency in the arts of ridings cruelty, and
perfecuiion. Two or three of the horfes at

a time

250 EXERCISE.

a tim€, and into this flate, are put in a courfe
of exercifc, and woeful exercife it certainly
is with a witnefs ; for without the leaft pre-
vious gentle walking, to expedite the gradual
icvacuation of excrements fo long retained for
want of motion, they are inftantly trotted,
gallopped, and perpetually turned at each end
pf a fliort ride, in fuch fcene of incelTant con-
fufion for a length of time without remiffion.
The ftomach and inteftines being overloaded
with their contents, the horfe is totally in-
adequate to rapidity of motion without great
bodily diftrefs a few minutes therefore puts
him into a wonderful degree of perfpiration ;
when evidently labouring under a difficulty
of refpiration and difquietude, he is returned
tottering to the ftable, and there left to grow
** cool at leifure/* laying, in another way,
the foundation of thofe difeafes refulting from
a collapfion of the porous fyftem, and ftag-
nation of perfpirable matter, too fubftantial
to be reforbed into the circulation.

Taking leave for the prefent of ftable dif-
fripline, fo truly defpicable that farther dc-
fcription might' be confidered a proflitution

of

EXERCISE. 251

of both time and paper, we neceflarily return
to the gradations of exercife beft adapted to
the different degrees of horfes, according to
their various ftates of condition. Many cal-
culations have been made upon the poffible
labour and continued exertions of this fpecies,
and we are by no means ignorant of their
great and almoft incredible execution, when
brought (for the decilion of betts) into trials
of feyerity upon the turf or road^ both ioi
fpeed and duration.

The diflindion to be made in the prefent
inftance, is only the line between what is tp
be confidered as vjork, and what as the falu-
tary intervention of exercife ; opinions (fo
near as fpeculative attention can form a de^^
gree of coniiftency) admit, that horfes of
moderate qualifications and moderately fup-
ported, will conftantly travel, or journey in
their accuftomed employment, from fixteen
to twenty miles every day, through the year,
without the leaft inconvenience or bodily de-
bilitation, m.ore than what naturally arifes
from the increafing age of the fubjedt. This,
however, being fixed as a kind of conditional

ilandard

2S^ E X E R C I S E.

ftandard, or general criterion, cannot be fup-
pofed to be held critically correct with all
horfes, without diftindion ; as there are many
that will confequently bear much more labour
and fatigue, from greater bodily ftrength,
inherent fpirit, or conftitutional ftamina, than
others that fall very far fhort in conftant
work and execution, from a want of thofe
perfedions {q truly valuable in horfes of the
former dcfcription.

x\s I have before faid, exercife, in all its
^particulars tii manner^ dijtance, and duration,
muft be entirely regulated by contingent re-
flecftions upon the health, Jlate, and condition^
of the fabjedl ; fo it muft be perfedly clear,
that the recommendation of certain exercife
to horfes in a high ftate of health and con-^
dition, cannot be fuppofed to extend. to thofe
under phyfic, or in different ftates of, or
recovery from, difeafe : fuch muft unavoid-
ably receive judicious regulations from the
parties concerned ; as the kind of daily ex-
ercife we now have in contcm.plation, only
appertains to horfes in health, th e eferva-
tion of V. hich is the prefent objedl of con-

fideration.

R O W E L L I N G. 253

■fideration. All the obfervations under this
head, having been introduced to demonftrate

the UTILITY OF EXERCISE IN GENEP.AL,

and the ills that certainly arife from the vjant
of it, more than to lay down fpecinc rules
for the daily exercife of particular h or ies ;
fuch inftrucSions will be found included un-
der the management of Hunters and Road
Horses, w^hen we come to enlarge upon
thofe different heads.

R O W E L L I N G

HAS been to the credulous and illiterate
oi pajl times y exadly what the fafcinating in-
fatuation of Animal magnetism proves
to the dupes of the prefent ; like humours,
it has been played upon by moil WTiters in ro-
tation, without an explanatory line in its favour
to produce fatis factory proof oi its mechanical
procefs or eftablifced utility. Bracken, who
hardly ever gave caufe of complaint for abridg-
ing his fubjed:, but generally moft condefcend-
ingly fpun it (by a variety of branches) to
an almojl indivijible thready deviated in this
irJlance from his ufual cuflom ; and after in-
troducing

254 R O W E L L I N G.

Iroducing the fubjedl with a certain degree of
dignity annexed to its importance, by telling
us, *' he once thought not to have made a
particular chapter upon rowelling," he begins
and concludes that very chapter, of fo much
confequcncc, in tht Jingle duodecimo page 3:^1,
of his firft volume. In this page, and upon
this bufinefs, I had very much wifhed to have
enlarged my own ideas, and improved my
judgment ; more particularly, upon the ab-
ftrufe efFeds of a fubjeft, whofe perfonalor
literary advocates have been hitherto enabled
to advance but little in profeffional fupport of
their favourite operation*

To obtain fatisfadtory information and fyf-
tematic knowledge upon the efficacy of
ROWELS, when judicioufly inferted, I have
been for years ftudioufly induftrious to bettet*
my opinion by the moft inquifi.tive . atten-
tion to every attempt at definition^ from
thofe who wTre remarkable for their exten-
five practice to thofe who were no lefs An-
gular for their illiteracy ; in anxious hope
tha- time^ or circutrj}a?ice, might contribute
more to a gratification of my wilh than
my cxpcdation. To avoid troubling the
3 Reader

R O W E L L I N a 2si

Reader with tedious or unnecejGTary quota-
tions, I fhall let it fuffice to introduce fuch
abbreviations only as become perfecflly ap-
plicable to our future remarks upon the fub-
jed before us.

Bracken juftJy obferves, ** Ro welling is
the common refource of Farriers in general ;
amongft whom, he could never find one that
could give a fatisfadtory account of the uje or
al^ufe ; but they all tell you, a rowel is to
draw off the bad or corrupt humours from
the blood ; and this is to cure almoft every
diforder, according to their way of reafon-
ing.*' This affertion is fo ftridly true, that
I will cheerfully confent to its confirmation,
upon the experimental inquiries of the laft
twenty years; and declare, 1 never could
acquire from the Fulcanian profejfors, a more
technical or enlightened defcription of the
OPERATIVE EFFECTS, than the '-'- poor efi*
tome*^ he acknowledges to have received.

In this communication there is nothing
very extraordinary; but it is not fo in what
is to follow, and is Vv'orthy obfervation. In the
fame page, and almoft the next line, he tells

us,

2^6 R O W E L L I N G.

us, '' it is good in a great many difeafes /*
and inftantly fays: *' The horfe might as
well, nay better, lofe as much blood every
day as he does matter by the rowel \ for it is
as certainly blood as that in the veins, barring
the colour, which makes no effential differ-
ence ; and he is very much of opinion that
feverai cures are wholly attributed to roweU
ling, when reft and patience are the princi-
palinftruments or agents that perform it."

Is there any one reader who. will not be
greatly furprifed, and as highly entertained,
when he is informed that the writer, who
has recommended the ufe of rowels for the
cure of various difeafes, in compliance with
the force of that very cuftom he condemns,
fhould in the fame page, and comparatively
with the fame breath, inftantly reprobate the
practice, as abfolutely drawing fo much blood
from the veins ; poftefiing at the fame time
fo great a verfatility of literary genius, fo per-
fed: a pantomimic tranfpofition of words and
opinions, that we find hira (p. S5.) prefcrib-
ing '* bleeding, purging, and rowelling ifi
Jtvcral places at once^ for one rowel is of
little avail for many reafons ; and thefe ftiould

continue

R O W E L L I N G. 257

continue running a confiderable time, at leafl
a fortnight or three weeks." In page 99, he
believes they may be ufeful in many difor-
ders, "provided there be made a fufficieni
number of them ,** but as to the parts of the
body, whether behind the ears, in the breaft,
or under the horfe's belly, he thinks it is
much the fame thing ; ** for in reality, they
are no more than adding a number of anus's
or fundamefifs, fo that nature may meet
with them in feveral parts of the body, and
not be put to the trouble of going the more
tedious and com.mon round of circulation in
order for a difcharge of excrement or dung,''

Can it be poflibly neceflary for me to offer
a fingle line in apology for the introduction
of aflertions fo exceedingly oppofite from the
fam*e pen ; or a refinement of thought and
fublimhy of language in the latter, not to be
exceeded by any hypothetical reafoning or fer-
tility of invention ever ilTued from the prefs ?
The idea o{ artificial fundaments^ to fave na-
ture the trouble of going the more tedious
and common road by the anus, is not pnly io
truly great and inimitable ; fo very. contrary to
and fo far furpaffing the affertion of Osmer,

Vol. II. S that

2^8 R O W E L L I N G.

that ** the works of the Divine Artift'' had
left no room for rediiication ; (fee p. 153)
that nothing on my part can be required to
excite the rifible emotions j though, I muft
confefs, it is with the greateft reluftance fo
fair a temptation is rehnquiflied, to play a
little upon the retentive imperfections of one
predeceffor, and the methodiftical enthufiafm
of the other.

But notwithftanding the direcft and repeated
contradictions we find difperfed through the
volumes of Bracken, (probably occafioned
by his long and inconfiftent digreffions) it
muft be acknowledged, with the ftridteft
adherence to juftice and merit, that no one
fucceeding writer has fince ftarted a thought
or broached an opinion upon the operation of
Towelling, or its effed:s, but what has been
an exaCt literal defcription, or oblique echo,
of what originated with him upon the fub-
je6t. For upon a minute examination of the
various publications of different writers, we
find that a very fuperficial inveftigation, and
no additional explanation, has been conde-
scendingly beftowed upon a procefs that is
even new held in the higheft eftimation, by

thofe

R O W E L L I N G. 259

thofe advocates for ancient pradice, who
can communicate no fcientific or profeffional
defcription of its operative effedl upon the
conftitution ; or by what phyfical means the
improvement is to be obtained, that they
fo confidently and confcientioujly recommend
upon every poffible occafion.

The very few lines introduced under this
head, by even the moft prolific authors,
polTefs not the leaft ray of novelty or in-
ftrudlion, but are dired: imitations of what
proceeded from Bracken ; beginning with
the cuftomary remark, ** that rowels are in
general ufe, but little underftood ;" '* that
they are artificial vents between the Ikin
and the flefh ;'' " that they act by revuiiion
and derivation ;'* carrying off the redun-
'dant HUMOURS ftom the veflels by deple-*
tion.

Thefe few paffages contain in purport
the whole that has been at all communi-
cated through the medium of the prefs,
upon an operation fo indifcriminately re-
commended in almoft every difeafe without
exception; notwithftanding it is of fo much
S ^ confequencc

266 R O W E L L I N G.

confeqiience in medical management, tha:t
it becomes matter of admiration, how the
enlightened part of the world can be fo fre-
quently made the dupes of a moft confum-
mate ignorance, without fummoning to
their affiftance an opinion of their own, to
juftify the confiftency or prevent the error
of fuch proceeding. For my own part, after
endeavouring m.oft induflrioufly for many
years, to fathom the depth of a Farrter^s
intelledlual and profeffional abilities, without
being enabled to place any part to their credit
ciccompt ; and conftantly drawing a mental
comparifon between the good they might
fojfibly do, and the mifchief they would
certamly occajion^ I have long fince found it
neceflliry to decline every dependence upon
either : feeling myfelf perfedly juftified in
recommending it moft heartily to every
reader polTcfling the leaft attachment to the
fpecics ; never to fuffer a medicine to be
given, or an operation to be performed, be-
fore the expefted procefs of the former,
nnd the intentional efted of the latter,
are previoufly explained to his entire fatis-
fadion.

This

R O W E L L I N G. 261

This I am the more readily induced to
do, by the inceiTant infertion of rowels and
adminiftration of drinks, by parties fo con-
felTedly ignorant they can never affign the
leaft reafon for the operative fuccefs of one,
or the expedled medical relief from the
other. It is not long fince I became an ac-
cidental fpecftator to a cafe of great danger
and almoft immediate diffblution, when the
horfe was in the flings nearly exhaufted,
with only a few hours to live ; and was con-
fequently very much furpnfed to hear a
Farrier of falhionable local eminence, ear-
nefily recommend and attempt to proceed
to the infertion of a multiplicity of rowels,
(that Were howxver not permitted by the
owner) ; when the horfe was inevitably
doomed to death long before the rowels
could have taken any other effeft, than in
their confequent inflammation (previous to
maturation) to have increafed his mifery and
rendered his laft moments the more excru-
cia:ing. However, if the owner had con-
fen ted, the operations would have been per-
formed, and the reward expecfted, confe-
quently fome purpoje anfwered.

S3 I con-

26z R O W E L L I N G.

I confidered myfelf exceedingly, lucky, in
ib favourable an opportunity, to acquire fome-
thing perfonally fatisfaclory upon the ope-
rative proccfs and probable effed: of rowels
upon the frame and habit, from one who
had fo confidently recommended their im-
inediate uk in a cafe of fo much emer-
gency ; and really expedted, from the ex-
tenfive pracflice of the party and the gene-
ral acknowledgment of his practical abili-
ties, that I fliould have been in a propor-
tional degree gratified ; but forry I am to
confefs, after every direct attack, oblique
infinuation, and crofs examination, he was
fo well fortified in his entrenchments^ that I
could derive no greater degree of informa-
tion than '* they were- the HkeUeft things to'
do him good/'

This, among many other recommenda-
tions of rovvelling, upon foundations equally
ridiculous, brings to my mind another in-
ftancc of the indifcriminatc \\{^ of rowels,
with no other reafon on earth than a felf-
interefled reference \.o the pecuniary com-
penfation annexed to the ceremony of opera-
tion. A few weeks fince, an intimate friend
♦ calling

R O W E L L I N a 263

calling upon me one morning, informed mic,
he had met with an unlucky circumftance ;
for having unexpedtedly fold his horfe on
the Saturday at Reading, without any pre-
vious intention of fo doing, he was by agree-
ment to be delivered on the Monday m.orn-
ing; at which time thapurchafer difcovering
a violent inflammation and difcharge from one
of the eyes, (which was not in that condi-
tion at the time of purchafe) he obje<5ted to
receiving him ; but its being concluded the
temporary effedl: of a ^/'U, blow^ or cold^ he
at length agreed to take him away with the
privilege of returning him at any time within
a week^ if fuch appearance was not entirely
removed. This not happening, the horfe
was returned ; and my friend had then left
him in the hands of the fmith, (or far-
rier) who had that moment taken away
two quarts of blood, and was, when he
came away, juft going to put in a rowel
below the breaft, to draw off the humour
that was fettled in the eye ; that he had
alfo recommended the ufe of nitre and fuU
phur : and as he had plenty at ho?ne, he
Ihould give him an ounce of each, night and
morning.

S 4 The

264 R O W E L L I N G.

The rapid accumulation and combination
of remedies naturally excited feme expoftula-
tion, and influenced me to afk whether there
were any predominant reafons (exclufive of
the interefled recommendation of the ope-
rator) that induced him fo foon to permit
the infertion of the rowel, before he had
waited even twenty-four hours^ to obferve
whether any advantage had been derived
from the bleeding, which was certainly the
firft and bell ftep that could have beea
taken ? Finding alfo, upon minute inquiry,
that there w^as a great probability of its hav-
ing been occalioned by a bite or blow among
other horfes, when replaced in the liable,
between the time of his having been agreed
for and brought away ; I prevailed on him to
poftpone the rowel, (which he had butjuft
time to do, as the ipcifion was made before
his return) relinquifh his nitrous, fulphureous
intention for the prefent, and leave his horfe
in my flable ; which havmg cheerfully com-
plied with, the eye was perfectly found and
clear in a few days, with no other afliftance
than a flight wafliing twice a day with a
fponge, plentifully impregnated with cold
Ipring waten

This

R O V/ E L L I N G. ^65

This circLimftance, of very little confe-
qiience in itfelf, is introduced to corrobo-
rate the affertion, that rowels are frequently
and injudicioufly brought into pracSlice, with-
out reafon in the operator, or reflection in
the owner ; who, generally alarmed upon
every flight occafion, feizes the flrfl: twig of
confolation, without giving the matter fuch
confideration as would enable him to recoi-
led: every probable remedy fliould have rea-
son for its foundation; upon tlie profpeoi of
which he would certainly be, in moft cafes,
as capable of deciding as his scientific
INSTRUCTOR. But what renders the reci-
tal of fo trivial a bufinefs applicable to our
prefent purpofe is, the expeditious cure that
muft inevitable have been attributed to the
ROWEL, with no fmall portion of colla-
teral merit to thofe ufeful auxiliaries, the
fulphur and 72itre, had they been (luckily for
the advifer) concerned in a work, that na-
ture would fo frequently perform by her
oUn efforts, if not inceflkntly counteTacfled
by thofe who neither comprehend* her ceco*
nomy, nor conddcend to confult her indi-
cations, . V

Having

i66 R O W E L L I N G.

Having introduced what became abfolutely
unavoidable, to demonftrate the frequent ab-
furdity (from long ftanding, and invincible
cuftom) of applying rowels in many cafes,
w^ithout the leaft well-founded reafon for
their ufe ; it becomes neceffary to difcover,
by fcientific inquiry, what can be advanced
in proof of the fuppofed utility, that has for
ages rendered them the profeffional (or poli-
tical) rage of every clafs of equestrian
DOCTORS without diftindlion. Bracken,
as I have before obferved, fays, he attributed
much of the virtue of rowelling to the good
effeds of rejl and patience ; and I am not a
little vain that we fall into a diredl coinci-
dence of opinion upon fo principal a part of
the fubjcd.

Previous to the intended inveftigation of
their operative procefs and effedls, 1 cannot
but exprefs my difappointment in not finding
fomething more fatisfadory from the very
intelligent and much enlightened pen of Mn
Clarke, to whofe profeffional merits I flrall
ever be one of the firft to fubfcribe ; though
unluckily upon this head, he has not defcant^

ed

R O W E L L I N G. 267

ed with his wonted perfpicuity, but very
much contradted his ufual portion of infor-
mation ; not condefcending to bellow a chap-
ter of more than Jive Jhort fages, merely to
explain tlie mechanical part of the operation,
the places proper for infertion, an infinuation
of the probable danger, and laftly, as every
writer has done before, boldly aflerted their
univerfal excellence, without a iingle fub-
ftantial proof, upon which their reputed effi-
cacy can be judicioufly founded.

*' Rowels (fays he) are of great ufe in
carrying off* rheums or defluxions from the
eyes; in great fwclhngs of the glands, &c,
about the throat and jaws, which threaten
a fuffbcation ; or when the head feems par-
ticularly affefted, as in the vertigo, or dag-
gers, apoplexy, &c. &c. ; in recent lamenefs;
fwellings of the legs and heels, attended
with a difcharge of thin ichorous matter,
&c. ; in large and fudden fwellings in any
part of the body; or w4ien extra vafations
of the fluids have taken place from blows,
bruifes, &c. or when a horfe has had a
fevere fall, &c. and in a variety of other
2 cafeSg

268 R O W E L L I N G.

cafes, which will occur to the judicious prac-
titioner."

Without indulging the leaft dcfirc or
intention to animadvert with fcverity upon
the different writers who have thus rota-
tionally repre Tented the accumulated per-
fedion of rowels, (that feem in their pro-
grefs for the laft century, to have ac-
quired, like the nojlrums of the prefent
day, the virtues, of curing all difeafes) it
is very natural to conclude, that the above
lift, in each of which they are faid to be
*' of great ufe," with the repeated intro-
dudlion of *' et c?eteras/* and the variety
of '' other cafes fubmitted to the judicious
pradlitioner," that there can be hui very
feit\ or, in fad, none^ to which they are not
in the opinions of /6';/^£', perfedly applica-
ble in ens way ^or ^^/o//6^r, perhaps in no
one more than the felf-evident confolation,
if it docs no good, it may do no harm 1 it
will at any rate lupr^rt the appearance- of
bufinefs ! If nature ericds her own pur*
pofc and j;romotes a cure, the rowel will be
entilied to a pdition of credit, and the' ope-
5 rator

R O W E L L I N G. 1269

rator to no fmall (hare of profcffional repu*
tation.

Thefe are privileges againft the power of
which there can be no appeal ; but if we
look into the operative procefs of rowels with
the eye of accuracy, and advert to their ori-
gin, we fhall find they were introduced at
a period much lefs enlightened : when the
great efficacy of alteratives was but little,
if at all known or eilabliihed to any degree
of certainty, more particularly to thofe who
arc generally entrufted with the medical fu-
perintendance of horfes ; that however expert
or judicious they may prove in the operative
parts of Farriery, muft feel themfelves
exceedingly mortified at knowing nothing of
medicines, their origin, preparations, com-
binations, properties, or effefl:s.

This univerfal deficiency, fo generally ad-
mitted, to which the major part of their
profcffional errors may be juftly attributed,
now^ bids fair to be refcued from its dif-
graceful ftate of barbarifm, (under which
fligma it has fo long laboured) by a plan

that

270 R O W E L L I N G.

that is foon to be fubmitted to Parliament
by the Odiham Agriculture Society,
who have already made public (and foli-
cited fubfcriptions for the promotion of)
their very laudable intention of fending a cer-
tain number of youths annually to France
for Veterinarian Education; though
it perhaps reflects no great degree of credit
upon our own nation, that a ftill more lau-
dable plan could not have been adopted, by
laying the foundation ftone of fuch inftitu-
tio'n in this kingdom ; where, by the means
of inftrudion being local and more exten-
five, the advantages muft certainly become
the fooner general, than under the reftraints
of the prefent propofition. For the very li-
mited number (I believe four or fix) that
they intend fending annually, under the un-
certainty of pecuniary contribution from the
purfes of individuals, affords every reafon to
fuppofe, upon the moft moderate computa-
tion, that it muft be at leaft a century
before the good effedl of fo defirable an im^
provement can be univ erf ally experienced.
But as every flep to general reformation muft
have obftacles of much magnitude to fur-
mount.

R O W E L L I N G. 271

mount, under the confolatory adage of
•* better late than never, ^^ every member of
the community muft wiili it the moft unin-
terrupted fuccefs.

Returning to the operative part of our fub-
jedl, and its falutary efFed:s upon the confti-
tution, it may be remembered, that rowels
have been ftrenuoufly recommended by advo-
cates of every denomination, to draw off the
corrupt or difeafed humours from the bloody
leaving the remainder in a ftate of purifica-
tion ; this, however, has never been roundly
and boldly afferted as a facS not to be dis-
puted, but founded originally in conjedlure,
and pufillanimoufly reiterated accordingly.
But for the moment, and better promotion
of difquifition and the difcovery of truth, let
us admit the abfurdity ; out of which will
evidently arife a queftion to eftablifh the fal-
lacy of opinion founded in error, and foftered
by ignorance : viz. Whether any profeffional
writer, or fcientific inveftigator, will ftand
forth and fay, the operative effed of a rowd
is equally applicable to the difference of dif-
eafe, ariling from either a viscid tena-
city.

272 R O W E L L I N G,

CITY, or an acrimonious and impoverijhed
flate of the blood ?

For the preceding quotation from ClArke^
(which is in fadl a quotation from all the
reft) evidently recommends it in a variety
of diforders refulting from each of the two ;
and fhould fuch fyftem pofiefs the happy
influence of extrading (fecundum artem)
the foundation of difeafes clearly proceed-
ing from properties in the blood /o diredily
oppojite to each other ^ and fuch wonderful
efficacy can be fiibftantially corroborated ;
I fhall cheerfully become a convert to the
prevalent opinion of the Vulcanian frater-
nity, and join in their unlimited reprefenta-
tion of GENERAL UTILITY. But till bet-
ter and more profeffional allegations are pro-
duced, to juftify the indifcriminate hold they
have fo long retained, (particularly in coun-
try practice ;) I ftiall confcientioufly forbear
to contribute a lingle encomium upon the
great and almoft infallible virtues they have
been fo univerlally and QxionQOU^y fuppojei
to poffefs-

All

R O W E L L I N G. 273

All opinions hiave not only agreed, but
experience has eftablifhed the fad, that the
matter difcharged froin the rowels, is, as
Bracken has tirft obferved, ** as certainly
blood as that in the veins, baning the
colour." This is re-afferted by every fuc-
ceeding author, and can admit of no con-
trariety of opinion tending to cavil or con-
troverfy ; being a marter profefiionally fix-
ed beyond the poiTibility of eithen What
inference then is confequently co be drawn
from this admiffion ? Why, that every part
of the circulation, both in quantity and
quality, contributes equally to that very
difcharge fo ridiculoufly fuppofed to confift
of the difeafed portion only; when the in-
fertion has been as erroneoufly fixed upon
or near to fome particular part, co be inten-
tionally relieved by the partial power of fuch
artificial evacuation ; conftituting a fecond
blunder upon the palpable foundation of the
former. For it mull prove a difgraceful
proftitution of even comjnon comprehenjion^
to indulge the leaft idea, that a larger por-
tion of craffamentum or ferum can mdi-
vidually undergo a greater change or red:i-

VoL. IL T ficatiou

374 R O V/ E L L i N G.

lication in feparation and extravafation ihan
die other.

It being tbiCrefore proved nothing more or
his (divefkd of technical terms and am-
biguous reafoning) than a gradual depletion
of the blood veffels, (di veiled of its fangui-
nary appearance, and becoming matter by
the natural procefs of extravafation and rare-
faftion) let us decifively pronounce what fucb
conftant evacuation can be produc3:ive of in
its effedis ; I believe I may venture to pro-
nounce every profeffor of phyfic or farriery
will perfeftly agree with me, in confirming
it nothing more than a certain mode of re-
ducing the habit by drawing off a greater
portion of blood in every twenty-four hours,
than is generated by the nutritive property
of the given quantity of aliment, allowed for
fubfiftence in the fame fpace of time ; though
it is, in all cafes, ridiculoufly conceived, that
by reducing the bodily ftrength, you infallibly
fubdue the pred-i'iinance of difeafe alfo.

We novv^ arrive at the very line of dif-
tindion ncceffary to be drawn in all cafes,

where

R O W E L L I N G. 275

\vliere a ro\vel is, or can be fuppofcd to
become at all adequate to the ta(k it is
afTigned. For inilance, in cafes arifing from
caufes threatening inflammation, or fuch
gr'ofs impurities as are evidently the effecft
of a crude and vifcid ftate of the blood, (it
being firft properly afcertained) they have
moft certainly much in their favour upon
the well-founded maxim before quoted,
'* if they do no good, they may do no
harm;'* it is certainly no bad plan in /port-
ing to obtain as many points as poffible in
your favour : but as I will by no means re-
commend to the praftice of others, what
I would cautioufly avoid in my own ; I
mufl: confefs they liiould never be brought
into immediate ufe in ftables under my
fuperintendance, till the more rational and
mild methods of Evacuants and Diuretics
(according to the nature, duration, and feve-
rity of the cafe) had been tried without pro-
bability or indications of fuccefs. And
this idea of procraftination is held forth
only upon what I term a very fufficient
foundation; for what man living, in pof-
fefficn of free agency, and the happy power
of rcnedtion, would, after proper delibera-

T ^ tion,

276 R O W E L L I N a

tion, confent to perforate the hide of his
horfe, and ftand the doubtful chances of
comphcated difquietude, a lucky formation
and fortunate flow of matter; an ill-condi-
tioned wound, inveterate ulcer, or prominent
cicatrix, conftituting an irreparable blcmifh,
when it can be fo readily avoided ?

But admitting, in compliment to ancient
pradiice, their utility to be obvious in the
inflammatory or vifcid cafes before recited ;
let us make a fair and candid inquiry into
the lifl: of Mr. Clarke's, not long fince
quoted, (which is, in fad:, Bracken's,
Bartlet's, and Osmer's alfo) and
openly acknowledge where it will be proper
to coalefce, and where diflent from fuch opi-
nions; that their great and indifcriminate
merit may with propriety come before that
public tribunal, to whofe decifive arbitration
every literary difquijitionijl mult ultimately
fubmit.

That the fubjed (and of impoitance it
certainly is) may meet the eye and attrad
the judgment of every unbiafled invefti-

gator

R O W E L L I N G. 277

gator with all poflible clearnefs ; it fl^all
be perfedlly divefted uf every ambiguity ;nd
remote confideration. by re-ftating i'lngly
the cafes in which the different authors
have fo lavifhly recommended their ufe ;
admitting the propriety of their intro-
dudiion where their good effeds become
probable upon profeffional reafoning, or
condemning the adoption where 1 feel
myfelf juflified in fupporting a contrary
opinion,

We are firft told, *' Rowels are of great
ufe in carrying off rheums or defluxions of
the eyes ;" but as no profeffional proofs have
been adduced, or cafes authenticated, by
any author whatever, to confirm thh opinion^
it is very natural to wifh for information,
whether this ** use"" has been afcertained
in effe^i^ with or without the affiftance of
carihartlcs^ diuretics^ or alteratives^ one of
which, in thefe cafes, is generally called in
to their affiftance : but as the effed: of fuch
medicines are not externally perceptible ^ their
proportional fervices are buried in oblivion,
(as not being brought totally to proof) and
the glory of the vidory, if obtained, is attri-
T 3 buted

278 R O W E L L I N a

buted to ROWELLING, as a favourite fpecies
of pradlice, not to be violated by the rude and
and uncultivated dictates of modern im-
provement. I muft confefs, in the cafes
we now fpeak of, 1 lliould by no means
too kaJl'^Jy recommend their infcrtion ; but
proceeding with a proper degree of con-
fiflency, according to the apparent caufe
from a ftate of the blood, prefer a courfe
of diuretics or alteratives^ (as the cafe might
require) and referve the operation of roweU
ling as my lafl refjurce, when every other
method had failed of the expected fuccefs.

** In great fwellings of the glands, &c.
about the throat and jaws, which threaten
a fuffocation/' — This is a recommendar
tion fo diredly contrary to every fyfte-
matic and fcientific proceeding, that I fliall
confine both my furprize and remarks merely
to a profeffional explanation ; and the in^
trodud;ion of my own opinio?t, in oppofition
to theirs. If the fwellings were fo alarming
as to ** threaten fuffocation/" and afforded
no hope of fpeedy maturation, by topical ap-
plications, (which muft ever prove the moil
4 eligible

R O W E L L I N G. 279

eligible and confiftent method of relief) fiirely
Immediate, repeated, and occajio al dif-
charges of blood, miiil: contribute, m many
ways, to a removal of the danger appre-
hended, in caufing fome degree of revulfion
by depletion ; which will undoubtedlj^ by
relieving the circulation, reduce the defcnbed
ftridlure upon the parts, and render fuch pro-
ceeding very far preferable to the certain
hazard and tedious expecftation of at Icajl
ihr&e days, for the bare chance oFvery fiowly
counteracting v/hat ** fuffocaticn'' might pre-
vent ; long before one, or a multiplicity of
rovoeh, could arrive at a proper degree of
fuppuration. And this is the very predomi-
nant reafon why I think they are by no
means to be relied on in acute cafes of danger
and emergency ; fo much as repeated bleed-
ings, and fuch evacuations as become more
SPEEDILY effectual upon the frame and con-
ftitution.

*' When the head feems particularly af-
fecfled, as in the vertigo or ilaggers, apoplexy,
&c. &c/'— In thcfe cafes, after proper bleed-
ings, (which muft precede every other con-
iideration) a proper examination of the blood,
T L and

s8o R O W E L L I N G.

and a neceffary removal of inteftinal obftruc-
tions, if they lliould be found requifite;
I cannot have the leaft objediion to the in-
fertion of a rowel, or rowe/s, provided the
patient (in cither cafe) can be prevailed
upon to live t/jree or four days, to try the
effcdl of the experiment ; and this I admit
upon a recom.mendation in my former vo-
lume, that ** increafing appearances of dan-
ger muft juftify exertions of alacrity and
fortitude :'* Although I muft confefs my ap-
preheniion that either of the above cafes,
(unlefs early counteraded by the judicious
interpofition of other adminillrations) muft
gain ground too rapidly upon the fyftem, to
undergo a fudden change of improvement,
by means {o very tardy in the eftedls of their
operation,

** In recent lamenefs." — Why in recent
lamenefs, and before any of the milder me-
thods are introduced, I am at a lofs to con*
ceive; but upon preium.ption that every
other probable remedy is fet at defiance, for
the more applicable introdudion of rest,
I ftart not the moft trifling objedion, con-
vinced it is the only pica that can be of-
3 fered

R O W E L L I N a ^U

fered for the inapplicable introdu^ii^n of the

ROWEL.

*' Swelling of the legs and heels, at-
tended with a difcharge of thin ichorous
matter, &c.'' — I imagine, in fuch cafe, the
rowel is meant to be inferted after a non-
fubmiffion to the entire dalles of alteratives
and diuretics ; whofe efficacious powers mult
be too well eftabliilicd by thofe who have
experienced their excellent properties, to be
entirely rejecfled, without fuch trial as they
are juftly entitled to by their rank in experi-
mental practice.

** In large and fudden fwellings in any
part of the boc.y/* — This is a recommenda-
tion fo vague, loofe, and indefinite, that it
will hardly admit of conll:rudl;ion or determi-
nation. As ** large and fudden fwellings'*
may arife from various caufes, requiring very
different modes of treatment, it is natural to
conclude, (indeed to prove by practical de-
monllration) that fudden appearances muft
frequently juftify much more sudden means
of counteradlion, than patiently waiting, day
after day, for the exped;ed and precarious

difcharge

282 R O W E L L I N a

difcharge of a rowel, that, after all the fuf-
penfe, may probably terminate unfavourably,
to the lofs of the fubjed: and mortification
of the owner,

*' When extravafations of the fluids have
taken place from blows, bruifes, &c.'* — Here
I cannot hefitate a moment to acquiefce in
the proportion, provided the infertion can
conveniently take place immediately upon or
clofe to the part affedled : if that cannot be
done, I objeft to the attempt ; as the ** ex-
travafated fluids" mufl: be abforbed into the
circulation before they can attain the place of
difcharge. If which can be accompli Ihed,
they may then be carried off by difierent
evacuants, without recourfe to fuch means;
but if I perfeftly comprehend the allufion,
it is fuppofed to convey an idea of *' ex-
travafated fluids" become ftagnant by length
of time, and not to be reforbed into the cir-
culation by any probable means whatever.
•In Vv^hich cafe the rowxl may be adopted v/ith
PROPRIETY, provided it is infertcd under
the advantages I have jufl defcribed ; that is,
diredly upo?!^ or immediately contiguous to,
the feat of d if cafe.

<* When

R O W E L L I N G. 283

*' When a horfe has had a fevere fall, &c.
and in a variety of other cafes which will
occur to the judicious pradiitioner." — This
propofition covers fuch a wonderful fcope of
pojfibility, and includes fuch a variety of la-
titude for the inquirer, that it is by fcir too
unlimited in its comprehenfion to admit a
tedious enumeration of remarks applicable to
even half the cafes that may be brought into
the fcale of imagmary probability. This will
forcibly affed: the judgment of every reader,
if he condefcends, for a few minutes only,
to recoiled: the ways a horfe may be affeded
by a *' fevere fall,^' are fo very numerous,
that the advice here given (in fo extenfive a
degree) mufl: prove conditionally dependent
upon, and be regulated entirely by, the opi-
nion of thofe to whom the fup'enntendance
of fuch cafes become fubjed, rendering every
farther remark upon this pafiage extraneous
and unneceflary.

After the ftrideft attention to, and in-
veftigation of this fyi]:em, (anciently adopted
and tranfmitted, like domcitic property, or
profeffional implements of bellows^ anvil^
hammer, and vice, from fire to fon) I feel

impartially

284 R O W E L L I N G.

impartially influenced to declare myfelf a
ycry (lender advocate for their continuance in
pracftice upon the bafis of general uti-
lity. There may be fome few cafes, and
thofe few very confined in number, where,
from a non-fubmiflion to the dicflates of a
more rational application, e}^periments may
be made by the credulous, of their yJ? uni^
verfal reputation : but I am induced mofl:
heartily to believe, fuch alternative muft be
adopted much more upon the conftrucSion of
3I0PE, than the too flattering profped; of

EXPECTATION.

For my own part, voluntarily embarked
in a conditional truft of honour with the
public, for the promotion of equeftrian im-
provements by every rational and fcientific
means that can be advanced upon the face of
well-founded opinion or practical experience,
it is impoflTible for me to acquiefce in the
recommendation of their infertion, in the "
variety of indifcriminate cafes before recited ;
from which I have withheld my approba-
tion upon the firmeft conviction, that no
fyftematic fubftantiatcd reafons have ever
been promulgated, demonfl:rating the ope-

rative

R O W E L L I N C}. 2S5

rative procefs upon the animal oeconomy,
from which the reported good effcdts are

SUPPOSED TO BE PRODUCED.

I beheve I have before hinted their being
originally adopted in times of greater ob-
fcurity ; when the minds and manners wxre
not only much lefs enlightened, but the
almoft incredible property and power of
medicine not then difcovered and brought
palpably home, as it now is, to the moft
obftinate incredulity. In the remote age of
this invention, the volume of medical im-
provement might be juftly confidered in its
infancy, emerging from the early efforts of
antiquity; from which it has continued in
gradual refinement to its prefent period of
profeffional fplendor, under the indefatigable
aufpices of thofe whofe literary additions to
the works of fcience will perpetuate their
memories very far beyond any effuiions that
can poflibly fall from the grateful pen of
humble admiration.

It muft therefore fuffice in additional con-
firmation of the improvement we applaud,
to obferve, that even in private pradice

amongft

285 R O W E L L I N a

amongft the humafi fpccies, thofe analogous
operations, issues and setons, in the courfe
of the laft forty or fifty years, are co7npara-^ ^
iively obliterated ; bearing no kind of pro-
portion in common life, being but very fel-
dom either advifed or adopted, but where the
parties, from an invincible perfonal or ^^t//-
niary averfion to medicine, cannot be pre-
vailed upon to undergo fuch courfe as may
evidently repair the conjiitution^ to a certain
partial confu?nption of the purfe.

After every obfervation I have been able
to deduce from theory, every rem.ark I could
colledt in praftice, and every information to
be derived from thofe Vulcanian Vete-
rinarians I have had the bono?' to confult -,
after the analization of its phyfical procefs
upon the frame ; its being immediately and
equally fed from the fountain of circulation
and fiipport ; a proper inveftigation and ex-
pofure of the ridiculous icea of partially
drawing off corrupt or dlfeajed particles from
the blood, that the animal may ** live the
purer with the other half;" and laflly, the
more contemptible propagation of their being
found applicable to all difeafes^ without a

fingle

R O W E L L I N G. 287

iingle profeffional proof manfully and fcienti-
lically demonftrated, that they are abfolutely
neceflary or infalUble in one ; it can create
no admiration that I feel myfelf juftiiied in
offering to the world an opinion, very little
fubfervient to the fuperficial decifions of thofe
who have preceded me upon this fubjed:.

Under the combined weight of thefe con,-
fiderations, and fo far as they entitle me to
offer judgment, I dare venture to pronounce
and promulgate fuch belief, that there are
only a very few cafes in which they are either
mdividudlly necejjliry or ufejul-, having it at
all in their effe^s, the pov/er to produce
any fuch change in, or improvement upon,
the conftitution; but what may be more con-
liftently (and to a greater certainty) produced
by judicious interpofition of cvacuants^ diure"
tics, alter alive s, or fuch other cla fs of me-
dicines, as upon accurate inveftigation of the
caufe and reference to fymptoms, may be
found correfponding with the cafe and its
explanatory parts, in our former volume,
more particuiarly adapted to medical difqui-
iition and the cure of difeale.

The

t:.SS ROWELLING.

The cafes to which they may be in fome
degree adapted, bearing profeffional traits in
their favour, are, partial fvvelLngs of fome
duration, originally occafioned by extrava*
fated fluids becorr.e too vifcid by llagnation
to be reforbed into the circulation ; cuta-
neous difeafes not fpeedily fubmitting to
the courfe of medicines adapted to their
peculiar clafs ; inveterate lamenefs of long
Handing in the flioulders or ligamentary
parts, by the retention of inflammatory
matter firfl: fixed there by the improper and
too free ufe of fpirituous applications; and
afthmatic complaints upon a confirmation of
their non-fubmiflion to conditional bleedings,
a moderate ufe of nitre, and fuch courfe
of pedtoral detergents as will be found re-
commended under that head. In each of
which, I fliould not hefitate a moment to
urge the propriety of inferting the rowel as
near the caufe of complaint as poflible ; that
the flux of matter (though colkded from
the circulation) might flow diredly from,
or as contiguous to the feat as circumftances
will permit; and that fuch local infertion
may contribute affiftance to whatever utility
they poffefs, in unloading to a certainty

the

HUNTERS. 289

the neighbouring vefTcIs concerned in the
cafes we have juft defcribed. The advan-
tage naturally refulting from fuch precau-
tion becoming too evidently obvious to re-
quire further anatomical defcription or phy-
iical difquifition ; the minutiae of which,
(fo far as it appertains to the operation in
queftion) having been largely and accu-
rately explained in the definition of hu-
mours, under the laft article of exerciser
and the prefent upon rowelling, cannot
ftand in the leaft need of additional eluci-
dation to render the whole perfedly intelli-
gible to every comprehenfion.

HUNTERS.

THE particular management of horfes
paffing under this denomination will ap-
pear to many matter of fo little confe-
quence, that it muft create furprife how
any thing new can be introduced upon a
fubjed: tijey conceive fo univerfally and per-
fecSly underftood. However fuch opinion
may be eftablilhed in the contradled minds

Vol. IL U of

290 HUNTERS.

of t'hofe who exift only in error, and never
condelcend to fandion the moft pronnifing
ray of improvement ; the great number of
valuable horfcs that have loft their lives,
cither in or immediately after the chace, in
the two laft feafons only, with his Majefty's,
his Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales^s,
Lord Barrymore's, and Captain Parker's
hounds, are demonflrative proofs of inabi^
lity in the grooms, or indifcretion in the
riders ; as well as collateral corroboration
that the fyftem of perfedion is not yet at-
tained, even in the firft hunting ftables of
fafliion and eminence.

Without prefuming to arraign, in the
prefent inftance, the judgment of one, or
the prudence of the other, I (hall proceed
to lay down fuch rules for the felecSion of
hunters, and the minute particulars of their
management, as have for a feries of more
than twenty years enabled me to enjoy the
pleafures of the chace with a multiplicity
of the fleeteft and moft popular packs in
different parts of the kingdom ; without one
of thofe unlucky contingencies that fo fre-
quently throw lefs thinking, or lefs experi-
enced

HUNTERS. 291

enced fportfmen in the back ground of
the pidure with mortification and dif-
grace.

It fhouid be indelible in the mind of
eyery juvenile and recent fportfman, that to
bring a horfe into the field out of condition^
incurs inftantaneous fufpicion, if not con-
tempt ; the curiofity (not to fay infulting in-
difference) of every fped:ator is excited, who
-fortunately excels in the figure or quahfica-
tions of his fteed, and the fuperiority of his
equipments. And this is not at all to be
wondered at, when thofe entirely unac-
quainted with the fadt are informed, that
as much emulation is perceptible in the dif^
play of a /porting apparatus, as in the exult-
ing fplendor of a birth-day appearance in
the vicinity of St. James's : not only the
Ridepn^s, but their Horses, are fraught
with the infeclious fpirit of rivalfhip ; and
impatiently wait the moment, that infpires
^ach with the vigour of general conten-
tion.

Horfes impeffed: in their appearance, with
fulnefs of the legs, foulnefs in the coat, cracks

U a in

292 HUNTERS.

in the heels, or poverty in the frame, ar**
immediately furveyed with, the eye of at-
tentive infpediion ; this oblique but accurate
furvey as certainly terminates to the difcre-
dit of the mailer as the prejudice of the
fervant, leaving no favourable impreffion of
their ftable management at home, or equef-
trian prudence in the field*

External deficiency is not the oiily incon-
venience arifing from imiproper condition ;
the concomitant ills refulting from it are
not unfrequently attended with the mofl:
ferious confequences. Horfes for the very
fevere and ftrong chaces v.'ith Stag or Fox
fhould have both the blood and body regulated
to the higheft degree of purity and perted:ion ;
fuch fyllem of information may be readily ac-
quired by proper attention to the neceffary
inculcation and judicious obfervation, previ-
ous to the commencement of the feafon.
This fad:, founded upon the criterion of
experience^ naturally leads us into an inquiry
Vv^hat thofc preparations are, and tliC necefiity
for their introdiKftion : tht'c ne fiiall con-
feqiiently advert to, b«M not witKout an ob-
lique remembrance of, and reference to, thofe
Cynical cavilifts who, (apprehending no dan-

HUNTERS, 293

ger till they feel it) {q.\. phyftc at defiance ; and
uever fubmit to acknowledge its utility, till
the total lofs of one horfe and the irreparable
injury to another, demonftrate the abfurdity
of their ill-founded objedlions ; compuliively
adding them in rotation to the annually in-
creafing lift of converts to a rational fylle-
fnatic mode of llabularian improvement.

Such bbftinate non-compliance with the
juftified didlates of fafety refulting from ex-
perience, can arife only from a total want of
thought, or knowledge of the animal oeccno-
my ; by which every fecretion^ evacuation^
motion and labour is regulated, oradlion con-
trouled. From the recurring force of this
reflecftion, let every Sportsman whofe mind
is at all opera to the rays of refinem.ent, (and
who has not, like Tony Lumpkin, imbibed
his entire ftock of penetration from the apron^
ftring of a Mrs. Hardcajiky conduding his
w^hole affairs by **the rule of Thumb,")
confider the abfolute neceflity of beitowing
fome little occafional attention to the indica-
tions of nature ; the dired: procefs of ali-
ment and digeflion, w^ith its fublequent lource
oi nutrition ; enabling himfelf to afcertain (at
leaft with fome degree of precifion) the ftate

U 3 of

294 HUNTERS.

of his own horfes in ficknefs or health ; to
difcover their neceffities, and prefcribe the
remedies, without a degrading dependence
upon the accumulated ignorance and affedted
confequcnce of every illiterate groom^ ojiler^
or ftahk'boy ; Vvho, it is univerfally known,
proudly poflrefs obfolete receipts for every
poffible difeafe to which the horfe is liable,
(without its containing perhaps one appli-
cable ingredient) and will valiantly vouch

for the INFALLIBILITY OF ITS VIRTUES,

though it is ten to one he is totally unac-
quamted with the articles of which it is
compofed, and ftill more probably has not
ability to read the very farrago he fo con-
fidently recommends.

This evil has originally arifen, and been
increafed in its growth by too implicit, or
rather too indolent, a fubmiflion of mafters
in general, to the indifcreet (not to add fome-
times infernal) and ridiculous propofitions of
thefe people, upon whofe deftrudive affec-
tation of knowledge I have already fo repeat-
edly expatiated under different heads ; but am
by prac^fical obfervations, as often brought to
a renewal of the fubjecS, to place every genr

tleman

HUNTERS. 295

tleman or fportfman on his guard againft
their inceflant obtrufions of medica) judg-
ment ; having within the laft few days heard
a moft ilHterate puppy of the clafs defcribed,
propofe the infinuation of lump fiigar for a
defed: in the eye, without a fingle reafon
to affign for the fupport of his recommenda-
tion, but that *' it was like enough to do it
good." .

This idea is too fubhme and expanded for
a fingle remark in animadverfion ; but furely
every proprietor of horfes muft find it greatly
conducive to a promotion of his own eafe
and interefl, if he would condefcend to pay
fuch attention to this fubjedl, as might un-
doubtedly contribute a proportion of confi-
dence to his additional knowledge ; and to-
tally exculpate him from the mortifying pre-
dicament of appealing to the barren capacity
of his fervant in a matter of magni-
tude, whofe underftanding or inflrudtions
he would not fubmit to conjiilt^ or even con-
defcend to hear^ upon much more inferior
occafions.

There has always exifted a diverfity of
U 4 opinions

296 HUNTERS.

opinions refpeding the propriety of purging
horfes previous to the commencement of the
hunting feafon j and this, as I have before
hinted, has been one of the long-ftanding
di(aes of contention between the rights and
the wrongs ; it will be therefore expected
(by thofe impartial inveiligators who are not
blinded by invincible prejudice, but open
to the convidtion arifing from reafon) that
fomething lliould now be advanced to juftify
or condemn, what from not profeffionally
underflanding the operative procefs of, or its
effeds upon the frame, has hitherto fufpended
their opinions, not knowing wit/j jujiice>
which method to avoid, which to purfue.

That the matter may, however, be
brought nearer the criterion of decifion, by
being more clearly explained, I fliall en-
deavour (without indulging a wifli to attrad:
unneceffarily the attention of any reader from
what he may perceive an objed of greater
importance) to convey fuch defcription of its
neceffity, its operation upon the blood, and
falutary effeds upon the conftitution ; as I am
induced to believe will prevent the confjl-
ency of purging being longer a matter of

controvcrfy ;

HUNTERS. ^97

controverfy ; but that upon certain and proper
Dccafions, it will become univerfally adopted
under the conditional regulations fo accu-
rately explained in our former volume of this
work. Thofe inftrudlions, however, apper-
taining more particularly to the compofition
of various forms, the act of adminiftration,
and the mode of adtion upon the inteftinal
contents j we advert now to the more remote
conlideration of its Gperative effe^s upon the
ENTIRE SYSTEM, in juftification of its adop-
tion previous to the annual exertions of vio-
lence, that fo evidently mcreafe the velocity
of the blood.

It may be remembered that in my former
volume, under inftrud:ions for getting horfes
into cojidhion^ I have recommended the ope-
ration of bleeding in a few days after bemg
taken from grafs ; by faying, *' a propoition
may be taken away, according to the fize,
ftate, ftrength, and temperament of the horfe,
with due attention to the fiefh he may have
gained, or the impurities he may have im-
bibed with liis pafture." This paffage is fo
truly expreffive, and conveys to the mini fo
fnuch in fo fhort a manner, that I have been

induced

298 HUNTERS,

induced to repeat the very words; as direftly
conducive to the fupport of an aflertion fre-
quently brought forward, *' the great ad-
vantage of difcovering the true ftate of the
blood."

The reafons are not only exceedingly ob-
vious, but have been in their refped:ive parts
fo minutely explained, that there is barely
room to urge the propriety and enforce the
utility of what ought to be laid down as
the almoft fundamental rule of phyjical rec-
tification; and, however abftrufe fuch rea-
foning may appear to the unfcientific and
fuperficial part of the Vulcanian faternity,
denominated Farriers, I hefitate not a
moment to affirm,, there are very many cafes,
in which I fliould be profeffionally induced
to regulate the physic in both quantity and
quality, by appearances accurately drawn
from the ftate of the blood only.

What ! (S'<'^y^ the furprifed and divided
reader) when his Majefty's Farrier for Scot-
land has confidently affured us, and under
the honourable fandion of royal appoint-
ment, that no difcovery can be made from
4 the

HUNTERS. -99

the blood in any ftate whatever ! That
** blood drawn from a horfe who is evi-
dently difordered, will fometimes have the
fame appearance when cold, as that drawn
from a horfe in health/' And, hey prejloi
Vice Versa ! ■'■ On the other hand, blood
drawn from a horfe in health \\\\\ fometimes
have all the apperance of that drawn from
one labouring under the moft dangerous dif-
eafe.'* All this Mr. Clarke may '' mq/l po-
tently believe,^' yet ** I hold it wrong to have
it thus fet down ;" it bears fo great an affi-
nity to the ambiguous putting <5^of Hamlet
to his inquifitive companions, when he feri-
oufly alTures them,

'* There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark,
** But .he's an errant knave."

However, that jarring opinions may be the
more eaiily reconciled, I will venture to
conclude for this very judicious and enligh-
tened writer, that he intended to have Jaid^
or wiihed it to be underjlood. That the cales
in which the blood of difeafed horfcs bore
^he appearance of ho?-fes in health, were

thofe

300 HUNTERS,

thofe very few in which the ftate of the blood
is not fymptomatically afFeded by the difeafe;
as fiatulent or inflammatory cholic^ Jirangury^
and worms. But the better to exculpate my-
felf from the accufation or even unjuft fuf-
picion of indulging the fliadow of inclination
to arraign the authority, or fport with the
judgment I fo very much refpedt ; let us cha-
ritably adopt AN ALTERNATIVE, and fup-
pofe, what is not only pojjible but probable,
that as the horfes in that country differ fo
very materially from our's, (as thofe can tef-
tify who have vifited the fpot, and recoiled;
their appearance) why miay not the fluids
partake of the contrail ? and their properties
not being fo eafily or accurately anahzed as
in the more fertile regions of the fouth ? the
line of diftindion we may naturally conclude
is circumfcribed by the vermicular boundary
of the Tweed, ecnftituting other diverfities of
equal admiration.

' From this digreffion, fo unavoidably ne-
ceffary to juflify my former recommenda-
tion of Bleeding, under proper reftric-
tions, we return^ to the confideration of

Purging j

HUNTERS. 301

Purging ; upon the very falutary and judi-
cious interpofition of which, I have already
given my decided opinion as to its gene-
ral utihty, though I do not mean to affert
myfelf an advocate for its ifidifcriminate ad-
miniftration, without due deference to the
caufe and conditt07i of the fubjecl. I wifh
by no means to be confidered an invariable
friend to unneceflary evacuations; perfedly
convinced they are only abfolutely requifite,
under the w^eight of injudicious accumula-
tion. I therefore beg no mifconftruClion may
be put upon the thefis I advance, which is,
that EVACUATIONS become not only proper
but indifpenfcibk, when a horfe is so much
ABOVE HIMSELF in Condition, that he
evidently difplays the advancing progrefs
and ill effects of repletion (arifing from full
feed and irregular exercife) in the variety
of ways fo repeatedly defcribed ; not only
under other heads in this, but different parts
of the former volume, where the ftate of
the blood necefiarily became the fubjed: of
difquifition.

From what has been fo fully advanced

upon

302 HUNTER S.

upon the article of nutrition, circulatidnV
evacuation, and exercife, it muft be perfedly
and fyftematically clear to every comprehen-i
fion ; that a horfe too plethoric in habit, too
much loaded with flelh, too vifcid in the
itate of his blood, or too little accuftomed
to exercife, can never be brought into fuch
ftrong exertions as the chace, without a
very great probability of exciting inflam-
mation, that may terminate in different de-
grees of difeafe, danger, and difquietude.
Admitting therefore its indifpenfable neceffity
with horfes of the above defcription, it mufl
be taken into the aggregate, that although
great inconveniencies and diftreffing circum-
stances may pojfibly arife, from the want of
precaution in not bringing fuch preventatives
into ufe, where the frame is replete with im-
purities ; it can by no means follow that by
the omiffion, with horfes in any tolerabk
condition y the probable confequence becomes
inevitable.

To draw the line of diftincftion between
fubjed-S rendering it a matter of neceffity
'With one, or prudence and prevention only

with

HUNTERS. 303

with another ; it muft be candidly acknow-
leged, that inftances frequently occur, where
horfes, perfedlly clean, healthy, and without
any vifible caufe to fufped: foulnefs in the
body, or impurity in the blood, have, by
proper attention to ftable management, good
feeding and regular exercife, been brought
into the field in no degraded condition, and
gone through the feafon with a moderate de-
gree of perfediion. Though this fhould not
be attempted till an attentive obfervation to
the ftate of the coaty eyes, legs, heels, the
wind m brufhing gallops, and the quality or
appearance of the perfpirative matter in the
a(5t of tranfpiration, may juftify a reliance
upon the faith of experiments; as latent
impurities, or grofs vificidities may remain
dormant in the conftitution, till roufed into
adlion by efFefts too numerous and exten five
to admit of reiterated explanation, without
deviating too largely from the fubjed: it is
our prefent purpofe to purfue.

Having introduced remarks that were un-
avoidable to demonftrate the confiftency of
carrying off fuch fuperflux as may confti-

tute

304 HUNTERS.

tute a preternatural weight upon the animal
ceconomy, by incumbering the infinity of
finer vefiels fo exquifitely concerned in fecre-
tion and circulation, throwing the more no-
ble parts of the machine into diforder ; we
proceed to explain the operative procefs, and
cffeds of Cathartic Evacuants upon
the general fyftem ; by which phyfical ope-
ration, nature becomes gradually relieved
from the plethoric burthen of repletion, af-
fecting even the moft difi:ant parts of the ex-
tremities, by means fo univerfally known and
and repeatedly defcribed,

Pup.GiNG, in its common and fuperficial
acceptation with the unenlightened multitude,
is confidered merely as a ready and conveni-
ent mode of expelling a load of accumulated
contents from the ftomach, or excrements
from the inteftines ; without a relative con-
fideration, or fingle idea of its more remote
and falutary influence upon thofe parts of the
frame, that are in general eftimation fuppofed
to be very little concerned in the operation or
its effedls*

ro

HUNTERS. 305

To elucidate this matter, and render it
perfedly comprehenlible, (with as Httle re-
ference as poffible to abftrufe reafoning or
anatomical difquifition) let it be underftood,
that the internal coat of the flomach is fo
plentifully portioned with branches from the
nervous fyftem, that it may with great pro-
priety be termed the joint feat of irritability;
for exclufive of the ad:ing ftimulus of the
cathartic medicines upon the extreme fen-
Ability of the nerves, fo innumerably dif-
perfed in their different ramifications, they
a6l alfo by irritation upon the mouths of the
lade ah and lymphatics^ exciting a continued
and proportional emiflion of their contents
into the inteftinal canal, fo long as the fti-
mulative properties of the medicine may
have power to ad; ; during which fuch
abforption of Lymph, and the regurgitation
of Chyle, intermixes with, and is carried
off by the excrements.

By this conftant Jlimulus upon the exqui-
lite fenfibility of the flomach and inteftines,
the vermicular motion is not only excited to
a more frequent difcharge of its contents, but
its continual irritation of the vafcular fyflem

Vol. IL X pror

366 HUNTER S.

produces an increafed fecretion of lymph and
chyky which, in the procefs of abforption and
contribution to the excrementitious expulfion,
is proportionally fupplied (or the vefTels re-
pleniflied) from even the moft diftant part of
the extremities ; which evidently accounts for
the vifible advantages arifing from a courfe of
phyfic, when a horfe labours under the in-
con veniencies refulting from repletion ; and is
faid, HI the Vulcanian phrafeology , to have the
HUMOURS fallen into the legs, or fixed upon
any particular part of the frame.

Thus much is introduced to render perfedly
clear, what' I term the mechanical procefs
of purgation ; by Itridlly attending to which
it will evidently appear, that, the weaker a ca-
thartic is in its property, the lefs it will affed:
the fluids fufpended in different parts of the
frame; for its firjl Jihnulus a6ling upon the
nervous fyftem as the mojl irritable^ the lym-
phatics and ladeals become only the fecon-
dary feat of provocation, and more proportio-
nally aded upon as the physic is increafed
•in its power of ftimulation.

From this very neceiTary remark, I mean to

infer.

H U N T E R S- 307

infer, and wifli it to be generally and incon-
trovertibly underftood and held in remem-
brance, that a very moderate dofe of phyfic
will ad: in a great degree upon the irrita-
bility of the ilomach and inteftines only^ ex-
citing a difcharge of their contents, as before
defcribed; while its increafed ftrength will,
by its additio?iai fa?nulus upon an-*] pcrie-
vering irritation of the finer vefTels, excite
their regurgitative contribution to the general
evacuation, fo long as the irritating proper-
ties of the cathartic lliall retain the power
of ading upon the vafcular fyftem ; which
differing fo very much in different fubjed:s,
requires proper difcrimination in the compo-
fition of purging medicines, confequently,
fliould always be carefully adapted to the
ftate, conftitution, and bodily ftrength of the
horfe.

This naturally leads us to an inquiry of
the different degrees of physic, as moft
applicable to the various occafions for which
they are brought into ufe. It evidently ap-
pears by the above invefligation, that the
milder cathartics ad: fuperficially, merely to
difcharge the contents of the inteftinal ca-

Xz nal|

joS HUNTERS.

nal ; and are therefore calculated as preven-
tatives to the poffible inconveniencies of im-
pending repletion ; pre fervatives of health, or
necefTary preludes to the completion of per-
fect CONDITION.

The fame elucidation likt;wife demon-
ftrates the confiflency of increafing the pro-
portions, or enlarging the dofes, when more
diilant fervices are expeded by calling the
remote powers into aftion, for the purpofes
fo particularly explained ; for inftance, in
great repletion of the veffels, fulnefs of the
carcafe, heavinefs of the head and eyes,
fwelling and tenfion of the legs, and fuch
other caufes as will be hereafter explained.
Gentle cathartics^ a(5ting merely as obfervable
laxatives, can never be e:j:peded to reach the
featofthefe complaints ; fuch brisk purges
only can be adopted with propriety, as will,
by their continued ftimulus, come into con-
tadt with, aad additionally ad: upon, the very
interjlices ot the ftomach and inteftines, after
the excrementitious fuperflux is thrown off;
exciting by fuch means, the lymphatics and
ladcals to difgorge fome portion of their
extra contents y (diitinguiflicd from time im-
memorial

HUNTERS. 309

memorial by the apppellation of humour si to
be ultimately carried oflF with the remaining
efforts of inteifinal expulfion.

If any farther explanation can be at all
required, to render this procefs more intel-
ligible to the dulleft comprehenfions, I m.iift:
beg permiffion to recommend fuch Reader to
a retrofpediive recolled;ion of his own fenfa-
tions towards the concluding operations of an
emetic, or cathartic ; when I believe it will
immediately occur to his remembrance, that
the irritation of the velTels was much more
levere and effed:ual, (proved by the repeated
ftrainings) than in the preceding difcharges
when the contents were expelled with much
greater eafe to the patient, though lefs effi-
cacy upon the frame.

As I have juft hinted, there are other
diforders, or rather advanced Jiages^ of thofe
laft defcribed, (and for which ** brifk purges'*
are recomimended,) that require a ftill more
peculiar mode of counter-adion ; as horfes
fubjed to, or labouring under, inveterate
cracks in the heels j oozing indications of,
or palpable greafe j cutaneous eruptmis ; vaf-

X 3 cular

310 H U N T E R S.

cular knofs^ or tubercles^ the evident effects
of plenitude ; worms, or flucSuating pains in
the limbs, occafioning alternate lamenefs in
one part or another. In all which cafes, it
is to be obferved, horfes lliould never have
their exercife or labour increafed, to the leaft
degree of violent exertion, without iirft un-
dergoing EVACUATIONS of fuch kind, as
become immediately applicable to the cafe ir:i
^ueftion.

For my own part, I feel myfelf power-
fully influenced to recommend the early ad-
mi niflrat ion of mercurial purges^ accurately
proportioned to the ftate of the fubjed: and
prevalence or duration of difeafe ; and this
upon the- experimental bafis of minute at-
tention to their lingular effedls upon the con-
ftitutions of horfes, in a variety of inftances
that periedly juftify me in communicating
ESTABLISHED PROOFS of their fupcrior ex-
cellence, not only in the different cafes juft
recited, but in many others, that it would
be foreign to our prefent purpofe to enume-
rate.

To prevent a perpetual obtrulion of tech-
nical

HUNTERS. 3U

nieal myftery, or medical difquifition, by
enlarging upon the means of the mercurial
particles entering into contact with the blood ;
its power of attenuation, gradual diffolution
of the fluids and gentle ftimulation of the
folids, (which muft at all times hang heavy
upon the mind of the unfcientific inquirer)
we muft let our abbreviated allufion fuf-
fice, as a more fatisfadlory mode of intel-
ligent information, than a tedious chain o{
phyficai definition, that, it may be thought,
has been already introduced by much too
often.

In this tribute to the almoft incredible
effecSs derived from the judicious and falutary
interpofition of mercurial cathartics,
I beg to difclaim every idea of patronizing
fuch compofitions, prepared from the pre-
fcriptive fcraps of antiquity, in the poffeffiou
of every bellows blower in the kingdom ; not
more in refped; to the probable difpropor-^
tion and certain danger of their ingredi-
ents, than the abfurd, improper,. a.nd indif-
criminate mode of introduction. Of thefe
preparations, as of the various noftrums and
quack medicines of the prefent day, I hol4

X 4 ^hc

312 HUNTERS.

the fame uniform and invariable opinion ; that
the public are eternally peftered with innu-
merable advertifements, announcing the 772/-
raculous cures, (nature has performed)
but not a fingle word of the many thoufands
fuch medicines have deftroyed : fo true it is,
** dead men tell no tales.^*

Having gone through what I conceive a
duty incumbent, refpeding the operation of
phyfic and its efFeds upon the frame, to
elucidate, as much as circumftances would
admit, a fubjed that has been hitherto con-
fidered as fufficient matter to juftify and fup-
port a contrariety of opinions ; I muft, after
giving it fuch profeffional explanation as my
flender abilities were adequate to, fubmit the
propriety of the pradice, under conditional
regulations, to the decifion of thofe who may
do me the honour of minutely inveftigating,
what has been neceffarily advanced for ge-
neral confideration : begging permifiion to
obferve, that particular inftrudions for the
management of horfcs under the operation
of PHYSIC, may be found in the former
volume under that head ; the prefent pages
having been dedicated entirely to the ope-
4 rative

HUNTERS. 3T3

rative procefs aad its effefts upon the confti-
tiition, for the purpofe of univerjal or rather
common comprehenfion.

That talk having been at length performed,
we take leave of the dry and unentertain-
ing ftudy of medical abftrufity, and proceed
to fuch part of our plan as will prove more
entertaining and acceptable to thofe, who
may condefcend to confult us for either
arnufement or information. I have promifed
under the prefent head, rules for the felec-
tion of Hunters, and feme ufeful hints for
their management in the ftable and chac.
In refpedl to the former, fuch defcriptive
parts as conftitute uniformity and the points
of perfe(5lion, will be found fo accurately
delineated in the early pages of our former
volume, that its repetition would bear too
much the appearance of literary impofition ;
from which accufation, it has been our ear-
nefl endeavour, in every page, to fland clearly
exculpated.

Upon tlie fubjedl of feledion there can
therefore be but little to introduce beyond
the necelnty of adhering in choice, as much

-as

SI4 HUNTERS'

as pofiible, to thofc that are well-bred, or^ in
other words, fucji as come the neareft in pe-»
digree, fymmetry, falhion, and apparent
ilrength to thofe in conftant ufe for the turf,
bearing the denomination and figure of
^Loop HORSES, as moft adequate in fpeed
and durability (termed bottom) to long and
fevere chaces with fleet hounds, or in deep
f:ountries ; under which horfes pf an inferior
defcription fo frequently link for want of that
conftitutional ftamina or inherent fortitude,
that horfes of high pedigrees are fo eminently-
known to poffefs.

From this eftabliihed and incontrovertible
fail, we are naturally induced to introduce a
few oblique remarks upon the very neceffary
qualification of ** Bons ;" fo fafhionably and
eternally echoed and tranfmitted (in equef-
trian infpeftion) from one affecTied pyppy to
another; that they feem to have anticipated,
or rather premeditated, the inexprellible plea-
fure of difcovering what they call *' a. want
of bone'' in the horfes of others, that they.
unluckily feldom or ever perceive in their
<AV?i, Thefe curious obfervers, (mere pre-
tenders to judgment) never condefcend toi

invef-i

H U K T E R S. 315

inveftigate caufes or effeds, farther than as
at firft light they affed the fuperficies of
their very {hallow comprehenfion jj fron^
whence arifes the prevalent reiicdlion upon
the 'uja7it of bone, fo exceedingly common,
and fo frequently ill-founded, that at the
time of examination, the fubjedl fo difpa-
raged is fon letimes loaded like a cart horfe.
From this total ignorance of the anatomical
conformation has originated the erroneous
conjecture of fixing the bafis of ftrength in
the bony ftrudlure dnly^ without a contin-
gent reference or relative confiaeration to
the mufcular appendages, that, in fact, con-
ftitute the very main fpring of flrength and
adion*

We are not at all difinclined to admit that
the greater the fulcrum or mechanical centre
of fupport, the more powerful fhould be the
component parts to confiitute the accurau-
lation of ftrength ; though this, like many
other rules fuppofed to be general, is liable
to frequent exception. Of this there are
diftin(ft proofs among the different degrees
of horfes, in the particular purpofes for
%vhich they are bred, or afterwards become

appro-

3i6 HUNTERS.

Appropriate to ; for inftance, horfes bred with
ftrength for draft, or with fpeed for the
chace, are fo direcSly oppofite in fome part of
their Jhape^ and the whole of their requifiteSy
that what conftitutes perfed:ions for the one,
difplays an abfolutc deficiency for the other.

Hence arifes the inconfiftency of bring-
ing crofs-bred heavy horfes into the chace,
where their own weight, and want of ac-
tion, lay the foundation of their defici-
ency : for in hard or long running they be-
come inevitably exhaufted, and frequently
fall vidims to the imprudent perfeverance
of their riders. Thofe juvenile or inat-
tentive fportfmen, whofe experience has
been exceedingly limited, or obfervations
confined, may not yet be perfectly convinced
that Blood Horses (notwithftanding the
popular clamour of their deficiency ir^
bone) will exceed in fpeed, firength, and
botiomy whatever horfes of an oppofite de-
fcription may be brought into the field j
and of this fad: I am fo exceedingly well
convinced by experimental obfervation and
unremitting attention, that in a long chace

with

HUNTERS. 317

with fleet hounds, running breaft high, and
{icrofs a country^ nothing but horfes three
parts or thorough bred can ever lay by the
iide of thena.

In addition alfo to this truth, let us en-
counter the full force of another notion
equally ridiculous, and well calculated for
thofe who hunt in theory, and enjoy the
chace upon paper-, of *' a blood horfe not
having bone and ftrength fufficient to cover
a deep and dirty country j'" when every
fportfman of experience, who has made the
trial impartially, wall join with mc in the
alTertion, that horfes of that defcription
abfolutely poiTefs the ftrength (in their great
power of aclion and pliability) to pafs over
fuch country, with very flight impreflion and
no great labour ; when it is a matter not to
be controverted, that a ftrong heavy horfe,
not only finks deep with his own weight at
every ftroke, but extricates himfelf with the
utmoft difficulty, leaving his rider in the
pleafing predicament of foon inquiring
*' which way the hounds are gone?'' with
the greater gratification of poffefi!ing a horfe

of

31^ HUNTER S.

of bone and Jhrength fufficient to carry him
'^ AFTER any pack of hounds in the king^
dom'^ Having before bid adieu to medical
inyftery and anatomical defcription, we do
not mean to renew the fubjed; by a com-
parative detail of mufcles and tendons, with
their appertaining confideiations ; but leave
every reader to make up his own mind upon
the qualifications and kind of horfe moft ap-
plicable to his idea of the chace, and inten-
tion of riding wath oi qjter the hounds;
proceeding to a communication of fuch re-
marks as, properly attended to, may be pro-
ductive of their different degrees of utility.

It may be remembered, that the different
fubjeds of PHYSIC, EXERCISE, and con-
dition have all been feparately coniidered,
and their advantages accurately explained ;
as may be perceived by application to the
index of either volume for information upon
any particular head. We now confequently
arrive at the commencement of the hunting
feafon, when, meeting in the field, every
countenance betrays a heart elate with the
general effufion of joy that is to enfue. Pre-
vious to farther animadverfion upon which,

it

HUNTERS. 319

it becomes neceflary to remark, that the ex^
treme degree of perfecfl;ion, and high condi-
tion I have hitherto recommended, and allude
to in my future inftrudtiohs for ftable ma- •
nagement, are by no means intended to be
generally extended to horfes in conimon ufe
with HARRIERS ; whofe offices of fervice
are fo exceedingly different to the very ftrong
and fevere chaces with stag or fox, that
they may naturally be underilood to be always
fufficiently prepared with a very inferior
treatment.

Left fuch gentlemen, who from fituation,
inclination, advanced age, or bodily debilita-
tion, are attached to the frigidity of Hare
Hunting, fhould feel the dignity of t/jeir
pack^ and the fplendor of their retinue ^ de-
graded by what they may erroneoufly conceive
an oblique infinuation of contempt ; I mufl
beg to fubmit to the criterion of their own
decifion, the almoft incredible difference be-
tween the exertions and duration of the two.
Horfes that become the neceffary appendage
to harriers^ undergo fuch fudden changes in
their fport, not more in the frequent dull
and tedious attendance upon the hounds
q when

320 HUNTERS.

when trailing to find in the cold and chil-
ling dreary fog of a fevere winter's morning,
than the alternate contrafts in the chace,
arifing from thofe checks in ** heading, turn-
ing, doublings and fquatting,^^ that confti-
tute firft a burfl to promote perfpiration, then
Vi*^fault^^ to fupprefs it.

This is fo very oppofite to the violent and
continued exertions of a chace with either
STAG or FOX, in the prefent improved
breed and fleetnefs of hounds ; that I only
mean -to convey an idea of the probable
hazard of having a horfe kept in too high a
ftile for a chace fo fubjed: to flud:uation in
the different degrees oi heat and cold, that a
horfe in perfed: condition muft have great
good fortune, or an excellent conftitu-
tion, not to feel the ill effeds of long at-
tendance upon HARRIERS, at leaft in thofe
countries where the fcarcity of game ad-
mits of much loft time between killing and
finding. For my own part, however re-
pugnant the opinion may prove to one
clafs of fportfmen, I feel myfelf juftified in
declaring, no confideration whatever fliould
influence me to dance attendance upon har-
riers^

HUNTERS, 321

tiers, with a horfe of great value and to-
lerable perfed:ion, unlefs a certainty of ex-
peditioully finding, and inceffant running,
might induce me to exercife a horfe on the
the intermediate days, as a prelude to the chace
with either of the other two.

Confidering, therefore, the management
we allude to, as appertaining more particu-
larly to horfes of high qualifications, we
advert, as before mentioned, to the com-
mencement of the feafon ; when, at the
place of meeting, every fportfman feels eager
for the fport and replete with emulation.
That we may omit no inftruftion or advice,
however minute, that can at all contribute to
the pleafure or fafety of the chace : let it be
held in remembrance, the fram.e (or rather
the ftomach) (hould never be loaded when
entering into immediate adlion. The portions
of hay and water fhould be adminiftered with
a very fparing hand, for the laft twelve or
fixteen hours preceding the chace ; to which
end hay fliould be reftridted in quantity more
on that night than any other, his evening
and morning feeds of corn being increafed in

Vol. IL Y proportion.

322 HUNTERS,

proportion to the deficiency in the other
part of his aliment. On the morning of
hunting he fhould be dreffed and fed early;
having his head (trapped up till liiddled for
the field, to prevent (if a coarfe feeding horfe)
his making the clean ftraw^ a neceffary fub-
ftitute for the artificial fcarcity of hay.

The day preceding which, every judicious
or experienced fportfrnan arranges all his
affairs, to prevent the leaft probability of delay
difappointment, or interruption to his fport ;
by accurately afcertaining the adequate ftate
of his horfe and the fafety of his apparatus.
He defcends to an attentive furvey of the feet
and the clinches of iYi^Jhoes ; thereby avoid-
ing the diftrefling dilemma of compulfively
exploring a smith's shop, in a ftrange
country, during the heat and happinefs of
the chace, by the inexpreflible mortification
of cajUng a JIjoc : a circumftance that will
feldom or never happen under the occafional
infped:ion of the fmith, who will moft cer-
tainly never forget the proper or accuf-
tomed time of examination ; provided he is
retained upon the principle of mutual convex

nience.

HUNTER S. 323

ftience, fo particularly explained in 138 and
the following pages.

Proper attention fiib'iild be paid to the form
-of the faddle and tnt flate of its ituffing, to
prevent even the poffibility of the tree coming
into injurious contacl with the wither-, or
the probability of warbles, by the indenta-
tion or fridlion of the girth buckles, in a
iong or fevere chace. The girth web for
hunting fhould be what is termed '* fpni g
web" in preference, for the advantage of its
additional elafticity ; the harlh, tight wove
web very frequently occafioning a laceration
of the integument, known by the name of
^' ioivel galled.'^ If due refpedl was alfo
paid to the probable durability of the Jllrrup
leathers^ it might certainly render furerflu-
ous the paltry difplay of a new belt round
the body of a gentleman, indicating a
fafe refource for a hrohn leather ; a piece
of equeftrian oftentation never pradifed by
fportfmen of eftablifhed reputation, who are
univerfally known to be too fubftantially pro-
vided, in fo material a part of their equip-
ments, to ftand the mofl dilrant chance of
an accident, that would not only retard their
Y % progrefs,

324 HUNTER S.

progrefs, hut inevitably throw them out, be-
fore they could repair their lofs, if the hounds
were then croffing a country.

If horfcs have not fix or eight miles to
the hounds on the morning of hunting,
they fhould be walked at lealt an hour, or
hour and half, before they appear at the
place of meeting; the conliftency of their
having fufEcient time to unload the frame
by frequency of evacuation, has been fo fully
explained under the article of exercife, and
its palpable utility muft be fo forcibly ftriking
to every perfon at all convinced of its efFefts,
that it cannot poflibly require any additional
elucidation.

Suppofing ourfdves arrived at that unful-*
lied feat of unanimit)' the place appointed,
whether throwing into covert for a fox, or
turning out the deer ; every fportfman will
acknowledge it may be juftly deemed the
critical moment, v/ben the powers of ex-
hilaration nearly exceeds the limits of pre-
fcription, and we *' mofi: wonder how our
reafon holds*'* This is the crifis that too
frequently deprives the juvenile rider (in

z his

HUNTERS. 325

his Initiation) of the degree of prudence fo
exceedingly neceffary in the early part of
the chace ; particularly at the beginning of
the feafon, when they are fo little inured to
exertions of violence and fatigue. The Jirji
bur fly with cither deer or fox, is gene-
rally fevere, and not unfrequently of long
duration, in w^hich too much tendernefs
cannot be beftowed upon the very fountain-
head of your pleafure ; from whofe per-
fedions and pcrfeverance only you can
derive your enjoyment of the chace. It is
therefore perfcdly right to have it ever
in remembrance, that the more moderately
a horfe is exerted in the early part of the
day, the greater probability you infure of
feeing the end of it ; with the pleafing con-
folation of eafe to your horfe, and no bad
compliment to your own reputation ; for it
is a well known faft, that there are hun-
dreds in a feafon, who from an impatient
defire and eager impetuofity to fee too much
of the beginnings feldom or never know
much of the conclujion, promoting by indif-
crt i on the very means of their mortificatipr:
a difgrace.

Y 3 Moderation

326 HUNTERS.

Moderation in the chace, and fteady at-
tention to the leading hounds, will conftantly
prevent confiderable difficulty to the rider,
as well as the horfe : this is a matter,
however, more '* devoutly to he willied,V
than at all to be exped:ed. It is equally
natural to conclude, that moft of thofe ad-
herents attached to and enjoying the chace,
would regulate the fpeed of their horfes
by the depth of the ground they go over^
obfcrvation daily convinces us it is not fo,
and that there are very numerous excep-
tions to fuch necefTary and laudable circuriv
llances.

Experience conftantly affords us derpon-
flrative proof, that nothing fo much ex«
haufts the bodily ftrength, reduces the
fpeed, and exhaufts the wind, as ftrong and
repeated leaps in any, but particularly in
deep countries : this refledion ought furely
to convince young or unthinking riders,
that fuperfluoiis leaps, and unnecelTary diffi-
culties, fhould never be boaftingly encoun-
tered, to difplay an affedtation of equeftrian
courage, or pragmatic confequence ; fqr
they immediately (in the mind of every pru-
dent

HUNTER S. 327

dent and humane obferver) appear fo many
iiicontjovertible proofs of his ignorance or
incifcretion. Thefe heroes on horseback
require to be emphatically informed, that
fuch voluntary adls of oppreflion invariably
operate to the prejudice of the performer,
however he may be fandtioned hy ntuatiori
or favoured by fprtune, proving unluckily
aborti^^e of the ori^-inal defi.o^n ; for v/hat is
fo evidently intended to promote admiration
is as certainly productive of Indifference and
,contempt»

Another acl of foliy and inJifcretion is
equally calculated to excite the difguft and
indignation of every eftabliflied fportfman
in the tield ; that ridiculous vanity of tryr
jng the fpeed ^nd oppreffing the fpirit of
your horfe, in facing with every fympa-
thetic compistitor ; and it would be very
extraordinary in fo numerous a company, if
one foci was long deprived of the pleafure of
finding a comppjtion. At the concluiion of
the chace, whether the death of a fox
or the taking of the deer, numerous
temptations prefent themfelves to the voung
and inexperienced fportfman, ever^ in the
Y 4 infancy

328 HUNTERS.

infancy of his initiation ; while encounter-
ing the various propofitions of the company,
fufpended in opinion between the prevalence
of inchnation and power of confiftency.

Previous to the remarks I proceed to make,
it is not inappHcable to introduce one obfer-
vation relative to a termination of the diftindl
chaces I have juft had occafion to mention ;
for though the former muft be candidly
acknowledged proportionally fevere in its
courfe, it is by no means comparative in its
duration. His Majesty's i?e?^£)^^r, under
the acknowledged excellence of their prefent
eftablifliment, exceed in the length of their
runs all former remembrance, and almofi: every
conception of thofe unacquainted with the fub-
jed: ; from three io four hours may be candidly
confidered the average of each chace, with
deer in high condition ; at the conclufion of
which it is no uncommon circumftance to
be twenty. Jive and twenty^ or thirty miles
from home, or the place of turning out.

This is the period when every imprudent
or impatient rider fhould exert his judgment
to difcover the (late of his horfe and regulate

his

HUNTERS. 329

his proceedings accordingly ; horfes are never
fo perfedly at eafe as in their own ftables^
which they ihould attain with all poflible
convenience. There are numbers who (with-
out at all adverting to the length of the cjiace,
or their diftance from home,) may be con--
ftantfy obferved eagerly inquiring the nearejl
ivay to the firft houfe of public accommo-
dation, making what converts they can by
example; where, without a reference to con-
tingencies, horfes in fuch flate are rafhly
configned to the unfuUied care and inctjfarit
attention of the immaculate ostler, (if
the premifes are enabled to produce one)
when they are ordered to be *' well cleaned,"
** properly fed,'* and ** fufficiently watered/'
This important truft (for fuch it certainly is,
when thoroughly inveftigated) is thus dele-
gated to an inferior power, that is perhaps in
five minutes unavoidably compelled to aban-
don it, and accept of difeco7id or third, which
may be no more in his power to execute.
Thus the commiffion is going on, while the
happy inadvertent owners are gratifying their
appetites and drowning their cares in all the
luxuries of the manfion; indulging their va-
i)ity in a recital of their perfonal exploits, and

I m

330 HUNTERS,

and an alternate defcription of the difficulties
they had furmounted in the feverities of the
chaceo

To thofe in the laudable habits of a dif-
ferent pradlice, animadverfion upon the dan*
gcr becomes fuperfluous; but as there are
thofe, who it is impoffible to convince of
their errors, till repentance comes too late, it
may prove no unfeafonable admonition to de-
clare, from this kind of treatment only, I
have been a witnefs to repeated injiances where
the horfes have never been brought again out
of the ftable, but in woeful proceffion to
the Collar Makers y who had purchafed thei^
hides.

The ftripping of a horfe to drefs him in
a comfortlefs ftable, with every pore of the
frame relaxed to its utmoft extenfion, apd
the additional happy introdtiBion of a pail of
COLD WATER (as moft applicable to the
convenience of the ojtler or his deputy) has
been the deftruclion of more horfes in dif-
ferent ways, than ever fuffercd by the longefl
and moft terrible runs when rode with dif-
cretion. So much has been repeatedly iiii-

troduced

HUNTERS. 331

troduced upon the repulfion of perfpirative
matter from the furface to the different parts
of the frame, that not a fingle line can be re-
quired in elucidation of io clear a part of ihe
fubje<a.

Steady and attentive obfervance has, years
lince, convinced me of the inconfiliency of
approaching a houfe of this kind in the ge-
neral hurry and confufion, with any hope of
obtaining the requifite attendance your horfe
may prove in need of; a diffident applicant
may ftand his hour unnoticed, and his gentle
requefts unanfvvered, while thofe fortunately
poffeffed of unbounded confidence and fafiiion-
able effrontery may probably fucceed in their
applications. It is therefore much more com-
mendable to pafs gently on w^ith your horfe
to a houfe whofe pre fen t engagements are not
fo numerous, which may generally be found
in a few miles of your way homeward ; here
you become fo much the objedl of attention,
that you almoft obtain in anticipation what
you could not before acquire by the moll
humble entreaty. This anfwers your pur-
pofe perhaps in another refpedl, as your horfe
jyill have become cool and proper for what

attention

^3Z HUNTERS.

attention you find it necelTary to bcftow ; for
no horfe whatever, after a fevere run, Ihould
be placed in a ftable, or fufFered to Hand ftill,
till the increafcd velocity of the blood and
the confequcnt perfpiraticn had gradually fub-
fidcd to its former temperance.

When your place of temporary conveni-
ence is obtained, let it be only thirty or forty
minutes at moft, for the following purpofes
of evacuation and nutrition : fee that the
ftable, and the ftall in that ftable, are made
^s near the warmth of your own as circum-
ftances will permit ; let the bridle be taken
off, a handful of fvveet hay thrown before
him, the girths flackened, and the faddley«/2
loofened only from the back, to which it may
adhere clofely by the long continued perfpi-
ration; let a ftieet (or fuch fubftitute as the
place affords) be thrown over his hind quar-
ters, and the litter be plentifully fpread under
his belly, to excite a falutary difcharge of
urine, (by this time much wanted) obferving
that he ftales without difficulty, and difplays
no figns of ftrangury; if fo, they muft be
attended to in the manner defcribed in the
former volume, fliould nature be tardy in her

own

HUNTERS. 333

twn relief, and the violence of fjmptoms
increafe.

Procraftinate any wants of your own,
and make up the deficiencies of the daj in
the extra comforts of the evening; this will
infure you the exquifite fenfation arifing
from an acfi: of juftice and humanity. De-
pend upon no pompous inftrudions for the
doubtful fupply of warm water necelfary to
your purpofe or intention ; diveft yourfelf of
the rank folly of falfe confequence, and at-
tend to the immediate procuration ; examine
its proper warmth, and be yourfelf the trufty
fuperintendant, uniefs the favours of fortune
and the fidehty of your fervant have luckily
placed you above the neceffity of perfonal
attendance. So foon as he has paled, let his
head be well rubbed with part of a foft hay
band, and thoroughly clean fed with the brufli;
draw his ears repeatedly through the hands,
all which will prove perfedily refreihing.
The legs fliould alfo be well rubbed dovvn
with double whifps, to prevent an obftrudiion
of the pores, or ftiffiicfs from accunaulated
dirt and pcrfpiraticn.

This

334 HUNTERS.

This done, let a moderate feed of the beft
corn your local granary affords, be thrown
into, the manger, and the door of the flable
immediately clofed. Having thus confcien-
tiouily difcharged the incumbent office of
grateful protection ; embrace the few minutes
you have to fpare, in obtaining for yourfelf
what little refefhment nature ftands in need
of. Let no inducement w^hatever from more
unthinking companions attradl your atten-
tion from the ftate of your horfe to the cir-
culation of the bottle ; if once you fuffer
your fober judgment to relax from what
fhould be the invariable maxim of your per-
feverance, you know not where the indifcre-
tion ends ; one fingle ftep of deviation from
the line of prudence and propriety frequently
introduces a thoufand more to promote con-*
tiition.

Upon ample demonftration, that every
horfe, fupported in a domeflic ftile, has as
fervent an attachment to his own ftall as his
niafter to his own bed, and will moft cheer-
fully encounter (if neceflary) much addi-
tional fatigue to attain it ; there is no doubt
but it is highly commendable to bridle him

3 f®

HUNTERS, 335

fo foon as his corn is finiflied, and take hini
gently home, provided the diftance is not
too great, to prevent a comfort fo truly
defirable to both the horfe and his rider.
In this recommendation I feel myfelf per-
fectly juftified, not only upon the experi-
mental advantage of frequently taking my
horfe (in the way I have defcribed) upwards
of twenty miles to his own fiall, which has
been my invariable pracflice for more than
twenty years, but the flattering gratification
to obferve many of my friends as regularly
follow the example.

No infedious folicitations, that io con-
ftantly feduce others to an immediate partici-
pation of table comforts, ever have the moil
trifling weight in the fcalc of my deter-
mination; dedicated entirely to the fafety
of my horfe, no moment is unnecefTarily
wafted till he is '* rew^arded according to his
deferts,'' and fafely lodged in his own fl:able,
beyond the probable reach of danger; where,
upon his arrival, (whether after a long or
fhort return from either a fevere or mode-
rate chace) the mode of management is cri-
tically the fame; his legs and feet are not

only

336 HUNTERS.

only inflantly wafhed with warm water, but
in fo doing, the neceffary infped:ion made,
whether the moft trifling injuries have been
fuftained by over-reaches, ftubs, or in lace-
rations between hair and hoof; while this is
doing, a portion of hay is thrown before
him, and immediately after a pail of water*
ilightly warm, to allay the violent thirft aI-»
ways occalioned by long and fevere chaces.
The ufual ceremony of dreffing, feeding, oiU
ing, flopping, and other minutiae of the fta-
ble is then gone through ; too fyftematically
and generally underllood to require a fingle
line in explanation.

A perfeverance in this rigidity of ftable
difciplinc and attention, unbiaffed by the
perfuaiion or example of others, will always
infure you the fuperiority of condition in
the field ; under the pleafing fenfation of
your horfc being at home, and completely
taken care of; when others, lefs con-
fiderate, or lefs humane, are commencing a
wretched journey of ten, fifteen, or twenty
miles in a dreary winter's evening ; or
what is nearly upon a parallel of inconfift-
ency, permit them to remain in a ftrangc

(and

HUNTERS. 337

(and perhaps cold and uncomfortable) ftable,
to be badly fed and worfe looked after. But
let it be either ofie or the other ^ refulting
confequences are much the fame ; the porous
fyftem is affeded in a greater or lefs degree,
the coat becomes rough and unhealthy, bear-
ing the appearance of hide-bound, and
the perfpirative m^atter thus compulfively
returned upon the circulation without ab-
forption, muft evidently foon appear to affedt
the eyes, lungs, or glandular parts ; to the
certain hazard of blindnefs, ajihmay broken
'wlnd^ or fon^ one of the contingent ills fo
repeatedly alluded to in various parts of this,
as well as our former volume,

Refpeding the article of Feeding, va-
rious opinions are entertained, and perhaps
no fmall number of thofe regulated by
pecuniary confiderations ; it is, however, uni-
verfally admitted, that Hunters require
a more extraordinary fupport than many
horfes of different denominations ; but the
particular reafons why extra fupport be-
comes fo immediately necelTary, is a mat-
ter but little underftood by thofe not much

VoL.IL Z fub-

338 HUNTERS.

fubjedl to abflrufe reafoning or remote con-
vidiion.

It has been repeatedly proved under the
article of Exercise and its effedts, that
a want of ad: ion (when properly fup plied
with food) overloads not only the franie
with aliment, but the circulation -with a
fuperflux of nutrition ; it muft therefore evi-
dently appear, by parity of reafoning, that
great and conftant exertions in the chace
muft necelTarily exhauft the fluids by per-
fpiration, as the contents of the inteftines
by evacuation; and unlefs the fyftem is
fufficiently fupplied with nutritious, refto-
rative, and healthy aliment (the beft in its
kind) for the due fupport of thefe frequent
difcharges, impoverifhcd blood, lofs of
flejQi, dejeded fpirit, and bodily debilitation,
muft prove the inevitable confequence.

After the moft attentive obfervation I
have been able to beftow for a number of
years, cultivating an anxious defire to difco-
ver the proper criterion of fupport and gra-
tification for horfes of this defcription, who

are

HUNTERS. 339

are Fair Feeders, and do their work v/ell ; I
could never find that a lefs portion than {tvcrx
pecks or two bufhels of corn, and two trulTes
(one hundred weight) of hay, per week,
would keep them up to a proper degree of
flrength and appearance. This is the leaft
quantity of either, that any horfe of my own
confumes in the hunting feafon ; which al-
lowance will conftitute fome entertainment,
in contrail with the weakly fubiiftence of
thofe metropolitan ilablcs, fo particularly al-
luded to in page 199 of the work before us.
In this calculation, the reader muft be in-
formed, there is no conditional reference or
allufion to horfes of wea^ appetites , that are
off their food with every trifling exertion^
or extra fatigue ; they are by no means en-
titled to a flail in the ftablcof an experienced
fportfman, w^ho^ when fuch accidentally fall
into his pofTeiTion, will undoubtedly foon
extricate himfelf from the incumbrance
without the leaft necefTity for my recom-
mendation.

Water is fo equally and efTentially re-
quilite to the very exiflence of life, and

Z % " comes

340 HUNTERS.

performance of every fundion, that it be-
comes entitled to a proper degree of con-
fideration ; but knowing (from the very-
nature of the inquiry) how little attention
would be paid to a tedious and defultory
difFuiion of matter, upon the different
kinds of water, their properties, the mine-
ral particles they contain, the dillind: ftrata
through vv'hich they run and become im-
pregnated as they pafs, with their pro-
bable or pofjlble effed:s upon the conftitu-
lions of horfes, would lead us again into
a very extenfive and unentertaining field
of phyfical difquifition, that we wifh by
no means to renew, unlefs it could tend
to enlighten the fubjecft or improve the
judgment. In an attempt to fucceed ef-
fedually in either, Bracken mufl be
eventually cited to juflify on^ allertion,
Clarke to demonftrate another; the fum
total of all which, could amount only to
an accumulation of conjecflure refpefting
ft one ^ gravely and ftrangury, w^ithout any
thing being pofitively afccrtained, by a ca-
talogue of conditional fuppofitions, founded
upon the various properties of different

w^atcrs,

HUNTERS. 341

waters, according to the foils through
which they run, ©r from whence they are
extracSed.

In fadl, fuch accurate invefligation has
been made by Mr. Clarke of this fub-
je6t, that it abfolutely precludes every pof-
fibility of introducing a fingle line in ad-
dition, without the appearance of plagia-
rifm ; but with due deference to his good
intent, and true phyfical diftincftion, I can-
not but conceive, that fo general a defcrip-
tion of the different kinds of water will
afford but little fatisfadion to thofe who
are inevitably compelled to abide by the
local properties of their own country,
without the bare poflibility of an alterna-
tive.

Taking this circumftance into confide*
ration, I think it can be only neceffary to
take up the fubjed; upon a general ground ;
merely to introduce fuch few remarks upon
the quantity and quqility of water, as is evi-
dently mofl: applicable to the Jlate^ cort-
dition^ and purpofe of thofe horfes whofe
Situation, circumflances, or fluduations of

Z 3 weather.

342 HUNTERS.

•weather, rendering their watering in the ftabic
a bufinefs totally unavoidable. •

I have in different parts of my former
volume faid, what then became applicable
upon this fubjed: ; but we now proceed
a fev/ fteps farther, in elucidation of any
deficiency ; and the more particularly as
our remarks conftitute a link of continuity
to the prefent chain of inftrudion. It can
never have efcaped the attention of the
moft fuperficial obferver, what a wonderful
change is almoft inflantaneoufly produced in
the appearance and fenfations of a horfe, by
a gratification of thirfl in 'well or pU7np wa-
ter, but more particularly if given in the
ftable cold and in the winter feafon. In
moil horfes a violent fhivering and flaring
of the coat immediately fucceed, and con^
tinue more or lefs without intermifTion ;
thofe conflanlly fupplied in this manner
having always a coat nearly of two colours,
(that is, one half ftanding on end, and the
other part fmooth) displaying a fcurfy dufty
hue at the bottom, evidently the effed: of a
repeated collapfion of the porous fyflem and
frequent obltrudion of infenfibleperfpi ration,
4 To

H U N T E Pv S. 34J

To prevent, by every poiiible means, the
hazard of fuch inconvenience as muft evi-
dently enfue from treatment fo very impro-
per, horfes fliould invariably, when the fea-
fons and the flate of thofe feafons will per-
mit, be watered abroad at either pond or pool
of foft and well-lheltered water; as greatly
preferable to the harfli and chilling frigidity
of thofe we have defcribed. But even in
this mode, a horfe fliould never be per-
mitted to glut himfelf to the leaft degree
of fatiety ; for having no regulator but ap-
petite, no guide but inclination, they very
frequently (under management of the inad-
vertent and inconfiderate) drink to an ex-
cefs, occaiioning the moft excruciating pain,
and no trifling degree of danger and dif-
quietude. Six or feven quarts need never be
be exceeded to horfes of this clafs at one
time, and that as regularly divided in re-
fped: to the equal arrangement of time as
circumftances wall permit ; to be repeated
twice in twenty-four hours, at nearly the
diftance of twelve from each other, to avoid
the frequent folly of having water twice
in about eight hours, remaining sixteen
without.

Z 4 When

344 HUNTERS.

When the fevcrity of the weather, as
raifi, frojl, or /now, prevents horfes of this
defcription from being watered in fuch way,
the only prudent alternative (to avoid every
inconvenience) is to furnifh them with [oft
water from fuch receptacles in the ftable,
either in its natural ftate, or with the chill
taken off, as the feafon and circumftances
may require -, letting the fubjed: almoft im-
mediately undergo a brilk brufliing over for
a quarter of an hour or more, to enliven the
circulation and prevent the difagreeable fen-
fations of rigor and the effed of obftruded
perfpiration.

It now becomes neceiTary we revert once
more to the fubjed of exercise; upon
the utility of which, we have already en-
larged, under its diftind head, and from
its numerous advantages and indifpenfable
neceffity, cannot, in fad, be afraid of in-
troducing too much ; it is the very foun-
tain of health, appetite, and invigoration,
without which an horfe can never be ade-
quate to the purpofe intended. Proper ex-
ercife for horfes, denominated hunters,
and appropriated to no other ufe, (hould

be

HUNTERS. 345

be almoft invariable refpeding manner, length
of time and diftance ; though it muft be
univerfally known fuch circumflances be-
come greatly dependent upon the feafon of
the year, the ftate of the weather, the feverity
of the preceding chace, and the condition of
the horfe.

Under fuch certain and unavoidable fluc-
tuation, conditional inftruftions only can be
admitted ; fubjed: as they muft ever remain
to the contingencies of inevitable diveriifica-
tion. Horfes on the intervening days, dur-
ing the Jirji and hji weeks of each feafon,
when the days are long and feafons mild,
Ihould be taken out twice a day ; for inftance,
from eight to nine in the morning, and from
four to five in the afternoon : giving them
their proper portion of water at fuch pond or
pool of foft water as is moft remarkable for
its falubrious properties in the neighbourhood
of refidence. Let the exercife be moderate,
and equally divided before and after the wa-
ter j remembering, as already obferved, to
regulate the length and Jlrength of the exercife
by the condition of the horfe.

If

346 HUNTERS.

If he Is of high fpirit, and fo much above
his worky that he increafes in fleili, indica-
ting the leaft difplay of foulnefs from reple-
tion, let his exercife be proportionably ex-
tended ; on the contrary, if the fubjed is of
flender conftitution, lax habit, light in the
carcafe, and weak appetite, the digeftive
powers mull confequently be deficient, and
proceedings regulated accordingly ; becoming
entirely dependent upon circumftances and
judicious fuperintendance.

In w^hat I term- the four centrical months
of the hunting feafon, when the days are ex-
ceedingly Ihort, and the weather fevere, the
mode of exercife muft be varied, and ren-
dered fubfervient to the changes that occur;
taking them out at fuch times as may be
found moft convenient under difficulties that
frequently arife. The rule, however, beft
adapted to general practice in favourable wea-
ther, is to let them have their exercife at
once, and that in the middle of the day, be-
tween or from the hours of eleven to 07ie ;
equally avoiding the chilling fogs of the
morning, and damps of the evening : having
it always in remembrance, that when pre^

vented

HUNTERS. 347

vented (by the continuance of inceffant rain,
or deep fall of fnow upon the ground) from
taking them out at all, their dreflings are in-
creafed, and patiently perfevered in, to en-
liven the circulation, promote the fecretions
and evacuations, as the only fubftitute for the
more fubftantial advantage of regular exer-
(cife.

It is a cafe too frequently obferved, and
indeed almoft generally known, that the
horfes of gentlemen are fometimes unluckily
firbjed:, in all weathers^ to a part of their
exercife at the door of an obfcure alehoufe ;
for however hofpitable may be the manfion of
the mailer, ftill the prevalence of *' damned
custom" has rendered it fo predominant, it
is in a certain degree fofliionable with thofe
faithful and trujiy fervants, who, poffeffing
neither innate principle nor perfonal grati-
tude, render the moll valuable property of
their employers dangeroufly fubfervient to the
paltry inconfiilency and gratification of their
own inclinations.

Having omitted, upon the fubjed: of dif-
eafed or^z^, to introduce a matter of opinion

that

348 HUNTERS.

that fhould have appeared with more pro-
priety under the article of '* Shoeing/' and
frequent ill ufage of Smiths, I am induced
to fubmit it to confideration before I take
leave of the fubjed: before us. It is what I
have ever thought a too unjuftifiable and great
exertion of ftrength, in the ufe and twift of
the twitch, when a horfe is put into that ex-
cruciating ftate of coercion for flioeing or any
other operation. In this extremity of pain
and humiliation, the eyes are frequently ob-
ferved agitated, even to the expulfion of tears,
from the great irritability, and greater ftimu-
lation of the nervous fyftem ; this is fo fel-
dom regulated by the falutary interpofition of
judgjnent^ humanity, and difcretion, that I
lliall ever retain doubts, from the obfervation
I have made, whether various defects in the
eyes, or a paralytic ftate of the optic nerves,
may not be very commonly produced by
fuch means, when attributed to more remote
caufes.

ROAD

( 349 )

ROAD HORSES

ARE thofe in general performing the moft
laborious work, and many of them enjoying
the leaft accurate attention of any in the
kingdom. It is in fad: matter of furprife,
that a part of the fpecies conftituting the
very bafis and fupport of inland commerce,
the only means of expeditious travelling, and
the advantages of general convenience in bu-
finefs and pleafure, fliould be (o cruelly ne-
glected, or indifferently treated, as may be
plainly perceived (without the eyes of Argus)
in almoft every inn and a variety of private
Jlables in every part of England.

Under this defcription come by much the
greater part of all the horfes in conftant ufe ;
as it includes carriage horfes of every kind,
roadfters, and hacks, whether of gentle-
men, TRADESMEN, or TRAVELLERS (com-

monly called riders j) all which conftitute
an infinity, as well in the metropolis as every
part of the country. A very great propor-
tion

350 ROAD H O R S fe S.

tion of thefe derive ^o little fupport from tht
ocular mfpedion and perfonal care of their ri-.
ders or drivers, that if the fecret interpofition
of Providence did not influence a greater de-
gree of alfiflance in their favour, than thofe
generally do who iliould be their protedlors,
more poverty and bodily dellruftion muft in-
evitably enfue.

Rules for felefting horfes in purchafe are
fo plainly inculcated in the early part of the
former volume, that they claim no part of
our prefent attention ; management, with
fuch hints only as appertain to the tuition of
young and inexperienced travellers, will form
the fum total of arrangement under this headi
It would prove matter of aftonifhment to
thofe not intimately acquainted with the ge-
neral ftate, condition, and accommodation of
horfes, what labour they execute, the in-
credible difficulties they furmount, the in-
ceffant fatigue they patiently endure, and the
little they fubfift on in the hands of hun-
dreds, who feel no paffion but gain, no pride
but infenfiblity.

The horfes paffing under the denomina-
tion

ROAD HORSES. 351

,tibn of ROAD HORSES are fo exceedingly nu-
merous of the different kinds, that a diftincS:
mode of treatment for each particular fort
would be extending the fubjeft to a length
beyond the wifh and expedlation of every
reader. Such felecflion may therefore be made
from the general advice, as the inquirer may
find moft applicable to the flate of his horfe
and the purpofe of his appropriation ; though
the inflrudlions may be confidered as more
confiflently adapted to faddle and light car-
riage horfes, than thofe employed in heavy
machines, road waggons, and the inferior
vehicles in conftant ufe.

Previous to further embarkation upon that
part of the fubjecl, it may not prove inap-
plicable to take an oblique furvey of thofe
public receptacles known by the appellation
of inns ; originally intended and admirably
calculated for the convenience and accommo-
dation of travellers, but unfortunately, like
many other institutions of general utility, per-
verted to the worfl of purpofes j having be-
come fo numerous (for the advantage of their
LICENCED contribution to government) that
they find it convenient lo pradife every de-
gree

35^ ROAD HORSES.

gree of impofition and every fpecies of adiil-
teration, upon the .plaufible plea of ftate ne-
ceffity and felf-prefervation.

Of thefe houfes there are in fad: but two
diftiudt kinds, that fall within the neceffary
circumfpedion and remembrance of the tra-
veller, for they are generally in the oppofite
extreme ; the accommodations of one clafs
are hofpitabk, generous^ humane^ and conjci-
entlous ; the other, execrable to every excite-
ment of INDIGNATION. While the former
are exerting every nerve to acquire fubfiflence
and\obtain approbation, with honefty and
unfullied reputation ; the latter are deriving
indifcriminate fupport by every degree of
DECEPTION without doois, and every fpe-
cies of PECUNIARY oppreffion within. Ser-
vants, it is a maxim, foon acquire the virtues
or vices of their employers, if they indulge
a wifh to retain their fituations ; and upon
the truth of that ancient adage, ** birds of a
feather flock together,'* where you find the
wifli to pleafe predominant in the mafter or
miftrefs, you immediately obferve fympathe-
tic affiduity in their dependents ; and this re-
iTiark will hold good, with verjf few ex»

z cepilom^

ROAD HORSES. 353

cepttons, in almoft every inn from Yarmouth
in Norfolk, to the Land's End in Cornwall.

Under this eftabliflifed truth, it is alfo an
additional fadt, that while the very refped*
able clafs, whofe integrity I applaud, and
whofe affiduity the public perceive and pro-
tecft, are obtaining the very beft corn and
bay that can be confumed upon the premifes,
without refpedt to the price of purchafe ; not
more from a defire to promote their hourly
increafing reputation, than to gratify the
happy fenfation of inherent probity ; the lat*
ter are conftantly procuring the hay and corn
only, that can be pufchafed at the very
LOWEST PRICE, without a relative confidcra-
tion to quality, confcience^ or reputation.

Happy for the owners, much more happy
for the fatigued and dejeded horfes, if either
poffefTed the good fortune or fagacity to dif-
cover the internal comforts by external ap-
pearance ; nor can I conceive it would be
bad policy in the very great numbers who
conftantly travel, if they were to obtain by
petition to parliament a legal injun5lion^ that
the SIGN without Ihould be ftridly emble«

Vol. IL A a matic

354 ROAD HORSES.

matic of the treatment within ; and thefe not
correfponding, fhould be puniflied with the
/ofs of licence upon refpedtable information.
As it is, influenced by the power of external
purity, wx enter the gates of '* an Angel,"
and in a few minutes repentantly perceive
we have been induced to encounter A Devil*
Where we are taught to exped: meeknefs
from ** THE Lamb,'" we frequently find the
ferocity of a Lion. At the *' head of a
King,"' we meet accommodations for a
CoBLER. At a Castle, the manners of a
Cottage. At the Rose, we are furrounded
with Thorns ; and at the White Raven
we difcover a Rook.

Returning however from a flight digreflion
to the fubjedt in agitation, I muft confefs,
ostlers are a very ufeful body of men indi-
vidually coniidered ; but long experience and
attentive obfervation have rendered it an in-
variable rule with me, to adopt the good old
maxim of *' never trufting \}i\Q,\w farther than
lean fee them;" and this upon the recollecftion*
of a falfe 7nanger having been di Covered at a
principal inn in the town of my nativity, in
the days of juvenility ; and the correfpond-
1 . i^g

ROAD HORSES. 355

iiig declaration of a legerdemain adven-
turer (at that time moft appiicably in
exhibition) whofe falutary caution I have ever
retained: ** Look sharp^ for if your eyes
are not quicker than my hands ^ I iliall cer-
tainly deceive you/' This is a fpecies of de-
ception fo conftantly pradlifed, and fo hap-
pily enjoyed by the performers, that I make
it an invariable rule (by perfonal attendance)
to Ihield myfelf from the mortifying reflec-
tion of fo much impofition upon my pocket
or my underftanding*

It (liould be confidered that road horses
of every denomination are, from their con-
ftant work and great utility, entitled to a pro-
portional degree of care and attention with
the moft valuable horfes in the kingdom ;
for though it is by no means neceffary (but
evidently improper) they fliould be in the
fame high ftate of condition as horfes appro-
priated to the higher fpheres of racing and
hunting ; yet there is a certain fyfiematic uni-
formity in their mode of treatment, that re-
gularly adhered to, will prove equally advan-
tageous with one clafs, as the almoft unbound-
ed circumfpedtion fo earneftly recommended
with the other,

A a 2 Foe

356 ROAD HORSES.

For inftance, very warm ftablcs and a pro-
fiifion of body cloths are to be avoided, with
horfes that are neceffarily deflined to enter a
variety upon the road in conilant travelling ;
encountering the extremes of heat and cold^
the indijflFerence of aliment, the various kinds
of water, and different modes of treatment.
Many of thefe, although not in the imme-
diate need of fuch large portions of nutri-
ment as thofe in the habit of more violent
exertions ; yet they are entitled to all the ufe-
ful minutise of ftable difcipline, that fo clearly
contribute to the p refer vation of health, in
horfes of a fuperior defcription.

Horf:;s coming under the denomination of
ROAD HORSES, or common hacks, in occa-
lional excurfions and diurnal domeftic em-
ployment, will fupport themfelves in good
ilate (v/ith moderate gentle work) upon
three feeds of corn ; on the contrary, horfes
of every kind, in conftant work and exer-
tions of magnitude, (as inccflfant journeying,
or travelling poft) muil be fupplied, at Icajl^
with a peck of corn a day. Large and
ftrong carriage horfes in perpetual^ work

Will

R O A D H O R S E S. 357

will require confiderably more, or become
emaciated by lofs of fleili in frequent per-
fpiration. Thefe rules are offered as a kind
of general ftandard ; they muft, however, re-
main fubjedl to the conditional regulations of
thofe who become individually interefted in
the event.

There are numerous caufes to be affigned,
why horfes conftantly ufed in travelling (par-
ticularly in the winter) and fubjeft to all the
viciffitudes of different ffabling upon the
roads, moftly bear the appearance of inva-
lids, and look fo very different from thofe
kept under a fyftematic and invariable mode
of management in private ftables. The de-
grees of deception, and various ills they have
to encounter in many inns, are abfolutely
incredible to thofe unacquainted with the
arts in fafhionable pradlice ; the deftruflive
negligence oiOjllers^ the badnefi of hay, the
hardnefs of pump "juater^ and what is flill
more to be lamented, the scarcity of
CORN, render it a matter of aftonifhment how
they are enabled to perform journies of fuch
an amazing extent as they are perpetually
deftjned to,

A a 3 By

3i8 ROAD HORSES.

By way of prelude to the inftrudions I
conceive requifite to form the mind of
every young and inexperienced traveller,
it cannot be confidered inapplicable to
ftrengthen the inculcation by a fliort re-
cital of an introdudory fad that not long
lince occurred in the neighbourhood of my
prefent refidence, where a farmer enjoyed
his moiety of land at a very eafy rent, under
an excellent landlord, and no immoderate
opprefTion from parochial taxes ; and though
he v/as univerfally knovv'n to be an honeft,
induftrious man, yet repeated harvejis pro-
duced ribthing but additional deficiencies ; in
{hort, cirtumftance^ becam.e annually more
and nlore contmd:ed, till dire necessity
cdmpelled him to relinquifh both land and
habitation, withx^iit having it in "his power to
accufe Providence of severItIT, or himfelf

of NEGLECT.

He was foon fucceeded, at an advanced
rent, by a man who was equally honeft,
fober, and induftrious with himfelf; who
continued plodding on under the happy
confolation of finding every harveft produce
additional gain and accumulation of profit.

As

ROAD HORSES. 359

As FAME is feldom erroneous in this partis
cular, his predeceffor hearing of his fliccefs,
under a confiderable advance of rent^ took
the hberty of calling upon him, with a
bhint but honeft apology ** for afking fo
impertinent a qaeftion ; but it was, to be in-
formed how he, who had the farm at a
much eafier rent, could not even pay that
rent and fubfift his family with all his care
and osconomy ; while, his fucceffor was not
only evidently doing this, but daily increaf-
ing his flock from the fuperflux ?" When
the other replied, that the whole art of his
fuccefs and improvement of the premifes
confifted in nothing more than an invariable
adherence to tivo words and their confe-
quence ; . that when his predeceffor held the
farm, a too implicit confidence in and reli-
ance upon his fervants led him into unex-
pedled and invisible ioffes. Yoa, fays he,
always ordered your dependents to '* Go'*
and do this, that^ or the other ; my plan is
the very fame as your's in every other re-
fped: but this; from the firfl hour of my
coming into the farm it has been my con-
flant maxim to fay, *' Let's go;'' the ejic^
of v/hich has evidently occafioned the very

A a A wide

360 ROAD HORSES.

wide difference between your circumftances
and mine^

There certainly can be no doubt but the
farmer's excellent maxim fliould be adopted
by all thofe who rely too much upon the af-
fedted diligence of ojllers^ and pretended fide-
lity of fervantSy without a fmgle confiftent
refledlion upon the caufe of their approaching
every day nearer to poverty. For my own
part, I am not at all afliamed to acknowledge,
if my horfes are in higher condition as to ex-
ternal appearance, flronger in the ch ace, or
more refpedlable upon the road than my
neighbour's, it is only to be attributed to th^
admirable admonition of '* let's go," under
which incredible advantage of perfonal fuper-
intendance I become fecurity for the certain
execution of my own orders,

This to the inattentive or inconfiderate
may favor too ftrong of rigidity, and feem
ftriking too much at the characfters of
fervants in general ; however, the more
prudent and difcriminating will know in
what degree to admit the exception, con-
cluding there may be fome entitled to a

proper

ROAD HORSES. 361

proper extenfion of confidence; though ta-
ken in the aggregate, the proportion is fo
exceedingly inferior, that well-bought expe-
rience amply juftifies me in the opinion,
that the greater number of dependents there
are retained in any one family, (however
fmall the fcale, or extensive the eftabhfh-
ment,) the more the employer becomes the
hourly prey of plunder and impofition.

Habituated to a belief of this fad:, which
it is beyond the power of either argument
or fophiftry to difprove, I have long held
in retention two excellent maxims (originally
from high authority) that conftitute a ufeful
TRIO, in conjunction with the emphatical
?RECEPT of the farmer. That of *' never
putting off till to-morrow what can be done
to-day -/* or, ** letting another do for you
what you can do for yourfelf,''* Thefe rules
conditionally adhered to, as much as cir-
cumftances, fituation, and relative confide-
rations will admit, would, I believe, have
faved from ruin, thousands who have been
depredated by the villainy of fervants, and
now lament, in the moft diftrefling indi-
gence, their former inadvertency.

4 Thefc

363 ROAD HORSES.

Thcfe admonitions are introduced merely
as a mirror worthy the accurate infpeftion
and remembrance of thole inconfiftent be-
ings, who, difmounting at the different
inns upon a journey, give their confe-
quential inftrudiions to an oilier, or perhaps
a ft able boy, and never condefcend evea
to look upon the poor" animal again, til!
neceffarily produced for the - continuance ' of
his journey, at the end of twelve, twenty-
four, or eight and forty hours. This almoil
incredible infenfibility and felf-importance
brings to m.emory the pcmpofity of a me-
dical fludent frcili from the trammels of
hofpital attendance, and lectures upon Os-
teology ; whofe head was fo replete with
anatomical phrafeology, that his mouth wa!5
never permitted to open but in a difplay of
profeffional ability. For riding into one of
the principal inns, in the firft town in the
county, and alighting from a poney of fmall
dimenfions, he vociferoufly reiterated the ap-
pellation of '* Ostler !'' — '* Sir !" — ** Di-
veil my horfe of his integuments /'*

Of the felf-Hime dignity was poor

Wis-

ROAD HORSES. 363

Wig NELL, an inferior aftor, but ^' Jfcck
King,''' of Covent Garden Theatre for many
years, tvhofe ftage confequence became fo
habitual to him, he could never be diverted
of it in the mod: trifling occurrences of
common life. At the concluiicn of the
winter feafon, when making his itinerant
excurfion to join a company in the coun-
try for the fummer, he difmounted at an
inn upon the road, and ordering prbper
proportions of corn and water for the
Bucephalus on which he rode^ enjoyed
himfelf moft lu:^uri6ufly upon the befl
to be produced. When fatiated with good
living, he depofited his pecuniary compen-
fation, and iallying forth, exclaimed moft
theatrically for the '* Ostler /' who
appearing, the gueft approached him v>'ith
his whip clenclied in his hand (in the
fiiannef of a truncheon, like the Ghoft in
Harnkt,) ftill confiriiiing to call upon the
^*' Ostler." The oftler recovering from
the firft furprife, ventured, after fome trifling
hefitation, to anfwer, but with "doubt and
'difmay^ " Sir !" ** When vc\y Jieed\i?i'i> put
a /fr/>/ to his provender^ produce him.'*

This

364 ROAD HORSES.

This was a thunder ftroke to a man little
read in fcripture, and a ftranger to heroics^
particularly when accompanied w^ith tragic
EMPHASIS and elocution. John, not
knowing, and not being able to divine the
meaning of this majeftic injunction, fcratched
his head, and trembhngly re-echoed, '* Si,
Si,R !^* — '* When my Jieed has put a period
to his provender y produce him.'* — ** Upon
my foul, Sir, I don't know what you mean!**
— " Why, you fcoundrel ! when my horfe
has eat his corn, bring him out of the fta-
ble." Whether he had really been put in
poffeflion of ci7ty corn at all^ was matter of

no PERSONAL CONCERN tO pOOr WiGNELL,

provided he had the immaculate affu ranee of
the OHler^ that it was all confumed ; an3
this, it is much to be regretted, is the inva-
riable cuftom of numbers, who, deftitute of
the finer feelings, and perfedl ftrangers to the
enlivening rays of humanity, are open to
no other fenfation, than the predominant
gratification of felf-prefervation.

Returning, however, to the management
of Road Horses, whether on a journey of

con-

ROAD HORSES. 365

continuance, or in their daily work at home,
and refident in their own flables, the fame
care and attention are equally neceffary ; I
have ever (feelingly) found, servants at
home require the fame circumfpedtion and
fuperintendance as Ostlers abroad : and
happy that man, if one there is, w^ho through
life has had Vvcll-founded reafon to be of a
different opinion ; if fo, he is entitled to my
beft congratulations for poffeffing fo valua-
ble a novelty.

Horfes of this defcription have every claim
with others to the fame regularity of liable
difcipline ; they fhould be at all times as
equally prepared for a journey, as their fu-
periors for the chace ; the faddle has as great
a right to be complete, and fit eafy, and
the fhoes to be as firm as the firft hunter
in the kingdom. They are at all times en-
titled to fubftantial drefiing, good foft water,
and proper exercife ; their legs and heels
to be well wafhed from dirt, and rubbed
dry, in the winter feafon ; their feet to be
picked, flopped, and hoofs oiled, at all fea-
fons of the year ; and their hay and corn as

me-

266 ROAD HORSES.

methodically given, and as good in its kind
(if poffible to be obtained, which in naoft
inns it is not) as to thofe of fuperior qua-
lifications. And thefe peculiar attentions be-
come the morenecelTary, if the owner, from
that innate monition that is an ornament
to human nature ; or the prevalence of fa-
fliion in external appearance, wilhes him to
move with pleafure to himfelf, and credit to
his mafler.

There are various matters of general
concern, that require a little animadver-
fion ; firfl, the indifcreet ad:' of .ridmg a
Iiorfe to the end of his journey in a flate of
violent perfpiration, to be then led about
in the hands of an Oilier, till /je cools ;
and this at all times of the year, without
the leaft refped: to feafons. The abfurdity
is {o palpable under the defined efi^ed: of
obftruded perfpiration fo repeatedly intro-
duced, that an additional line is not required
upon the fubjed: ; but that the inconiif-
tency of fuch pradice may more forcibly
affed: thofe who perfevere only from inadver-
tency, and others v/ho are fufliciently hum-
ble

ROAD HORSES. 367

ble to imbibe inftru<Stion ; let it be perfedly
underftood, that any man riding very faft,
without a fubftantial reafon, is never by the
impartial fpa^ator taken for a King or a
Conjurer,

But left my unfupparted opinion fhould
have no weight with fuch Highflying
gentry, I beg to advance a fenfible remark
of a neighbouring friend (very recently made)
who, in a ferious converfation, affured me,
*' he never faw a man gallop into or out of
a town, but he vvas clearly convinced, the
horfe was not kis own, or the rider was ei-
ther a jool or a raadrnayiJ*^ To this very fair
and candid inference, I am induced to add
another corroboration of public opinion, upon
what they conceive the m.oft ftriking proof
of their courage and refpeCtability. An old
farroer within three miles of my own refi-
dence, having difmiffed a brother of the fa-
culty who formerly attended his family, gave
m.e this very concife reafon for fo doing :
*' I did not choofe he Ihould attend my
family any longer, for he always rides io
f^Jly I am fure ke never thinks.*' Is it

poffible.

^6S ROAD HORSES.

poffible, can it be hardly credible, that any
rational compofition, after giving thefe truths
(that have fallen from- old and experienced
obfervers) a moment's reflection will ever lay
himfelf open to the feverity of farcafms, or
rather juft contemptuous reproofs, that in-
ftantly conftitute hirtx a fool or a madman
in the eyes of all the world ? Under confi-
derations of fo much weighty I can have
but little doubt that every random traveller^
(not totally callous to the didates of pru-
dence and difcretion) to whofe rumination
thefe hints may become fubfervient, will,
in future, divert himfclf of his i^ROSTATic
FUROR, and conclude his ftage or journey by
fuch gradual declination of fpeed for the lall
two or three miles, as may bring his horfe
tolerably cool into the proper receptacle,
without perfevering in a public proof of
folly, always productive of danger and cer-
tain contempt.

As It Is fo evidently proper to ride a
horfe very moderately at the conclufion of a
journey, fo it mufl: prove equally neceffary
at the beginning. When a horfe is brought

out

ROAD HORSES. 369

out of the liable with the ftomach and in-
teftines expanded with food and excrement,
he cannot encounter rapid exertion with*
out much difScuhy and temporary inconveni-
ence, till the inteftinal accumulation is con-
iiderably reduced and carried off by repeated
evacuations ; the work of digeftion fliould
alfo be gradually effecSed to relieve the fto-
mach, and take from the prefifure that muft
inevitably fall upon the lobes of the lungS;,
(reftraining their natural elafticity) under
which the horfe muft move with a load of
difquietude till fuch weight is progreffively
removed.

The certainty of this fa6l every reader of
no more than common fagacity will difcover,
without further information from me ; when
I refer him to his recoUecftion, for the great
difficulty a horfe encounters, when put into
HASTY ACTION, after receiving his por-
tion oi food and water ^ either at morning,
noon, or night. From this remark direcftly
branches another, equally worthy the confi-
deration of travellers ; that is, the almoft
univerfal abfurdity of giving, or rather order-^
ing their horfes a pail of cold water (ufually

Vol. IL Bb in

370 ROAD HORSED.

in inn yards from the pump) in the morning,
fometimes before, (which is ridiculous in the
extreme) but generally immediately after they
have fvvallovved their corn ; upon an erroneous
fuppofition, that upon fuch accumulated
STUFFING, they will be enabled to furmount
all the difficulties of a long and fatiguing
journey.

Upon the inconfiftency of this praftice, I
beg to appeal only to the unprejudiced re-
membrance of thofe who have unthinkingly
adopted it ; whether horfes thus loaded, do
not travel for fome miles with the greateft
feeming labour and inconvenience ? Admitting
this pofition without a iingle exception, there
cannot be a remaining doubt, but thofe horfes,
commencing their journey almoft immediately
after the ftomach becomes expanded with
the accuflomed portion of hay and corn,
had with much more propriety proceed a few
miles gently on the road, and take their water
at a foft STANDING POND, or POOL, when
the frame {hy preceding evacuations) is more
adapted to receive it. But even in this al-
ternative, proper difcrimination is abfolutely
neceiiary ; for horfes, either on a journey or

in

ROAD HORSES. 371

in common exercife, fhould never be per-
mitted to drink at all m Jharp jh allow Jlr earns ^
that run over a rufty gravel, or through a
Hack peaty foil ; they are equally harih, and
feldom or never fail to have a fevere effedt
upon the inteflinal canal, in producing /?(?/■
or cholic in a greater or lefs degree, and fet-
ting the coat by a fudden collapfion of the
cutaneous pores in a few minutes after ufe.

To enumerate the minutise of manage-
ment, and bring it into a concife and fingle
point of view, I heartily (and upon experi-
mental proof of the advantage) recommend
every perfon upon a journey, "wh ether long or
Jhorty who takes up his temporary reiidence
AT INNS, to make it his invariable rule to
SEE (by either himfelf or fervant) that his
horfes are drejfed^ fed, and watered; their
heels waihed, feet flopped, hoofs oiled, and
his equipments, or apparatus, whether for
riding or driving, examined as to their fafety,
every night or morning, if not at every ftage ;
perhaps the latter may always prove the
moft eligible, for thofe who will compound
at a very trifling degree of additional trouble,
Bb 2 to

372J ROAD HORSES.

to a\oid the poffibility of unexpecSled dangct
cr dilappointment.

To infiire the execution of all which, with
the lefs reluctance on the part of your depen-
dents, let it be ever predominant in the mind,
** to do as you would be dcme unto;*' libe-
rality judicioufly exerted is the beft fecu-
rity for a cheerful execution of your wifhes.
It fhould be forcibly impreffed upon the mind
of every traveller, who wiflies to become a
guejft of refpedability, that *' the labourer
is w^ortliy of his hire,'' and the hope of re-
ward fweetens labour. Upon the ostler,
the WAITER, and the chambermaid, de-
pends not only your comfort but your fafety ;
and it is fo completely in the jun5lion of the
trio, to render your armed chair eafy, or re-
plete with the thorns of difquietudc, that it
will be not only neceffary you treat them with
becoming civility, diverted of the difgufting
pride of perfonal oftentation ; but take care
to beftow fuch exprejfive marks of your ap-
probation, as will fufficiently influence them
to confider you, upon every future occafion,
more the domeftic friend than the cafual
flranger.

3 I»

RO AD H OR SES. 373

In pecuniary compcnfations of this kind
it is ridiculous to be on the penurious fide of
gratification ; a fingle (hilling very frequently,
IN THEIR OPINIONS, conlTiitutes the line of
diftind:ion between " a gentleman'* and
•* A BLACKGUARD ;'* then who would en*
counter

'* The infolence of office, and tiie fpurns

** That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,**

when *' a good name,'* with a profufion of
adulation, may be purchafed for fo paltry
a confideration. In fhort, although the ex-
pences attendant upon the converi /ic-es of
fuch receptacles conftitute a tax of enOiinityj
yet, if you wifh to infure your own comfort,
with the fafety of your horfe, you have no
alternative but to confider them dcbti> of
honour that muft be paid?

Before we bid adieu to the fubjedl of road
horfes, it cannot prove inapplicable to intro-
duce a few remarks upon the inconfiitency of
wafliing the bodies of poft and ftage horfes.
all over with cold water ^ fo foon as they are
taken out of their harnefs, when in the higheft
ftate of perfpiration. This cuflom is be-
B b 3 come

374 ROAD HORSES.

come fo univerfal, that we perceive its adoption
in almoft every inn yard of eminence through
the kingdom : that I may, however, avoicj
the accufation of rafhly condemning a pradlice
fo numeroufly fupported, I fliall only ftart
fuch matters of opinion for due dehberation,
as may more materially concern thofe ihte*
relied in the confecjuence.

That is, whether, it is poffible to believe^
(after a moment's refleftion) that a horfe who
has gone ten, fifteen, or twenty miles with
great exertion, and is brought in with the per-
fpirable matter pailing off in ftreams, can be
completely plunged into a torrent of cold
WATER, without at leaft the very great pro-,
b ability of deftruftive confequences, from in-
ftantaneoufly clofing the cuticular pores, and
inevitably locking up the whole mafs of fe-
creted perfpirative matter in a ftate of tempo-
rary ftagnation ?

In this unnatural fliock the conftitution
becomes the criterion of decifion, the whole
afpecft depending entirely upon the ilate of the
blood ; if the horfe fliould be luckily free from
every trait of difeafe, and rather below than

above

ROAD HORSES. 375

above himfelf in condition, difplaying a frate
of purity in appearance, nature may, under
fuch favourable circumftances, prove herfdf
adequate to the taflv of abforption, and it may
be again received into the circulation, no ill
confequences becoming perceptible ; but
fliould theveffels have been before overloaded,
and the blood in a ftate of visciditv,
very great danger muft inevitably enfue ; for
the perfpirative matter thus preternaturally
thrown upon the circulation, after acquiring
by its ftagnation ^ proportional tenacity, mull
render the whole fyftem liable to fudden in-
flammation upon increafing the blood's mor
tion to the leafl degree of velocity.

To the perfuafive force of thefe probable
effects, I have long fince become the greater
convert, by attentively adverting to the great
number of those horses that io fuddenly
drop dead upon the road, in the yery next
ftage after having undergone fuch unnatural
ablution. To the rational or fcientinc ob-
ferver, the caufe of thefe deaths does not
require a momentary invedigation ; the fyftem

of CIRCULATION, DERIVATION, REPLE-
TION, and REVULSION, are too well under-
B b 4 ftood

376 ROAD HORSES.

flood to heiitate a moment in pronouncing
fucii fliddcn deaths to be generally occafioned
by the means already afligned : the phyfical
procefs of which .repullion of perfpirative
matter, and its efFefts upon various habits,
are too minutely explained under the heads
of different difeafes, in many parts of our
former volume, to render further difquifitiou
in the leaft neceffary.

For my own part, ever open to intclledlual
improvement and conllantly courting con-
vidlion, I mod anxioufly wifh to be informed,
through the channel of fyftematic impartia-
lity, what can be hoped, wijhed, or expected
from a proceeding fo entirely new ; that can-
not be more conliftently obtained by the ut-
moft extent of friclion properly perfevered in,
with the ufual modes of wisping, brush-
ing, and CLEANING, as in general ufe in
almoft every flable of uniformity in the king-
dom. Nor can I at all conceive, as every
thing that can be required relative to condi-
tion, labour, and appearance is to be effeded
by means diverted of danger, why fuch un«
juftifiablc modes need be brought into prac-
tice, without a fingle coniiilent idea to juftify

their

ROAD HORSES. 377

their Introdudioii for either improvement or
utility.

Having formcily^ maJe fome few obferva-
tions upon the convenience of Public Rcpo-
iitories for the fale of horfes by audxon, 1
am induced, from a recent difcovcry, to add
a (ingle remark upon one of their lOcal lazvs,
indicative of great apparent probity ^n the
proprietors of fach receptacles, but replete
with danger to thofe who confign valuable
horfes for fale, fliould the rules fo made he
perfevered in. Since the publication of my
former volume, a friend (upon my miaking
an occafional journey to London) begged me
to execute the commiffion of felling a found
five year old mare at one of the moli fafhion-
able repofitories in the metropolis. Reaching
London the day preceding the fale, and giving
my inftrucSions, I returned in the morning,
and after amuling myfelf upon difierent parts
of the premifes, accidentally approached the
PULPIT j upon which was affixed literary in-
formation, *' that perfons felling horfes war-
ranted SOUND on a Monday were entitled
to the money on Friday, and thofe fo fold
and warranted on a Thurjday might receive

payment

37^ ROAD HORSES.

payment on the following Monday ; if in the
mean time fiich horfe or horfes were not re-
turned as uNsouKD." The palpable abfur-
dity of propoiitions fo ridiculous and unjuft
inftantly deranged all my premeditated plan
of proceeding; for upon re-confidering my
commiflion and the conditions of {ale, I found
if the mare was lold at the hammer, I had not
only to make a zvaiting job of four days in
London for payment, but the chance of a
LAME MARC at the expiration of that time,
inilead of the money. For the purchafer,
poffcfiing the privilege of riding her for fo
long, might io do to any diftance, or any
degree of diftrefs ; and not approving her in
every aciion, had only to confer the favour
of a biovj upon any particular part, to occa-
i;cn temporary pain and limping, that might
TufL'fy a return under the plea of u7ifoundnefs ^
rendering the felier a dupe to the force of
credulity and repositoric al integrity.

Under the weight of indignation that
naturally arofe from ferious retiedtion, upon
fuch an evident want of confulency in mu-
tual conditions that VvX are naturally to con-
dude, SHOULD fix the flandard of eqjjitYv

and

ilOAD HORSES. 379

and prevent unfair preponderation in favour
of either buyer or feller ; I returned the mare
to the owner without expofing her to fale,
with an invariable determination, never to fell
a horfe of even ten pounds value, where
the purchafer may not only poffefs the privi-
lege, but fujjicient time to render him a com-
plete cripple, by hard riding or bad manage-
ment, leaving me no confolation but my own
acquiefcence and extreme folly for repen-
tance.

Taking into confideratbn the very tedious
and expenfive litigations that have been car-
ried on in our courts of law, upon the fubjed:
of horfes proving unfoiuid fome time after
fale and delivery, I think it neceffary (after
proper reference to the definition to the word
^* SOUND,''' in the early part of the former
volume) to introduce my own method of dif-
pofal, where i conceive the horfe to be per-
fectly healthy and entirely found at the mo-
ment of delivery.

A learned Peer upon one bench may, un-
der fanftion of an eminent fituation, and the
advantage of coining a new law to anfwer

every

380 ROAD HORSE S,

every particular piirpofe, dilatorily infinu-
ate to a jury, ** that a horfe fliould continue
found for a certain number of days, weeks ^
or months, after the purchafe;'' and fix upon
a ftipulated fum for what he has condefcended
to term '* a sound price;'* afcertain'.ng
fuch opinion an invariable criterion for all
future dccifions in Weflminfter Hall : or a
worthy Baron upon another, ** that a man
may lawjully corred: his wife with a flick
no bigger than his '* thumb." But how-
ever accurate fuch calculations may have been
made by the very high and refpecflable au-
thorities I allude tOi they cannot be more
i^KL^ from cafual exceptions, than the great
infinity of rules where exceptions are al-
ways admitted.

However, as I confefs myfelf one of thofe
never implicitly bound merely by matter of
cpinio?!, with an utter avcrlion to difpofing of
horfcs in Wcilminller Hall, and experimenr
tally convinced how very fuddenly horfes fall
lame without a viiible caule ; as well as how
frequently they arc attacked with acute difeafe
and rapidly (T^r/rr/^^Yj^f' without any particular
reafDn to be cclleded even from dissec-

TIONi

ROAD HORSES. 381

TioN; under the influence of thefe predo-
minant fads, I have long fince adopted a cer-
tain' invariable mode of aifpofal that I con-
fcientioufly recommend, to prevent difgrace
on one fide, or diffatisfadion on the other.

My method is equally concife and deci-
five; if the horfe is unequivocally sound,
I am perfectly content to warrant him fo^
even upon oath if required, to the hour of
DELIVERY, but not a Jingle hour beyond it ;
for let it be held in memory, he is as liable
to become lame, difeafed^ or a fubjed: of dif-
Jolution, in that very hour, as in any other
of his life. I am equally willing to fliow
all his paces with hounds, or on the road,
(according to his appropriation) but not
mounted by a pranger, of whofe qualifica-
tions in riding I know as little as he does of
my horfe in temper and action ; and confe-
quently, from a want of congeniality between
the natural difpofition of cne, and corre-
fpondiog pliability of the other, the horfc
might be fhown to palpable difadvantage.
For it may be relied on, and accepted as a
certain fait, that almofl every hgrfe will move

in

3S2 TURF.

in another flile and difplay a very different
figure, when croffed by one that he is accuf-
tomed to, who knows his tendencies, and
the ftate of his mouth, than under the hands
of one to whom he is totally unknown ; all
which they have natural fagacity to difcover,
in a much greater degree than generally be-
lieved by thofe w^ho have had but llender op-
portunities of attending to their perfed;ions.

The turf,

THAT has totally diffipated fome of the
moft fplendid fortunes in a very few years,
and left the poffeffors to lament in indi-
gence, the fatal effeds of their credulity,
and the folly of infection, is entitled to
fuch few remarks as appertain to the pre-*
valence of a fafliion that has, within a very
Ihort fpace of years, involved not only num-
bers of the moft eminent characters^
hut hundreds of inferior, in the general ruin.
For the lait half century this rage has been
fo very predominant, that great numbers even

, of

T U R F'. 383

of the commercial world could not withftand
the force of temptation ; to have a horfe
or two IN TRAINING has been an object
of the higheft ambition, to the gratification
of which, every other profpedt or purfuit has
been rendered fubfervient. The contagion
ha^ been in its effects fo delufive, that Lot-
tery Office- keepers and Pawnbrokers have
been racing againft the horfes of Peers of the
realm, to the inevitable accumulation of
DEBTS, the defrauding of creditors, and
the promoting of bankruptcies. This
is not calculated to create furprife, when it is
not only recollcdled in rumination, but con-
firmed by time and experience, that nothing
but a fortune of immxniity can ftand againit
the enormous cxpenfe of breeding and
TRAINING; the fludluating uncertainty of
the produce; and laftly, what is ftill more
to be dreaded, the innate villainy and jludied
deception of the fubordinate clafles, with whom
your honour and property are eventually
entrufted ; and upon whole caprice, intereft,
villainy^ or integrity^ you muft unavoidably
depend, to carry your purpofes into execu-
tion.

However

3S4 TURF.

However ftrange and unpromifing this de-*
Jincaion may appear to the young and inex-
perienced fportfman, (who, having no guile
in his own difpofition, does not fufped: it
in others) yet the projected villanies ar^ fa
numerous, and refined to (o many different
degrees of deception, that in the prefent ftate
of /porting piirijicatmi^ it is ahnofl impolTi-
ble for any man to train and run a horfe, or
make a fmgle bet upon their fuccefs, with-
out falling into one of the innumerable
plots that will be laid for his deftrudion.
Exclufive of the experimental proofs we
Ihall have occafion to introduce in corro-
boration of this remark, it may not be out
of point to obferve, that a late noble Lord,
within my own memory, was fo well con-
vinced of this faft, that when in the abfo-
lute pofTeffion of a stable of winners,
be totally relinquiflied a purfuit of fo much
pleafure, and' fold off his ftud, rather than
continue the ftanding prey of premeditated
plunder ; convinced by long and attentive
experience, no moderate fortune or common
fagacity could fhield him from the joint
rapacity of dependents, who were to parti-
cipate

TURF. 38J

cipate in the coriflant depredation upon an
individual.

To this prudent decifion, he was juftly
influenced by the eagerly expected return of
his training groom from a fumm.er expedition,
with three running horfes of fome emi-
nence, that had in their excurfion of little
more than four months, obtained poffef-
fion of feven fifty pound plates. But after
having received the different prizes, and
difcharged all contingent expences, this
FAITHFUL STEWARD, by the dint of
arithmetical proficiency, brought his Maf-
ter in debtor, upon the balance^ upwards
of fifty pounds. This impofition (or rather
robbery) too palpable not to be difcovered,
his Lordfhip, with a degree of liberality
fuperior to perfonal altercation, immedi-
ately obliterated, and then declared his in-
flexible determination to difcontinue both
BREEDING and TRAINING, a refolutioit
he fteadily perfevered in io the end of his
life ; nor has it been renewed by either of
his fucceffors, though there are in the fa-
mily manfion, as excitements, feveral capital
paintings of many of the firft horfes of

Vol, IL * C c ^^ their

386 T U R F.

their time, that had been bred by their
different predeceflbrs.

This judicious refignation proved only a
Voluntary prelude to the wonderful anni-
hilation of property that has compulfively
followed with thofe of lefs prudence, pe-
netration, or refolution ; in corroboration of
which, we are prevented by delicacy alone,
from an enumeration of even the initials
only of the names of many eminent and
ennobled characters, (formerly poflelTed of
princely fortunes) who now Jiibfijl merely
upon the fcanty favings from the wreck
of indifcretion : ftripped of the numerous
flud and pompous appendages, to which
their titles were blazoned forth in various
lifts, of '* The famous high-bred running
cattle," as well as the annual *' Racing
Calendar.'' Some few of the Right Ho-
nourable Adventurers have efcaped the
*' general ruin,** and fortunately retain their
poiTeftions and undiminilhed ftuds ; but
they are fo confiantly contracting in num-
ber, that they ferve only to eftablifli the
admitted exception to rules, in which we

may
I

TURF. 387

may fairly infer their immenfe properties
to have operated as preventatives.

This fport, that has for many years been
fo exceedingly prevalent, is at length de-
clining very fall among the middle and
inferior clalTes of people ; and of this di-
minution the annual contribution of two
guineas each to government is a. fufficient
proof, when it is known, that all the
horfes that run, paid, or received for-
feit, in the united kingdoms laft year,
did not exceed eight hundred : a number
that does not much furpafs the averaged
half of horfes fupported in training fome
few years paft ; a circumftance that re-
quires little farther corroboration, than the
numerous plates advertifed m d liferent parts,
for the two or three laft vears, that were
never run for, "-^ for want oj horfes.*''

* This falling off may.be juftly attributed
to a combination of obftacles ; the con-
flantly increaiing expence of tr/^ning,*
the minifterial tax, the profeffional dupli-
city (or rather ^family deception) of ri-

* Gamblers are known by the appellation of ** The
Black Legged Family."

C C 2 DER3,

388 T U R F.

DERS, the heavy expenditure unavoidably
attendant upon travelling from one feat of
fport to another ; the very great probabi-
lity of accidents or breaking dov)n in run-
ning, with a long tram of uncertainties,
added to the infamous praftices of the
** Black Legged'" fraternity, in perpetual
intercourfe and ajGTociation with both train-
ers and RIDERS ; leaving the cafual fportf-
man a very flender chance of winning one
bet in tejt, where any of this worti)y fo-
ciety are concerned ; which they generally
are by fome means, through the medium
of occafional emiffarics, mercenary agents,
or ftable dependants, in conitant pay for the
proftitution of every truft that has been im-
plicitly repofed in them by their too-credu-
lous employers.

Such incontrovertible proofs may perhaps
appear matters of mere conjedure and fpecu-
lation to the young and inexperienced, who
will undoubtedly believe with reluctance,
what is fo evidently calculated to difcourage
the predominance of inclination ; and not
having explored the regions of difcovery, they
may be induced to flatter thenvfeives with an
opinion that fuch reprefentation is a delufion

intended

TURF. 389

intended much more to entertain than com-
municate infrruftion. However, that the bufl-
nefs may be elucidated in fuch way, as will
prove moft applicable to the nature of the
cafe and the patience of the reader, it will
be neceffary to afford their pracftices fuch ex-
planation, as may render the facility of exe-
cution more familiar to the imagination of
thpfe, whofe fituations in life, or contradled
opportunities, may have prevented their being
at all informed upon the fubjeft in agitation.

That thefe ads of villainy may be the
better underftood, it becomes applicable to
obferve, that it is the perfevering pradice of
THE FAMILY, to have four, five, or fix
known good runners in their poffeffion ;
though for the convenience and greater cer-
tainty of public depredation, they pafs as the
diftind: property of different members: but
this is by no means the cafe, for they are
as much the joint ftock of the party ^ as is
the ftock in trade of the firft firm in the city.
The fpeed and bottom of thefe horfes are
as accurately known to each individual of
the brotherhood, and they are in general
(without an unexpected accident which fome-

C c 3 times

390 TURF.

times happens) as well convinced lefore
ftarting, whether they can beat their com-
petitors, as if the race was abfolutely deter-
mined.

This, however, is only the neceflary ground-
work of deception, upon which every part
of the fuperftructure is to be raifed ; as they
experimentally know how little money is to
be got by winnings they feldom permit that
to become an object of momentary confide-
ration ; and being no flaves to the fpecious
delufions of honour, generally make their
market by the reverfe^ but more particularly
where they are the leaft expected to lofe :
that is, they fucceed beft in their general de-
predations by lofng where their horfes are the
favorites at high odds after a heat or two,
when expedled to w'm to a certainty^ which
they as prudently take care to prevent.

This bufinefs, to infure faccefs and emo-
Iun\ent, is carried on by fuch a combination
of villainy ; luch a fympathetic chain of hor-
rid machination, as it is much to be la-
mented could ever enter the minds of de-
generate men for the purpofes of deftrud:iono

The

TURF. 391

The various modes of practice and impofi-
tion are too numerous and extenfive to ad-
mit of general explanation ; the purport of
the prefent epitome or contracfled defcription
being intended to operate merely as a guard
to thofe, who are totally unacquainted with
the infamy of the party, whofe merits we
mean to defcribe.

The principal (that is, the oftenfible pro-
prietor of the horfe for the day) is to be found
in the centre of the ** betting ring/'
previous to the ftarting of the horfe, iur-
rounded by the fporting multitude ; amongfl
whom his emiffaries place themfelves to per-
form their deftincd parts in theacSs of villainy
regularly carried on upon thefe occaiions ; but
more particularly at all the meetings within
thirty or forty miles of the metropolis.
In this confpicuous fituation, he forms a
variety of pretended bets wath his
confederates, in favour of his own horfe;
fuch bait the unthinking byftanders immedi-
ately fwallow, and proceeding upon this fhew
of confidence, back him themfelves : thefe
offers are immediately accepted to any
amount by the emiffaries before-mentioned,

C c 4 and

39^ T U R F.

and is in fad: no more than a palpable rob-
bery ; as the horfe, it is alrea'dy determined
BY THE FAMILY, is not to wi?i^ and the
money fo betted is as certainly their own as
if already decided.

This part of the bufinefs being tranfaft-
ed, a new fcene of tergiverfation becomes
neceffary ; tlie horfe being mounted, the
rider is whifpered by the nominal owner to
win the firft heat if he can; this it is fre-
quently in his power to do eafy, when he is
coniequently backed at ftill incrcafcd odds as
the expected winner ; all which propofed
bets are inflantly taken by the emifiaries, or
rather principals in the Jinn : w^hen, to
fhew us the verfatility of fortune, and the
viciffitudes of the turf, he very unexju^edly
becomes a loser, or perhaps runs out of the
courfe, to the feigned difappointmcat and
afte6led forrow of the owner ; who publicly
dcclai;es he has loft fo many ** fcore pounds
upo0 the race,'* whilft his confederates are
individually engaged in coUeding their cer-
tainties^ previous to the casting up
STOCK at the general rendezvous in the
^yenipgp

To

TURF. 393

To this plan there is a dired: alternative,
if there ihould be no chance (from his being
fufficiently a favourite) of laying on money
in this way ; they then take the longeft odds
they can obtain that he wins, and regulate or
vary their betting by the event of each heat ;
winning if they can, or lojtng to a certainty,
as beft fuits the bets they have laid ; which
is accurately known by a pecuniary confuha-
tion between the heats. From another de-
gree of undifcoverable duplicity their greater
emoluments arile ; for inftance, letting a
horfe of capital qualifications win and lose
almoft alternately at different places, as may
be moft applicable to the betting for the day;
dependent entirely upon the ftate of public
opinion, but to be ultimately decided by the
latent villainy of the parties more immedi-
^ately concerned.

Theie, like other matters of magnitude,
are not to be rendered infallible without
the neceffary agents ; that, like the fmaller
wheels of a curious piece of mechanifm,
contribute their portion of power to give
acSion to the whole. So true is the ancient
.aaage^ ** birds of a feather flock together,'*

that

394 T U R F.

that RIDERS may be felefted, who will prove
inviolably faithful to the didlates of this
party ; that could ?iot or would not reconcile
an honourable attachment to the firft no-
blemen in the kingdom. Thefe are the in-
fernal . deceptions and ad:s of villainy upon
THE TURF, that have driven noblemen, gen-
tlemen, and fportfmen of honour, from what
are called country courfers to their afylum of
NEWMARKET ; whcrc, by the excluiion of
THE FAMILY from their clubs, and their
horfes from their subscriptions, sweep-
stakes, and matches, they render them-
felves invulnerable to the often envenomed
iliafts of the moft premeditated (and in ge-
neral well executed) villainy.

Without entering into- a tedious defcrip-
tion of the many poffible means by which
depredations are committed upon the pro-
perty of individuals, whom falhion or incli-
nation prompts to fport their money upon
fuch occafions ; yet, to render thefe villainous
pradliices more fimiliar to the minds of thofe
w^ho may increduloufly doubt the poffibi-
lity of deceptions of this kind, inftances
muft be adduced to eftablifli the certainty,

TURF. 395

of which there has been too many public
proofs, to require the fpecification of any
particular fact for the purpofe. It may fuf-
fice to obferve, it is univerfally known fuch
villainies have been repeatedly difcovered ;
where the owners have been notorioiifly dif-
qualified by advertifements, from ever run-
ning their horfes, and thofe riders from ri«
ding, at the places where they have been fo
juftly ftigmatized, and fo properly held in the
utmoll contempt.

Upon fo precarious a tenure does every
fporting man of fpirit retain his hope of
fuccefs, that I will be bound to verify the
affertion by innumerable inftanccs ; that no
man living can breed, train, and run
his horfes to infure even a probabihty of
emolument, by any honourable means what-
ever. Noblemen and gentlemen of im-
menfe fortunes, to whom it is an amufe-
ment, and who never know the want of
annual receipts, in a repetition of thoufands,
may indulge themfelves in a gratification of
theu. predominant wiflies, and feel no ill ef-
feds from a variety of iofles, or perpetual ex-
penditure,

It

396 T U R F.

It is not fo with thofe of inferior property
and iituation ; as may be plainly perceived
in the great number who become rotatio-
nally infeded with the experiment of train-
ing for one Jummer^ but never repeat it.
This is not at all to be wondered at, when
"we recoiled:, that after all the expence,
trouble, and anxiety, you have expofed
yourfelf to, for the very dijlant chance of
obtaining a fifty pound plate or two, with
various deductions, you are at iaft under
the unavoidable neceility of refigning the
bridle into the hands of a man, vyho m.ay
perhaps prove one of the greateji rafcals
among the groupe we have already defcribed.
For when thus feleded for fo important a
truft, it may fo happen, you have never feen
him before ; nor may he ever fee you again :
on. the contrary, he may be conneded with
a Ij It tie hoft of colleagues upon the courfe,
with whom he is perpetually concerned in
ads of reciprocal kmdncfs and joint depre-
dation.

From fuch dangerous delegation, you can
form (upon rcfiedion) no hope of fuccefs;
unlefs your horfe, by the rider's endeavour

to

TURF. 397

to win, fhould prove produdive of bets,
bell: fuiting the convenience of the fa-
mily. However, to render this perfeftly
clear, let us confirm the fad: by a ftate-
ment not to be mifunderftood. Suppofe
the owner of a horfe compenfates a rider,
that he engages from an idea of his fu-
perior ability, reputed integrity, or upon
recommendation, with a promife of five
guineas certain to ride according to inflruc-
tions for each ht^at, and a conditional fivs
or ten extra, if he wins. What can be x.'^)£^
utmoft emolument to him by winning ?
Why, as before ftated, either ten or fif-
teen GUINEAS ! While, on the contrary,
if the liorfe is of character and qualifi-
cations, and the odds run a little in his
fiivour for the iaft heat ; the induftrious
efforts of the rider's confederates, ^vho are
taking thofe very odds laid upon the horfe^
(that it is already predetermined fhall lofe)
they accumulate and divide much larger fums
to a certainty^ without the chance of lofing
a fingle guinea.

I fliall not defcend to an enumeration of
a variety of pradices that render plunder

equally

398 TURF.

equally fafe from detedion j as giving a
horfe water in the night previous to the
day of running ; or throwing a mild ca-
thartic\ or ftro7ig diuretic into the body,
to produce indiipofition, and prevent the
POSSIBILITY of a horfe winning, when
it is determined by the cabinet coun-
cil, that it is for the general good he muft
LOSE. If any rational being, any generous
unfufpedting fportfman, or any juvenile no-
viciate, has the moft llender doubt re-
maining of thefe pradiccs, let me render
the matter decifive, and bring it to a ne-
ceflary conclufion, by a fingle quellion that
will not require a moment's difcuffion in
reply.

By what other means than thofe al-
ready delcribed between the family and
THE riders, have the numbers that are
well known, and that we conftantly fee
in the height oj bufinefs in every , popu-
lous betting ring, arilen to a ftate of opu-
lence ? What can have exalted men who
were bankrupts in trade ; poft-chaife
drivers, hair-dreffers, waiters, footmen,
nay, the lowefl clafs of gamblers, (that ab-

folutely

TURF. 399

folutely raifed contributions among the moil
wretched, by even the infamous practices
of *' pricking in the belt,'' and " hicjiling
in the hat'') to their phaetons, horfes in
training, and confpicuous feats in the firft
fafhionable betting stands, (among the
moft eminent charaders in the kingdom)
but fuch ads of permeditated and deep laid
villainy, as no man living can be guarded
againft, if he embarks or ventures his
property amonglt a fet of ruffians, that are
not only a notorious peft to fociety, but
a dangerous nuifance and obftrudion to one
of the noblefl diverfions our kingdom has
to boaft ?

Under fuch numerous difad vantages, it
muft prove palpably clear to every ob-
ferver, that none but fportfmen with for-
tunes of the firft magnitude, can confcien-
tioufly enjoy the pleafure of breeding,
TRAINING, and RUNNING their horfes,
without the perpetual dread of approach-
ing ruin j in fad, of this fuch a repetition
of proofs have tranfpired within the laft
twenty years, that the leaft defcriptive
corroboration becomes totally unneceffary.

For

400 T U R F.

For my own part, I am decifively and
experimentally convinced, no man in mo-
derate circumltances, who cannot aflfbrd a
daily proftitiition of property for the in-
cefTant gratification of dependent iliarks on
one hand, and the perpetual fupply of de-
ceptive villains on the other, can never ex-
ped: to become the winner of match,
PLATE, or SWEEPSTAKES, unlcfs he hap-
pily poffeffes the means and lituation to go
through the bufinefs of training under his
own roof, and riding his own horfe ; or fix-
ing firm reliance upon fome faithful do-
meftic properly qualified, totally uncon-
nected with the contaminating crew, whofe
condud: we have fo accurately delineated,
without an additional ray of exaggeration*
But as my declaration of proof colledled
from EXPERIMENTAL CONVICTION, may
not be generally accepted as fufficiently
authentic, without fome more powerful
evidence than bare fuperficial aflertion, I
mufl beg permiffion to conclude thefe ob-
fervations, upon the prcfent ftate and va-
rious impofitions of the turf, with the,
communication of a few perfonal occur-
rences, that I doubt not will contribute
«► s fome

TURF. 401

fome weight to the opinions I have fubmitted
to public confideration.

In the fummer of 1775, I ran a match of
four miles, carrying twelve ftone, (v^ith a
gelding got by Broomstick) againft a
mare, the property of a gentleman of con-
fiderable fortune in the county of EfTex, for
fifty guineas. His extenfive property was
confpicuous in an elegant manfion, a pad-
dock of deer, a pack of harriers, and a li-
beral fubfcription to a neighbouring pack of
fox-hounds. That we might be equally
free from even a chance of the deception in
rld'mg I have juft defcribed, we trufted to
our own abilities in jockeyfhip, for a deci-
fion in which / conceived our honour and
property were equally concerned. The
match, however, w^as decided againft him
with perfeEi eafe, upon which he loft fome
conliderable bets ; but in the mortification
of his difappointment, affedting^to believe it
was won with much difficulty, he propofed
to run the fame match on that day fortnight,
upon my confenting to give him five pounds,
or, in other words, to reduce his weight to
eleven Jlone nine. This was inftantly acceded
Vol. 11. Dd to.

402 TURF.

to, and many bets made in ccnfequence,
among our neighbouring friends ; but pre-
vious to the day of running, having accepted
an invitation to his houfe, he ' there mo ft
honourably offered to pay m.e the five and
twenty guineas, bejore the race^ if '* I
Avould obligingly condefcend to let him w/;^.'*
I have a firm and anxious hope, that every
iportfman of integrity, whofe feelings vibrate
in unifon with my ow^n, and who reads this
propofition with the indignation it is recited,
will do me the jullice to roniider it more
proper, that \\q, WiovX^ conceive^ than becom-
ing in m,c to relate, the particulars of my
behaviour upon I'uch occafion. It m.ufl fuf-
iice to fay, I rode over the courfe without a
companion ; and as the match was made
PLAY or PAY, received the payment for my
confolation. There are numerous and very
powerful reafons, why I forbear to make a
lingle remark upon this bufinefs ; leaving it
entirely, with its infinity of annual jwiilu
tudeSy to the different impreffions it m.ay
make upon the principles of the different
readers to whom it will become a fubjed:.

This was only a fingle attack, confe-

z quently

TURF. 4Q3

quently parried with much greater eafe than
when alTailed by an ahnoft incredible com-
bination of villainy, in running a match for
the fame fum a few years iince, upon one
of the moil populous and fafliionable courfes
in the kingdom. But having theUy as be^
fort, the fame invariable opinion of the du-
plicity pracflifed in training and riding,
I had never permitted the mare out of my
pofTeffion, or from under my own infpec-
tion, from the hour ihe was matched to.
run ; or intended her to be rode by any other
perfon, than a lad of my own, that (htcrally
fpeaking) I initiated in ftable management,
and tra'med with the mare for the purpcfe.

Thus entrenched by prudence, and forti-
fied by experience, it was impoffible for
thofe concerned againft me, either by their
numerous emillaries, or induftrious adherents,
to obtain the requifite intelligence of trials^
fweatSy or, in fadl, any neceffary information,
by which their intentional villainy could be
promoted with a probability of fuccefs. But
as adventurers of this complexion are never
difconcerted by trifling obftacles, it v/ill cre-
ate no fmall degree of furprife, to thofe not
Dd 2 at

404 T U II F.

at all apprifed of the various fliifts, inven-»
tions, and fchenies of villainy in conftant
practice upon the turf, to be informed of
the innumerable and remote contrivances,
eternally adopted for the promotion of rob-
bery and depredation upon others, as well as
the execution of their intents upon me,
which, however, very fortunately did not
fucceed.

On 'the day of running, having removed
my mare from my own ftable to a reclufe
and convenient houfe within two miles of the
courfe j locked her up by five in the morn-
ing, and configned my lad to his pillowy (to
prevent either converfation or co?nmuni cation^)
I w^as almoil immediately inquired for by a
jockey of^fom.e eminence, w-hofe ability is
held in tolerable eftimation. Being juft then
in the ad: of taking breakfaft, and the par-
lour door having been left a very little open,
I could juft diftinguidi the parties ; and dif-
tindly heard the inquiring rider fay to his
companion, ''If bj'il let rue ride her^ PI I
do him, by G-J." " Naj, then I have an
eye upon you," was a quotation that llruck
me with the fidl force of the author. Luck-

4 iJy

T U R F. 405

ily fnielded with this confidence, I philofo-
phically made -my appearance; when this
honeft^ worthy^ immaculate type of turf
INTEGRITY, made an apology for the h'-
berty of troubhng me, '* but he underftood
I had a mare to run that day ; that the oppo-
lite party had not ufcd him well in fome
previous concerns ; he wiflied to be revenged^
and with my permiflion he would ride the
mare gratis, in which he would exert his
greateil: ability, and did not doubt but he
ihould be able to beat them out of the world,'^

1 was thankful to a degree of humilia-
tion for the liberality of his offer, perfedlly
confcious of his kindnefs, and voluntary at-
tention to my interej}. ; but I was obilinately
determined to ftand or fall by the eifed: of my
own management, under the additional difad-
Vantage of a young and inexperienced rider.

Previous to the day of running, I had re-
peatedly and carefully inftrucled my own lad
in every minutiae it became neceifary to have
in conftant remembrance; naturally conclud-
ing to what an infinity of attacks and deep
laid fchemes he would be eternally open pre-
D d 3 vious

loG T U R F.

vioiis to the hour of ftarting. I had particu-
larly cautioned him, not to dehver a weight
out of his pocket from the time of weighing
to his return to the fcale after the race, upon
any account whatever; not to pull up till he
was coniiderably paft the winning poft ; nor
to make even an effort to Jifmount till I led
his horfe up to the fcale, AH thefe very
fortunately proved propitious precautions ;
for not one of the whole but was individu-
ally attacked with a well-fupported hope and
unremitting expediation, of rendering us
dupes to an eflabliihed courfe of villainy,
that it is to be regretted fo frequently fuc^*
ceeds.

When juft going to flart, a real friend, or
rather an honejl man, who had that moment
heard the fecret tranfpire in a whifper, came
and told him, they had weighed him, ten
Jlone four pounds, placing four pounds in his
pockets more than he was entitled to carry ;
advifing him to ride up to the fcale and infifl
upon b:ing re- weighed ; but adhering clofely
to m.y inflrudions, he refufed to difmount,
or relinquifh a fingle weight, and abfolutely
won his match with four pounds more than

he

TURF. 407

lie fliould have carried. Fifty yards before
he reached the winning-poft, one of the
party clamoroufly commanded him to pull
up, faying, the other *' would never overtake
him ; the moment I had his horfe by the
bridle leading him to the fcale, another vo-
ciferoiifly enjoined him ** tv get off and not
dijlrefs the mare ; either of which, not previ-
oufly guarded againft, but inadvertently com-
plied with, muft have inevitably loft the very
confiderable fum I had depending upon the
event.

But to confirm beyond every fhadow of
doubt this horrid fcene of deliberate villaiay
and deception ; while the m.are w^as rubbing
down at a fmall diftance from the courfe, af-
ter winning the race and receiving the ftakes,
a perfon came and made inquiry, whether
** a jockey had not been with me that morn-
ing early, making an ofter to ride my mare,
GRATIS ?'' Upon my anfwering in the af-
lirmiative, he affured me I had a very nar-
row efcape ; for " he had fat the preceding
evening in an adjoining room, divided only
by a deal partition, and heard the entire plan
formed by the party concerned ; that if I con-
D d 4 fented

4o8 T U R F,

fented to let him ride, my mare was to lofe^
and he was to be rewarded."

However trifling or fuperfluous a recital of
thefe circumftances may appear to the well-
informed and long-experienced fportfman,
they are no lefs neceffary with the juvenile
adventurer, to eftabliili the exiftence of fadis,
and expofe the various means of almoft in-
exphcable duplicity, inventmt, and impofition,
by which the opulennt, liberal, and
INCONSIDERATE are fo frequently reduced
to a ftate of repentant dcflrudlion. Their
introdufl:ion will confcquently feive to render
incontrovertible the proof of fuch practices ^
and to demon ftrate the folly and danger of
encountering fo great a complication of de-
liberate villainy and fyftematic depredation,
where there muft ever remain fo confufed a
profped: of extrication, with either success
or EMOLUMENT. Under the influence of
fuch refledions as muft naturally arifc from
a knowledge of, and retrofpedive allulion
to, fuch incredible adts of villainy in conftant
pradlice, every reader will be enabled to
decide, whether it can pofiibly tend to the
promotion of his pleasure, interest,

or

TURF. 409

or SAFETY, to fufpend any part of his ^pro-
perty by fuch doubtful dependencies. Con-
icious of no motive for the expofure of fuch
abflrufe deception and comphcated defcruc-
tive villainy, but an anxious contribution to
the GENERAL GOOD, I am moft earneftly
induced to hope the purity of intention
may lay fome claim to the ftamp of public
approbation, however deficient my flender
abilities may have proved in the execution.

INDEX,

( 410 )

INDEX

A-

A.

:iABIANS, p, 4» 30.
Abortion, caJe of, 61.
Author, anecdote of, 121, 124, 127, 40^,
Alderman an, comparative view of, 191.
Animal Magnetifm, 253.
Alteratives, 269.

Agriculture Society, Odiham, 270.
Aliment, its procels, 207.
Adventurer, legerdemain, 355.
Anecdotes, 367.
Afcot, plate won, 6 1 .
Aliment, different kinds of, 93.
Authors, a review of, 135.

Breeding, p. r.

Blood Horfes, 4, 316.

Breeders, northern, 7,

— I — — , inconfiftent, 1 r, ♦

, penurious, 49.

Bowdrow, 18,

Blood Stock, current price of, 24.

Bracken, remarks upon, 31, 213, 219, 253, 255.

Breaking, 105.

Breaker

INDEX 411

Breakers, intoxication of, 109.

, qualifications, 113.

Bartlet, 157, 161, 182, 213-

Bleeding adverted to, 216.

Blind Stallions, 7, 36, 40.

Blood, the ftate of, 217, 272, 299.

Bone, confidered, 314.

"Black Legs," who fo called, 387.

Blindnefs, by hard running, 41.

, by too frequent covering, 41.

Bar Shoes, remarks upon, 183.

C.

Cumberland, the former duke of, p. 17, 65.

Cantharides, dangerous ufe of, 44.

Carrots, great utility of, 95,

Clergyman, anecdote of, 118.

Country Farriers, 120.

Cripples, by (hoeing, 155.

Corns, caufe of, 171, 173.

, cure, 174.

Cutting, caufe of, 176.

Cleanlinefs, neceffity of, 194, 202.

Clarke, Mr. remarks upon, 2 7, 272, 341,

Cafes of difeafed eyes, 233.

Chafe, of Ihgor fox, 292, 320, 325.

Chambermaid, liberality to, 372,

Courts of Law, 379.

Colt, improvement of, 69.

D.

Draft Horfe, Englifli, p. 10, 26.
Dungannon, 18.
Dealers, praftice of, 107,
Difpolal, proper mode of, 381.

E.

Eclipfe, dam of, p. 17,

. , get of, 1 8, 20.

Evergreen, 20.

Equeflrians,

412 I N D E Xt

Equeftrians, juvenile, 193,
Exercife, 203, 344.

, comparative view of, 24^,

■ ' , in the metropolis, 250.

Eyes, defe(5ls in, 144, 295, 348.

, lofs of, 193.
Enemies to Improvement, 99.

Foaling, proper time of, p. 47, 51.
Foal, time of mares going with, 55.

, brought up by hand;, 65.

Feet, different kinds of, 158.

Flefliy footed Horfes, 181.

Feet, attended to when young, 183.

Fundaments, artificial, 257.

Figure in the Field, 291, 323.

Feeding, 337, 339, 356.

Farmer, aftoryoF, 358.

Fortunes annihilated, 386.

** Family, the," defcribed, 387.

Fired Horfes, the caufe of fo many, 109,

Farriers, ability of, 168.

G.

Gunpowder, p. 18.
Gibion, 135, 1157.
Gentlemen, advice to, 139.
Gamblers, 387.
Generolity of Sportfmen, 140.

H.

Hunters, Englifh, p. 5.

Herod, King, 20.

Highflyer, 20, 102.

Hamilton, Lord Spencer, 40,

Horfes, ftarting, 115.

Humours, the effeft of repletion, 208, ai2, 228*

Hunters, 289.

. 5 condition of, 291, choice of, 313^,

Heroes on Horfeback, 188, 327.
Harriers, mentioned, 31c).

Hunter,

INDEX. 413

Hunter, management of, 321.
, in the chace, 325.

, after the chace, 32S.

Hard Riders, mentioned, 367.
Horfes, fele6lion of, 350.

I. J.

Jupiter, p. 18.

Jerry Sneak, 40,

Ignorance of Grooms, 239, 294.

Juvenile Equeflrians, 193,

Inns defcribed, 351.

, their figns emblematic, 354.

Ill ufage in Shoeing, 143.

K.

King's, the Hon. T. blind ftaliion, p. 39,

L.

Leiceflerfhire, p. 5, 26.
Lincolnfliire, 5, 26.
Lewenhock, upon Male Semen, 41.
La FolTe, 160, 182,
Livery Stab es, 190, 203.
Light, advantages of, 201.
Labour, probable, 251.
Landlords, defcription of, 352.
** Let's go," its utility, 360.
Lottery Office Keepers, 383.
Lamenefs from flioeing, 166, 169.

M.

Mare, fpider-legged, p. 7.

Marfk, 16, 21.

Mercury, 18.

Meteor, 18.

Miikfop, reafon why fo called, 6^.

Mare, management of after faaling, 68.

, v.hcn Laken to horfe, 83.

Medical

4r4 INDEX,

Medical Student, anecdote of, 362,
Mare, compulfively covered, 54.

, her time of going w'ith foal, 55.

Major O'Flaherty quoted, 190.
Matches of the Author, 401, 403.

N.

Newmarket, p. 4, 394.
Northamptonfliire, 5, 2.6,
Nutrition, effects Qf, 8, 75.
Nitre, its ufe, 241.

, its abufe, 243.

Noble Lord, anecdote of, 384.

O.

Ofmer quoted, p. 148.

's felf-contradidion, 161.

Oftlers, deicription of, 329, 354, 3^7-

, reward to, 372.

Obligation, aiutual, 142.

P.

Perfpiration, explained, p. 210.

, its obflrudion, 248.

Purging, the confiftency of, 296, 301-

, difference of adion, 308.

Purges, mercurial, 311.
Parliament, petition 10, 353.
PoflHorfes, 373.
Pawnbrokers, 383.
** Pcrfcvere and conquer," 12S.

Quackery, danger of, p. 239,
Quixotes, equcftrian, 189.

CL

R.

ReftiffHorfes, ill ufage of, p. iii^ 127, Z29, 145.
KowtUing, 253.

RowcIIIng,

INDEX. 415

Rowelling, explained, 256,

, anecdote of 235, 263.

, inveftigated, 277.

, coHclufion drawn, 283, &c.

Repletion, and its efFe6ts, 189, 191, 208, 338,
Racing, in the chace, 327.
Road Horfes, 349.

, management of, 365,

, on a journey, 369.

Rcpolitoiy, local law of, 377.
Running Horfes, number of, 387.
Riders, u-Z/tsti jockies, 388, 395, 397.

Stallions, blind, p. 7, 36, 40.
' ofFafhlon, 16, 35, 39.

, Shakefpeare, 17.

, Marflv, 37.

Soldier, 18.

Sweetbriar, 20.

Sulphur, anecdote of, 60.

Shoeing, 130.

Sportfmen, liberality of, 140.

Sdiiths, ill ufage of horfes, 143.

Stabling, 187.

Stimulus, cathartic, 301;.

Sound, its meaning, (in law) 379.

Sporting, bankrupts, 383.

Swampy, four grafs, 68.

T.

Turf, p. 19, refinement of, 107.
Tradefman, Manchefter, 188.
Tony Lumpkin, 293.
Twitch, its ule conddered, 348.
Turf, the, 382.

, villainy of, 388,

Trainers, 388.
Tax, miniilerial, 387.
Training, expensive, 38^.
Turf intregity, 405. .

I^nions,

4i6 INDEX,

U.

Unions, heterogeneous, p. 6, lo,

V.

Vertumnus, p. i8.

Ventilators recommended, 201.

Veterinarian education, 270.

W.

Woodpecker, p. 20.

Woodcock, 54.

Weaning foals, 85, 10 1.

Writers, different, review of, 13^.

Water and its effeds, 248, 330, 339, 342, 357, 370, 373.

Warm Stables, 356.

Wi^ncll, anecdote of, 363.

Waiter, reward to, 372.

Weflminfler Hall, 380.

Y.

Yorftiire Breeder?, p. 5, 26,

FINIS*