Veterinary Quacks.—No man has a right to be called a veterinary surgeon who has not a diploma. A pretender may assume the name—often does, in fact—but quackery soon expires.
When a Horse clears his Nostrils immediately on being pulled up, it is a sign that he has wind enough to go both further and faster in his next gallop. When a minute elapses the pace may still be increased though not much; but when two minutes go over without the expected snort, it is a proof that the exercise has been a little too hard for the animal’s condition. Remember, when exercising a young one, that you must not take too much out of him. Frequent protrusion of the muzzle is a sign that distress is at hand, and a settled thrusting forward of it shows that the horse is at very nearly all that he can do.
Restlessness in horses—or temper, as many call it—is more frequently noticeable in summer than in winter time, and is caused by the troublesome flies which stick all over the animals’ bodies. These creatures torment some tender-skinned horses almost to madness; and when a stamp is given, ears put back, or a leg lifted as if in pain, immediate search ought to be made for the occasion of it. Horses at pasture can, as a rule, defend themselves with their teeth, feet, and tails: that is, when the latter appendages are left them; but in this country, so eminently the seat of wisdom and freedom, the effective instrument is invariably removed, and Nature most unfairly handicapped,—as if the sorrows of servitude are not sufficiently great and numerous without augmenting them by caprice.
Bales are simple bars of wood, used largely in cavalry stables to separate the horse-stalls. They are furnished at each end with iron links, by means of which they are suspended to hooks fastened at the head and heel-posts. Sometimes they are made of iron, but well-seasoned oak is quite sufficiently strong for the purpose. The usual dimensions are eight feet long, and four inches in diameter, and they are placed at a distance of about three feet from the ground. The top part may be a fixture; but one end or the other ought to be so arranged that in case of a horse getting partially under it when lying down, it will move readily upwards, according as the animal pushes it in his rise. I have a strong objection to bales, because they admit of horses biting and injuring one another, and are in other ways undesirable; but that they are cheaper than travises, I am, of course, prepared to allow. It is, however, almost their sole claim to notice.
An idle Groom is generally an eye-server. The wisp is oftener in his hand than the brush. When a horse does not look amiss on being brought to the door, and yet that his skin leaves a dirty whitish stain on the fingers when they are pressed into it, the fact is proved beyond all doubt. Thin-skinned horses will not stand a curry-comb; nor is it necessary to use one where good strong brushes are supplied, and made a proper use of.
The Curry-comb, when employed at all, should describe a sweeping movement—never a rubbing one—and the utmost gentleness should always accompany the using of it.
When the proper Grooming of a horse is neglected, he suffers in consequence. Lice, for instance, are never seen in animals that are even moderately well taken care of; but when once these pests appear, the spread of them is amazingly rapid. Nothing but care and cleanliness will eradicate them. Make a strong lather of black soap, wash well with it, then again with clean water, and finally anoint the patches where the lice are with a little mercurial ointment. If they have spread over the surface of the body, make a strong decoction of tobacco, and smear liberally with a sponge. The same treatment will do for dogs.
To remove the soft coating of Hairs that grows on the inside of a horse’s ears is not only unnecessary, but is absolutely cruel. It has been furnished to the animal as a protection against dust, flies, and dirt; and when taken away, the ears are left exposed to the influence of the three combined. All appearance of untidiness may be done away with by holding the ear in the left hand with the edges of it nicely evened, and then clipping lightly along them with a sharp scissors. I would never on any account permit nose-hairs to be clipped, or otherwise removed. Horses are immensely sensitive to any interference with them, and for sundry reasons they ought not to be meddled with.
A Horse that is Cast under the Manger cannot possibly rise until he is drawn backwards by an attendant. Every time that he attempts to get up he strikes his head, and is thus brought forcibly down again. In a properly-constructed stable such a thing could not, however, occur.
Old-Fashioned Mangers ought to be boarded in, so that no hollow may exist under them.