THE 
GENTLEMAN'S 
POCKET-FARRIER:; 
SHEWING 
HOW TO USE YOUR 
HORSE 
ON A JOURNEY 
AND 
What Remedies are proper for Common Acci- 
dents, that may befal him on the Road. 
The Remedies this little Tradt prescribes, are simple, 
and easily obtained; and never fail of a Cure, where 
the Disorder is curable; therefore no Man who values 
his Horse, should presume to travel without it. 
LONDON: 
PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF J.BELL, 
BRITISH LIBRARY, STRAND, 
BOOKSELLER TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS 
THE PRINCE OF WALES. 
1788. 
[price ONE SHILLING.] ADVERTISEMENT. 
It may not be unnecessary to acquaint the 
Reader, that the following Prescriptions have 
not been hastily jumbled together, but are 
experimentally efficacious. 
A great many books have been written on 
farriery, but their rules are too many for the 
pocket. Such a book therefore as this, is 
necessary on a journey, in order to refer to, 
as occasion requires; and it contains as much 
as is known by any of our common farriers. 
As small as this Traft may appear, it will 
be found to inform gentlemen, 
I. What methods are best to be used, if 
their horses fall lame. 
II. What medicines are proper to give 
them, when sick; and, IV 
III. How to direct the operations, and 
escape the impositions of ignorant men. 
In short, by the help of this treatise, gen- 
tlemen will be able to prevent a groom or 
farrier from injuring their horses, by im- 
proper applications, and mistaking one dis- 
temper for another. 
The recipes are few, and cheap; the 
poultice but one, and contrived on purpose 
to prevent trouble and expence, by pointing 
out the best remedies at first, such as are 
easiest to be got, and such as make the 
speediest cures; and the Reader may be 
assured they have been experimentally 
confirmed by a praftice of thirty years. 
The book is drawn up in a manner calculated 
for a gentleman’s pocket, supposing him 
upon a journey ; and no man man who values 
his horse, should travel without it. THE 
GENTLEMAN’S 
POCKET-FARRIER. 
— ■ Sueis graiior usus Equorum, 
NoElurna versate manu, versate diurna. 
If you meet with a horse you like, and are desirous of 
buying him ; don’t fall in love with him before you ride 
him, for though he may be handsome, he may start cr 
stumble. 
1Try before you buy. 
To discover a stumbler. 
If you go to buy of one that knows you, ’tis not unrea- 
sonable to desire to ride him for an hour. If refused, you 
may suspedt he has some faults ; if not, mount him at 
the door of the stable where he stands ; let him neither 
feel your spurs, nor see your whip ; mount him easily, 
and when seated, go gently ofr with a loose rein, which 
will make him careless ; and if he’s a stumbler, he’ll dis- 
cover himself presently, especially if the road in which 
you ride him be any thing rough. 
The best horse indeed may stumble (a young one of 
spirit, if not properly broken in, will frequently; and yet* 
if he moves nimbly upon the bit, dividing his legs true, 
he may become a very good saddle-horse), the best horse. 6 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
I say, may stumble; but if he springs out, when he 
stumbles, as if he feared your whip or spur, depend upon 
it, he is an old offender. A horse should never be struck 
for stumbling or starting : the provocation, I confess is 
great, but the fear of correction makes him worse. 
In the purchase of a horse, examine four things, his 
teeth, his eyes, his legs, and his wind. 
To know bis age. 
Every treatise on farriery has instructed us to know a 
horse’s age by the mark in his mouth ; but not one in 
five hundred (a dealer excepted) can retain it in his 
mind. I have endeavoured, therefore, to represent it by 
a plate. 
Every horse has six teeth before in each jaw : till he is 
two years and a half old, they are all smooth and uniform 
in their upper surfaces. See the frontispiece. 
At two years and a half old he sheds the two middle 
teeth (.by the young teeth’s rising and forcing the old 
ones out, as at fig. i.), which at three years old are re- 
placed by two hollow ones, as at fig. 7. 
When he is about three years and a half old, he sheds 
two others, one on each side the two middle ones, which 
at four years old are replaced by two others, which are 
also hollow, as at fig. 8. 
The sharp single teeth (in horses, fig. 2.) begin to 
appear in the lower jaw when the horse is about three 
years and a half, or four years old. When he is nearly 
six years old, they are full grown, pointed, and concave 
in the inside, as at fig. 3. 
When he is four years and a half old, he sheds the two 
corner teeth, which at five are replaced also with two 
hollow ones, grooved on the inside, as at fig. 4. which 
groove marks the age precisely. 
At six years of age this groove begins to fill up, and 
disappear, as at fig. 6. so do the hollows of the rest of 
the teeth, which continue till near seven and a half or 
eight years old, when all the teeth become uniformly 
full and smQoth, as at fig. 5. Tlie Age of a HORSE, fiyits 
Teeth. POCKET-FARRIER. 
7 
Crafty jockies will sometimes burn holes in the teeth, 
to make them appear young, which they call bishoping; 
but a discerning eye will soon discover the cheat. 
Eyes. 
If a horse’s eyes are lively and clear, and you can see 
to the bottom, and the image of your face be reflefted 
from thence, and not from the surface of the eye, they 
are good j but if muddy, cloudy, or coal-black, they are 
bad. 
Legs. 
If his knees are not broken, nor stand bending and 
trembling forward (which is called knuckling), his legs 
may be good ; but if he steps short, and digs his toes in 
the ground, ’tis a sign he will knuckle. In short, if the 
hoof be pretty flat and not curled, you need not fear a 
founder. 
Wind. 
If his flanks beat even and slow, his wind may be good, 
but if they heave double and irregular, or if (while he 
stands in the stable) he blows at the nostrils, as if he had 
just been galloping, they are signs of a broken wind. 
Deceitful dealers have a draught which they sometimes 
give, to make a horse breathe regularly in the stable ; the 
surest way therefore to judge of his wind, is, to give him 
a good brushing gallop, and ’ tis ten to one, if his wind 
be broken, or even touched, that he will cough and wheeze 
very much, and no medicine can prevent his doing so. 
Cure for a broken wind. 
A broken wind may be cured, if the following be ap- 
plied on the discovery of it. A quarter of a found of 
common tar, and the like quantity of honey; beat them well 
together, then dissolve them in a quart of new milk j let the 
horse fast two hours before you give this drench $ walk 
him an hour after, and let him fast two hours ; give this 
drench every second day with warm meat and drink. THE GENTLEMAN’S 
A horse with thick shoulders and a broad chest laden 
with flesh, hanging too forward, and heavily projecting 
Over his knees and feet, is fitter for a collar than a saddle. 
A draught-horse. 
A saddle-horse. 
A horse with thin shoulders, and a flat chest, whose fore- 
feet stand boldv forward and even, his neck rising semi- 
circular from the points of those thin shoulders to his 
head, may justlv be said to have a light forehand, and be 
fitter for a saddle than a collar. As most horses in the 
hands of farpiers are drawn while they are young, which, 
notwithstanding their make, occasions them to move 
heavily, if you desire a nimble-footed horse, choose one 
that has never drawn. 
In buying a horse, enquire into four other things, viz. 
biting, kicking, stopping, and starting. 
A horse may be sound, tho’ guilty of all four, which 
a man can hardly discover by barely looking on him j so 
I refer you to his keeper. 
When you are buying, it is common for the owner to 
say in praise of his horse, that he has neither splint, 
spavin, nor windgall. 
That you may not be imposed upon, those three are 
thus described. 
The splint. 
The splint is a fixed callous excrescence or hard knob, 
growing upon the flat of the in or outside (and sometimes 
both) of the shark-bone; a little under, and not far from 
the knee, and may be seen and felt. 
To take it off, shave the part, and beat it with a stick, 
prick it with a nail in a flat stick, clap on a blistering 
plaster as strong as you can make it; let it lie on three 
days; then take if off, and rub the place with half a 
drachm of the oil of origany, and as much oil of Vitriol, 
mix'd: if the first does not do, rub it a second time with 
the oils ; if you find any remains of the splint, apply a 
second blistering plaister for twenty-four hours, walk POCKET-FARRIER. 
him moderately, to prevent any swelling or excrescence 
from settling. 
Most young horses have splints, more or less, and they 
will occasion lameness while they are coming upon the 
bone; but after they are grown to the firmness of bones, 
they do not lame a horse, nor is such a horse worse for 
use, tho’ he may not look so well to the eye. 
The spavin is of the same nature, and appears, in like 
manner, on the instep bone behind, not far below the 
hough. 
To take it oft", beat the bone with a bleeding stick, 
and rub it3 then anoint it with the oil of origanum, tie a 
wet cloth about it, and with a hot brick applied to it, 
soak in the oil, till it be dry. 
The spavin. 
Windgalls are several little swellings just above the fet- 
lock joints of all the four legs; they seem, when felt, to 
be full of wind or jelly, but they never lame a horse 3 the 
splint and Spavin always do. They all three proceed from 
one and the same cause, which is hard riding, travelling 
too far in one day, or carrying too great a weight when 
young. 
fVindgall. 
Setting out on a Journey. 
Whenever you intend to travel, hunt, or only ride out 
for the air, let your horse’s feet be examined some time 
before, to see that his shoes are all fast and sit easy on his 
feet, for on that depend the pleasure and safety of your 
journey. 
Before you mount, look round your horse, to see if 
his bridle, curb, saddle, and girths are all fitted in their 
proper places. Always accustom your horse to stand 
firm and without a motion, till you are fixed in your seat, 
and your clothes be adjusted. 
DireElions for mounting. THE GENTLEMAN’S 
Directions forgoing. 
When you would have him go, teach him to move by 
pressing close your knees, or speaking to him, without 
using whip or spur; for a horse will learn any thing ; and 
a good quality may as easily be taught him as a bad one. 
Correction well-timed —An easy rein. 
Correction ill-timed. 
Most men whip and spur a horse, to make him go 
faster, before they bid him ; but it is cruel treatment, to 
beat a generous creature, before you have signified vour 
mind to him (by some token which he may be taught to 
who would obey you if he knew your plea- 
sure; ’tis time enough to corredl him when he refuses, 
©r resists you. Don’t haul his head about with too tight 
a rein, it deadens his mouth; besides, he will carry you 
safer, and take better care of his steps with an easy hand, 
than a heavy one: much depends on the quietness of the 
bridle hand. Keep your elbows steady, and you cannot 
hurt his mouth. Again, nothing discovers a bad horse- 
man (even at a distance) so much as throwing his legs 
and arms about; for ’tis easiest to the horse and rider, 
and he can carry you farther by ten miles a day, when 
you sit as steady upon him as if you were a part of him- 
self. 
Cutting. 
If he cuts either before or behind, look that his shoes 
stand not with an edge beyond the hoof, and feel that the 
clinches of the nails lie close; but if cutting proceeds 
from interfering, that is, crossing his legs in his trot, 
’tis a natural infirmity, and can only be a little helped by 
care. Horses will sometimes cut, when leg-weary, which 
they will recover of by rest. If you would not have a 
horse that cuts, buy not one that stands with his toes 
turned outwards, nor one who, in trotting, carries his 
legs too near each other. POCKET-FARRIER, 
11 
Lameness.—A poultice. 
If (as he stands in the stable) you observe him to point 
one foot forwarder than the other, either before or behind, 
seeming to bear no weight on it; you may reasonably 
conclude he is not easy. If the shoe is the cause, the 
farrier can remove it presently; but if the foot is not 
hurt by some unknown accident, make a poultice of any 
sort of greens, such as lettuce, cabbage, mallow leaves, 
turnip-tops, or turnips themselves, the best of all; boil 
them tender, squeeze the water out, chop them in a wooden 
bowl, with two or three ounces of bog's-lard or butter; 
put this poultice into a cloth, and tie his foot in it all 
night, as hot as you can. 
In the morning, when the farrier comes to take off 
his shoe, he will find his hoof cut soft and easy, so 
that he will soon discover (in paring with his buttrice) 
whether he is pricked or bruised. 
If bruised only, the next poultice will cure him. 
Bruised. 
Pricked.—Gravelled.—The cure. 
If pricked or otherwise wounded to the quick, open 
the hole with a penknife, and drop a little diachilon or meli- 
lot, thro' a pair of warm tongs, into the hole, to suck out 
the gravel; but the horse-ointment is best; which I shall 
mention by and by; cover it close with dry tow, fastened 
in with a couple of splints, and put his foot, as before, inlet 
a hot poultice. 
Repeat this till he is well, which will be in two nights, 
if you have not been too free with your penknife. 
A caution against the farrier, 
But let not the farrier put flaming turpentine to it, 
which will close the hole before the gravel is out; in this 
case, it must work out at the coronet above, and may 
require six months time to cure it. 12 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
Lame in the heel or hoof.—The cure. 
If your horse is lame with a hole in his heel, or any 
part of his hoof, be it ever so deep, occasioned by an 
over-reach of his hind-foot, or a tread of another horse, 
though gravel be in it, put his foot into the aforesaid 
poultice, and repeat it mornings and evenings till it is 
well; for it will suck it out, fill it again with sound flesh, 
and make the hoof grow over it, much sooner than any 
other method or medicine whatsoever. 
A caution. 
The farriers practice is to put caustics into such holes 
(a composition of mercury, lime, vitriol, and the like), 
to burn them ; and to cut a quarter of the hoof away, to 
come to the bottom, as they say, which requires about six 
months to make it good again; but oftener ends, if not 
always, in an unsound club foot. 
Cuts, treads, and bruises cured. 
All cuts, treads, and bruises are cured by this poultice; 
not only soonest and safest, but without leaving any 
mark. 
Into a clean pipkin, that holds about a quart, put the big- 
ness, of a pullet's egg of yellow rosin ; when it is melted 
over a middlingfire, add the same quantity of bees-wax’, when 
that is melted put in half a pound of hogs-lard ; when it is dis- 
solved, put in two ounces oj honey ; when that is dissolved, put 
in half a pound of common turpentine ; keep it gently boiling, 
stirring it with a stick all the time ; when the turpentine is 
dissolved, put in two ounces of verdigrease; you must take off 
the pipkin (else it will rise into the f re in a moment), set it 
on again, and give it two or three wambles, and strain it, 
through a coarse sieve, into a clean vessel for use, throwing 
the dregs away. 
This is an extraordinary ointment for a wound or 
bruise in flesh or hoof, broken knees, gall’d backs, bites. 
‘The Horse ointment. POCKET-FARRIER. 
crack’d heels, mallenders, or, when you geld a horse, to 
heal and keep the flies away; nothing takes fire out of a 
burn or scald in human flesh so soon ; I have had per- 
sonal experience of it. I had it out of Degrey; but, find- 
ing it apt to heal a wound at the top, before the bottom 
was sound, I improved it, by adding an ounce of ver- 
digrease. 
Heat balls. 
If, upon a journey, any little bumps, called heat-balls, 
should rise on your horse’s shoulders or any part of him ; 
upon coming to your inn, order the hostler to rub them 
often with hot vinegar, which will disperse them. They 
are owing to the heat of the body in hard riding. If they 
are not dispersed, they will burst and look ugly, and it 
will be some time before the hair comes upon the part 
again. 
Swelled and cracked heels. 
If his legs and heels should swell and crack, and become 
stiff and sore, so that he can hardly be got out of the 
stable in the morning, and perhaps did not lie down all 
night 5 you may travel on, but walk him for the first 
mile or two, very gently, till the swelling falls, and he 
begins to feel his legs. 
When you end the day’s journey, wash his forelegs 
with warm water, and a great deal of sope; or foment his 
heels (first cutting away the hair very close) with old 
urine, pretty warm, for a quarter of an hour, by dipping 
a woollen cloth, or an old stocking, into the urine, squeez- 
ing it, and then applying it to the part affedted, having 
first well washed it with the urine. You may then pre- 
pare the poultice, as in page n, and tie it on hot, as soon 
as it can be got ready, letting it stay on all night. Feed 
him as usual, and offer him warm water in the house. 
About nine or ten o’clock (that is, an hour or two after 
he is put up for all night, and fed), give him 14 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
A ball. 
Half an ounce ofMthiop's mineral. Ditto of balsam of sul- 
phurterib. Ditto of diapente or powderedanniseeds, mixedand 
made into a ball with honey or treacle. You may give him 
a pint of warm ale after it. 
Don’t stir him out of the stable, on any account what- 
ever, till you mount him the next morning for your jour- 
ney ; and give him a draught of warm water in the stable 
before you set out (that being proper on account of the 
ball). When you are on the road, he may drink water 
as usual. 
The next night omit the ball, but continue the poul- 
tice. 
The third night give the second ball. 
Greasing heels. 
The fifth night give the third ball, and still continue 
the poultice till his heels are well: But, if you can get no 
sort of poulticing, then melt hogs-lard, or butter, and, 
with a rabbit’s foot, or a rag, grease his heels with it very 
hot. 
If he is a young horse, and the distemper new, you will 
hear no more of it; but, if he’s old, and hathhad it along 
time on him, ’twill require further repetition. 
N. B. During this operation, you must not gallop on 
the rode, but ride moderately, for sweating will retard the 
cure. You must consider, that wet weather, and wet 
roads, are by no means proper for this regimen. 
Travelling indeed is an improper time for this cure, 
except in cases of necessity: if you can give your horse 
rest, his heels will get well sooner by turning him out to 
grass, and renewing the poultices; but he should be kept 
in the stable, while he takes the medicine. 
If the greasy poultice does not effect a cure, which 
may sometimes be the case: after fomenting the legs with 
urine, anoint his heels well with the following ointment 
warm every night. Take ten eggs, boil them -very hard, 
■put them into cold water', when cold, separate the yelks from 
the whites, put all the yelks into a frying-pan, bruise tbitr. POCKET-FARRIER. 
15 
with a spoon over the fire till they turn black and yield a 
foetid oil, which decant off, and mix it, whilst warm, with 
two ounces of honey, and two ounces of white lead in pcnvder, 
and then keep it for use. It should be heated into a horse's heels, 
with a fire-shovel. The heels in the day-time should 
be constantly well rubbed.— This ointment exceeds any 
thing that can be applied for a burn or scald in the human 
body, if applied soon after the accident, and the part af- 
fefted be anointed for an hour after, by times, with a 
feather. 
I have often cured a horse of greasy heels by giving him 
only an ounce and a half of saltpetre pounded line, or dis- 
solved and mixed with his corn, morning and evening. 
But this must be continued for a month or more, till his 
legs are well; but they should be kept washed as above. 
If you give a horse five or six pounds of salpetre, in this 
manner, it will not hurt him; it will free him from all 
sorts of humours, and put him into excellent spirits. 
Mallender. 
The mallender is a crack in the bend of the knee; it 
oozes a sharp humour like that at the heels or frush; 
a horse dare not Step out for fear of tearing it wider; ’tis 
so painful, it takes away his belly; it rtiakes him step 
short, and stumble much. 
The same method, medicine, greasing, and poulticing 
(which you used for swelled or cracked heels) will cure 
it. 
'The Cure. 
The sellender is a crack in the bend of the hough; 
and must be cured with the same things, and after the 
same manner. 
Sellender, and cure. 
Sore back, and cure. 
If the saddle bruises his back, and makes it swell, a 
greasy dish-clout laid on hot, and a cloth or rag over it, 
bound on a quarter of an hour (with a circingle), and re- 
peated once or twice, will sink it flat. 16 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
If’tis slight, wash it with a little water and salt only: 
But you must have the saddle altered, that it don’t press 
upon the tender part; for a second bruise will be worse 
than the first. If his furniture does not fit and sit easy, 
’twill damp him; but if nothing wound or hurt him, 
he will travel with courage. 
Advice for watering. 
Make it a standing rule to water on the way before you 
arrive at the bating-place, be it noon or night; if there’s 
no water by the way, do not (when once you have entered 
the stable) suffer any man to lead him out to a river or 
horse-pond, to wash his legs or drink, but give him warm 
water in the house. 
If you ride moderately, you ought to let your horse 
drink at any time on the way; you may trust him, he 
will not take harm, but always refresh himself: but, if 
he has long been without water, and is hot, he will then 
over-drink himself, and it may spoil him ; because a load 
of cold water, greedily swallowed while he’s hot, will 
certainly chill and deaden the tone of the stomach; 
but two or three go-downs are really necessary to cool his 
mouth, and may be allowed him at any time on the road. 
Difficulty of staling. 
Sometimes a horse cannot stale, and will be in great 
pain ; to ease him, take half an ounce of anniseeds beaten 
fine in a mortar, one handfulof parsley roots, boil those in a 
quart of old strong beer, and strain it off, and give it him 
w arm. 
If you ride hard, and go in hot, your horse will be off 
his stomach 5 then is your time to guard against a surfeit, 
which is always attended with the grease, the farcy, or 
both; the symptoms are, a staring of the coat, and hide- 
bound. 
Hard riding.—Surfeit. 
Staring of the coat, will appear the very next morning. 
To prevent which, as soon as you dismount, rub him well, 
Staring coat and bide bound.—‘The anniseed cordial. POCKET-FARRIER. 
cover him, pick his feet, throw a handful or two of beans 
before him, and litter him deep. Go immediately and 
boil for a cordial, half a pound of anntseeds in a quart of 
ale, pour it upon half a pound of honey, into a bowl or ba- 
son 5 brew it about, till 'tis almost as cool as blood, then give 
it (with a horn) seeds and all. 
Feed as usual, but keep him warm clothed ; give him 
warm water that night, and next morning. A mash will 
do well that night, and, lest the cordial should not have 
force enough to carry off the surfeit, you must give him 
(after all, and just before bed-time) one of those balls di- 
rected in page 14. 
To prevent stiffness, supple and wash his legs with 
greasy dish-wash, or water and soap, as hot as a man can 
bear his hand in it, with a dish-clout; and by no means 
take him out of the stable that night. Grease his hoofs, 
and stop his feet with the following ball3 ’tis safe and in- 
nocent. 
‘The cure. 
A ball to stop feet. 
‘Two or three handfulls of bran put into a little sauce-pan, 
with as much grease, of any kind, as will moisten it. Let 
it cool, and put a ball of it into each fore-foot. 
Cover each ball with a little tow or straw, and put a 
couple of splints over that, to keep it in all night. This 
do every night if you please throughout your journey ; ’tis 
good at any time if he lie still: but these balls are not 
necessary in the winter, or when the roads are full of 
water. 
Ever avoid all stuffings made of cow-dung, clay, and 
urine, which you will find ready mixed in a tub, in the 
custody of almost every hostler $ such cold stuffings 
benumb the feet to that degree, that the horse fumbles 
and steps short for two or three miles till he gets a little 
warmth, and feels his feet again. 
A caution against hostlers. 18 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
Shoulder-slip. 
If you wrench his shoulder, mix two ounces of the oil of 
spike with one ounce of the oil of swallows, and half an 
ounce of turpentine, and with your hands rub a little of it 
all over the shoulder. It wifi be best to warm the oils 
well with a broad mouth fire-shovel, or plate of iron, hot. 
Then bleed him, and let him rest two days. This will 
cure a slight strain. Should he continue lame you may 
travel on, but slowly, and he will grow well upon the road, 
but repeat the oils. 
A caution against boring and firing. 
Some farriers cut a hole through the skin in the middle 
of the shoulder, and (with the shank of a tobacco-pipe) 
blow it, as a butcher does a shoulder of veal; then they 
run a flat cold iron, like a horseman’s sword-blade, eight 
or ten inches up, between the shoulder-blade and his ribs 
(which they call boring) ; after that, they burn him round 
his shoulder with a hot iron, and cross it like a glass-win- 
dow ; next they lay a charge all over the shoulder (which 
is a composition of pitch, rosin, and tar), then put a 
patten shoe on the contrary foot, and in that condition 
turn him to grass. 
I cannot say I ever knew a horse cured by this method ; 
but I have known many a one lame ever after; for they 
never get clear of the stiffness which the boring and firing 
leave in the shoulder; a tender-hearted man would be 
shocked at the cruelty of this invention; for all that 
can beobtained, is a free discharge of the humours (occa- 
sioned by the wrench) which may lodge between the 
shoulder-blade and the ribs; for which you will find rowel- 
ing alone sufficient. 
A caution against Origanum. 
Most farriers will endeavour to persuade you to use oil 
of origanum in all cases of strains ; but I am against that 
also, by experience; ’tis too hot and subtle, and by fre- 
quent application will insinuate itself into the bone, and 
make it brittle. POCKET-FARRIER. 
I saw one instance, when the thickest bone in a horse 
(between the shoulder-blade and the elbow) broke, while 
a servant led him a foot-pace in hand. The farrier con- 
fessed he had used much of that oil. 
If you strain your horse in the stifle, a little bone upon, 
the thigh-bone, above the inside bend of the hough (you 
find such another in a leg of mutton); the turnip poul- 
tice will infallibly cure it; but you may rub in the oils 
first, as ordered for a shoulder-slip. By its situation, you 
will find a difficulty to keep the poultice on ; yet it may be 
done with a few yards of list. 
. If it is not well, or very much mended, in two or three 
days, examine the hip, perhaps you may find it there; 
but this must be cured by oiling, as in a shoulder-slip, 
for the poultice cannot be fastened on there. 
Stifle.—The cure. 
When lameness arises from a clap in the back sinews, 
which is relaxation of the sinews from a strain, take a 
spoonful or two of hogs-lard, or rather goose-grease, 
melt it in a saucepan, and rub it into the back sinew, very 
hot, from the bend of the knee to the fetlock; make (as 
you are diredted in page the nth) a turnip poultice, and 
tie it on hot, from the fetlock to above the knee,, and let 
it stay on all night; thus, first tie the cloth about the 
fetlock, then put in the poultice, and raise the cloth and 
the poultice together, till you get it above the bend of the 
knee ; twisting the list or string round his leg as you rise, 
and fasten it above the knee; take it off in the morning, 
and put on a fresh one; at night do the same. Two or 
three of these poultices will cure a new strain; five or 
six, an old one. 
A clap in the hack sinews. 
How to know a shoulder-slip, from a strain in the hack 
sinews. 
This lameness, by-ignorant farriers, is frequently taken 
for a shoulder-slip, and in consequence of this, they pro- 
ceed to blowing, boring, and rowelling, and thus make THE GENTLEMAN’S 
your horse useless for a long time. Be not imposed on; 
be sure it is in his shoulder, before you admit the ope- 
ration. 
If ’tis in his shoulder, he will drag his toe on the 
ground as he walks. 
If in the back sinew, he will lift it off and step short, 
though downright lame. 
There does not happen above one shoulder-slip, to fifty 
back-sinew-strains. 
You may know if your horse has caught cold, by a 
running at his eyes, and a little gleeting at his nostrils; 
though ’tis impossible to know exadlly how he came by 
it (for standing near a hole, a window, or door, a damp 
new-built stable, and many other ways may do it); 
yet I would warn you against one pradlice in parti- 
cular, too much in use, which seldom fails to give a 
horse cold. 
A cold—a running of the eyes and nostrils. 
That is, taking him out of a warm stable, and riding 
into a river or horse-pond, at an unseasonable hour, ei- 
ther too late or too early; read page 16; a horse should 
never be taken out of a warm stable, on a journey, till 
you mount him for travel. 
A caution against catching cold. 
Haltercast. 
Note, The same poultice will also cure the fetlock 
of a horse, that is cast in his halter, by frequently repeat- 
ing. 
A caution to prevent foundering on the road. 
It is the opinion of most grooms, that a horse heats 
his legs and feet upon a hard road, especially if he is a 
heavy horse, or carries a great weight; and that he 
should be refreshed and cooled by washing. To which I 
agree; but then it must be with warm water, for that 
cools best. This will not only open the pores, and make 
his legs perspire, but will clear his fetlock joints best of POCKET-FARRIER. 
any gravel that may get in between the wrinkles, and 
thus fret and inflame his legs ; cold water naturally con- 
trails the skin, and binds any gravel, there may chance 
to be, the firmer. Stop his feet also with the ball direct- 
ed in page 17, but make it pretty warm. 
Note, a norse in this case ought to have a large stall, 
that he may stretch his legs. Young horses require larger 
stalls then old ones; for an accustomed old horse will ease 
himself in a stall of five feet wide, as well as in one of two 
yar'ds. 
21 
A cough. 
If(after a day or two) you perceive a running at his 
eyes, and a little gleeting at his nostrils, you may expeft 
to hear him cough. In that case, 
Take a pint of blood from his neck, in a morning (a 
horse will travel notwithstanding, if you do not exceed a 
pint), and at noon give an additional feed, to make 
amends for the loss of blood. 
At night give him a mash, over and above his usual 
allowance. The next night give him the anniseed cor- 
dial, as before. 
If his cough continue three days, you must take another 
pint of blood from his neck, and try to remove it with 
abler medicines. Therefore, to keep it off his lungs, give 
him, just before you go to bed, 
A great cough. 
The cure. 
Liquorish powder, an ounce. Sweet oil, a spoonful. 
TEthiop''s mineral, an ounce. Balsam of sulphur, half an 
ounce. Made into a ball with a little honey. 
Clothe, and keep him warm. Repeat the ball next night, 
which will be sufficient to cure any new-gotten cold or 
surfeit. 
Knotted between the jaws.—'The cure. 
Feel between his. jaws; and, if his kernels are swelled, 
don’t let the farrier cut them out with a pair of red-hot 22 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
scissars (as some of them do), but dissolve them with two 
or three or more turnip poultices, and continue the anni- 
seed cordial till he’s well. 
If the almonds of a man’s ears were down, that is, if 
the glands were swelled, and a surgeon proposed to cut 
them out for a cure, you would treat him with great 
contempt for his ignorance. It is the same with respect 
to a horse. 
Note. The horse’s throat ought to be kept warm with 
cloths, till the swelling is either dissolved or come 
to a head; if the latter, any common farrier may open 
the tumour with a sharp penknife, and, when the matter 
has free discharge, the wound will easily heal, by the use 
of the horse-ointment applied warm. 
I will next mention the eyes; for’tis as bad for a horse 
to be blind as to be lame. 
When a horse has got cold, it sometimes falls into his 
eyes, which you may know by the symptoms before men- 
tioned in page20 (arunning or a thick glare upon them) ; 
put your hand to his nostrils, and if you find his breath 
hotter than usual, ’twill then be necessary to take a little 
blood from his neck. 
A cold in the eyes. 
’Tis a common thing with some farriers, to take two, 
three, and sometimes four quarts of blood away at one 
time. I am very much against that praftice; because 
you rob a horse of more animal spirits, than you can re- 
store in a long time, without much rest and high feed- 
ing ; the latter of which is diametrically opposite to the 
cure. 
A caution in bleeding. 
Therefore, a pint, or quart at most (unless ’tls very 
thick and very hot}, will be sufficient} ’tis safer to take 
a gallon at five or six bleedings, then two quarts a,t once, 
for the reason above. Let me advise you also to take it 
Bleed by measure. POCKET-FARRIER. 
by measure, I mean in a pint or a quart pot; for when 
you bleed at random upon the ground, you never can 
know what quantity you take, nor what quality his blood 
is of. From such violent methods, used with ignorance, 
proceed the deaths of half the horses in the nation. 
What proof must a farrier, a groom, ora coachman 
give of his skill, to administer to a horse a comfortable 
drink (as they call it), composed of diapente, long pepper, 
grains of paradise, and the rest of the not ingredients, at 
a time when his blood is boiling in his veins ? ’Tis like 
giving a man burnt brandy in a fever. I say, by knowing 
the true state of your horse’s blood, you can better judge 
what medicines are most proper to give him. 
Therefore, a pint of blood, for the first time, is enough, 
and you may repeat that, as you see occasion; but you 
cannot easily restore (as I said) the blood and spirits you 
have been too lavish of. 
To return to the eyes. 
A poultice for the eyes. 
After you have taken a pint of blood, get a quartern loaf, 
hot out of the oven, cut away the crust, ana put the soft 
inside into a linen hag, large enough to cover his forehead and 
temples; press it flat, and bind it on, by way of poultice, 
as hot as may be, without scalding ; at the same time, fasten 
something of a cloth about his neck, to keep his throat warm. 
Let the poultice stay on till ’tis almost cold, and repeat 
it once or twice; then prepare the following eye-water: 
Eye-water. 
Into half a pint of rose or spring ‘water, put one dram of 
tutty, finely prepared, one dram of 'white sugar candy pow- 
dered, ana half a dram of sugar of lead. With a feather 
put a drop into each eye, mornings and evenings. 
Never blow any powders into the eyes ; always use li- 
quids* 
The next day (if needful) repeat the poultice; and, for 
A caution against eye-powders. THE GENTLEMAN’S 
24 
want of a hot loaf, at any time, make a poultice of bread 
boiled in milk, continuing the eye-water every day. You 
may use the turnip-poultice, but you must not put grease 
into it. 
Never let grease or oil come near the eyes. 
If a philm grows over the eye, put a scruple of white 
vitriol and a scruple of roach-allum, both finely pow- 
dered, into half a quartern of spring water; and with a 
feather put a drop into each eye, mornings and evenings, 
and’twill eat it clean off in three days or thereabouts; but 
be not prevailed on to blow flint and glass (pounded toge- 
ther) into the eyes ; because the sharp points of the glass 
wound all the tender blood-vessels, and cause an inex- 
pressible painful inflammation, not much inferior, and 
full as insignificant, as the farrier’s way of burning a thou- 
sand holes in his skin with a red hot poker, to cure the 
farcy. 
Gelding and docking are but little help to bad eyes. 
A philm.—The cuic. 
Blistering the temples, cutting out the haws, and 
taking up the veins, weaken the optics, and hasten blind- 
ness. 
Caution against blindness. 
’Tis observed, some horses carry a good belly all the jour- 
ney ; others part with their food before ’tis well digested, 
and scour all the way ; which makes ’em so thin and lank, 
that they are ready to slip through their girts; they are 
called washy. Such horses must be chiefly fed with dry 
meat; that is oats and beans, and but seldom with bran. 
They also will eat as much or rather more than other 
horses, and you should feed them oftener; for, being too 
soon empty, they require it; and, if you’ll allow them 
enough, they’ll perform a tolerable good journey ; but I 
do not recommend such a one. 
Observations on washy horses. POCKET FARRIER. 
25 
If you do not gallop your horse off his wind, I will ven- 
ture to say, it is not the journey that hurts him, but your 
negledl of him when you dismount. Consider, he is tied 
up, and can have nothing but what is brought to him, for 
he cannot help himself; and, if you don’t cause him to be 
properly attended, a dog that wanders about fares better 
than the horse that carried you so well; and since he 
cannot ask for what he wants, you must supply every 
thing. 
Remember to feed. 
DireElions for feeding. 
When you end the day’s journey, fill your horse’s belly 
as soon as you can, that he may go to rest, and he’ll be 
the fresher for it in the morning. ’Tis an old observation, 
that young men eat and sleep better than old ; but old 
horses eat and sleep better than young. 
Give two or three little feeds, instead of a large one j 
too much at once may cloy him. 
If you perceive your horse travel faintly, you may give 
him at any time a pint of warm ale, with a quartern of 
brandy, rum, or geneva in it, or an ounce of diapente 
in it. Diapente will comfort his bowels, drive out cold 
and wind, and may cause him to carry his food the 
longer. 
A cordial, if faint upon the road. 
If your horse is tiken with the gripes (which he will 
discover to you by often looking towards his flanks), and 
cannot keep upon his legs, but rolls and beats him- 
self about, seeming (as undoubtedly he is) in very great 
misery; 
Gripes. 
Caution against a drench. 
The farrier (after he has bled him) will bring you a 
pint of beef-brine, mixed with a quart of the grounds 
of stale beer, to drench him with; then a glyster cf the 
same j and, if that don’t cure him, Adieu ! 26 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
Nothing but a horse could live, after having such a 
composition forced into his stomach. 
The cure—A glyster. 
Don’t bleed him (unless his breath is very hot), but 
clothe him warm immediately, and with a horn give him 
half apintof brandy, and as much sweet oil, mixed; then 
trot him about, till he is a little warm, which will cer- 
tainly cure some horses. If it does not yours, boil one 
ounce of beaten pepper in a quart of milk ; put half a pound of 
butter, and two or three ounces of salt, into a bowl or bason, 
and brew them together ; gi-ve it rather warmer than usual; 
’twill purge him in half an hour or thereabouts, and 
perhaps remove the fit. If it does not, omit half the 
pepper, and give the same in quantity and quality, 
by way of glyster, adding (as it cools) the yelks of four 
*ff this has the good effedt that’s wished for, you must 
nurse him up till he gets his strength again ; but, if nei- 
ther will do, boil a pound of annisccds in two quarts of ale, 
brew it upon a pound of honey ; when it is almost cool enough, 
put in two ounces of aiascordium, and give it (with a horn) 
at three doses, allowing about half an hour between each 
dose. 
If his fit abates, give him time to recover himself. 
Worms or botts. 
If all this does not give him ease, and if you have a 
Suspicion of worms or botts breeding in his guts (which 
Indeed may be the cause), for they sometimes fasten in 
the passage from the stomach into the great gut, and 
stop it, and so torment him till he dies (I have seen it 
in disse&ions); then give him two ounces of ALthiop's 
mineral made into a ball, ’with an ounce of the powder of 
annisecds, and a spoonful of honey. 
N. B. But you must not give this to a mare with 
foil. You may bleed her in the roof of the mouth ; ’tis 
to be hoped some of these things will hit. 
A caution. POCKET-FARRIER. 
Staggers. 
Don’t let your horse stand too long without exer- 
cise ; it fills his belly too full of meat, and his veins too full 
of blood. From htnce the staggers, and many other dis- 
tempers. 
The cure is to bleed and purge. 
‘The cure. 
Grazing. 
Thin-skinned horses, that have been well kept and 
clothed, should never be turned to grass above three 
months in the year, viz. from the beginning of June 
to the end of August. 
Thick-skinned horses have strong coats, which keep 
out the weather, and (if well fed) will lie abroad, and 
endure hard hunting all the year, better than stable-, 
horses. For walking about to feed prevents stiffness in 
their limbs; and treading in the grass keeps their hoofs 
moist and cool: but they should have a hovel to come to 
at night, or when it snows or rains. 
Never purge a horse just taken from grass; it dissolves 
or loosens some tender fat or humours, which fall into 
his legs or heels. But after six days you may bleed him 
once, under a quart; and at night give him the anni- 
seed cordial, see page 16, which is a gentle opener. 
No cold w a ter with physic. 
If you needs must purge your horse (for which I 
would have a good reason given), let him not touch cold 
water within or without, till the day after it has done 
working ; but you cannot give him too much warm 
water 5 I wish he would drink enough, for the sake of 
dilution. 
A purge. 
Allots, one ounce. Jalop, tivo or three drams. Oil of 
cloves, ten drops 5 made into a ball with honey. 28 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
Caution against cold water. 
Some obstinate grooms will work it off with cold water; 
and tell you, the sicker he is, the better the purge works. 
I deny it; for cold water checks the working of all phy- 
sic, and causes gripings. Make that groom drink cold 
water-gruel with his next pills, and that will convince 
him. 
A purge may work the first day, but commonly does 
not till the second. I have known one lie two, nay three 
days in a horse, and work well off at last. 
Sometimes it works by urine only, and then the purge 
steals off unobserved by his keeper ; upon he 
makes haste to give him a second, which (he says). is 
to carry off the first purge that has not worked with 
him. After giving the second, he takes him out of a 
warm stable, and trots him abroad (be the weather hot 
or cold), till he warms him, and opens all the pores of 
his body, to make the physic work. I do not think it 
possible for a horse, with a purge or two in his belly, to 
escape catching cold by such a method, and must impute 
great injuries to it; for, by such carelessness, and the 
want of better understanding, some horses lose an eye, 
others have irrecoverable lamenesses settled in their 
limbs; and many die. Then they tell you his liver wa.s 
rotten, and his lungs (upon opening) all inflamed. 
It works by urine 
How can any gentleman be satisfied for the loss of a 
good horse with such an ignorant account, so contrary to 
the rules of physic and even common sense ? An under- 
standing man, when he has given his horse a purge, will 
not stir him out of the stable till it has done working; 
for there is really no need of exercise during the ope- 
ration, because every purge will carry itself off", if you 
keep him warm, and supply him with warm mashes, and 
as much warm water as he phases to drink, and as 
often. 
Purge •within doors. POCKET-FARRIER. 
To stop violent purgings. 
When a purge works too long or too strong upon him, 
which will weaken him too much, give him an ounce of 
Venice treacle, in a pint of 'warm ale, and repeat it, if 
needful, to blunt the force of the alloes. 
All the keepers at Newmarket bleed and purge the 
running horses pretty often; and all the gentlemen in 
England agree with them in doing so. The reason given 
for it is, to carry off the humours, which cause their 
legs to swell and grow stiff', and to clean them. The 
reason’s good, because no horse is fit to run, that is not 
clean : but bleeding and purging weaken both man and 
beast j besides the hazard of a horse’s life in every purge 
(as I have demonstrated). Would it not therefore be a 
good amendment to get quit of those superfluous 
humours another way, so as to prevent stiff" and swelled 
legs, without bleeding and purging ? Would not a horse 
come into the Held with better advantage, who, instead 
of bleeding and purging only once a week, takes a medid 
cine that effectually cleans his body, keeps his legs from 
swelling and stiffness, mends his wind by opening his 
lungs, and preserves him in his full vigour ? I am sure 
all this can be done with very little bleeding, and no pur- 
ging j which I would willingly insert here, did it properly 
belong to this treatise, which (as I said) is intended only 
for the use and convenience of travellers. 
If a horse looks ill.—The. Lampars.—The cure. 
If your horse (who once looked fat and sleek) is 
brought to you with a staring coat and hollow flank, open 
his mouth, look on the roof, and, if the gums next his 
fore-teeth are swelled higher than his teeth, ’twill hinder 
his feeding, and make him fall of his flesh. Let a smith 
burn it down with a hot iron $ that is a complete cure for 
the Lampars. 
If that is not the case, you should never cease enquiring 
till you have found it; for the horse can’t speak $ and if 
the groom’s in fault, he won’t tell. THE GENTLEMAN’S 
If you suspeiff that the groom does not give him your 
allowance, it behoves you to take care, that you have 
thirty-six trusses in each load of hay, as well as eight 
bushels in every quartern of oats, and that they are not 
brewed; for there are some men that can turn oats into 
ale. 
'Take care oj your hay and oats. 
If a groom gallops his horse, when he’s full of water, 
he’ll tell you ’tis to warm the water in his belly ; from hence 
often comes a broken wind. Make that fellow drink a 
draught of small beer or water, and force him to run two 
or three hundred yards upon it: I believe it will cure 
him of that opinion. 
If ahorse in his stall (when the groom comes towards 
him) shifts from side to side, and is afraid of every mo- 
tion the man makes about him, ’tis a shrewd sign that 
the groom beats him in your absence; and a fellow that 
will beat a horse, will sell his provender. 
Broken ivlnd. 
Rcive/s. 
There is a wrong-judged custom amongst our profes- 
sors, concerning rowels. If a horse is sick, they bleed 
him, right or wrong, give him a drench, and put a rowel 
under his belly; without enquiring of his master or 
keeper, what usage he hath lately had, which might 
occasion the illness. Rowels are'absolutely necessary in 
some cases, but are absolutely unnecessary in others, and 
serve only to disfigure and torment a horse. As for 
example, 
The rowel in the navel for the grease (which you may 
see in almost all the coach and cart-horses about town) 
is very wrong; because rowels, in a horse that’s greased, 
promote too great a discharge from the blood and animal 
spirits, which weaken him to a degree of irrecoverable 
poverty. I have put five rowels in a horse at one time, 
thinking thus to let the grease run off; but the more the 
rowels ran, the. more he ran at the heels, till the texture 
of his blood was so broken, that I could not recover hin> POCKET-FARRIER. 
This convinc’d me ’twas the wrong way to cure the 
grease. I have heard it said, amongst learned physicians, 
that too many setons or issues will draw a man into a con- 
sumption. In my opinion, rowels will do the same thing 
by a horse, as they are of the like nature and eftedt. 
The farcin. 
The farcin proceeds from a stagnation of blood in the 
capillary or hair-like vessels, which corrupts, and breaks 
through into buds, and vents itself at the heels or frush. 
Colds, hard exercise, high feeding, &c. will occasion 
this. 
Farriers ignorantly endeavour to stop a running at the 
heels or frush, by applying bole ammoniac, alium, 
vitriol, lime-water, verdigrease, which are quite con- 
trary to the cure; for all styptics repel the sharp distil- 
lation, which should have a free passage; else the limbs 
will swell to a very great degree ; and must, in time, fall 
and burst out again in such a tide as will be hard to stem. 
For stopping is not curing. See page 13. 
Four parts in five of our farriers maintain, that the 
farcin lies between the flesh and the skin. Why then 
don’t rowelling cure it ? But it does not lie between the 
flesh and the skin; therefore rowelling never did, nor 
ever can cure it. For example, 
Before the buds break out, the veins cord ; which is a 
strong presumption that the distemper hath its origin 
in the blood; because there is its first appearance. 
Besides, take a pint of blood from the neck of any horse, 
wdiose veins are corded any where about him, and ’twill 
shew its corruption as soon as ’tis cold. Now, bleeding 
checks the distemper; whereas, if you did not bleed, it 
would break out in every part about Him, from the cars to 
the soals of his feet; even in the corners of his eyes, 
his yard, and the very inside of his hoofs, or wherever 
there are any blood-vessels. 
These demonstrations oblige me to believe the distemper 
does not lie in the skin, but in the veins: but the most 
Running at the heeh or frush, 32 
THE GENTLEMAN’S 
substantial proof is, the cure, which I can perfedb with- 
out touching the buds, or making the least outward 
application. 
A description of firing. 
The generality of our present farriers fire ; that is, they 
draw, with a red-hot iron, a circle, like a magic spell, 
round the buds, burning half through the skin. This, 
they say, stops the spreading; and is called firing. Then, 
into every bud they thrust the end of a red-hot poker, 
burning the bud to the bottom ; which is accounted by 
them a complete cure for the farcin : but I should rather 
take it to be a description of the last punishment 
allotted for wicked men. Who can imagine that a red-hot 
iron would correct the blood, and cure a distemper ? 
To cure the farcin. 'Take half an ounce of Roman 
vitriol boiled in a pint of chamber ley, two-penny -worth of 
turpentine, two-penny-worth of bole-ammoniac, and a 
handful of rue. Give it inwardly, and repeat the dose, if 
requisite. 
The glanders proceed from severe, repeated colds, such 
as are taken at winter-grass, and, by lying long upon the 
lungs and glands, corrupt the blood, and produce that 
unhappy consequence of running at the nostrils. 
The mourning of the chine is downright poverty of 
flesh and blood, v/hich the severity of the distemper (i. e. 
cold) brings on, and may be compared to the condition of 
a lean man in a consumption ; but there is no such thing 
as the running of the spinal marrow at the nostrils, as 
many affirm ; for the vessel that contains the spinal mar- 
row, is composed of the same coats that inclose the brain, 
and is continued from the brain, (without disjunftion, 
thro’ the neck and chine bones, till itends in the dock), so 
that there is not the least communication between the spi- 
nal marrow and the nostrils: ’tis the same in human 
bodies. 
A description of the glanders. 
To discover a fever. 
Would you know when a horse is in a fever, 
there is a pulse a little above the knee, in the inside of POCKET-FARRIER. 
his leg, which may be felt in thin-skinned horses; but 
the best and surest way is, to put your hand to his 
nostrils, and discover it by the heat of his breath. 
Glysters, 
There is a time (in some fevers) when it is dangerous 
to bleed or purge ; then glysters are of excellent use ; I 
must say absolutely necessary ; but not one in a thousand 
will give themselves the trouble to relieve the poor sick 
creature in that way ; for two reasons : first, few people 
know when a horse is in a fever. 
A glyster in a fever• 
Secondly, they seldom are provided with so material 
an instrument as a glyster-pype; therefore, for the sake 
of the creature, and those that love him, the following 
glyster (in a fever) is as good as any, and as little trouble. 
But first, bespeak, at a pewterer’s, a pipe, eight or ten 
inches long, with a bore large enough to receive the end 
cf your finger, and a rim at one end of this pipe, that 
what you tie on may not slip off. Then boil a spoonful of 
oat-meal in two quarts of water, together with two ounces 
of senna, and half a pound of brown sugar, half a pint 
of sweet oil, and a handful of salt. Get a bladder, at an 
apothecary’s or butcher’s, that will contain the abovesaid 
quantity, and tie its neck to the pipe; pour the glyster 
with a funnel through the pipe into the bladder, and give 
it blood-warm, setting the horse’s hinder parts highest. 
Keep him quiet in the stable till he voids it; the longer 
it stays with him, the better; but you need not tie his 
tail down to his fundament: ’tis ridiculous to think that 
will detain it a moment. 
If a farrier, in bleeding, miss the vein, don’t let him 
strike his flem a second time into the same place; 
because it sometimes makes the neck swell, and proves 
troublesome to cure: and, as the extravasated blood infal- 
libly makes the neck swell, and the jugular vein rot 
quite away, from the orifice up to the jaw-bone, and 
Swelled neck. 34 
THE GENTkEMAN’s 
downward almost to the shoulder (which may prove the 
loss of your horse), he should take care, in the pinning, 
that he leaves not a drop of blood between the flesh and 
the skin. 
(Note, The nearer the throat you bleed him, the 
better. The vein is not so apt to swell into a knot, as if 
bled lower.) 
Bleed high in the neck. 
The turnip poultice makes the best cure ; but if the 
neck should happen to be extremely bad, and a tumour 
should form, when you feel matter fluctuate under your 
finger, ’tis best to open it and give a free discharge, and 
dress it with the horse ointment, keeping the neck 
elevated. 
A horse, after bleeding, should not eat hay for half a 
day, lest the motion of the muscles should bring on an 
inflammation and swelling. 
The cure. 
Docking. 
It seldom happens that we dock a horse upon a jour- 
ney; but permit me to give a caution on that subjedt 
here. In docking a horse, never put under his tail the 
knife or instrument which is to cut it of}'; because you 
then must strike the tail, which will bruise it, and it will 
be apt to mortify ; which is the reason so many horses 
die with docking : but lay his tail next the block, and (at 
one blow) drive the knife through a joint if possible; 
stand prepared with a hot iron, to sear the end of the 
dock, and stop the bleeding. 
Never draw a soal. 
Never draw a horse’s soals on any pretence whatever. 
There is no hurt or wound in the cask of the foot but 
may be come at; and ’tis the reverse of a cure fora foun- 
der, though the farriers always do it. A man may help a 
foundered horse, but I never knew one cured. POCKET-FARRIER. 
35 
I have now mentioned most of the common accidents, 
and have taken care that, under some of those heads, you 
may find a great deal of help by the analogy they have to 
one another: in short, I have mentioned more than is 
necessary on a journey. 
FINIS.