[BOOK III. DOMESTIC ANIMALS.]
LETTER XIII.
QUADRUPEDS KEPT FOR AMUSEMENT.—HORSES FOR RIDING AND DRIVING IN PONY CARRIAGES.—MULES, ZEBRAS, QUAGGAS, AND DONKEYS.—DOGS AND CATS.
I am delighted, my dear Annie, to find that you are fond of riding. There is something noble and invigorating in the exercise. If your horse is tractable and docile, you will soon begin to consider him as your friend; and if he is refractory, you will feel a pride in being able, by skill, to conquer a powerful being possessing strength so superior to your own. I like to see a lady ride well and fearlessly; and, in short, the only drawback I can find to the pleasure your letter gave me is, the somewhat mysterious malady of your horse, on which you consult me. You say that, though a fine spirited creature when you are on its back, it appears dull and stupid when first brought out, and that it shuffles against things as if it were half-blind. You say you have consulted a veterinary surgeon, who says that there is no disease in the eyes, so that I suspect the evil lies where you have probably never thought of looking for it, viz. in the stable. If your stable is dark, the mystery is explained at once; and I think it is very probable that this may be the case, as you tell me that your horse is kept in a stable apart from the rest, that it may be taken more care of.
I believe, indeed, that more of the diseases of horses depend on the stable than is generally imagined. If the stable be dark the eyes are affected; and if it be damp the horse is liable to catch cold; and coughs, inflammation of the lungs, and finally broken wind, are the results. Another evil in many cases arises from the stable that you would not readily think of, and that is, if the doorway is too small and the posts on each side of it sharp-edged, the hair of the horses is frequently injured in going in and out. Horses are, in fact, much more delicate than is generally imagined, and many of the diseases with which they are afflicted arise from a want of proper attention to their comforts. On this account, the first thing in the management of a horse is, to see that its stable is spacious, light, well aired, and dry. In attending to the latter point, however, care should be taken that it is kept dry by a drain in the centre and at the back of the stall, and that the paving is as nearly level as possible. It has for some years past been the fashion to make the pavement of stables slope so considerably towards the door that the horse's fore-feet stand much higher than his hind feet; and this is not only a most uncomfortable position for a tired horse, but it is very apt to bring on diseases in the fore-feet and legs. It is also of great importance that the stalls should be large enough to allow each horse room to turn himself, and to lie down comfortably in any position he may fancy. We all know what a comfort it is when we are tired, to stretch ourselves out how we like; and a hunter turned into a loose box, after a hard day's work, will often be found lying with his legs stretched out like a dog, instead of having them doubled under him as horses are obliged to sleep when confined in narrow stalls.
It is a great advantage when there is a wide space between the stalls and the door, as it prevents the wind from blowing directly upon the horses every time the door is opened. It is also best not to have the stable in an exposed situation, but to have it so placed that it may be sheltered by some other building from the north and east winds. The loftiness of the stable is another very important point. It is the custom in many places to have the hay-loft over it; but this is bad in every point of view, as it not only makes the ceiling of the stable low, and by confining the air renders the horses liable to take cold every time the door is opened, but the dust and seeds from the hay are apt to fall from the loft whenever the horse is supplied with hay, and to injure him by getting into his eyes. I am fully aware when I am saying this, that you can neither alter the position of your stables nor make them larger, without more expense being incurred than your husband would perhaps approve of. I do not, however, think that he would object to having an additional window made, or to adding to the height of the stable by removing the floor of the loft, particularly if there be any small room adjoining the stable in which the hay can conveniently be kept.
A great deal, also, may be done by cleanliness. Whenever the horse is out, the stable should be thoroughly cleaned and the windows opened, and whenever there is an opportunity the rack and manger should be well cleaned and scoured with a brush. It is, however, important that the stable should be dry when the horse returns to it. In some places stables are warmed by flues or hot-water pipes, or by a fire being kept in the harness-room adjoining; and, when there are no means of this kind, the stable may be kept dry by having a lamp constantly burning in a lantern suspended from the roof. It is, indeed, said that any stable, however damp, may be dried with this expedient in twenty-four hours; and that a similar lamp hung in the harness-room will be sufficient, without fires, to keep the harness uninjured for years. A great deal of the comfort and health of your horses must, however, depend on the care and attention of your grooms. Nothing is more injurious to a horse than to be kept standing on his litter all day. To use the words of an exceedingly clever writer on the subject (Sir George Stephens), "it makes the hoof brittle; dries up the sole, and destroys its elasticity; cankers the frog, and is a common cause of grease and swelled legs. If, on the other hand, the dung is regularly removed, and the dry and clean straw carefully separated every morning, and placed under the manger till wanted, the stable is free from unpleasant smells, and about half the quantity of clean straw will be consumed."
Horses should always be cleaned in the open air, if the weather will permit; as they frequently hurt themselves against their stalls when cleaned in the stable, and sometimes acquire a habit of crib-biting. Many horses have skins so fine as to be unable to bear the use of the common curry-comb, and these horses should be cleaned with brushes the bristles of which are of uneven length. Good cleaning is a most essential point in the management of a horse; and the horse ought to be so clean as not to soil your hand, or your pocket-handkerchief, if drawn over his back. Another point to be attended to, after a horse has had unusual work, is, to let the groom rub his legs down well, particularly his back sinews: each leg should be rubbed for at least ten minutes. When horses come in warm, with their legs very dirty, they should not be washed immediately, but they should be rubbed dry with straw, and only some of the dirt taken off with a dry brush. The feet should, however, be examined, and any stones that may be in should be picked out, and the soles of the feet washed. A horse, when very hot, should also not be covered with a cloth, till he has been rubbed dry with straw. Washing the legs of a horse with cold water, when the horse comes in hot and dirty, is sure to give a sudden chill; and putting on a cloth, while the hair of a horse is wet from the effects of violent exercise, sends the perspiration in, and is sure to lay the foundation for disease. When a horse is very hot, he should be rubbed for half an hour before any cloth is put on at all; and then, if the heat of the horse break out into moisture again, the horse should have a second rubbing, after which he should be covered with another quite dry cloth. The coat of a horse generally becomes thick and shaggy in winter, and when it does so the horse may with perfect safety be clipped, and indeed it will be an advantage, as the hair, if short, is much easier dried when wet, and can be more thoroughly cleaned. Great care, however, must be taken to protect a horse when newly clipped from cold; and, should the weather be severe, the horse not only ought to have an additional cloth on in the stable, but his legs may be bandaged with flannel rollers. The feet of a horse should be stopped every other night with a mixture of clay and cow-dung, and this, and anointing the hoof with tar in hot weather, will keep the horny part of the foot moist and elastic. A great improvement has taken place in shoeing horses within the last few years, by interposing a thick piece of leather, and, in some cases, of India rubber, between the iron shoe and the hoof of the horse.