apply the flat side of it to that part of the fore-head where they intend to make the Star and there keep it for half an hour after which they take it away and anoint the scalded Place with the Ointment of Roses in a short time the Scarf-skin falls away and there grows up in the new one some white hairs but the Star in the middle remains always without hair as may be observed in all such Horses which people have attempted to mark artificially after this manner CHAP. LXXV A Discourse of Breeding and how to Raise or Bring up a Good and Beautiful Race of Horses IT is a thing known the whole World over that the goodness of Horses does partly depend upon the trueness of the Race CHAP. LXXV A Discourse of breeding Horses and the good and wholesome Nourishment they receive in their youth People may raise a good Breed if they provide themselves with good and beautiful Stallions and Stud-Mares Their good Nourishment depends upon the quality of the grounds where they run upon their manner of feeding when housed and the method of governing them while young The knowledge of these things is partly grounded upon Reason but Experience is the Great Master which can alone support Reason so that without this Fund of Experience any Knowledge is but unfruitful neither can it be acquired but by those who keep a Breed or who have had at least the oversight and government oâ— one but neither the one nor other of these Persons have taken the pains to leave any thing relating to it to the Publick For my part I know so much of it as the Curiosity I had to inform my self thereof in such places where there were good Breeds hath taught me I have also drawn some Observations from Colts which I have seen brought up but that knowledge not being sufficient enough to communicate to the Publick I have with care perused those Authors who have writ of it in the French Language amongst whom there is none who gives such exact instructions thereanent as the Great Duke of Newcastle one of the most accomplished Noblemen in England who had always a most beautiful Stable of Horses many of which have been frequently seen perform the most difficult and graceful Aires in the Mannage he took also of a long time all imaginable care to have from his Breed excellent Horses and such as might be capable to succeed in the mannage and as he made it his chief divertisement so he did not neglect to observe all such precautions as he judged would best contribute to yield him that pleasure which he did effectuate so much the more easily in that he spared neither Charges nor Labour to succeed in it he had by Experience acquired the knowledge of those Means which he knew would bring him to it Also it is very well known that there have been most beautiful and excellent Horses taken out of his Race not only for furnishing his own Stables but also for gratifying his Friends It is therefore to be supposed that what he hath given to the Publick on this matter cannot fall to be Excellent but because his Book is rare and that people can but with difficulty procure 〈◊〉 as well because of the excessive Rate it is sold at as because of the small number 〈◊〉 Coppies which were printed and also that for a short Discourse which is only use to such as have the Curiosity to keep a Breed every one hath not the 〈◊〉 buying a large Volume which treats of many curious things proper for an 〈◊〉 Master of Horses but not so very useful for a privat Gentleman I fancied I would 〈◊〉 the Publick a piece of useful Service if I presented it with what he writ upon 〈◊〉 Subject as a thing both excellent in its kind and also founded upon an Experience of many years John Tacquet hath writ pretty well of the method of raising a good Breed where gives very good Remarks taken from ancient Authors such as Aristotle Pliny Zâ—â—phon c. But that old Method is much improven of late as you will see by whâ—â— faithfully relate from the Writings of the Duke of Newcastle upon this matter whâ—â— I shall exactly discover to you the true method he takes to instruct his Reader â—â—claring that I don 't in the least pretend to assume to my self the glory of what he hâ— writ upon this Subject lest I fall into the fault of a modern Author who being â— cused of giving to the Publick a Treatise taken Verbatim from another without 〈◊〉 much as either mentioning the Authors Name or the Title of the Book from where he Coppied it would to excuse himself have alledged that I had done the very 〈◊〉 with the Duke of Newcastle's Treatise of raising a breed of Horses but the Reader 〈◊〉 I think easily discern the difference there is betwixt a mans ingenuously nameing 〈◊〉 Author from whom he hath collected any thing and attributing to him the 〈◊〉 Honour of it and his coppying a whole Treatise word by word without meâ—â—oning its Author that so he may assume the honour of it to himself by making it 〈◊〉 for his own but to put a close to this digression The Duke of Newcastle beginneth with the choice of a good Stallion as the foundation of a good Race and wherein many people fail in so far as they neither enquire after those that are good and beautiful but only such as are cheapest without ever considering if they be either too old or too young It is but to deceive ones self to buy some old Jade that can do no more for having waited four or five years in great expectation of the Colt which came of him you will come at last to know that he is not worth his meat because it stands a man as much to maintain a bad Horse as 〈◊〉 good it is the loss of time and maintenance of a Horse that are most considerable and by buying a bad Stallion a man loseth both whereas the Price of a good one â—ing once for all laid out a man in a short time bringeth in his money again with 〈◊〉 pleasure and a great deal of profit if not usury and the truth of this hath been â—â—ry well known of late for our Invincible Monarch whose care extends over all 〈◊〉 caused distribute both good and beautiful Stallions to all such parts where there is â—â—â—veniency for raising a Breed that so having by this method plenished his 〈◊〉 with good Horses he might not be necessitate to send to Forreign Kingdoms for Horses which could be easily enough bred up in France provided they had but good Sâ—â—lions of which he hath made a plentiful Provision For Example there cometh yearly out of Low Bretagne betwixt eight and 〈◊〉 thousand pretty good Horses but the best come from these three Bishopricks 〈◊〉 Lion and Cornoale but of all Trigvier is the Chief Nursery for people affirm that theâ—â— are in that one Bishoprick
scratches when a man perceives such scratches upon the outsides of the hollows of the Teeth then is the Horse Counter-marked Moreover the upper Tushes should be considered which should be groov'd that is that upon the insides of them from the very Palate to their points they should be hollow and that untill the Horse be seven years old besides when a Horse is old the upper Teeth will be too long over passing these below and yellow the low part of the neither Jaw-bone sharp and edged the under Tushes used big and scaly Whereas if he had but six The under Tushes would be small pointed and pretty sharp upon both the edges If a Horse which appears marked have also many other signs and Tokens of old age it is very probable that he is Countermarked you will also know if he be so because the false Mark is never so exactly Counterfeit but with a little experience you will come to know it's very shape Besides that the Teeth will be oft-times longer than they should and the artificial hollow a great dale blacker than the natural it requireth indeed a little practice to discover exactly when a horse is Counter-marked and also a man must have observed well how a Horse is Marked with the true and natural Mark and how he hath his Teeth placed and framed after which he will very rarely be mistaken or deceived by the false one To believe that people file or saw a Horses Teeth to make them short is what I could never as yet see succeed although I have used all Diligence imaginable to inform my self if it was practicable It is true some do it to Men but I never knew any who successfully tryed it upon Horses for it is certain that people never Counter-mark any Horses but such whose Teeth appear beautiful and young that is short and white and all those who have attempted to saw a Horses Teeth thereby to shorten them meet but with a great dale of trouble and vexation neither do I believe that ever any man made twice tryal of it in his Lifetime for if people should only file or saw the under teeth which are those at which people look to know the age then those above will be observed to be longer than those which have been shortned and if the teeth both above and below be shortned it will so fall out that the jaw-teeth or Grinders being at their full length will join and so hinder the upper and lower Teeth which were shortned to close upon other which will manifestly discover the Cheat for the Horses mouth being shut the Fore-teeth will be at as great a distance from other as that length is which was taken from them Besides those horses upon whom this operation is performed are a long time without being in a condition to chaw their meat with any tollerable ease because of the stress they have received by the filing neither can they draw their hay or straw from the Rack because of the distance which is between their lower and upper teeth Horses whose Teeth have been shortned are easily known not only by what I have said but also by their Tushes which will not be so fashion'd and shap't as I have discovered they should be in young Horses therefore I advise no to man try it not only because it will prove prejudicial to the Horse but also because such kind of Tricks or whatever you call them are in truth below a man of any Ingenuity or Candour There are some Horses which have their Teeth very long and yet have a black speck in the middle of them such Horses are said to be Shell-tooth'd in french Beguts and they have that mark all their Life at least a great part of it Geldings are more subject to this of being Shell-tooth'd then Ston'd Horses but Mares more than either Most part of the Hungarian Polonian Cravat and Transilvanian Horses which I have seen were thus Shell-tooth'd It is easily known when a Horse is so because he appeareth to mark in all the other Fore-Teeth as well as in the Corner that is both in the Separaters and Gatherers and therefore to know his age the same methods must be taken as to know the age of a Horse which is Counter-marked such as the length of his Teeth used Tushes sharp and edged nether Jaw-bones and several other which I have before set down Horses put forth their Gatherers when about thirty Months old thereafter the Marks which were in them begin to wear when the Separaters come forth the Marks which were in the Gatherers are half worn out and then at six years old they quite disappear so afterwards a Horse hath no more mark in them those again next to them call'd the Separaters have about that time or when the horse is six the Marks which are in them half worn out but in horses which are Shell-tooth'd the Mark never almost weareth out or disappeareth but remaineth in them as it also doth in the Gatherers and Corners which is the Reason that people when they perceive a horse to have Mark in the Gatherers as well as in the other Fore-teeth do conclude that he is Shell-tooth'd and with so much the more certainty if he have also with it very long Teeth and of a greater growth than they should be at six with other observations which I have already given you It is certain that Shell-tooth'd horses have been once in their Lifetime only five or fix year old and that at the said age of five or six they have had their Mark true and good although it appeared equally in all their Fore-teeth at one and the same time and therefore in that case it would be a great oversight to conclude them old because they are Shell-tooth'd especially when other Tokens of youthare discovered in them such as short Teeth small and sharp Tushes c. for it is to those that a man must chiefly take notice before he pronounce his Opinion Neither doth this conclude but that there are some Shell-tooth'd horses which although they have Mark all their Life-time yet have it not in all their Teeth but in such horses the age is also known by the length of the Teeth Tushes and other signs of old age which I have already mentioned I am apt to believe that if a man apply himself to consider all I have said concerning the knowledge of a Horses age and that he also put it in practice by taking care to look at a great many Horses Mouths and observe the differences amongst them I say without doubt he shall never be deceived but above all he must make it his business to know when the legs are good the feet sound the flank right for if he think that this knowledge can be acquired by the simple reading over of this Book it is what will deceive him because it is only custome and experience that can confirme him in it Several persons have thought it strange that after
the Country where however I assure you they understand better how to order a Saddle so as it may not hurt or gall a Horse than in the Citys and great Towns but to make them so as that a Man may sit and ride at ease is what they are not as yet come the length or Masters of That a Saddle may be commodious for the Rider it should be low and not too much elevate above the Horses back that is that betwixt the Horse's Body and Riders Thighs there should be but a very little distance a Saddle to be easy should not be raised much higher before than behind and for that effect the fore-bow of it should not be made with a kind of raised neck but the Saddle-Withers should be low and if it be but two or three fingers breadth above the Horse's Withers it will be sufficient that is that the upper part of the fore-bow of the Saddle should be only two or three fingers breadth higher than the Withers of the Horse because if they were more it would be too high for when a Man is upon a Saddle which is too much elevate before that is whose upper part of the Fore-bow is excessively high he cannot possibly sit at his ease but must be very much fatigued with it and he will also soon weary the Horse because the motions of his Body come from a distance which make them the greater and consequently the more uneasy for the Horse The Rider being at a distance from the horses body as he is when the saddle is made very thick and that the Withers of it are very much elevate there is a necessity that the motion of the Horse-man be more incommode as it is greater this incommodity will weary and fatigue the horse considerably which should be prevented as much as possible and it is in this that these people who cause make the fore-bows or withers of their saddles with half a foot or four inches of a raised neck before are mightily deceived it is an errour so old and inveterate in the Provinces that I don't pretend to rectifie it but in the most refined Towns People have absolutely quit it and any considerate Person will come to know the truth of what I affirm and may easily make a tryal that thereafter he may make use of it if he shall be convinced My design is not to recommend Saddles whose fore-bows at the withers rest upon the quick upon the contrary they must alwayes be distant from the horse's Withers two or three finger-breadth and when a man perceives that they lye too near he should immediatly rectifie it by causing stuff and garnish the pannels at that part of them which is called their Breasts or Paps but if the Withers of the saddle be raised only two or three finger-breadth above the Withers of the horse then it will hurt him neither one way nor other for the first which is a high Neck or Withers will have its inconveniencies which are great and the last which lyeth pretty low and not too closs upon the horses Withers will have its advantages which are considerable That a saddle may be convenient and easie both for the Rider and Horse it should be almost as low before as behind that is that the fore part of it should be but a very little more elevate than the hind unless the saddle be made after the Scots fashion which is a very good method for the fore-parts of them are fashioned like that of a great saddle but the fore-bolsters are not so high they are flat upon that side next to the seat and the fore part of the seat goeth almost in a level from them as in a great Saddle so that thus the Withers of the Saddle is sufficiently well raised above the Withers of the Horse and the Rider is not at all incommoded for the seat of the Saddle is almost level without being elevate before and is joyned to the fore-bolster after the same manner as that of a great Saddle The use of these Saddles after the Scots fashion appears to me to be more convenient then any I ever made use of and they are also very durable because of their Fore-bolsters and the whole fore-parts of them being pretty well elevate and yet no more then they ought They are also made long in the bands or seat if a Man please and near to the Horse's back which are the qualities of a good and convenient Saddle The reason why people make Saddles which are easy long in the seat is that a Man may sit with the more ease betwixt the two Bolsters and that his Thighs may not rest too much upon that behind as they do always when the Saddle is too short and which makes a Man sit hard and uneasily because he is on the wood Moreover a Saddle shouldly low upon a Horses back and have a soft seat it will be somewhat difficult to perswade those who never made use of any other Saddles then what they had made in Country Villages of the Truth of this but if a man will continue in his Error I should certainly be a greater fool than he if I contradicted or oppos'd him for it is permitted and free for every man to incommode himself for his own pleasure although withâ—â—â— any appearance of profit or advantage whatsoever That a Saddle may be low before and yet not hurt a Horse's Withers depends paâ—ly upon the shape of the fore-bow which besides that it should not be elevate more than two or three fingers above the Horses Withers should also have but about an inch of Neck which is that distance that is betwixt the Fore-bow and Pommel but this 〈◊〉 not enough because if the Saddle be too thick and high in the Pannels or too much staff'd it will incommode the Rider very much even although the Fore-bow of the Saddle be in it's shape neither too much elevate above the Horses Withers nor have 〈◊〉 high a neck If you design that a Saddle should lie low upon a Horse you must order the Saâ—â—â— when he is to fix the Bows upon the Bands whether they be of Iron or Wood that 〈◊〉 take care to place the Bands near to other especially upon the upper part of the inside of the Fore-bow that is that they be placed pretty near to the Withers of it 〈◊〉 not too near because if they be fixed too low and at a distance from other a Maâ— shall never be near and closs to the Horse for when he would close his Thighs the will meet with the Bands of the Saddle and so not only hurt him but also keep then at 〈◊〉 distance from the Horses side which is what we are afraid of and would prevenâ— Moreover before the Sadler stretch and fix the Girth-Web upon the Bows if the Bands are not already very smooth he should take the Rasp and rasp them if they 〈◊〉 wood in that place where the Thigh resteth that so it may
for that purpose You are to take care when you cause cover your Mares either in hand or otherwise that the Stallion and Mare feed alike for example if the Stallion be at Hay and Oats which is commonly called Hard-meat the Mare should be also at Hard-meat otherwise she will not so readily Hold In like manner if the Stallion be at grass the Mare is also to be put to it and this will be an easie method to make them retain with more ease You are also to observe that Mares which are very Fat hold with great difficulty they are therefore those which are only indifferently Fat and plump which conceive with the greatest ease and facility Mares retain a great deal better when they are Hot or in Season this heat excites the horse who upon his part performs that Action with the greater Ardour and Vigour when the Mare is to be covered in hand that she may the more certainly Hold let the Stallion and her be so placed in the Stable as they may see other and so let them be kept for some time which will animate them both and so the generation will hardly fail To bring a Mare in Season and cause her retain you are to give her to eat for the space of eight days before you bring her to the Horse about two English Quarts of Hemp-seed in the Morning and as much at Night If she refuse to eat it mix it with a little Bran or Oats or else cause her fast for a while and then she will eat it of her own accord and if the Stalsion eat also of it it will contribute much to the generation As for the Age of a Stallion people should never oblige him to cover before he be Six years Old nor after he is Fifteen but as to this last you may regulate your self according to his Strength and Vigour It is to be observed that young Barbs generally deceive Mares so that they hold not to them there is therefore a necessity that they be at least Six or Seven years Old before they are in a condition to be made use of for Stallions As to the age of the Mares they should not be covered before they be three years old but the goodness of the Mares and Foals which they shall bring forth should regulate you as to this It is a Maxim that a Mare should never be hors'd while she is a bringing up her Foal because the Foal to which she is giving Suck as well as that in her Belly will receive prejudice by it and the Mare her self will be also sooner spent Yet people fancie that by causing a Mare bring forth yearly a Foal they perform a peice of Husbandry whereas things being rightly considered there is more lost than gained which is a thing commonly practised in France However if you will thus cause Cover your Mare let it be seven or eight dayes after she hath Foaled that so she may have time to cleanse as also if you can conveniently don't give her the Stallion until she desire him and also encrease by all means possible that Passion as by strong feeding c At least the Foal to which she gives suck will be bettered by this method and thereby receive the more strength to follow her at grass as also the Mare will the more easily Conceive being brought thus in Season Those who desire to have Males although the Duke cannot Assent to it may practise what follows and which may be also experimented upon other Creatures such as Cows Goats Sheep c You must then bring the Mare in Season and cause cover her very early in the Morning any time from the fourth day of the Moon until it it be Full but never in the Decrease and thus she shall not fail to bring forth a Male or Colt the truth whereof a little experience will discover You may provide your self of young Breeding Mares from your own Race which as they are good and of a good Breed will bring you forth more beauâ—â—â—â— Foals then any other in respect that they have been engendered by a good Stallion and that the same who Covers them did also beget them for there is no such thing as Incest among horses Besides that they will be brought up according to the Soyl and Air of the Country where your Race is bred But you are not at all to make use of your Colts for Stallions because they will be much degenerate from the goodness of true Barbs and if you should so make use of them from one Generation to another they would become at last like to the Natural Race of the Countrey wherein they are so that in that case you need not take much pains to have beautifull Colts seeing there Source which is the Stallion is but of that same Countrey Breed One may say as much of all the other Creatures in the World even of Man For let a French Man remain in Germany and his Grand-child shall be a true German 〈◊〉 like manner let a German live in France and his Grand-child will be a French-man both in Spirit and Agility such influence hath the Climate Air and Soyl upon alâ— Creatures Therefore I would never advise you to chuse a Stallion from your own Breed but rather that you would change him for a good Barb or for want of a Barb 〈◊〉 a beautiful Spanish horse and so you shall alwayes have a good and beautiful Race of horses but still make choice of the most beautiful Mares of your own Race to Breed upon And above all don't grudge at any Rate for the price of a fire Stallion for there is no Money returns sooner again to a man than this and although he should cost 150 Pistolls yet if he be good and beautiful he will be cheap This is the first and only means whereby to have a good Race of horses for without it all other are to no purpose CHAP. LXXIX When Foals are to be Weaned or Separate from their Dames and how they are to beordered YOu should have in the Inelosure into which you change your Mares CHAP. LXXIX At what time Toals are to be weaned and how they are to be ordered as also in all these wherein they are to feed a Lodge or House large enough 〈◊〉 contain them all that so upon occasion they may be defended froâ— the injuries of the weather for there is no Creature to which cold is a greater Enâ—â—â— than to horses and with difficulty do they also suffer excessive heat you are also 〈◊〉 make provision of good store of Hay wherewith to feed them in the Stables dâ—â—ing the Winter Many are of opinion that Foals should Suck until they be a year or two Old but this is a great mistake in respect that it makes them become duâ—â— and ill shapt besides that it causes you loss the most part of that time for the fertility of your Mares You should wean your Foals at the beginning of Winter
peculiar things which they use for them only and not for Horses which I confess are very comely In Spain they used a while ago Ropes both for the Mules and Horses to draw the Coatches by In stony wayes there is no Horse like them they are so sure footed Now the Stallions which get these Mules are large Asses upon very fine Spanish Mares and it is reported by very credible Authors that a good Stallion Ass will coast at least two hundred and fifty Pistols and sometimes more for which there is a very good Reason seeing Mules are of so great use to them in Spain And these Stallion-Asses are also greater and larger then most kind of Horses and are so furious and full of spirit that there are men who live only by the ordering of them and no other People can do it but these persons who make a Trade of it For others would be killed by them these Keepers also hood the Asses when they cover any Mares that they may not see them for otherwayes they would pull the Mares in peeces and kill them when they are in the rage of Lust and to hear them bray is a most loud and horrid noise beyond the roaring of any Lion in the World So you see there is good Reason why they should be of so great Prices but one who thinks they are just such little dull Asses as are in England of twenty or thirty Shillings a peece will certainly laugh to hear what I have been saying because they think there is nothing more in the World then what they have seen As in such a Case Sir Walter Rawly said well that there were stranger things in the World then between Stains and London the Asses in France are just like those in England little lazie dull and woful things and of as small a price only in those parts of France which border with Spain the Asses are somewhat larger but nothing in comparison of those in Spain The she Asses in Spain are also very fair and large for otherwayes how could such huge and bigg Creatures be produced CHAP. VIII Of the Curiosity and Care which most of the abovementioned Kingdoms take in keeping and ornamenting their Horses THE Turks are the most curious in keeping their Horses of any Nation CHAP VIII and value and esteem them most Using all the wayes of dressing and keeping them clean that can be imagined for first they Cloath them with a fine Linning Cloath and Hood nixt their Skin Then with a Hair Cloath and Hood lined with Felt above their Linning Cloath and Hood and all these are made so fit as to cover their Breasts and to come pretty low down upon their Leggs so that there cannot be a better way than this for Cloathing The Spainards are also very curious in all things about their Horses and their Grooms are so diligent that they never stay long out of the stable but are alwayes doing of something about them especially making clean their Mains Toppeings and Tails also washing and pleating them They esteem highly their Horses and no Nation loves them better The Master is frequently in the Stable to see the Grooms do their duty but for all that the Spainards and Turks are none of the best Horsemen for they Ride short have strange Spurrs and Sadles but especially Bitts which are most abominable The Italians are very careful neat about their Horses but they have lost that Reputation which they formerly had of being good Horsemen And to tell the truth they never justly deserved it but our Ignorance made us think that they did rarely the contrary of which is now in this last age sufficiently discovered Most part of the French are curious in keeping and dressing their Horses and also highly Esteemed them giving great rates sometimes for Horses which they fancy but French Grooms never â—ub a Horses Leggs well unless a man be alwayes over them to keep them to their deuty The Almains or high Germans love Horses well some say they are very curious and have good Grooms but certainly there are no better Grooms in the World then our English Grooms Yet no Grooms are good except the Master look Strictly after them for the Masters eye makes the Horse well drest according to the Proverb the Masters Eye makes the horse fat Denmark Swede Poland Transilvania Hungary and all those Countries thereabouts are much like the Almains for little curiosity in keeping and dressing their Horses their Riding also is for the most part alike and no Man in Germany will Ride without a a Cavezone though he knoweth not at all the use of it In Flanders Brabant as also in Holand and the Countries adjacent to it they are much like the Germans The Emperour of Muscovy I have heard hath a Stable of Horses and commonly a French Groom to wait upon them he getteth his Horses for the most part out of Tartary and Turky for he hath none good in his own Country A Rider is also of no great use there unless he could dress and make a ready Bear of which there is plenty in these parts In the Moguls Country there is nothing to dress except you would dress Elephants and the best horses they have come from Persia Sir Walter Rawly reports that in the West Indies there are the best shaped Horses and the finest Collours in the World beyond all the Spanish Horses and Barbs that ever he saw and that they know there so little the use of horses that they kill them for their skins In Denmark there are excellent good horses and in Norway little strong horses but not very well shap'd having their heads commonly a little too bigg And as for Island Horses they are all courled like Watter Dogs and are so Frizled that no curry Comb nor any thing else can dress them they are also but very dull Jades and not worth the inquiring after CHAP IX What stature or size of Horses is best and most convenient either for the Warrs a single Combate or any thing else As also at what age it is most proper to begin to work a Horse either for the Warrs or Mannage THERE are great Disputes amongst Cavaleers about this business CHAP IX I shall not therefore trouble you with the arguments they use Pro and Con upon this head but only deliver to you my opinion anent it Now those who are for High and Large Horses say they are strong for a Shock but they must know that all large Horses are not strong Nay for the most part they are not only the weakest Horses but commonly without Spirit and vigor But put the case a great and large Horse were strong yet being so tale and big his strength is diffused and indeed so out of his strength that a middling horse Entre deux Selles as the French say or a less fised horse having his strength united and being a little lower or as it were beneath him would certainly overthrow him
also in Leaps with the Rod not over your right shoulder but over the bent of your right Arm your Arm lying a little degadged from your Body and so plyed as that the point of the Rod may fall in the middle of the Horses Croup this is a Graceful help yet somewhat difficult to be performed But the best and surest help although not altogether so Graceful is to turn the Rod in your hand the point towards the Horses Croup and help him so each Leap and in Cadance but only one stroak at a time yet if he raises not his Croup enough then help him with two or three stroaks for each Leap which is called in French aider de tout temps and this is the surest help of all you may also help him just behind the Saddle with the big end of the Rod in place of a Poinâ—on or Puncheon the Rod being turned in your Hand as before which is also a good help and very frequently made use of in the Schools But if your Horse be very light behind which few are then help him only with the Rod upon the Shoulders and in time If you would make your Horse only to Croup with his hinder parts which is for the Balotade and not strick out but only show his Shoes then help him just upon the Middle of his Croup But if you would have him strick out then help him with your Rod upon the setting on of his Dock and if you would have him bring both his hinder Leggs under his Belly which is for the Croupade then strick him with the Rod a little above the Gambrels So these three several helps with the Rod will make your horse either to Balotade strike out or Croupade But there is no help with the Rod so good as to help him with two Rods one to raise him before and the other to help him under his belly which putteth him so much upon the Haunches as no help with the Rod is comparable to it especially when he is going upon Corvets but then you must have a Person upon foot who hath Judgement enough to give the help with the Rod beneath his Belly in Just time and Cadance otherwise it will more confound and astonish the horse then assist him and this much of the Rod. FOVRTHLY Of the Secret Helps of the Calfs of the Leggs YOU must know that when you are stiff in the Hams which is done by putting down your heels then the Calfs of the Leggs come to the Horse and you are so much the more Narvous and strong upon Horse-back but then the heels are removed from him again when you bend in your Hams which is done by putting down your Toes then the Calfs of the Leggs are removed from the Horse but the Heels come to him and you are thereby more easie and slack upon Horse back Now these Helps of the Calfs of the Leggs being Truths as great as secret and unknown to many who pretend to be no small Horsemen I thought fit in this place to discover them to you FIFTHLY Of the Several Corrections and Helps with the Spurrs THE Correction of the Spurrs being a Punishment cometh commonly after a fault is committed to put either in his Croup or Buttock when he shall have put it too far out or out his Croup when he shall have put it too much in or be Entier as the French call it which is to refuse to turn to that hand you would have him and this is done commonly with one Spurr but he is to be corrected with both Spurrs when he is Resty and will not go forwards or to settle him on the hand when he joggles his head or when he is apprehensive and skittish or that he offereth to bite or strike in all these Cases the Spurrs will do him good also if he rise too high before or bolt upright then to give him with both your Spurrs as he is falling down will be a great means to put it from him but take heed not to make use of them just as he is rising for then they may cause him come over upon you Again if he will not Advance which is to rise before then a good strock with both Spurrs will make him rise providing that at the same time you keep him firm and stayed upon the hand and as it were support him a little with the Bitt likewise if he be a dull Jade or lazy and slack in his Mannage then to give him the Spurrs will quicken him So you see the Spurrs are as a Correction for many things therefore you must give them strongly and sharply and with as much Vigour as you can and have them alwayes very sharp that he may feel them to the purpose so as to make Blood follow for otherwayes they would not prove a Correction You must also strike your Horse alwise some three or four fingers behind the Girths and sometimes towards the Flanks if it be to put in his Croup and believe it there is no Correction like the Spurrs when Seasonably given For what maketh a Horse sensible to the Heels but the Spurrs Therefore use them and that also untill he obey you for no Horse can be a Ready Horse until be obey the Heels and consequently answer the Spurrs But however take heed you do not dull him with them for then he will care no more for them than if he were a Stock or stone Therefore remember to give them but seldom and upon just Occasion but when you do give them let it alwayes be smartly and to the purpose If your Horse maliciously Rebel against what you would have him do leave not Spurring of him and that soundly until you find him begin to obey you and when he obeys you in the least then light off and send him to the Stable and the next Morning try him again and if he obey you Cherish and make much of him forgiving him many other faults that day that he may know you have Mercy as well as Justice And that you can Reward as well as Punish so you see of what great Efficacy the Spurrs timely and discreetly given are for the dressing of Horses for a man hath but his hand and heels to do it and the Spurrs do half the business although it must be confessed that the hand hath the preheminency For though there be two Spurrs and but one Bridle because a Horse hath but one mouth and two sides Yet if he be not settled upon the hand you cannot make him subject to the Heels but withall the Correction of the Spurrs is so necessary and effectual that no Horse can be made very ready without them therefore esteem them highly nixt to settling a Horse upon the hand which must alwayes be first As for Helps they are to go before and prevent Faults as corrections come after to punish for offending therefore the spurrs are to be used as a help thus when the horse goeth Terra a Terra your
Horse doth not Rebel it shews Weakness Faintness of Spirit and want of Courage and where Nature is so much defective it is hard for Art to supplie it But truly I never knew almost any Horse but before he was perfectly Dressed would Rebel either less or more and certainly there is no Horse but will strive at the first when Dressing to have his own will rather then to obey his Riders nor doth a Horse more as any other Creature love Subjection until there is no Remedy and then he will obey and the Custome of Obedience maketh him a Ready Horse Now no man in the World no not the wisest with his suppream Understanding were he put in the form of a Horse could possibly find out more subtile wayes to oppose a Man then a Horse will nay nor near so many I dare say for they will strive all the wayes possibly they can to be free and not Subjected but when they find it will not do then they yeeld but not till then so that they deserve no thanks for their Obedience Whence I conclude that a Horse must know you to be his Master That is he must Fear you and then he will Love you for his own sake For as I said in the preceeding Chapter Fear is the Surest Hold because it doth almost all things in the World and Love but little therefore see that your Horse first fear you and then it will be your own Fault if you make him not Obey you CHAP. XX. What it is maketh a Horse go by Rote or Routine and how to Remedy it THat which maketh a horse go by Rote CHAP XX. is absolutely his Eyes and therefore to prevent it I would advise you to have as few Marks as you can in the Mannage that is no Pillars but on the outside and but one there neither so that will not fix his sight and then he must take notice to the Hand and Heels neither would I have you ride him alwayes in one place for there his Eyes will make him go by Rote again therefore to ride him alwayes in different places is certainly the best for that will make him attend the hand and the heels and this and no otherway can cure him of going by Rote CHAP. XXI A true Description of all the natural Paces And FIRST Of the Walk THere is no Man can make or dress a Horse perfectly CHAP XXI that doth not exactly understand all the Natural Paces and Actions of a Horses Leggs as also those made by Art for it is a General Rule that Art must never go against Nature but must follow her and her order as much as possible now as for the Motion of a Horses Leggs upon his Walk the Duke of Newcastle sayeth that it is two Leggs in the Air and two upon the Ground at the same time in form of a St. Andrews Cross But I must begg leave although I am no very old Horseman to differ from his Lordship upon this point because he is therein mightily mistaken and there is no such thing which any Man may make Tryal of by only causing lead his Horse gently out of the Stable in ones hand and then he will find that the Motion of a horses Leggs in his Walk is so farr from being two in the Air and two upon the Ground at the same time in form of a St. Andrews Cross that it is quite another Motion as followeth The true Motion then of a Horses Leggs upon his Walk according to my own Observation which upon tryal will be found to be as true as it is new is one two three and four as followeth the horse when he beginneth his walk must either lead with the Leggs of his Right fide or with these of the left if he Lead with those of the Right then the first foot he lifteth is his farr hind foot which maketh one and in the time he is setting it down which in a step he doth alwayes short of the tread of his fore foot upon the same side I say in the very time he is setting down his farr hind foot which maketh one time he lifteth his farr fore foot and setteth it down before his near fore foot which maketh the second time again just as he is setting down his farr fore foot he lifteth his near hind foot and setteth it down again short of his near fore foot which maketh the third time and just as he is setting it down he lifteth his near fore foot and setteth it down before his farr fore foot which maketh the fourth and last time So you see that the Motion of a horses Leggs in his Walk is so farr from being two Legg in the Air and two upon the Ground cross that it is two Leggs of a side one after another which four Leggs in setting down the feet mark one two three and four and so successively one after another so long as the horse walketh he alwayes beginning his Walk with the hind foot of that side wherewith he leadeth be it either his Right or Left and this is the true Motion of a horses Leggs upon his Walk which I believe hath alwayes been mistaken untill now that I hope this shall discover the errour it was Curiosity which put me upon the Observation of it and although it may be thought a kind of Presumption in me to contradict so famous a Horseman as the Duke of Newcastle yet seeing I found my Observation to hold I thought I might safly venture to own it Because Truth will alwayes vindicat it self whatever may be objected against it And that my Observation of a Horses Walk is such cannot in my Opinion be better demonstrat then by making a Tryal which I believe will be no great difficulty where any kind of Horse is to be had and this much of the true and real Motions of a horses Leggs upon his Walk SECONDLY Of the Amble BEcause the Motion of a Horses Leggs upon his Walk is two Leggs of a side one after another as I have made appear which mark one two three and four so a Horse in an Amble removing both his Leggs of a side at one and the same time the Action of the VValk must certainly be the foundation of it for we find that the only true way to make a horse Amble is to press him from the VValk so that when a horse is walking if you stay him well upon the Bridle hand and press him gently forwards with your Thighs you force him to set down the fore foot of that side wherewith he leadeth sooner then otherwayes he would which maketh it just answer the Motion of the hind Legg of that side and so the two Leggs of that side instead of Marking two times as in the VValk make only one which is the true Motion of the Amble As for example If the horse lead with the farr side he removeth his hind legg and fore legg of the same side at one time whilst
Pillar or imaginary center as I have told you and given the reasons for it For you see a Horses fore parts go alwayes before his hind parts at least they should do so that is half his Shoulders or one shoulder within the Turn or Square before his Croup or inward haunch which is his fore legg within the Turn before his hind legg within the Turn and thus a Horse can never go false but most exactly true with Head Neck Body Leggs and all Plate 5 Chap XXVI of Sup Fig 1. A true and perfect Passage upon narrow Circles to the Left Hand Fig 2. A true and perfect Terra a Terra upon large Circles or a Square to the left Hand Fig 3. A true and perfect â—irâ—â—â—â— to the right Hand Fig 4. The true and exact way of raising A Horse before upon Pâ—sates or Corvets between the Pillars Fig 5. The true and exact way of raising a Horse before upon Pâ—sates or Corvets without the Help of the Pillars Fig 6. The true and exact way of teaching A Horse all kind of high Ayres by the help of one Single pillar only Fig 7. The true and exact way of teaching a Horse to go in Capriols Fig 8. The true and exact way of teaching A Horse to go in Croupads Fig 9. A Back-band A Hose A Side Rope The true and exact way of teaching A Horse to Amble As for the Left hand the very same directions must be observed as for the Right only altering the Bridle hand Body and Leggs and for the Bridle hand it is necessary that when you go on the left hand you should put your Body and Knuckles of your Bridle hand turned towards his neck which will pull the inward Rein of the Bridle for the Left hand because it lyeth under your little finger and this will make both your Body and the Horses Oblique and make also every thing else answer as well in going to the left hand as it did in going to the Right But if you intend to change hands upon Terra a Terra then your Body being still oblique with the Horses and your Kauckles towards his neck and upon the outside of it to which hand soever you are going let his shoulders first come in a little before you change him then help him with that Legg which was the inward before you changed to whatever hand you are going and then hold him up with your Bridle hand upon the outside of his Neck and put him forewards Now why his shoulders should come in a little before you change him is to fix his Croup that it may not go out Remember also to be alwayes stifl in the Hams and to keep your Heels down that so you may bring the Calfs of your Leggs to him the same is to be observed in changing upon Demy-Volts and this is the most exact truth of Terra a Terra with all the delicate and subtile Helps that can be made use of for it See Plate fifth figure second CHAP. XXVII Of the Piroyte THE Action of a Horses Leggs in the Piroyte is very extraordinar CHAP XXVII for your hand being upon the outside of his Neck to make him look into the Turn before you begin the Piroyte you must in an instant work violently with the outward Rein of the Bridle to straiten his fore parts and give his hinder parts more liberty but you are to give him no help at all with any of your Leggs and so the Action of the Horses Leggs will be thus As he is going to the right hand at the same time that he lifteth his two fore leggs he lifteth his hind legg without the Turn so that he hath three Leggs up at a time and all the weight of his Body at that time resteth upon his inward hind legg only and when those three Leggs that were up come to the ground his outward shoulder commeth in so quickly that it maketh his inward hind legg to move at the same time almost in one place to supply the place of a Center that so he may make an exact Turn or Circle I say that at the same time his three leggs which were in the Ayre are set down his inward bind legg removes to accompany the Round or Circle but in a manner still in one place so that indeed the inward hind legg is the Center upon which the Horse turneth though at the same time it move round and when the Horse is so Giddie that he can go no longer for fear of falling he then thrusts his inward hind legg forewards beneath his Belly to stop himself These are exactly the Helps and motions of a Horses Leggs in the Piroyte else he could not go so swiftly as he both ought and as Horses alwayes do when they are performing that Action and because the Horse is upon his shoulders and prest upon the inside of the Turn therefore is it that the only help is with the outward Rein of the Bridle to bring quickly in his outward shoulder and give his Croup a little liberty and that without any assistance from the Leggs at all but as the Horse is turning you must take care to turn your body well to the Turn and also look upon the inside of his Neck and thus let him turn once twice or thrice as you shall think fit See Plate fifth figure third Now when you intend to make a Horse go the Piroyte you should Gallop him upon a Square and cause him Piroyte upon each corner of it once or twice and then gain the next side of the square and when you are at the other corner Piroyte him again and do this upon every corner so long as you continue your reprise you may also Piroyte him upon the end of Passads which will make him very ready and useful for a single Combat CHAP. XXVIII Of Passads FIrst walk your Horse straight forewards CAP XXVIII either by a wall or Palisade and at the end stop and raise him two or three pessates and then turn him gently helping with the outward Rein of the Bridle and outward legg and see that he do not falsifie his Demy Volt either with his shoulders or haunches in Passaging but that both be just after he hath turned Do as much upon the other hand and then begin to Trot him upon the same straight line stoping raising him before and turning him as you did upon the Walk and when he is perfect upon the Trot then put him to a short Gallop upon the straight line also stoping and advancing him as you did before but now let him perform his Demy Tour or Volt not by Passaging but upon his Avre and when he is perfect in this then let him make a passade upon a short Gallop without either stoping or raising before but only turning when at the end of the straight line which he will do exactly in a very short time but you must remember in Galloping to keep his head alwayes a little from
Journey VVHen you have obtained your Wish in the perfection of his strock the nimbleness of his limbs and the good carriage of his head and body you may then take away the tramel altogether and Exercise him without it but this Exercise I would have upon the High-way and not Horse courser like in a private smooth Roade for that affords but a cousening-pace which is left upon every small weariness therefore take the high way forward for Three Four or Five Miles in a morning more or less as you find his Aptness and Ability to please you Now if in this Journeying either through Weariness Ignorance or Peevishness you find in him a willingness to forfake his pace then ever carrying in your pocket the half tramel alight and put it on and so Exercise him with it and now and then giving him ease bring him home in his true pace this Exercise you shall follow day by day and every day encrease it more and more till you have brought him from one Mile to many which done you may then give him ease as letting him rest a day or two or more and then Exercise him again and if you find in him neither Error nor Alteration then you may conclude your work is finished But if any Alteration do happen to which many phantastick horses are subject if it be in the motion of his Pace then with your hand reform it but if that fail then the use of the half Tramel will never fail you Now If the errour proceed from any other occasion look seriously into the cause thereof and taking that away the effect will soon cease For you are to understand that in this manner of teaching a Horse to Amble you are forbidden no help whatsoever which belongs to Horsemanship There might be a great dale more spoken upon this Subject of Ambling but seeing my intention in this Treatise is to discover and teach nothing but what is both true experienced I shall weave discoursing any more of it in this place and therefore shall proceed to the next Chapter wherein as I have already told you I intend to treat of the most considerable vices Horses are commonly subject to when either Backing or Mannaging with the most reasonable and approved Methods to cure and rectifie them CHAP. XXXIV Of the Vices and Imperfections of Horses and how to Prevent and Remedy them NO Horse makes a fault but it is either in his Head and shoulders or Croup CHAP XXXIV which is either before or behind that is he doth either disobey the hand or the heel I shall discourse in this Chapter of both and offer to you the best remedies hitherto known to prevent and rectifie the faults in either and therefore shall begin with the Imperfections of a Horses Mouth FIRST Of the Imperfections of a Horses Mouth THe most part of Writers on Horsemanship as well Ancient as Modern are mightily troubled and concerned about the Vices and Imperfections of a Horses Mouth for Example the first is when a Horse pulls and sucks up his Tongue The second when he puts his Tongue over the Bitt The third when he doubleth it about the Bitt And the fourth when he letteth his Tongue hang out of his Mouth either before or upon one side of it for all which they have taken a great dale of pains with many curious devices and inventions and a great dale of labour to cure them so as there several Writings about these particular Vices of the mouth would make a great Volume when in truth most of their Bitts designed to remedie these Imperfections are greater vices then these they would rectifie and their Physick worse then the Disease which bringeth more inconveniencies along with it then the Vices they go about to cure For my own part I could indeed wish that a horse had none of these faults but put the case he hath as putting his Tongue out over the Bitt or sucking or drawing of it up or doubling it all these I wish were not but if they be the Horse is little or not at all prejudiced by them for he will have as good an Apuy or feeling of the Bitt with them as without them and will be as firm and steddy in the hand and as sensible of the Barrs and Curb as if those Vices were not because the Bitt will rest and work still upon his Barrs and the Curb in its due place where it ought in spight of his Tongue let it be where it will for if a Horses Tongue should be cut out would that hinder the Bitt from working upon the Barrs or the Curb to work in its due place Certainly not at all Nay horses have been known to have had their Tongues pulled out by the Roots and yet have Rid afterwards as justly as ever they did before so the carrying of the tongue this or that way out of the mouth although I confess it is not very becoming yet it is but of little consequence for true going in the mannage because as I said the bitt will alwayes work upon the barrs and curb whither the horse have a tongue or not and it is this working of the bitt which maketh a horse go well and not the different positions of a horses tongue which you see can be no hinderance to him in the World for Rideing so you may perceive with what vain curiosity our Great Masters have not only troubled themselves but also puzsled many of their Riders and tormented poor horses to no purpose in the World SECONDLY Of a Horse who throweth up his Head either to shun the pressure of the Curb or the trouble of being put upon his Haunches THere are many horses who when ever they are prest will throw up their heads and they do it commonly to shun one of two things which is either the pressure of the curb or bitt or the uneasiness of being kept upon their haunches if the first then it is a sign they do nor obey the curb or pressure of the Bitt upon their barrs to remedy which you must first trot and stopp them then gallop and stop them and also pull them back frequently all which being done with Discretion and Judgement their head in and their croup out or cavezon rein and legg of one side will cure them but if it be to shun being kept upon their haunches then tye the cavezons inward rein pretty short to the pomel of the saddle and this will pull down his head and consequently put him upon his haunches but then the horse to hinder it will strive still to go off his haunches by putting out his croup in which case you must alwayes give him the spurr upon that side to which he puts his croup untill he obeys you and then he Vice is rectified THIRDLY Of a Horse who goeth Incaputiato or Arms himself against the Bitt MAny Authors are mightily mistaken about this Vice as they call it saying a horse is hard on the hand and
the Wane of the Moon 't is of shorter continuance and less violent for the Humours decrease with the Moon and the Horse recovers speedily If these Observations be not attentively consider'd by those who undertake the Cure of Horses they will hardly be able to make a certain Judgment concerning the length and dangerousness of their Distempers or to prescribe a successful Method of Cure This Assertion is grounded on a certain knowledge of the Causes The way of curing a Cold is the same with that which I prescrib'd for the Strangles For you must cover the Horse's Neck with a Furr'd Skin keep him warm give him the Electuary of Kermes put Baggs with Assa-Foetida into his Mouth thrust Feathers into his Nose Syringe him and proceed in all other respects as in the Cure of the Strangles If you perceive that your Horse has not wholly lost his Appetite you may give him the Cordial Powder every three days or rather the Electuary of Kermes And when the Disease is attended with a total loss of Appetite you cannot give a better Remedy than that Electuary in a Pint of Spanish Wine once in two days if he has not a Fever or if he have a Fever you may give him the Cordial Waters with Clysters both before and after The Arman describ'd Chap. VII is very good in this case It may be given five or six times in the day tying it to the Bit and will be found to be a Sovereign Remedy Take the sick Horse's Urine while 't is yet hot mix it with an equal quantity of Wine about a Pint or a Pint and half of each and make him drink it all up then cover him and let him stand Bridl'd two hours Repeat the same several times If you cannot have his Urine hot take a Pint of Flesh-Broath without Fat or Salt and as much Wine mix 'em for a Draught Repeat the same three or four days and if he Sweat not after the first Dose add to the Draught an Ounce of the Cordial-Powder and cover him well Continue after the same manner for some days For a Cold accompany'd with a violent Cough Take Honey of Roses and Juice of Liquorice of each four Ounces Fenugreek-seed Grains of Paradice Cummin-seed Cinnamon Cloves Ginger Gentian Birthwort-roots Anni-seed and Coriander-seed of each two Drams Reduce all the hard Ingredient into Powder and give the whole to the sick Horse in a Pint of White-Wine with six Ounces of Carduus-Benedictus-Water Let not this Composition offend those who are only pleas'd with Cooling Remedies for Horses must not be us'd like Men. If you cool 'em too much when they are troubl'd with this Distemper you will stifle em and therefore beware of purely cooling Medicines You will quickly be sensible of the good effects of This which contains many hot Ingredients but since they are agreeable to the nature of Horses they do not inflame 'em and cause only so much Heat as is necessary to strengthen the Parts Experience will convince you of the Truth of my Assertion for the Remedy will succeed and I shall take occasion hereafter to demonstrate that there is need of a great deal of Prudence to administer cooling Remedies to a Horse with safety and success You must also walk him frequently in the Sun-shine if it be Summer and observe the same directions that I prescrib'd in the case of Want of Appetite Chap. VI. and also in the Chapters of the Strangles A Draught for a Cold join'd with a Palpitation or Beating in the Flank When the sick Horse is troubl'd with a Cough a vehement Beating in his Flank and even Palpitation of the Heart you cannot assist him more effectually than by giving him two Clysters and then the following Draught after he has stood two hours in the Morning with a watering Bit in his Mouth 'T is composâ—d of the Waters of Scorzonera Carduus Benedictus Scabious Roses and bitter Succory of each half a Pint Give the Horse a Quart of these Waters with an Ounce of Zedoary and two Drams of Saffron both in fine Powder then rinse the Horn with the half Pint that remains and make him drink that also After which let him stand four hours with a Waterbit in his Mouth and as soon as you unbridle him lay moisten'd Bran before him leaving him to eat at his pleasure till Night and then give him a good Clyster with an Ounce and an half of Sal Polychrest Take Assa-foetida and Powder of Savin of each half an Ounce and tie 'em in a Bag to the Bit let the Horse stand two hours then unbridle him and after two hours more put in the Bag again For besides that this Bag gives him an Appetite it eases his Head by making him void a great quantity of Water and bitter Flegm Instead of the Zedoary and Saffron you may mix an Ounce of the Confection of Hyacinth without Musk or Amber-grise with the Cordial Waters and the same may be repeated two or three times if need require and if you found any Benefit by the first Dose for that which gives Ease may if continu'd perfect the Cure The main part of the Cure consists in giving the Horse one or two softening Clysters with Sal Polychrest every day A Softening Clyster Take Leaves of Mallows Violets Herb-Mercury Pellitory of the Wall of each three Handfuls Annis-seeds one Ounce or a Handful of green Fennel if it be in the Summer let 'em boil half an hour in a large Pot or Kettle in three Quarts of Water for a little Horse or four for a large one adding an Ounce and a half or two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in fine Powder After the Decoction is half-cold press it out and add to the strain'd Liquor four Ounces of Lenitive Electuary and a Quarter of a Pound of fresh Butter Mix and make a Clyster which must be injected after you have rakâ—d the Horse then put him again into the Stable and let him stand half and hour bridl'd If these Remedies be apply'd with Prudence when the Occasion requires and without either Rashness or Negligence the Horse will certainly be eas'd by 'em unless the Disease be extremely violent CHAP. XVI The Vniversal Cordial-Powder TAke Sassafras Zedoary Elecampane Gentian Carlin-Thistle Angelica Cubebs Spanish Scorzâ—nera Master-Wort and Marsh-Mallows of each half a Pound Birth-Wort round and long Bay-Berries Bark of Oranges and Citrons Savin of each four Ounces Cardamoms Liquorice Myrrh Shavings of Hart's-Horn and Ivory Coriander-Seed Seeds of Carraway Cummin Annise and Fennel of each two Ounces Cinnamon an Ounce Cloves Nutmeg and Oriental Saffron of each half an Ounce all fresh and gather'd in due time for a Root dug up in Summer is of no Value and therefore they must be gather'd in the Spring when they begin to shoot forth or about the time of Advent before the Frost The Medicine will be more effectual if you add a Pound of the Grains of Kermes but since they cannot be kept without
at a Trot and a Foot-Pace I have already taught you how to make this Wine in the Twenty third Chapter but since 't is too late to prepare that Remedy after your Horse begins to be troubl'd with a stoppage of Urine you may take Golden Sulphur of Antimony which you will find describ'd in Glazer's Chymistry and afterwards in this Book and fine Wheat-Flower of each an Ounce mix 'em well in a Mortar and give the whole Powder to the Horse in a Quart of White-Wine It provokes Urine more effectually than any Wine whatsoever You may find this Medicine at the Shops of some curious Apothecaries It was invented by Glauber who calls it his Panacaea or Universal Remedy You may put a couple of Lice or Bugs to the end of the Horse's Yard to rouse the expulsive Faculty During the use of those Remedies it will be convenient to foment the Reins thus boil two Bushels of Oats in a mixture of Water and Vinegar till the Oats burst under your Finger then apply 'em in a Bag to the Horse's Reins or Back as hot as he can well endure about the place where the Saddle ends If you have not Oats you may make use of Rye This Fomentation provokes Urine effectually but if the expulsive faculty be languid beat Darnel and boil it in Vinegar and anoint the Yard and Stones with the Decoction Thrust your Hand into the Horse's Fundament and rake him then press the Bladder gently with your Hand and the Horse will infallibly Stale If these Remedies prove ineffectual chuse the whitest Flints you can find on the Banks of some rapid River heat 'em red-hot and quench 'em in a Pint and a half of strong White-Wine heating and quenching 'em so often till they crumble into Powder then strain the Wine thro' a Linnen-Cloth doubl'd and make the Horse drink it for the Wine being impregnated with the Salt of the Flints which is a powerful Diuretic will certainly make the Horse Stale Sal-Prunellae or Crystal-mineral clears the Passages and removes the Obstructions that stop the Urine but you must not depend upon it during the Fit for its vertue principally consists in preventing the Stoppage of Urine in those Horses who usually endeavour to Stale but cannot by reason of a certain Heat or Obstruction in the Passages in which case you must give the Horse every day in his Bran an Ounce of Sal-Prunellae and a Dram of Nutmeg till he has consum'd a whole Pound Sal-Prunellae cools the Bowels clears the Passages rectifies the Blood and would be an admirable Medicine if it were not apt to cool the Stomach too much and make the Horse lose his Appetite for which reason I added a Grain of Nutmeg which comforts the Stomach without over-heating the Body But if the Horse notwithstanding that forsake his Meat you must not continue to give him the Crystal-mineral Take about four Ounces of dry'd Pigeon's Dung in Powder boil it in a Quart of White-Wine and after two or three waums strain out the Liquor and give it Blood-warm to the Horse then walk him for half an Hour and he will Stale if it be possible I know some Men who took a Dram of this Dung in a Glass of Wine for the Colic and receiv'd great benefit by it One of the best Remedies for a Horse that cannot Stale is to carry him into a Sheep-cote and there to unbridle him suffering him to smell the Dung and roll and wallow in it for he will infallibly Piss before he come forth if he be not past Remedy This quick Effect proceeds from a certain Volatil Subtil and Diuretic Salt that exhales from the Sheeps-Dung and strikes the Brain for by reason of the Correspondence of that with the lower Parts it obliges the expulsive Faculty to void the Urine It would be needless to prove that this Dung is full of such a Salt since the Truth of that Supposition is sufficiently confirm'd by the great quantity of Salt-Peter which may be so easily extracted out of it The Urinary Passages are frequently stop'd by thick Flegm which will hardly be remov'd by the above-mention'd Remedies and therefore you may have recourse to that which follows and I 'm confident you will not lose your Labour A Remedy to provoke Urine Take an Ounce of Sassafras-Wood with the Bark which contains part of its Vertue cut it small and infuse it in a Quart of White-Wine in a large Glass-Bottle well stop'd so that two thirds of the Bottle may remain empty let it stand on hot Ashes about six hours then strain out the Wine and give it to the Horse in a Horn. This Remedy will quickly produce the desir'd effect for it will certainly make the Horse either Sweat or Stale and 't is generally acknowledg'd that the Matter of Sweat and Urine is the same Another Oil of yellow Amber is one of the most effectual Remedies to make a Horse Stale The Dose is a Spoonful in a Pint of White-Wine and you must walk him after it This Medicine is easily procur'd since almost all Apothecaries have it or at least ought to have it It must be made without Addition and not rectifi'd It s excellent Vertues make amends for its noisome Smell 'T is so powerful a Diuretic that the Steams or subtil Spirits that are evaporated from it during its Preparation make the Artist Piss excessively Those who are desirous to know how 't is made may consult Crollius's Basilica Chymica or Hartman's Praxis Chymiatrica Glazer's Treatise of Chymistry and several other Authors who treat of that Art I preferr this Remedy before all the rest I have describ'd for it seldom or never fails Another easie Remedy for stoppage of Urine is to wash the Horse's Yard with luke-warm Water then Powder it all over with Salt and suffer him to draw it in if it be a Mare put the quantity of a Walnut of Salt into her Privity Another good Remedy is to make him drink a Quart of Verjuice in half a Pail-full of Water and if he refuse to drink it which few Horses do mix a Quart of Water with a like quantity of Verjuice and pour it into his Throat with a Horn Then walk him and he will Stale If it be objected that I ought rather to have propos'd one sure Remedy than such a multitude of different Medicines among which few know how to make a good choice I shall only answer that I have try'd 'em all and leave the Reader to chuse such Medicines as are most proper for his Horse and may be most conveniently procur'd For some of those Remedies are less Compound than others and the Disease is more or less obstinate in several Cases Besides one Horse may receive no benefit by the use of a Remedy that has cur'd several others of the same Distemper by reason of the variety of Causes Some Horses are also frequently troubl'd with this Distemper and sometimes die of it And from all these Considerations laid
something very soft in Silver and its Fire is not so sharp and fierce as that of Gold But to avoid a needless Charge I have hitherto us'd Copper Knives with very good Success and I shall always prefer 'em before Gold tho' not before Silver I cannot forbear repeating the important Advice I have already given you never to make your Knife too hot and to heat it always in a Charcoal-Fire for there is a certain Sharpness in Sea or Pit-Coals which makes a very large Scab 'T is to be observ'd that the Fire does not generally produce a very quick Effect and I have sometimes observ'd that it exerts not its utmost Vigour till six Months after it is given For 't is an insensible and slow-pac'd Resolvent and requires a very considerable space of time before it can digest and concoct the Humour and therefore every Man that resolves to have Recourse to this Method must arm himself with Patience but the Sureness of the Effect will make amends for the Slowness of it For oftentimes a Horse continues to halt three or four Months after the giving of the Fire but at last perfectly recovers his former Soundness and Vigour Nevertheless you must not imagine that the Fire is a never-failing Remedy for there are some inveterate Swellings that can neither be cur'd by this nor any other Method I shall in the next place proceed to give you some Directions concerning the Rest that is necessary for a Horse after he has receiv'd the Fire in his Legs Houghs and other low and hanging Parts of his Body The Effect of the Fire lasts twenty seven Days which may be divided into three equal Periods for its Augmentation State and Declination Now 't wou'd be convenient to let the Horse repose all that while But the shortest time of Rest that can be allow'd on this Occasion is at least eighteen Days I know that many Persons begin to work their Horses sooner but in my Opinion it is better to neglect the Cure wholly than to perform it imperfectly In the mean time the Horse must not be suffer'd to lie perpetually loitering in the Stable for the Fire will operate more vigorously and the Swelling will be sooner abated if you walk him gently half an Hour every Day But even this Exercise must not be begun till eighteen Days after giving the Fire Some Farriers are wonderfully afraid of giving the Fire on the sinewy Parts of the Body but their Fear is certainly an Effect their Ignorance I dare boldly affirm that this Operation may be safely perform'd without piercing the Skin and with a due Dexterity and Nimbleness in any Part without Exception Nor wou'd I maintain this Assertion with so much Confidence if I were not convinc'd of the Truth of it by a hundred different Experiments But the three Cautions mention'd in the beginning of this Chapter are of so great a Importance in this Case that to make a stronger Impression upon the Reader 's Mind 't will not be improper to subjoin the following Example I saw two Farriers perform this Operation on the two Fore-Legs of the same Horse and I observ'd also that the Number of the Stroaks or Rases was equal on both Legs One of 'em did the Work dexterously and with a light Hand and the Success was suitable to his Performance But the other who press'd too hard upon the Part and over-heated his Knives had the Mortification to see the whole Skin of the Leg fall away and the remaining Sores were not cur'd without extreme Difficulty To make the Fire penetrate and resolve a hard Swelling supposing you had not time to prepare the Part with softening Remedies you must immediately after the giving of the Fire touch the Stroaks two or three times with a Pencil dipt in Spirit of Vitriol which will concentrate the Heat of the Fire and make it operate more effectually than it cou'd otherwise do If you design afterwards to apply a Plaister to the burnt Part you must wait till the Spirit be imbib'd or suck'd in for thus the Scabs will fall away sooner and leave the Sore fair and clean I took occasion to intimate before that I might justly reckon my self among the Number of those who have brought this Method into Fashion at Paris and banish those ill-grounded Fears and Apprehensions that formerly deterr'd People from the Use of it I think I may be allow'd to say that in this Respect I have done a considerable Service to the Public for I have given the Fire to so many Horses that those who are Witnesses of the good Effect of it were at last freed from their Prejudices and submitted to Experience which is certainly the best and surest Instructer About twenty five Years ago the giving of the Fire was reckon'd to be as effectual a way to dispatch a Horse as the discharging of a Musquet at his Head but now the Case is alter'd and this Method is commonly practis'd without the least Scruple CHAP. CLXXX Of all the Sores Pains Swellings and Distempers of hinder Legs from the Hough downwards 'T IS a common Inconvenience of the large Horses of Holland and Friezland that by reason of their Flegmatic Constitution and the Moistness of the Countries where they were brought up their Legs are so full of Flesh and Hair that the Grooms and Coach-Men are not able to keep 'em clean And the Dirt which is full of a sort of Nitre or corrosive Salt frets the Skin and draws down the Humours which generate all the Ulcers and Sores that are commonly observ'd in the Legs of Coach-Horses Fat and fleshy Houghs are more subject to these Sores than those that are dry and sinewy For they abound with Humours which foment and nourish all the Infirmities that happen in these Parts of which I design to treat in Order To prevent these noisome Sores call'd the Pains in the Legs of Dutch Horses some Persons observe the following Method They cleave the Spur which is a soft horny Substance that almost all Horses have behind their Pastern-Joint and dividing the Skin beneath that Part they separate a Piece of spongy and glandulous Flesh of the Bigness of a Walnut which they say is the Receptacle of the flowing Humours that occasion Running Sores Pains Warts c. having taken out this Piece of Flesh they stop the Hole with Flax dipt in hot Turpenpentine which they keep in seven or eight Days with Shooe-Maker's Thread fasten'd to the Lips of the Wound afterwards they wash it with warm Wine and put in Flax dipt in hot Turpentine as before This Operation is only perform'd in the Legs and I believe does neither good nor Harm Others by way of Preservation assoon as they have bought a Coach-Horse take up the Veins of the Legs above and under the Hough to intercept the Passage of the Humours that feed these Sores This Method in my Opinion is much more reasonable than the former but the best way to preserve Horses from these