Torrtfzt-i* (f.j GENTLEMAN'S POCKET-FARRIER: « SHOWING HOW TO USE YOUR HORSE ON A JOURNEY, WHAT REMEDIES ARE PROPER FOR COMMON ACCIDENTS THAT MAY BEFAL HIM ON THE ROAD. BY F. TUFFNELL, Veterinary Surgeon. The remedies this little tract prescribes are simple, and easily obtained, and never fail of a cure where the disocd^EJup^l^; (here/ore no man who values his horse should pMWgw^toMravel ■without itv B0ST0Ns7£>- v CARTER, HENDEE,"3tWD' CO.-"-" 1834. r j :? ' '_*» *"' V-/> L.._ %-" GENTLEMAN'S POCKET-FARRIER: SHOWING HOW TO USE YOUR HORSE ON A. JOURNEY, WHAT REMEDIES ARE PROPER FOR COMMON ACCIDENTS THAT MAY /eFAL HIM ON THE ROAD. i ___ BY F. TUFFNELL, Veterinary Surgeon. The remedies this little tract prescribes are simple/ and easily obtained, and never fail of a cure where the disorder is curable; therefore no man who values his horse should presume to travel without it. 'c* BOSTON: » . 'i CARTER, -HENDEE, AND CO. 1834. STEREOTYPED AT THE LANCASTER STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. ADVERTISEMENT. It may not be unnecessary to acquaint the reader that the following prescriptions have not been hastily jumbled together, but are ex- perimentally efficacious. A great many books have been written on farriery, but their rules are too many for the pocket. Such a book, therefore, as this, is necessary on a journey, in order to refer to as occasion requires; and it contains as much as is known by any of our common farriers. As small as this tract may appear, it will- be found to inform gentlemen, I. What methods are best to be used, if their horses fall lame; II. What medicines are proper to give them when sick; and III. How to direct the operations, and escape the impositions, of ignorant men. In short, by the help of this treatise, gen- tlemen will be able to prevent a groom or farrier iv ADVERTISEMENT. from injuring their horses by improper applica- tions, and mistaking one distemper for another. The recipes are few and cheap; the poultice but one j and contrived on purpose to prevent trouble and expense, by pointing out the best remedies at first, such as are easiest to be got, and such as make the speediest cures ; and the reader may be assured they have been experi- mentally confirmed by a practice of sixty years. The book is drawn up in a manner calculated for a gentleman's pocket, supposing him upon a journey ; and no man who values his horse should travel without it. THE GENTLEMAN'S POCKET-FARRIER. ---Queis gratior usus Equorum, Noclurna vcrsate manu, versate diurna. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. If you meet with a horse you like, and are desirous of buying him, do not fall in love with him before you ride him, for though he may be handsome, he may start or stumble. TO DISCOVER A STUMBLER. Tf you go to buy of one that knows you, it is not unreason- able to desire to ride him for an hour. If refused, you may suspect he has some faults; if not, mount him at the door of the stable where he stands ; let him neither feel your spur?, nor see your whip; mount him easily, and when seated, go gently off with a loose rein, which will make him careless; and if he is a stumbler, he will discover himself presently, especially if the road in which you ride him be any thing ruiigh. The best horse indeed may stumble (a young one of spirit, if not properly broken in, will frequently; and yet if he moves nimbly upon the bit, dividing his legs true, he may become a very good saddle-horse); the best horse, I say, may stumble ; but \t he springs out, when he stumbles, as if he feared your whip or spur, depend upon it he is an old offender. A horse should never be struck for stumbling, or starting ; the pro- vocation, I confess, is great, but the tear of correction makes hiin worse. In the purchase of a horse, examine four things—his teeth, his eyes, his legs, and his wind. 3a 0 THE GENTLEMAN S TO KNOW HIS AGE. Every treatise on farriery has instructed us to know a horse's age by the mark in his mouth; but not one in five hundred (a dealer excepted) can retain it in his mind. I have endeavoured, therefore, to represent it by a plate. Every horse has six teeth before in each jaw; till he is two years and a half old, they are all smooth and uniform in their upper surfaces. (See the frontispiece.) At two years and a half old he sheds the two middle teeth, (by the young teeth's rising and forcing the old ones out, as at fig. 1) which at three years old are replaced by two hollow ones, as at fig. 7. When he is about three years and a half old, he sheds two others, one on each side the two middle ones, which at four years old are replaced by two others, which are also hollow, as at fig. 8. The sharp single teeth in horses, (fig. 2) begin to appear in the lower jaw when the horse is about three years and a half, or four years old. When he is nearly six years old, they are full grown, pointed, and concave in the inside, as at fig. 3. When he is four years and a half old, he sheds the two corner teeth, which at five are replaced also with two hollow ones, grooved on the inside, as at fig. 4, which groove marks the age precisely. At six years of age this groove begins to fill up, and dis- appear, as at fig. 6; so do the hollows of the rest of the teeth, ■,, which continue till near seven and a half, or eight years old, «4 when all the teeth become uniformly full and smooth, as at fig. 5. Crafty jockeys will sometimes burn holes in the teeth, to make them appear young, which they call bishoping; but a discerning eye will soon discover the cheat. If a horse's eyes are lively and clear, and you can see to the bottom, and the image of your face be reflected from thence, and not from the surface of the eye, they are eood- but if muddy, cloudy, or coal black, they are bad. ' POCKET-FARRIER 7 LEGS. If his knees are not broken, nor stand bending and trem- bling forward (which is called knuckling,) his legs may be eooa; but if he steps short, and digs his toes in tTie ground Itta a sign he will knuckle. In short, if the hoof be pretty flat and not curled, you need not fear a founder. WIND. If his flanks beat even and slow, his wind may oe good but if they heave double and irregular, or if (while he stands in the stable) he blows at the nostrils, as if he had ms been eallopins, they are signs of a broken wind. Deceitful dealers Kavc a draught which they sometimes give, to make a horse breathe regularly in the stable ; the surest way therefore,-to judge of hit wind, is to give him a good brushing gallop, and it is ten to one, if his wind be broken, or even touched, that he will cough and wheeze very much,-and no medicine can prevent him doing so. CURE FOR A BROKEN WIND. *. broken wind may be cured, if the following be applied on" the discovery of it:—A quarter of a pound of common tar and the like quantity of honey ; beat them well together. then dissolve them in a quart of new milk; let he horse fast two hours before you give the drench; walk him an hour after, and let him fast two hours; .give this drench every second day with warm meat and drink. A DRAUGHT-HORSE. A horse with thick shoulders and a broad chest laden with flesh hanging too forward, and heavily projecting •ver his knee's and feet, is fitter for a collar than a saddle. A SADDLE-HORSE. X horse with thin shoulders, and a flat chest, whose fore- feet stand boldly 'forward and even, his neck rising semi- 8 THE GENTLEMAN'S circularly from the points of those thin shoulders to his head, may justly be said to have a light fore-hand, and be fitter for a saddle than a collar. As most horses in the hands of farm- ers are drawn while they are young, which, notwithstanding their make, occasions them to move heavily ; if you desire a nimble-footed horse, choose one that has never drawn. In bu3'ing a horse, inquire into four other things, viz.— biting, kicking, stopping, and starting. A norsc may be sound, though guilty of all four, which a man can hardly discover by barely looking on him; so I refer you to his keeper. When you are buying, it is common for the owner to say in praise of his horse, that he has neither splint, spavin, nor windgall. That you may not be imposed upon, those three are thus described: THE SPLINT. The splint is a fixed callous excrescence or hard knob, grow- ing upon the flat of the in or outside (and sometimes both) of the shark-bone ; a little under, and not far from the knee, and may be seen and felt. To take it off, shave the part, and beat it with a stick, prick it with a nail in a flat stick, clap on a blistering plaster as strong as you can make it; let it lie on three days ; then take it off, and rub the place with half a drachm of the oil of origanum, and as much oil of vitriol, mixed : if the first does not do, rub it a second time with the oils ; if you find any re- mains of the splmt, apply a second blistering plaster for twenty-four hours: walk him moderately to prevent any swelling or excrescence from settling. Most young horses have splints, more or less, and thev will occasion lameness while they arc coming upon the bone • but after they are grown to the firmness of bones thev do not lame a horse, nor is such a horse worse for use thono-h he may not look so well to the eye. ' ousn THE SPAVIN. The spavin is of the same nature, and appears, in like ner, on the instep bone behind, not far below the houo-i, m™" POCKET-FARRIER. 9 take it off, beat the bone with a bleeding stick, and rub it; then anoint it with the oil of origanum, tie a wet cloth about it, and with a hot brick applied to it, soak in the oil, till it be dry. WINDGALI.. Windgalls are several little swellings just above the fet- lock joints of all the four legs ; they seem, when felt, to be full of wind or jelly, but they never lame a horse; the splint and spavin always do. They all three proceed from one and the same cause, which is hard riding, travelling too far in one day, or carrying too great a weight when young. SETTING OUT ON A JOURNEY. Whenever you intend to travel, hunt, or only ride out for the air, let your horse's feet be examined some time before, to see that his shoes are all fast and sit easy on his feet, for on that depends the pleasure and safety of your journey. DIRECTIONS FOR MOUNTING. Before you mount, look round your horse, to see if his bridle, curb, saddle, and girths, are all fitted in their proper places. Always accustom your horse to stand firm and with- out a motion, till you are fixed in your seat, and your clothes be adjusted. DIRECTIONS FOR GOING. When you would have him go, teach him to move by pressing close your knees, or speaking to him, without using' whip or spur; for a horse will learn anything; and a good quality may as easily be taught him as a Jjad one. CORRECTION ILL-TIMED. CORRECTION WELL-TIMED. AN EASY REIN. Most men whip and spur a horse, to make him go faster, before they bid him; but it is cruel treatment to beat a gen- 10 THE GENTLEMAN'S erous creature before you have signified your mind to him (by some token which he may be taught to understand) who would obey you if he knew your pleasure ; it is time enough to correct him when he refuses, or resists you. Do not haul his head about with too tight a rein, it deadens his mouth; besides, he will carry you safer, and take better care of his steps with an easy hand, than a heavy one : much depends on the quietness of the bridle hand. Keep your elbows steady, arid you cannot hurt his mouth. Again, nothing dis- covers a bad horseman (even at a distance) so much as throw- ing his arms and legs about; for it is easiest to the horse and rider, and he can carry you farther by ten miles a day, when you sit as steady upon him as if you were a part of himself. If he cuts either before or behind, look that his shoes stand not with an edge beyond the hoof, and feel that the clinches of the nails lie close; but if cutting proceeds from interfer- ing, that is, crossing his .legs in his trot, it is a natural in- firmity, and can only be a little helped by care. Horses will sometimes cut, when leg weary, which they will recover of by rest. If you would not have a horse that cuts, buy not one that stands with his toes turned outwards, nor one who,*< in trotting, carries his legs too near each other. SI LAMENESS.—A POULTICE. If (as he stands in the stable) you observe him to point one foot forwarder than the other, either before or behind, seeming to bear no weight on it, you may reasonably con- clude he is not easy. If the shoe is the cause, the farrier can remove it presently; but if the foot is hurt by some un- known accident, make a poultice of any sort of greens such as lettuce, cabbagf, mallow leaves, turnip-tops, or turnips themselves, the best of all ; boil them tender, squeeze the water out. chop them in a wooden bowl, with two or three ounces of hog's lard or butter; put this poultice into a cloth and tie his foot in it all night, as hot as you can. ' In the morning when the farrier comes to take off his shoe POCKET-FARRIEB. 11 he will find his hoof cut soft and easy, so that he will soon discover (in paring with his buttrice) whether he is pricked or bruised. •v- BRUISED. If bruised only, the next poultice will cure him PRICKED.—GRAVELLED.—THE CURE. If pricked, or otherwise wounded "to th equick, open the hole with a penknife, and drop a little diachilon or melilot, through a pair of warm tongs, into the hole, to suok out the gravel; but the horse-ointment is best, which I shall men- tion by and by ; cover it close with dry tow, fastened in with a couple of splints, and put his foot, as' before, into a hot poultice. Repeat* this till he is well, which will be in two nights, if you have not been too free with your penknife. A CAUTION AGAINST THE FARRIER. But let not the farrier put flaming turpentine to it, which will close the hole before the gravel is out: in this case, it must work out at the coronet above, and may require six %. months' time to cure it. LAME IN THE HEEL OR HOOF.—A CURE. If your horse is lame with a hole in his heel, or any part of his hoof, be it ever so deep, occasioned by an over-reach of his hind foot, or a tread of another horse, though gravel be in it, put his foot into the aforesaid poultice, and repeat it mornings and evenings till it is well; for it will suck it out, fill it again with sound flesh, and make the hoof grow over it, much sooner than any other method or medicine whatsoever. A CAUTION. The farriers' practice is to put caustics into such holes (a composition of mercury, lime, vitriol, and the like)^ to burn J 12 THE GENTLEMAN'S ( them; and to cut a quarter of the hoof away, to come to the ? bottom, as they say, which requires about six months to make "^ it good again; but oftener ends, if not always, in an unsound club foot. CUTS, TREADS, AND BRUISES, CURED. ' All cuts, treaSs, and bruises, are cured by this poultice 5 not only soonest and safest, but without leaving any mark. THE "HORSE OINTMENT. Into a clean pipkin, that holds a quart, put the bigness of a pullet's egg of yellow rosin ; when it is melted over a mid- dling fire, add the same quantity of bees-wax ; when that is melted put in half a pound of hog's lard ; when it is dissolved, A put in two ounces of honey ; when that is dissolved put in half a pound of common turpentine ; keep it gently boiling, stir- -1 ring it with a stick all the time; when the turpentine is dis- i solved, put in two ounces of verdigris; you must take off 1 the pipkin (else it will rise into the fire in a moment), set it on ] again, and give ft two or three wambles, and strain it, through ^ a coarse sieve, into a clean vessel for use, throwing the dregs I away. This is an extraordinary ointment for a wound or bruise in flesh or hoof, broken knees, galled backs, bites, cracked - J heels, mallenders, or, when you.geld a horse, to healfand *j keep the flies away ; nothing takes fire out of a burn or scald . [ in human flesh so soon; I have had personal experience of it. I had it out of Degrey; but, finding it apt to heal a wound at the lop, before the bottom was sound, I improved it, by adding an ounce of verdigris. • HEAT BALLS. i If, upon a journey, any little bumps, called heat-balls, ^ should rise on your horse's shoulder or any part of him : upon coming to your inn, order the hostler to rub them often with hot vinegar, which will disperse them. They are owin" to the heat of the body 111 hard riding. If they are not dispersed, ' they will burst and look ugly, and it will be some time before the hair comes upon the part again. POCKET-FARRIER. 13 SWELLED AND CRACKED HEELS. If his legs and heels should swell and crack, and become stiff and sore, so that he can hardly be got out of the stable in the morning, and perhaps did not lie down all night; you may "travel on, but walk him for the first mile or two, very gently, till the swelling falls, and he begins to feel his legs. CURE. When you end the day's journey, wash his fore-legs with warm water, and a great deal of soap; or foment his heels (first cutting away the hair very close) with old urine, pretty warm, for a quarter of an hour, by dipping a woollen cloth, or an old stocking, into the urine, squeezing it, and then ap- plying it to the part affected, having first well washed it with. the urine. You may then prepare the poultice, as in page 10, and tie it on hot, as soon as it can be got ready, letting it stay on all night. Feed him as usual, and offer him warm water in the house. About nine or ten o'clock (that is, an hour or two after he is put up for all night, and fed) give him A BALL. Half an ounce "of iEthiop's mineral; ditto of balsam of sulphur terib ; ditto of diapente or powdered aniseed; mixed and made into a ball with honey or treacle. You may give him a pint of warm ale after it. Do not stir him out of the stable, on any account what- ever, till you mount him the next morning for your journey; and give him a draught of warm water in the stable before you set out (that being proper on account of the ball). When you are on the road, he may drink water as usual. The next night omit the ball, but continue the poultice. The third night give the second ball. * GREASING HEELS. The fifth night give the third ball, and still continue the poultice till his heels are well : but, if you can get no sort of poulticing, then melt hog's lard, or butter, and. with a rabbit's foot, or a rag, grease his heels with it very hot. 2 14 THE GENTLEMAN'S 4. If he is a young horse, and the distemper new, you will ^ hear no more of it; but if he is old, and has had it a long time .. '; on him, it will require further repetition. N.B. During this operation, you must not gallop on the road, but ride moderately, for sweating will retard the cure. You must consider that wet weather, and wet roads, are by , no means proper for this regimen. Travelling, indeed, is an improper time for this cure, ex- cept in cases of necessity: if you can give your horse rest, his heels will get well sooner by turning him out to grass, and renewing the poultices : but he should be kept in the stable while he takes the medicine. If the greasy poultice does not effect a cure, which may sometimes be the case, after fomenting the legs with the urine, anoint his heels well with the following ointment warm every night. Take ten e»-gs, boil them very hard, put them into cold water; when », cohi, separate the yolks from the whites, put all the yolks M into a frying-pan, bruise them with a spoon over the fire till «| they turn black and yield a foetid oil, which decant off, and 1 mix it, while warm, with two ounces of honey, and two < ounces of white lead in powder, and then keep it for use. It should be heated into a horse's heels, with a fire-shovel. The heels in the day-time should be constantly well rubbed. This ointment exceeds any thing that can be applied for a burn or scald in the human body, if applied soon after the- ^ accident, and the part affected be anointed for an hour after,. by times, with a feather. I have often cured a horse of greasy heels by giving him only an ounce and a half of saltpetre pounded fine, or dis- solved and mixed with his corn, morning and evening. But. this must be continued for a month or more, till his legs are well; but they should be kept washed as above. If you give- a horse five or six pounds of saltpetre, in this manner, it will not hurt him ; it will free him from all sorts of humours, and »j, put him into excellent spirits. MALLENDER. The mallender is a crack in the bend of the knee ; it oozes a sharp humour like that at the heels or frush; a horse dare POCKET-FARRIER. '15 not step out for fear of tearing it wider; it is so painftil it takes away his belly; it makes him step short, and stum- ble much. THE CURE. The same method, medicine, greasing, and poulticing, which you used for swelled or cracked heels, will cure it. SELLENDER, AND CURE. The sellender is a crack in the bend of the hough ; and must be cured with the same things" and after the same manner. SORE BACK, AND CURE. If the saddle bruises his back, and makes it swell, a greasy dish-clout laid on hot, and a cloth or rag over it, bound on a quarter of an hour (with a circingle) and repeated once or twice, will sink it flat. If.it is slight,wash it with a little water and salt only ; but you must have the saddle altered, that it does not press upon the tender part; for a second bruise will be worse than the first. If his furniture does not fit and sit easy, it will damp him ; but if nothing wound or hurt him, he will travel with courage. ADVICE FOR WATERING. Make it a standing rule to water on the way before you arrive at the baiting place, be it noon or night; if there is no water by the way, do not (when once you have entered the stable) suffer any man to lead him out to a river or horse- pond, to wash his legs or drink, but give him warm water in the house. If you ride moderately, you ought to let your horse drink at any time on the way ; you may trust him, he will not take harm, but always refresh himself: but, if he has been long without^water, and is hot, be'will then over-drink himself, 16 THE GENTLEMAN'S and it may spoil him ; because a load of cold water, greedily^ swallowed while he is hot, will certainly chill and deaden. the tone of the stomach ; but two or three go-downs are really necessary to cool his mouth, and may be allowed him at any time on the road. DIFFICULTY OF STALING.' Sometimes a horse cannot stale, and will be in great pain to ease himself; take half a ounce of aniseed beaten fine in a mortar, one handful of parsley roots; boil those in a quart of old strong beer, and strain it off, and give it him warm. HARD RIDING. SURFEIT. If vou ride hard, and go in hot, your horse will be off his stomach; then is your time to guard against a surfeit which is always attended with the grease, the farcy, or both ; the symptoms are, staring of the coat, and hide-bound. STARING COAT AND HIDE-BOUND. THE ANISEED CORDIAL. Staring of the coat will appear the very next morning. To prevent which, as soon as you dismount, rub him well, cover him, pick his feet, throw a handful or two of beans before him, and litter him deep. Go immediately and boil, for a cordial, half a pound of aniseed in a quart of ale, pour it upon half a pound of honey, into a bowl or basin, brew it about till it is almost as cool as blood, then give it (with a horn) seeds and all. i THE CURE. Feed as usual, but keep him warm clothed ; give him warm water that night, and next morning ; a mash will do well that night, and, lest the cordial should not have force enough to carry off the surfeit, you must trive him (after all, and just before bed-time) one of those balls directed in page 13. * POCKET-FARRIER. 17 To prevent stiffness, supple and wash his legs with greasy dish-wash, or water and soap, as hot as a man can bear Ins hand in it, with a dish-clout; and by no means take him out of the Stable that night. Grease his hoofs, and stop his feet with the following ball: it is safe and innocent. A BALL TO STOP FEET. Two or three handfuls of bran put into a little saucepan, ■with as much grease of any kind as will moisten it. Let it cool, and put a ball of it into each fore foot. Cover each ball with a little tow or straw, and put a couple of splints over that, to keep it in all night. This do every night if you please throughout your journey; it is good at any time if he lie still : but these balls are not necessary in Jrthe winter, or when the roads are full of water. A CAUTION AGAINST HOSTLERS. Ever avoid all stuffings made of cow-dung, clay, and urine, which you find ready mixed in a tub, in the custody of almost every hostler ; such cold stuffings benumb the feet to that degree, that the horse fumbles and steps short for two or three miles, till he gets a little warmth, and feels his feet again. SHOULDER-SLIP. If you wrench his shoulder, mix two ounces of the oil of spike with one ounce of the oil of swallows, and half an ounce of turpentine, and with your hands rub a little of it all over the shoulder. It will be best to warm the oils well with a broad-inouth fire-shovel, or plate of iron, hot. Then bleed him, and let him rest two days. This will cure a slight strain. Should he continue lame you may travel on, but slowly, and he will grow well upon the road; but repeat the oils. A CAUTION AGAINST BORING AND FIRING. Some farriers cut a hole through the skin in the middle of the shoulder, and (with the shank of a tobacco-pipe) blow it, jo THE GENTLEMAN S M a butcher does a ^^^^^UZ'^ cold iron, like a horseman's svvord-blade,£6™. fc h ca„ l^frX^tht th y bburnChim^drte(iClder w'ith a .SST.M -) t°iiVdut'fS so on tlfe contrary H\ n^^V^C^ tTSS by this method ; bJlhaveJownm^^^^ never ge clear f lhe st'"™rshearted man NVOufd be shock- ed ttcnS-^ h'is'inv'eSTfor all that can be obtain ^rift t'ihS^Uftnd roweling alone sufficient. A CAUTION AGAINST ORIGANUM. Most farriers will endeavour to persuade you to use oil of application will insinuate itself into the bone, and make U T'saw one instance, when the thickest bone in a horse (betweln the s ouldcr-blade and the elbow} broke, while a servant "ed him a foot-pace in hand. The farrier confessed he had used much of that oil. STIFLE. THE CURE. If vou strain your horse in the stifle a little bone upon the thieh bone, above the inside bend of the hough, (you find such another in a leg of mutton) the tum,p pouli.ce w.ll ,n- fanibly cure; but you may rub in the oils first, as ordered in J, Jhniilder-slip By ^s situation you may find a difficulty to ' keepX pouftce on ; yet it may be done w.th a few yards . i «f 1U1 Tf it is not well, or very much mended, in two or .1 three days, examine the hip ; perhaps you may find it there ; • but this must be cured by oiling, as in a shoulder-shp, for , the poultice cannot bo fastened on there. ^ POCKET-FARRIER. A CLAP IN THE BACi 19 When lameness arises from a clap in the back sinews, which is relaxation of the sinews from a strain, take a spoon- ful or two of hog's lard, or rather goose grease; melt it in a saucepan, and rub it into the back sinew, very hot, from the bend of the"kncc to the fetlock ; make (as you are directed in page 10) a turnip poultice, and tie it on hot, from the fetlock to above the knee, and let it stay on all night; thus, first tie the cloth about the fetlock, then put in the poultice, and raise the cloth and poultice together, till you get it above the bend of the knee, twisting the list or string round his leg as you rise, and fasten it above the knee ; take it off in the morning, and put on a fresh one; at night do the same. Two or three of these poultices will cure a new strain, five or six an old one. HOW TO KNOW A SHOULDER-SLIP FROM A STRAIN IN THE BACK SINEWS. This lameness, by ignorant farriers, is frequently taken for a shoulder-slip, and in consequence of this, they proceed to blowing, boring, and roweling, and thus make your horse useless for a long time. Be not imposed upon : be sure it is in his shoulder, before you admit the operation, -s If it is in his shoulder, he will drag his toe on the ground as he walks. If in the back sinew, he will lift it off and step short, though downright lame. There does not happen above one shoulder-slip to fifty back sinew strains. A COLD.—A RUNNING OF THE EYES AND NOSTRILS. You may know if your horse has caught cold, by a running at his eyes, and a little gleeting at his nostrils ; though it is impossible to know exactly how he came by it (for standing near a hole, a window, or door, a damp new-built stable, and many other ways, may do it) yet I would warn you against one practice in particular, too much in use, which seldom fails to give a horse cold. 20 THE GENTLEMAN'S A CAUTION AGAINST CATCHING COLD. That is, taking him out of a warm stable, and riding into a river or horse-pond, at an unseasonable hour, either too late or too early (read page 15); a horse should never be taken out of a warm stable, on a journey, till you mount him to travel. HALTER-CAST. Note. The same poultice will also cure the fetlock of a horse that is cast in his halter, by frequently repeating. A CAUTION TO PREVENT FOUNDERING ON THE ROAD. It is the opinion of most grooms, that a horse heats his legs and feet upon a hard road, especially if he is a heavy horse, or carries a great weight, and that he should be re- freshed and cooled by washing. To which I agree ; but then it must be with warm water, for that cools best. This will not oiuy open the pores and make his legs perspire, but will clear the fetlock joints best, of any gravel that may get in between the wrinkles, and thus fret and inflame his legs; cold water naturally contracts the skin, and binds any gravel there may chance to be, the firmer. Stop his feet also with the ball, directed in page 17, but make it pretty warm. Note. A horse, in this case, ought to have a large stall, that he may stretch his legs. Young horses require larger stalls than old ones ; for an accustomed old horse will ease himself in a stall of five feet wide, as well as in one of two yards. A COUGH. If, after a day or two, you perceive a running at his eyes and a little gleeting at his nostrils, you may expect to hear him cough. In that case, take a pint of blood from his neck in the morning (a horse will travel notwithstanding, if you c|p not exceed a pint), and at noon give an additional feed to make amends for the loss of blood. ' POCKET-FARRIER. 21 At night, give him a mash, over and above his usua. allowance. The next night give him the aniseed cordial as before. * A GREAT COUGH. If his cough continue three days, you must take another*,; pint of blood from his neck, and try to remove it with abler medicines. Therefore, to keep it off his lungs, give him, just before you go to bed, THE CURE. pi Liquorice powder, an ounce ; sweet oil, a spoonful ; ^^Ethiop's mineral, an ounce; balm of sulphur, half an ounce ; ■feade into a ball with a little honey. Clothe and keep him warm. Repeat the ball next night, which will be sufficient to cure any new gotten cold or *£ surfeit. KNOTTED BETWEEN THE JAWS.—THE CURE. Feel between the jaws ; and, if his kernels are swelled, * do not let the farrier cut them out with a pair of red-hot scissors (as some of them do), but dissolve them with two or three or more turnip poultices, and continue the aniseed cordial, till he is well. . If the almonds of a man's ears were down, that is, if the elands were swelled, and the surgeon proposed to cut them out for a cure; vou would treat him with great contempt for his ignorance. It is the same with respect to a horse. Note The horse's throat ought to be kept warm with --.cloths till the swelling is either dissolved or come to a head; ' jf the'latter, any common farrier may open the tumour with ' a sharp penknife; and when the matter has free discharge, the wound will easily heal, by the use of the horse-omtment aPf will nexTmention the eyes; for it is as bad for a horse to be blind as to be lame. 22 the gentleman's I A COLD IN THE EYES. When a horse has got cold, it sometimes falls into his eyes, which you may know by the symptoms before men- tioned, in page 19, a running or a thick glare upon.them ; put your hand to his nostrils, and if you find his breath hotter than usual, it will then be necessary to take a little blood from his neck. A CAUTION IN BIEEDING. It is a common thing with some farriers to take two, three, and sometimes four, quarts of blood away at one time. I am very much against that practice ; because you rob a horse of more animal spirits than you can restore in a Ions time, without much rest and high feeding ; the latter which is diametrically opposite to the cure. BLEl I) BY MEASURE. Therefore, a pint, or a quart at most, unless it.is verj thick or very hot, will be sufficient j^.it is safer to take a gallon at five or six bleedings, than two quarts at once, for the reason above. Let me advise you, also, to take it by measure, I mean in a pint or a quart pot; for when you, bleed at random upon the ground, you never can know^; what quantity you take, nor what quality his blood is of. From such violent methods, used with ignorance, proceed the death of half the horses in the nation. What proof must a farrier, a groom, or a coachman, give of his skill, to administer to a horse a comfortable drink, as they call it, composed of diapente, long pepper, grains of paradise, and the rest of the hot ingredients, at a time when his blood is boiling in his veins ? It is like" giving a man burnt brandy in a fever. I say, by knowing the true state of your horse's blood you can better judge what medicines,. are most proper to give him. Therefore, a pint of blood, for the first time, is enough yi and you may repeat that as you see occasion. But yott^ cannot easily restore, as I said, the blood and spirits you fl have been too lavish of. J \ POCKET-FARRIL'R. 23 A POULTICE FOR THE EYES. After you have taken a pint of blood, get a quartern loaf, hot out of the oven, cut away the crust, and put the soft inside into a linen bag, large enough to cover his forehead and temples ; press it flat, and bind it on, by way of poultice as hot as may be, without scalding; at the same time, fasten something of a cloth about his neck, to keep his throat warm. Let the poultice stay on till it is almost cold, and repeat it once or twice ; then prepare the following EYE-WATER. Into half a pint of rose or spring water put one dram of tutty finely prepared, one dram of white sugar candy, pow- dered, and half a dram of sugar of lead. With a feather put alfrop into each eye, mornings and evenings. ? A CAUTION AGAINST EYE-POWDERS . Never blow any powder into the eyes ;—always use liquids. The next day, if needful, repe.at the poultice ; and, tor want of a hot loaf, at any time, make a poultice of bread boiled in milk, continuing the,,eye-water every day. You may use the turnip poultice, but you must not put orease into it. Never let grease or oil come near the eyes. c A PHILM.—THE CURE. If a philm grows over the eye, put a scruple of while vitriol and a scruple of roach-alum, both finely powdered, into half a quartern of spring water ; and with a feather put a drop into the eye, mornings and evenings, and it will eat it clean off in three days or thereabouts ; but be not prevailed on to .blow, flint and glass, pounded together, into the eyes; be- cause the sharp points of the glass wound all the tender (blood vessels, and cause an inexpressibly painful inflam- mation, not much inferior, and full as insignificant, as the farrier's way of burning a thousand holes in the skin with a red hot poker, to cure the farcy. Gelding and docking are but little help to bad eyes. 24 the gentleman's CAUTION AGAINST BLINDSESS. Blistering the temples, cutting out the haws, and taking up the veins, weaken the optics, and hasten blindness. OBSERVATIONS ON WASHY HORSES. It is observed, some horses carry a good belly all the journey ; others part with their tfood before it is well digest- ed and scour all the way, which makes them so thin ana lank, that they are ready to slip through their guts; they are called washy. Such horses must be chiefly fed with dry meat; that is, oats and beans, and but very seldom with bran. They also will eat as much or rather more than other horses, and you should feed them oftener; for, being too soon empty, they require it; and, if you will allow them enough, they will perform a tolerable good journey ; bu^ I do not recommend such an one. REMEMBER TO FEED. If you do not gallop your horse off his wind, I will venture, to say, it is not the journey that hurts him, but your neglect; of him when you dismount. Consider, he i6 tied up, and«' can have nothing but what is brought to him, for he cannot help himself; and if you do not cause him to be properly attended, a dog that wanders about fares better than the horse that carried you so well; and since he cannot ask for what he wants, you must supply every thing. DIRECTIONS FOR FEEDING. When you end the day's journey, fill your horse's belly as soon as you can, that he may go to rest, and he will b^e the fresher lor it in the morning. It is an old observation, that young men eat and sleep better than old ; but old horses eat and sleep better than young. Give two or three little feeds, instead of a large one; too much at once may cloy him. } POCKET-FARRIER. 25 A CORDIAL, IF FAINT UPON THE ROAD. If you perceive your horse travel faintly, you may give him at any time a pint of warm ale, with a quartern of brandy, rum, or geneva in it, or an ounce of diapente in it. Diapente will comfort his bowels, drive out cold and wind, and may cause him to carry his food the longer. GRIPES. If your horse is taken with the gripes, which he will dis- cover to you by often looking towards his flanks, and cannot keep upon his legs, but rolls and beats himself about, seem- ing, as undoubtedly he is, in very great misery— CAUTION AGAINST A DRENCH. The farrier, after he has bled him, will bring you a pint of beef brine, mixed with a quart of the grounds of stale beer, to drench him with ; then a glyster of the same; and, if that do not cure him, Adieu ! Nothing but a horse could live, after having such a composition forced into his stomach. THE CURE.--A GLYSTER. Do not bleed him, unless his breath is very hot, but clothe him warm immediately, and with a horn give him half a pint of brandy, and as much sweet oil, mixed ; then trot nim about till he is a little warm, which will certainly cure some horses. If it does not your's, boil one ounce of beaten pepper in a quart of milk; put half a pound of butter, and two or three ounces of salt, into a bowl or basin, and brew them together; give it rather warmer than usual ; iUwill purge him in half an hour or thereabouts, and perhaps re- move the fit. If it does not, omit half the pepper, and give the same in quantity and quality, by way of glyster ; adding, as it cools, the yolks of four eggs. If this has the good effect that is wished for, you must nurse him up till he gets his strength again ; but, if neither will do, boil a pound of aniseed in two quarts of ale, brew it upon a pound of honey; when it is almost cool enough, put in two ounces of diascor- 3 20 THE GENTLEMAN'S dium, and give it, with a horn, at three doses, allowing about half an hour between each dose. If this fit abates, give him time to recover himself. WORMS OR BOTS. If all this does not give him ease, and if you have a sus- picion of worms or bots breeding in his guts, which, indeed, may be the cause (for they sometimes fasten in the passage from the stomach into the great gut, and stop it, and so tor- ment him till he dies—I have seen it in dissections), then give him two ounces of iEthiop's mineral, made into a ball, with an ounce of powder of aniseed, and a spoonful of honey. A CAUTION. N.B. But you must not give this to a mare with foal. You may bleed her in the roof of the mouth; it is to be hoped some of these things will hit. STAGGERS. Do not let your horse stand too long without exercise ; it fills his belly too full of meat, and his veins too full of blood. From hence the staggers, and many other distempers. THE CURE. The cure is to bleed and purge. Thin skinned horses, that have been well kept and clothed, should never be turned to grass above three months in the year, viz. from the beginning of June to the end of August. Thick skinned horses have strong coats, which keep out the weather; and, if well fed, will iie abroad, and endure hard hunting all the year, better than stable horses. For walking about to feed prevents stiffness in their limbs ; and POCKET-FARRIER. 27 treading in the grass keeps their hoofs moist and Cool: but they should have a hovel to come to at night, or when it snows or rains. Never purge a horse just taken from grass ; it dissolves or loosens some tender fat or humours, which fall into his legs or heels. But after six days you may bleed him once, under a quart; and at night give him the aniseed cordial (see page 16), which is a gentle opener. O COLD WATER WITH PHYSIC. If you needs must purge your horse, for which I would have a good reason given, let him not touch cold water with- in or without, till the day after it has done working; but you cannot give him too much warm water ; I wish he would drink enough, for the sake of dilution. A PURGE. Aloes, one ounce; jalap, two or three drams; oil of cloves, ten drops; made into a ball with honey. CAUTION AGAINST COLD WATER. Some obstinate grooms will work it off with cold water; and tell you, the sicker.he is the better the purge works. I deny it; for cold water checks the working of all physic, and causes gripings. Make that groom drink cold water gruel with his next pills, and that will convince him. A purge may work the first day, but commonly does not till the second. I have known one lie two, nay three, days in a horse, and work well off at last. IT WORKS BY URINE. Sometimes it works by urine only, and then the purge steals off unobserved by his keeper; upon which, he makes haste to give him a second ; which, he says, is to carry off the first purge that has not worked with him. After giving tbc second, he takes him out of a warm stable and trots him 28 THE GENTLEMAN'S abroad, be the weather hot or cold, till he warms him, and opens all the pores of his body, to make the physic work. I do not think it possible for a horse, with a purge or two in his belly, to escape catching cold by such a method, and must impute great injuries to it; for, by such carelessness, and the want of better understanding, some horses lose an eye, others have irrecoverable lameness settled in their limbs, and many die. Then they tell you his liver was rotten, and his lungs (upon opening) all inflamed. PURGE WITHIN DOORS. How can any gentleman be satisfied for the loss of a good horse, with such an ignorant account, so contrary to the rules of physic and even common sense ? An understanding man, when he has given his horse a purge, will not stir him out of the stable till it has done working ; for there is really no need of exercise during the operation, because every purge will carry itself off, if you keep him warm, and supply him with warm mashes, and warm water as he pleases to drink, and as often. TO STOP VIOLENT PURGINGS. When a purge works too long or too strong upon him, which will weaken him too much, give him an ounce of Venice treacle, in a pint of warm ale, and repeat it, if need- ful, to blunt the force of the aloes. All the keepers at Newmarket bleed and purge the run- ning horses pretty often ; and all the gentlemen in England agree with them in doing so. The reason given for it is, to carry ofl' the humours, which cause their legs to swell and grow stiff, and to clean them. The reason is good, because no horse is fit to run that is not clean : but bleeding and purging weaken both man and beast; besides the hazard of a horse's life in every purge, as I have demonstrated. Would it not, therefore, be a good amendment to get quit of those superfluous humours another way, so as to prevent stiff and swelled legs, without bleeding and purging 1 Would not a horse come into the field with better advantage, who, POCKET-FARRIER. 29 instead of bleeding and purging only once a week, takes a medicine that effectually cleans his body—keeps his legs from swelling and stiffness—mends his wind by opening his lungs, and preserves him in his full vigor ? I am sure all this can be done with very little bleeding, and no purging; : which I would willingly insert here, did it properly belong to this treatise, which (as I said) is intended only for the use and convenience of travellers. IF A HORSE LOOKS ILL.—THE LAMPARS.—THE CURE. If j'our horse, who once looked fat and sleek, is brought to you with a staring coat and hollow flank, open his mouth, look on the roof, and, if the gums next his fore teeth are swelled higher than his teeth, it will hinder his feeding, and make him fall of his flesh. Let a smith burn it down with a hot iron ; that is a complete cure for the lampars. If that is not the case, you should never cease inquiring, till you have found it; for the horse cannot speak ; and if the groom is in fault, he will not tell. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAY AND OATS. If you suspect that the groom does not give him your al- lowance it behoves you to take care that you have thirty- six trusses in each load of hay, as well as eight bushels in every quartern of oats, and that they are not brewed; for there are some men that can turn oats into ale. BROKEN WIND. If a o-room gallop his horse, when he is full of water, he will telfyou it is to warm the water in his belly ; from hence often comes a broken wind. Make that fellow drink a draught of small beer or water, and force him to run two or three hundred yards upon it: I believe it will cure him of If a horse in his stall, when the groom comes towards him, shifts from side to side, and is alraid of every motion the man makes about him, it is a shrewd sign that the groom 3* 30 THE GENTLEMAN S beats him in your absence; and a fellow that will beat a horse, will sell his provender. ROWELS. There is a wrong judged custom amongst our professors, concerning rowels. If a horse is sick they bleed him, right or wrong—give him a drench, and put a rowel under nis belly; without inquiring of his master or keeper what usage he has lately had, which might occasion the illness. Rowels are absolutely necessary in some cases, but are absolutely unnecessary in others, and serve only to disfigure and tor- ment a horse. As for example— The rowel in the navel for the grease, which you may see in almost all the coach and cart horses about town, is very wrong ; because rowels, in a horse that is greased, promote too great a discharge from the blood and animal spirits, which weaken him to a degree of irrecoverable poverty. I have put five rowels in a horse at one time, thinking thus to let the grease run off; but the more the rowels run, the more he run at the heels, till the texture of his blood was so broken, that I could not recover him. This convinced me it was the wrong wav to cure the grease. I have heard it said amongst learned ph3-sicians, that too many setons or issues will draw a man into a consumption. In my opinion, mwcls will do the same thing by a horse, as they are of the like nature and effect. THE FARCIN. The farcin proceeds from a stagnation of blood in the capillary or hair-like vessels, which corrupts, and breaks through into buds, or vents itself at the heels or ("rush. Colds, hard exercise, high feeding, &c, will occasion this. RUNNING AT THE HEELS OR FRUSH. Farriers ignorantly endeavor to stop a running at the heels or frush, by applying bole ammoniac, alairT, vitriof lime-water, and verdigris, which are quite contrary to the cure; for all styptics repel the sharp distillation which POCKET-FARRIER. 31 should have a free passage; else the limbs will swell to a very great degree; and must, in time, fall and burst out again in such a tide as will be hard to stem. For stopping is not curing. See page 12. Four parts in five of our farriers maintain that the farcin lies between the flesh and the skin. Why then does not roweling cure it ? But it does not lie between the flesh and the skin ; therefore, roweling never did, nor ever can, cure it. For example— . Before the buds break out, the veins cord; which is a strong presumption that the distemper hath its origin in the blood ; because there is its first appearance. Besides, take a pint of blood from the neck of any horse, whose veins are corded any where about him, and it will show its corruption as soon as it is cold. Now, bleeding checks the distemper; whereas, if you did not bleed it would break out in every part about him, from the ears to the soles of his feet; even in the corners of his eyes, his yard, and the very inside of his hoofs, or wherever there are any blood vessels. These demonstrations oblige me to believe the distemper does not lie in the skin, but in the veins ; but the most sub- stantial proof is the cure, which I can perfect without touch- ing tl»e buds, or making the least outward application. A DESCRIPTION f> V FIRING. The generality of our present farriers fire; that is, they draw ^th a red hot iron, a circle, like a magic spell, round helbuds burning half through the skin. This, they say, Itops the'spreading; and is cllled firing. Then, into.every buTthey thrust the end of a red hot pcler, b^nne the bud to the bottom, which is accounted by them a complete cure for the farcin but I should rather take it to be a description ot the last puuishment allotted for wicked men. Wo can imaginethat a red hot iron would correct the blood, and "toctS thePfarcin-take half an ounce of Roman vitriol, boiled in a pint of chamber-ley, two pennyworth of turpen- dne two pennyworth of bole ammoniac, and a handful of rue.' Give it inwardly, and repeat the dose, if requisite. 32 THE GENTLEMAN'S A DESCRIPTION OF THE GLANDERS. The glanders proceed from severe, repeated colds, such as are taken at winter grass ; and, by lying long upon the lungs and glands, corrupt the blood, and produce that un- happy consequence of running at the nostrils. The mourning of the chine is downright poverty of flesh and blood, which the severity of the distemper, that is, cold, brings on, and may be compared to the condition of a lean man in a consumption; but there is no such thing as the running of the spinal marrow at the nostrils, as many affirm ; for the vessel that contains the spinal marrow is composed. of the same coats that inclose the brain, and is continued from the brain, without disjunction, through the neck and shin bones, till it ends in the dock, so that there is not the least communication between the spinal marrow and the nostril; it is the same in the human bodies. TO DISCOVER A FEVER. Would you know when a horse is in a fever, there is a pulse a little above the knee, in the inside of his leg, which may be felt in thick skinned horses ; but the best and surest way is, to put your hand to his nostrils, and discover it by the heat of his breath. GLYSTERS. There is a time, in some fevers, when it is dangerous to bleed or purge ; then glysters are of excellent use, I must say, absolutely necessary ; but not one in a thousand will give themselves the trouble to relieve the poor sick creature, in that way ; for two reasons—first, few people know when a horse is in a fever. A GLYSTER IN A FEVER. Secondly, they seldom are provided with so material an instrument as a glyster pipe : therefore, for the sake of the creature, and those that love him, the following glyster in a POCKET-FARRIER. 33 fever, is as good as anj', and as little trouble. But first, be- speak, at a pewterer's, a pipe, eight or ten inches long, with a bore large enough to receive the end of your finger, and a rim at one end of this pipe, that what you tie on may not slip off. Then boil a spoonful of oatmeal in two quarts of "Water, together with two ounces of senna, and half a pound ■tof brown sugar, half a pint of sweet oil, and a handful of salt. Get a bladder at an apothecary's or butcher's, that will con- tain the above said quantity, and tie its neck to the pipe : pour the glyster with a funnel through the pipe into the blad- der, and give it blood warm, setting the horse's hinder parts highest. Keep him quiet in the stable till he voids it; the longer it stays with him the better ; but you need not tie his tail down to his fundament: it is ridiculous to think that will detain it a moment SWELLED NECK. If a farrier, in bleeding, miss the vein, do not let him strike his fleam a second time into the same place ; because it sometimes makes the neck swell, and proves troublesome to cure ; and as the extravasated blood infallibly makes the neck swell, and the jugular vein rot quite away, from the orifice up to the jaw bone, and down almost to the shoulder, (which may prove the Joss of your horse), he should take care, in the pinning, that he leaves not a drop of blood be- tween the flesh and the skin. BLEED HIGH IN THE NECK. (Note. The nearer the throat you bleed him, the better. The vein is not so apt to swell into a knot, as if bled lower.) THE CURE. The turnip poultice makes the best cure; but if the neck should happen to be extremely bad, and a tumour should form when you feel matter fluctuate under your finger, it is best to open it and give it a free discharge, and dress it with the horse ointment, keeping the neck elevated. 34 THE-GENTLEMAN'S POCKET-FARRIER. A horse after bleeding should not eat hay for half a day, lest the motion of the muscles should bring on an inflamma- tion and swelling. DOCKING. It seldom happens that we dock a horse upon a journey ; but permit me to give a caution on that subject, here. In docking a horse, never put under his tail the knife or instru- ment which is to cut it off; because you then must strike the tail, which will bruise it, and it will be apt to mortify, which is the reason so many horses die with docking; but lay his tail next the block, and, at one blow, drive the knife through a joint if possible ; stand prepared with a hot iron, to sear the end of a dock, and stop the bleeding. NEVER DRAW A SOLE. Never draw a horse's soles on any pretence whatever. There is no hurt or wound in the cask of the foot but may be come at; and it is the reverse of a cure for a founder, though the farriers always do it. A man may help a foun- dered horse, but 1 never knew one cured. I have now mentioned most of the common accidents, and have taken care, that, under some of those heads, you may find a great deal of help, hy the analogy they have to one another ; in short, I have mentioned more than is necessary on a journey. CARTER, HENDEE, AND CO. BOSTON, HAVE* FOR SALE A HISTORY OF THE HORSE, IN ALL ITS VARIETIES AND CASES; together with complete directions for the Breeding, Rearing, and Management; and for the cure of all Disenses to which he is liable. Also, a Treatise on Draught; and a copious Index to the whole. ^HE HORSE IN ALL ITS VARIETIES AND CASES; his Breeding, Rearing, and Manage- ment, whether in labor or rest; with rules, occasion- ally interspersed, for his preservation from disease. THE BEAUTIES AND DEFECTS IN THE FIGURE OF THE HORSE, conipaiatively delineated in a series of engravings. MASON'S FARRIER, Improved. HIND'S VETERINARY SURGEON; Or, FARRIERY taught on a new and easy plan.