The illustrated horse management : containing descriptive remarks upon anatomy, medicine, shoeing, teeth, food, vices, stables : likewise a plain account of the situation, nature and value of the various points : together with comments on grooms, dealers, breeders, breakers and trainers : also, on carriages and harness

Front matter

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Chapter I

PAGE The body of the horse anatomically considered _. ' 1 CHAPTER II.

Physie.—The mode of administering it, and minor operations —_. eo. CHAPTER ITI.

Shoeing. — its origin, its uses and its varieties : . wr .91 CHAPTER IV.

The Teeth.—Their natural growth, and the abuses to which they are liable ' . ; : ; bee CHAPTER V.

Fooud.—The fittest time for feeding, and the kind of food which the horse naturally consumes. ; oe 176 CHAPTER VI.

The evils which are occasioned by ‘modern stables. . 213 CHAPTER VII.

The faults inseparable from most present erections which are used as stables. ; ; : : ; . 251 CHAPTER VIII.

The so-called ‘“ incapacitating vices,” which are the results of injury or of disease. : : ; ' ' . 286

CHAPTER IX.

Stables as they should be ; ; . 326

XVI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X.

Grooms.—Their prejudices, their injuries, and their duties

CHAPTER XI.

Horse Dealers.—Who they are: their mode of dealing: their profits : their morality and their secrets : : ;

CHAPTER XII.

Points. — Their relative importance, and where to look for their development

CHAPTER XIII.

Breeding.—Its inconsistencies and its disappointments

CHAPTER XIV.

Breaking and Training.—Their errors and.their results

CHAPTER XV.

Carriages. — Their cost; their make; their excellences and their management

CHAPTER XVI.

Saddlery, Harness and Stable Sundries.—Of what these consist ; their | application and their preservation .

PAGE

THE

ILLUSTRATED HORSE MANAGEMENT.

CHAPTER I.

THE BODY OF THE HORSE ANATOMICALLY CONSIDERED.

Were the equine race extinct, nevertheless, an anatomist, by studying its bones, might affirm its instincts and assert its uses. Every part declares it to be a creature of speed; while its large cranium

STUDENTS DISSECTING AT THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE, LONDON, and beautifully-arranged teeth would announce it to have once been connected with civilisation by its intelligence, by its uses, and its B we Fok iit Bry pt

ANATOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

herbivorous habit. The provision made for the united strength and ‘elasticity of the spine would indicate the care Nature had bestowed upon the comfort of a rider ; while the mode in which the members were joied to the body, with the reach of limb peculiar to the © skeleton, would equally announce that grace and that ease which had characterised the lost animal’s movements.

What lamentation would be poured forth over the absence of such a treasure! How would poignant regrets be awakened, as science demonstrated what once were the endowments of an ex-

_ tinct inhabitant of earth! Yet, at the present time, humanity possesses this priceless creature to lighten toil and heighten pleasure. But, how few of mankind have ever reflected upon the marvellous delicacy of the slave’s construction! It is lashed unto exhaustion and worked into deformity. Because of the treatment it experiences at the hands of the master, whom it serves, it generally ceases to exist before its body is matured; but short as its life may be, existence is to it only one continued misery !

Even mortal instruments, things of the world’s manufacture, are limited in their applications, and capable of being deranged. A spring carriage is, obviously, not a suitable conveyance for a load of paving stones. He would be esteemed mad, who should appropriate such a vehicle to so gross a purpose. The horse’s body is more delicately arranged and more nicely balanced than the perfection of human skill can hope to imitate; nevertheless, people expose themselves to no rebuke when they wrench, cripple, or destroy the beauty which is entrusted to their authority.

Yet, the thing constructed by human hands, if injured, can be repaired, and may be thus rendered again equal to its uses. A living animal, however, being damaged, is not, on this earth, to be restored to its integrity. That has been and is lost! Mortal science may relieve the wound; but the scar remains, to conjure up thoughts of that deeper seated derangement, which is beyond the reach of this world’s medicine. The body may partially recover and the life may be prolonged: but deformity, accompanied by a proportionate loss of function, will testify to the folly that deteriorated the perfection, which was given as a helpmate.

Those forms of agony, which a few years ago were more common in England than such are even at the present time, evidently declared that the horse was altogether unequal to increasing wants and growing desires of mankind. Neither the fleetness of the courser, nor the strength of the heavier breed, embodied the requirements of the age. Something faster and more powerful had become a public necessity ; therefore, railroads were permitted.

Such persons as can talk of railroads being destined to destroy the breed of horses, must suffer under a confusion of ideas. The breed of horses may be endangered, as this is being written; but the source of peril lies very far removed from the lines of tramway. The objects, capable of being fulfilled by breathing flesh and by steaming iron, are altogether separate and distinct. No living body can aspire to contend, in strength or in speed, with the results of mechanical contrivance. Neither can the forge or the furnace ever hope to produce any combination of springs and wheels, which can compare with the ease of motion, the docility of temper or the intelligence of spirit, that should recommend the i! to the kindness of its earthly proprietor. e

- The horse is the associate of man. It is true, the poor animal can be goaded to excessive labour; but the creature becomes de-.

graded when it toils beyond the sphere of mortal sympathy. No living animal should be subjected to the exactions of avarice. Life was not made to be thus debased. What, however, the horse, when properly treated, is capable of performing, remains to be hereafter demonstrated. How much it can enact, and how greatly it can benefit, when justly treated, the present customs refuse the willing drudge a chance of proving. No steed is now permitted to erow till its thews and muscles are matured. Before the season of its utility can come round, the colt is seized upon by the impatience of gain, and the baby limbs are distorted by that early affiiction, which forbids the natural powers to be developed.

We can, however, even by the inspection of the body, discover that it is admirably adapted for continuous and prolonged exertion. The maintenance of animal motion chiefly depends on the provision made for aerating the blood. In proportion as the vital current can be revivified or oxygenated, is health promoted by those efforts, which in most bodies would, assuredly, induce congestion and death. Age becomes very important when the subject is thus considered. Respiration is in youth quicker than during adultism,

A ANATOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

because there is so much more oxygen needed when the frame is in a growing state. By working the horse before maturity is attained, the animal is obliged to labour, when the ordinary velocity of the respiration permits of the less marginal speed for the breathing apparatus to exert upon extraordinary occasions. Nevertheless, that the reader may judge correctly of the care Nature had bestowed upon the formation of a creature, destined for subserviency to man, the following engraving is appended.

THE FIGURE OF A HORSE, PORTRAYING THE COMPARATIVE IMPORTANCE AND THE RELATIVE SITUATIONS OF SOME INTERNAL ORGANS.

1. The Lungs. 2. The Stomach. 3. The Colon. 4. The Diaphragm. 5. The situation of the Bladder.

The above illustration exhibits the lungs as of large proportional dimensions ; while the stomach will be recognised as of more than an equally diminished capacity. Everybody must have experienced how greatly respiration is impeded by a loaded digestion ; and the Common Benefactor, when creating an animal destined to display speed, seems to have anticipated the probability of such a contingency. ‘The intestines, however, are comparatively of large extent. Into these receptacles the horse’s food passes, after having perfected the first process of digestion, and there it is subsequently mixed with the fluid secretion of the bowels ; whereby the nutritive matter is separated and rendered fit for absorption. ;

The smallness of the horse’s stomach is in itself sufficient evidence that the quadruped was designed to be a frequent feeder. It was not intended to endure prolonged abstinence ; for almost in every region which the animal may canter over, its legitimate food abounds. Man, however, frequently starves the creature, that a loaded stomach may not interfere with the activity of the respiration ; he, in his ignorance and in his presumption, not being willing to trust to such provision as the A// Wise had made, anticipatory of of this accident. At other times the quadruped is suffered to overgorge, its keeper paying no regard to its requirements. After an excessive fast, a quantity of cut food is placed in the manger, and the ravenous horse eats, and eats, till its small stomach, being unequal to the reception of much bolted provender, cracks its walls from excessive repletion. Such a circumstance does not demonstrate that Nature was wrong, or that the equine races were formed unequal to their purposes; but it satisfactorily establishes, that man cannot with impunity cross the designs, or run counter to the institutions, of Omnipotence.

The horse was created to live off the grass of the field. This habit necessitated, that much ground should be travelled before the appetite of so large a body could be appeased; and the distance was the greater as the animal was sent upon the earth a nice feeder, —hiting oft the juicy tops of the herbage, not tearing up roots and all, like the less scrupulous bovine tribe. The time was, also lengthened, by the equine race not being gifted with a power to ruminate. The ox, having filled the mouth, bestows little care upon the comminution of the food; but the jaw being moved twice or thrice, thereby crushing the herbage, so as to form it into a pillet, the mouthful is forwarded at once to the rumen. This re- -ceptacle is large, and is somewhat hastily filled. Then the ox retires to a quiet spot and there enjoys its meal; the grass being regurgitated and fully masticated, during which time the animal is said to be “ chewing the cud.” ‘The horse has no such power. The food it gathers must be prepared by mastication and insalivation before it enters the stomach; consequently, because of the niceness of its appetite, and the absolute necessity for each mouthful being separately comminuted, the horse, in a free state, has to journey far and to feed long before it can lie down and rest.

The equine race were meant to collect their sustenance from the surface of the earth; and, doubtless, the tribe are most at ease when feeding with the head lowered to the necessary position. A dog naturally lowers the mouth when it laps a fluid ; but, if this creature be tempted to drink from a saucer, held on a level with the ordinary elevation of the head, repeated coughing will interrupt the draught and testify to the inconvenience experienced by the animal. So, in the instance of the horse, we may infer the meal is most relished when the head sinks to its gratification ; and, to justify such an inference, anatomy discloses a special provision

| _ made to that end. Such a proof is, to the author’s mind, of much more weight than any assertion to the contrary of the united British public, as emphasized by the fixed altitude of all the mangers throughout the three kingdoms.

A serious suggestion here forces itself upon the mind of the writer ; and it is one, the importance of which should recommend it to the consideration of the public. Laryngeal affections are among the most frequent annoyances of every stable, and stand foremost among the most vexatious of the many evils. which the veterinary surgeon is expected to eradicate.

However, it is proved that if sustenance be swallowed, with the head at a certain elevation, it must interfere with the most irritable organ entering into the composition of the entire body. Then, horse proprietors would do well to reflect upon the fact, and to say, how far constantly-repeated provocation may aggravate or induce the fearful laryngeal maladies to which domesticated horses are peculiarly liable.

The valves existing in the jugular veins, are formed by duplicatures of its internal liming membrane; and they are so arranged as to prevent the natural tendency to regurgitate, when the fluid within the vessel moves against gravity. When the head is erect, and the venous current, flowing towards the heart, is of course downwards or is favoured by gravity, then the valves do not act; but the passage of the blood forces the duplicatures of membrane to remain close against the sides of the tube.

The jugulars conduct the dark-coloured blood from the brain ; and as that important organ cannot endure the smallest pressure, some special provision was imperative to carry away the fluid, and also to anticipate the possibility of its return to oppress the sensorium.

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When the horse is grazing, the head is lower than the heart, and it naturally occupies that position for the greater portion of the twenty-four hours, During all that time the venous current must

A SKETCE, DISPLAYING THE ACTION OF THE JUGULAR VALVES, WHEN THE HEAD IS LOWERED TO FEED OFF THE GROUND. , mount against the influence of gravitation; and to aid the reader in properly understanding the means by which this is effected, his attention is invited to the foregoing diagrams.

The elevated crest, therefore, presents a clear channel to the vital current. For that reason, the violent action or the most

‘rapid pace of the animal never produces congestion of its brain.

The racer may sink from exhaustion, but does not perish from apoplexy. The head, when depressed, however, shows the same canal divided by numerous intersecting marks. Such lines are intended to represent the venous valves, which assist the blood in its upward journey, and render impossible the slightest pressure upon the sensorium. The first thmg which strikes the reader upon. beholding the arrangement depicted above, is the vast number of valves ; and this causes him to inquire, where was the necessity for such repeated checks. If the conservation of the brain was the only end to be attained, might not that object have been & i ‘ assured by a single set of valves? Such may scem a feasible objection ; but.to prevent the return current was, as Nature appears to have conceived, best done by repeated assistance of the onward flow; consequently, these numerous valves anticipate the possibility of regurgitation in any degree, and provide repeated checks to pressure from the supported column of heavy venous blood.

There remains, however, another provision to be explained. The return current has hitherto been spoken of, as though the upward flow of fluid was its natural tendency. Still, every person must

_have perceived the necessity, when liquid was to be propelled in that direction, of something resembling a forcing pump. Such an apparatus Nature has provided. The head of a healthy animal is

~ depressed only when eating or when drinking. During the performance of either function, muscles are contracting which compress the soft coats of the veins, and thus help to drive the circula- — tion against gravity.

Thus, during feeding, the head is maintained in a depressed attitude for hours together; and, throughout that space, a most powerful agent is in operation. The lower jaw, while the quadruped chances to be thus engaged, is in constant motion, being opened and closed either in biting or in chewing. When the jaw sinks, the muscles of mastication are relaxed, and the venous blood rushes from the cranium into the sinuses. But when the bone is raised by those © strong motor agents, which render the bite of a horse so fearful an infliction, the current from the brain is for a moment checked, and the contents of the maxillary sinuses are energetically propelled up the jugulars. During the first half of the action, the valves are in operation, having all the strength necessary for the perfect performance of their allotted function; but, during the latter part, they are forced against the sides of the vessels by the contractive a masticatory influencé, and cease to act in any wey upon the internal current of the blood.

Notwithstanding the strong conviction emphatically asserted by athe fixed position of the nation’s mangers, the author must be obstinate enough to disregard human authority, when he has an opportunity of studying the living book, written by the unerring hand of Nature. “Valves, though generally present in veins, are never discovered where the position of the vessel or other reason

— ee . ae PR an would render such provisions unnecessary. The Great Creator often makes one thing to serve more than one use; but never creates when His work can answer no profitable purpose.

The use of veins is simply that of conduits, to convey the refuse blood back to the heart, whence it is forced into the lungs, and there revivified or rendered equal to its many forms of nutrition. This mighty change is very simply effected. When the thorax expands, air merely enters the lungs to anticipate the vacuum, which otherwise must be occasioned by the enlargement of the chest. The air consists chiefly of two substances in a gaseous state—of oxygen and of nitrogen. The venous blood, being very near to the inhaled air within the lungs, extracts the oxygen from it, and in exchange, sends forth a quantity of carbonic acid, which is voided with the expired breath.

This change will take place when blood is extracted from the body. Ifthe contents of some vein are exposed to the atmosphere, they will in time change from a deev modena to a bright scarlet

A DIAGRAM, EXPLANATORY OF THE SPECIAL PROVISIONS DISCOVERABLE IN THE HEAD OF A HORSE.

1, The nostril leading direct to—2., the Larynx, situated at the commencement of the windpipe. 3. The tongue, 4. The cesophagus, or gullet. 5. The soft palate, which lies upon the tongue and affords a resting place, whereon reposes the epiglottis, or the guardian cartilage to the entrance of the larynx (2), 6. The guttural porches, or large membraneous and open sacs, containing nothing but atmospheric air. 7. Nasal or frontal sinuses.

hue. There is, however, this difference, which marks the two processes. The alteration, when quickened by vitality, is instantase neous; but, the change, when it ensues under human imspection, is slowly and, as it were, laboriously accomplished. The size of the equine nostrils informs us of the ample draughts of air, which the animal is fitted to appropriate ; it likewise testifies to the high state of that vitality which could necessitate such a provision. Creatures with small nostrils, for instance, ox and dog, are endowed with a limited capacity as respects nasal respiration. Yet, as a recompense, such creatures are formed to inhale through the mouth. The horse, however, requires no such faculty, its nostrils are ample; and, under ordinary circumstances, the mouth is closed by a thick, fleshy screen, which hangs pendulous from the most backward portion of the bony palate.

In the previous diagram figure 1 indicates the space allotted to the nasal chamber, near the external opening to which will be observed the numeral 8. The dotted lines surrounding the last figure represent the dimensions of a blind pouch, or cul de sac, which separates the external from the internal wall of the true nostril. The existence of such a provision has long been a puzzle to physiologists; but, would these gentlemen have given Nature full credit for that care with which the Common Parent studies to preserve the beauty of the higher order of His children, and have considered that the horse’s necessity for different quantities of air varies with different times and during different occupations, they might have sooner comprehended the uti-— lity of the development.

Where the false nostril is placed is the only portion of the nasal chamber which is not enclosed by bone; consequently, it is situated at the’ only place where the cavity admits of distension and of contraction. The animal, in a passive state,

I ‘The Sceptum Nast, 2, the Dreathes very leisurely ; at such times the Se 4. the Fave Noes, | DOSES would sink inward, or be de-

formed by the unavoidable collapse of the wall, were not the false nostril present to permit its diminution, without materially affecting the external form. But, subsequent

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DIAGRAM OF THE FALSE NOSTRILS.

to severe exertion, everybody must have remarked the nostril spasmodically strain, as though each effort would crack the boundaries of the opening. At such times the false nostril offers no stubborn opposition to the violence of respiration, while it serves to soften down the aspect, which, if laid bare, might show too fearfully.

A varied capacity for admitting air also pre-supposes a varied capacity to alter the dimensions of the passages through which the atmosphere travels to the lungs. If the reader will again refer to the facial diagram, he will perceive a free space, in the centre of which is placed the figure 6. These spaces (one on either side of the face) represent what are termed the guttural pouches, they being merely bladders containing air, and communicating separately with each nasal chamber. A bladder with an external opening is of course most readily compressible. That no doubt may be entertained of the use for which these vacant spaces were established, they are placed immediately above the course of the atmosphere to the lungs, and would contract or dilate according to its volume.

Such a condition of parts imagines the windpipe also able to alter its dimensions, so that it may be in accord with other structures; and anatomy discloses facts which amply support such a supposition. The larynx or opening to the windpipe is composed of several pieces of cartilage and of numerous muscles. The presence of the first plastic and highly elastic structure is a proof that the larynx is of no fixed shape, while the division of the organ into distinct parts, together with the internal and external presence of many muscles of motion, is absolute confirmation that the larynx was created not only to assume various forms, but also to exhibit different capacities, according to the requirements of the animal economy. -

So, also, with the windpipe itself, and the tubes which proceed from it; these are formed of distinct rings, or of separate pieces of elastic cartilage so curved as to form rings, but having free overlapping ends, which are operated upon by muscular fibre.

The diagram inserted on the next page accurately depicts such a ring; it also shows that the springy cartilage is not made of one thickness throughout but is of that form which the mechanic of j sa the present time recognises as that best adapted for the preservation of continued elasticity. The shape and the free ends convinces that such a ring must always have a tendency to expand, and by this perception we recognise the purpose of the muscle, which draws the extremities over each other; thus, two opposing forces regulate the capacity of the circle.

ONE OF THE CARTILAGINOUS RINGS, NUMBERS OF WHICH JOINED TOGETHER FORM THE TRACHEA OR THE WINDPIPE OF THE HORSE, a One of the cartilages from the trachea of a horse, having free and overlapping extremities, & The muscular fibre situated within the ring, which regulates the diameter of the circle.

The presence of muscular fibre is always absolute proof of motion. Where muscle exists and morbid circumstances render motion an impossibility, the function being destroyed, the motor organ becomes pallid, or suffers atrophy. The existence, therefore, of such a structure in a healthy condition is always sufficient proof that the function of expansion and of contraction was present during life; thus, we reach an absolute certainty that the air pas- | sages of the horse possess a property of adapting themselves to the necessities of the animal.

Then, looking at these structures, we find them not only free, but so composed as to be always open, excepting when the momentary swallowing of the food causes the larynx to close. To breathe is the primary necessity of life. Health cannot be maintained unless the blood is sufficiently oxygenated; this fact makes us doubt the national wisdom, which persists in thrusting the quadruped into stables, rendered close and hot by the products of impurity. Oxygen is always deficient, where impurity prevails ; and, having seen the necessity of its presence, because it is the primary requirement of existence, and not because of the warmth or oppression which its absence generates, does the author presume to oppose his opinion to the decision, apparently approved by the entire British public.

Seeing these provisions made by Nature to preserve the beauty of her most graceful quadruped, and remarking how profusely, in various forms, loveliness is distributed throughout this earth, we cannot slightingly esteem the attribute which Perfect Knowledge has impressed, as an order of merit, upon its creations. Beauty is here spoken of as distinct from gaudiness. The term is employed not to represent the lustre of the beetle or the vividness of the tropical bird, but to portray that harmony of parts and deep-seated perfection, which is present only in the more elaborate works of the Creator, and which renders the horse, even when deprived of its _ skin, a picture deserving mortal adoration. Viewing the world and its inhabitants, we must confess that nothing was formed without its uses; on such a basis we may safely assert that the horse was not made the most beautiful of beasts without intention. This quality appeals in a most mysterious and powerful manner to the human sympathies. It should influence the mind even more than it gratifies the eye, and though avarice may blind humanity to its claims, yet even the most hardened cannot witness the destruction of perfection without a poignant pang of regret.

In the head of the animal we discern evidences of the care bestowed to preserve a harmony of form. Above the nasal chambers are certain hollow spaces, indicated by the figure 7. These empty ‘chambers may serve to impart depth to the voice, but as the horse is generally a silent creature, such obviously must be only a secondary purpose. To preserve the undulation of the outline was assuredly the primary intent, though, at the same time, the vacancies aid the reverberation of sound, and, with other structures, also lighten that part of the body in which they are situated.

The passage of the air to the lungs, and the admirable provisions to admit its ingress and its egress, without destroying the mild and characteristic aspect of the quadruped, having been described, it now becomes the author’s duty to dwell upon the extraordinary conditions which conserve the passages of the food. Referring

A DIAGRAM, EXPLANATORY OF THE SPECIAL PROVISIONS DISCOVERABLE IN THE HEAD OF A HORSE.

1. The nostril leading direct to—2., the Larynx, situated at the commencement of the windpipe. 3. The tongue, 4. The esophagus or gullet. 5, The soft palate, which lies upon the tongue and affords a resting place, whereon reposes the epiglottis, or the guardian cartilage to the entrance of the larynx (2), 6. The guttural porches, or large membraneous and open sacs, containing nothing but atmospheric air. 7. Nasal or frontal sinuses.

again to the diagram here reproduced, we see the mouth, occupied by the tongue, (fig. 3.), on the base of which organ reposes a dark body, particularised by the figure 5. This last is the soft palate, which drops pendulous from the osseous roof of the masticatory orifice. Upon the soft palate lies the most forward of the laryngeal cartilages, which is anatomically spoken of as the epiglottis. While the most backward of the laryngeal cartilages, which are called the aretenoids, repose beneath the roof of the pharynx. This pharynx is the enlarged and muscular commencement of the gullet, the situation and direction of which channel is notified by the number 4.

We thus perceive in its course the food is apparently thrice forbidden to enter the gullet of the horse. In the first place, there is the soft palate, retained firmly in its position by pressure of the epiglottis. The second obstacle we recognise in the opening of the larynx; the third impediment appears in the aretenoids, that seem to bar all entrance to the tube which leads to the stomach. Moreover, the gullet itself being a muscular organ, in the passive state of semi-contraction is closed; thus, appearing to oppose a further hinderance to the admission of sustenance into its proper receptacle. However, upon inquiry, the reader will discover these provisions, which appear at first glance to be ranged against the entrance of nutriment, are in reality only so many elaborate protections, all tending to the comfort and well being of the animal.

The soft palate so effectually closes the posterior of the mouth, as to prevent that cavity from bemg employed to modulate the voice; though such a peculiarity does not distinguish all the equine tribe. Everybody must have remarked the bray distend the jaws of an ass, whereas, the neigh flutters only the nostril of the horse. The different channels through which the sound has to emerge, fully accounting for the marked contrast which is conspicuous in the voices of the animals. Moreover, the horse does occasionally vomit; but, save when the organisation is disturbed by the agonies of death, the voided matter is generally ejected through the nostrils.