teaching him what you desire him

Take only one at first, and after he is learned, if you have a mate

for him, do the same with him and finally, harness them together and carefully

do the same with the span. It will more than pay in the after usefulness of the

horses for all the labor and pains of teaching.

III.

to know.

;

42

DH. CHASE'S RECIPES.

6555

Brood Mares, Proper Care

Foaling.

—The author

is

of,

Before and at the Time of

indebted to the " Veterinary " of the

New York

Michigan Farmer for the following sensible

instructions as to the proper food and care of brood mares at this critical period

of their lives; and especially will it be found necessary to have an eye to the

mother's conduct towards the foal or colt, if it is her first, as she may be kind

to it and she may not; still, watchful care is very important in all cases until the

The writers speak very much alike, as though one

colt is up and doing well.

had copied from the other, in parts at least, but which is the copyist I do not

know but as each is more full in some points than the other, I shall use

all important points without giving both in full, as that would only be a repetiThe combination is sensible and

tion, my credit being given jointly, as above.

Spirit and a correspondent of the

;

worthy of consideration.

It is as follows:

" The best feed for the brood mare is cornstalks or good timothy hay, with

from 4 to 6 qts. of ground oats and wheat bran (equal parts) each day. The

ground oats and wheat bran not only enable the dam to make all necessary

preparations to supply the coming foal with nourishment at the time when most

needed, but it keeps her healthy and strong, and enables her to furnish the

growing foetus (colt in uterus) with the best kind of material to make the best

bone and muscle. The dam should also have moderate exercise, but it should

be regular. If she be used in a team, she should not be driven faster than a

walk, Qor loaded too heavily, for in either case there is danger of injuring the

dam and ruining the foal.

She should be housed or sheltered nights and in all

As foaling time approaches, she particularly needs the prac-

stormy weather.

ticed eye of the careful and experienced breeder.

For she should be watched

both day and night, as many a valuable colt has been lost that two minutes'

labor at the particular time would have saved. As soon as the colt is dropped,

the attendant should see that its head is free from the membrane or sac with

which it is enveloped, as the colt will otherwise soon smother. The next thing

is to sever the umbilical cord about 5 inches from the foal and tie the end next

This, if possible, should be done before the

to the colt to prevent bleeding, etc.

dam rises, as many a colt has been ruptured at the navel by the dam rising

before the string was severed. After the above has been promptly attended to,

leave the dam alone with the foal for half an hour and carefully watch her

actions.

Now, in case she seems disposed to injure, or in any way abuse the

foal, it should be taken away from her and covered with a blanket until dry.

at the end of a few hours, the attendant with whom the mare is most familiar

should endeavor to assist the foal to suckle. If necessary the mare must be

placed under more or less restraint. The twitch, strapping up one foot, or the

side line must be resorted to, while the assistant renders the necessary assistance

by holding the colt at the side and by putting the nose to the teat of the mare.

After the colt is able to draw its nourishment from the dam without the aid of

need be done but furnish ashed, if the weather be inclement,

and a liberal supply of good hay or stalks, and a ])eck of ground oats and bran

per day until there is a full growth of green, spring grass."

Remarks. The author can see nothing to add to these instructions, except.

its attendant, little

—

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

659

should it ever ocwir that from storms, or from the mare's " coming in " out of

the ordinary season, she should have a double stall or a barn floor, well bedded,

entirely to herself at such time, together with the same watchful care to avoid

accidents, that is above recommended, with which no danger generally need be

apprehended.

How to Choose or Buy a Horse.— The following simple rules will

be found useful to all parties about to buy a horse:

if

Never take the seller's word; if dishonest he will be sure to cheat you;

I.

disposed to be fair, he may have been the dupe of another, and will deceive

you through representations which cannot be relied upon.

If you trust the horse's mouth for his age, observe well the rules given

II.

below, for that purpose.

Never buy a horse while in motion watch him while he stands at

and you will discover his weak points. If sound he will stand squarely

on his limbs without moving any of them, the feet planted flat upon the ground,

with legs plump and naturally poised. If one foot is thrown forward with the

toe pointing to the ground and the heel raised; or if the foot is lifted from the

ground and the weight taken from it, disease of the navicular bone may be suspected, or at least, tenderness, which is precursor of disease.

If the foot is

tlirown out, the toe raised and the heel brought down, the horse has suffered

from laminitis, founder or fever in the feet, or the back sinews have been

sprained, and he is of little future value. When the feet are all drawn together

beneath the horse, if there has been no disease there is a misplacement of the

limbs, at least, and a weak disposition of the muscles. If the horse stands with

his feet spread out, or straddles with the hind legs, there is weakness of the

loins, and the kidneys are disordered.

rV. Never buy a horse with a bluish or milkish cast in the eyes. They

indicate a constitutional tendency to ophthalmia (soreness or weak eyes) moon

III.

;

rest,

blindness, etc.

V.

back.

Never have anything to do with a horse who keeps his ears thrown

an invariable indication of bad temper.

It is

VI. If a horse's hind legs are scarred the fact denotes that he is a kicker.

VII. If the knees are blemished the horse is apt to stumble.

VIII. When the skin is rough and harsh, and does not move easily and

smoothly to the touch, tlie horse is a heavy eater, and his digestion is bad.

IX. Avoid a horse whose respiratory organs are at all impaired. If the

ear is placed at the side of the heart, and a whizzing sound is heard, it is an

indication of trouble.

Let him go.

How to Judge the Age of a Horse.— The age of a horse, up to a

There are no two opinions

But as almost every writer on this subject has some pet

theory of his own, there are probably no two writers whose opinions agree as

to the exact manner of arriving at a horse's age after it has attained the age of

5 years.

For the edification of our readers, we give from " Kendall's Treatise

on the Horse," the following concise rules, which will be found generally corcertain period, is generally determined by his teeth.

alike on this point.

rect:

DR- CEASE'S RECIPES.

660

Eight to fourteen days after birth the first middle nippers of the set of

I.

milk teeth are cut; four to six weeks afterward, the pair next to them, and

All these milk teeth have a well

finally, after six or eight months, the last.

defined body, neck and shoulder fang, and on their front surface grooves or

furrows, which disappear from the middle nippers at the end of one year; from

the next pair in two years, and from the incisive teeth (cutters) in three years.

At the age of two the nippers become loose and fall out, in their places

II.

appear two permanent teeth, with deep, black cavities, and full, sharp edges.

—

At the age of three the next pair fall out. At four years old the corner teeth

At five years old the horse has his permanent set of teeth.

The teeth grow in length as the horse advances in years, but at the

III.

same time his teeth are worn away by use, about one-twelfth of an inch every

fall out.

year, so that the black cavities of the nippers below disappear in the sixth year;

those of the next pair in the seventh year, and those of the corner teeth in the

eight year; also the outer corner teeth of the upper and lower jaws just meet

at eight years of age.

At nine years old cups leave the two center nippers

above, and each of the two upper corner teeth have a little sharp protrusion at

At the age of ten the cups disappear from the

the extreme outer corner.

adjoining teeth; at the age of eleven the cups disappear from the corner teeth

above, and are only indicated by brownish spots.

IV.

The oval form becomes broader, and changes, from the twelfth to the

more into a triangular form, and teeth lose, finally,

sixteenth year, more aiid

with the 20th year, all regularity. There is nothing remaining in the teeth that

can aftei-ward clearly show the age of the horse or justify the most experienced

examiner in giving a positive opinion.

V. The tushes or canine teeth, conical in shape, with a sharp point and

curved, are cut between the third and fourth year, their points become more

and more rounded, until the ninth year, and after that more and more dull in

the course of years, and lose, finally, all regular shape. Mares have frequently

no tusks, or only faintly indicated.

What Makes a Horse Shy, and How to Avoid it. — A correspon"There never was a shying horse that

Such horses do not see the object until getting right near

dent of the Michigan Farmer, says:

•was not near-sighted.

Nothing will break the horse of this habit unJess the blinders are discarded

and an open head-stall used. Treat the horse kindly. Never whip him, but try

One of the worst shyto coax him up to the object, that he may smell of it.

ers was broken by leading, riding and driving In a meadow among stone,

stumps, boxes and buffalo robes in different positions every day, the horse being

Let any one

led up to them and allowed to eat a few oats off of the object.

examine a well-behaved horse's eye and then a " shyer's " eye, and note the difit.

ference.

Managing and Shoeing Fractious Horses.— The following valu"A beautiful and high-spirited

able information is from the Live Stock Journal:

boi"se would never allow a shoe to be put on his feet or any person to handle his

f*«et.

In attempting to shoe such a horse, recently, he resisted

all

efforts,

DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

661

kicked aside everything but an anvil, and came near killing himself against

This defect was just

on the eve of consigning him to the plow, where he might walk barefoot, when

an officer in our service, lately returned from Mexico, took a cord about the siza

of a common bed-cord, put it in the mouth of the horse like a bit, and tied it

that, and finally was brought back to his stable unshod.

tightly on the animal's head, passing his left ear under the string, not painfully

tight, but tight enough to keep the ear down and the cord in place.

This done,

he patted the horse gently on the side of the head and commanded him to follow,

and instantly the horse obeyed, perfectly subdued, and as gentle and obedient

as a dog, suffering his feet to be lifted with entire impunity, and acting in all

The gentleman who thus furnished this exceedingly

respects like an old stager.

simple means of subduing a very dangerous propensity, intimated that it is

practiced In Mexico and South America in the management of wild horses."

Vicious Horses, Efficient Method of Subduing.

— A new and

very simple method of subduing or training vicious horses was recently exhibited at West Philadelphia, Pa., where the manner in which the very wildest

horses were subdued so quickly, caused the Becard of that city, in making the fol-

lowing report, to call it "astonishing." It says: "The first trial was that of a

kicking or bucking mare, which her owner said had allowed no rider on her

back for a period of at least five years. She became taine in about as many

minutes, and allowed herself to be ridden about without a sign of her former

wildness.

The means by which the result was accomplished was by a piece of

light rope which was passed around the front of the jaw of the mare just above

the upper teeth, crossed in her mouth, thence secured back of her neck. It

was claimed that no horse will kick or jump when thus secured, and that the

'

'

horse, after receiving the treatment a few times, will

abandon his vicious ways

forever.

"Method for Shoeing.

—The method for shoeing was equally simple.

It

consisted in connecting the animal's head and tail

by means of a rope fastened

to the tail and then to the bit, and then drawn tightly enough to incline the

animal's head to one side. This, it is claimed, makes it absolutely impossible

for the horse to kick on the side of the rope.

At the same exhibition a horse,

which for many years had to be bound on the ground to be shod, suffered the

blacksmith to operate on him without attempting to kick, while secured in the

manner described."

Remarks. Much less trouble than the old Rarey plan; and the more simple

the plan the easier it is to use it.

If this ever fails, put under an ear, as they

do in Mexico.

—

White Feet in Horses or Spots on the Forehead — How to

Produce a Match. — Take a piece of Osnaburg (coarse linen cloth originally

made in Osnaburg, Germany) the size of the white on the corresponding foot;

spread it with warm pitch and apply it around the foot, tying it afterward to

let it remain on three days, by which time it

and make the skin a little tender; then take of

keep it on in the right position

will bring off the hair clean

;

elixir of vitriol a small quantity,

anoint the parts 2 or 3 times

;

or use a common

—

—

I>R-

662

CHASE'S RECIPES.

weed called arse-smart, a small handful, bruise it, and add to it about a half

pint of water; use it as a wash until the soreness is removed, when the hair

will grow entirely white.

Cncket on the Hearth.

Remarks. If this will do the work on the feet, of which I have not a

doubt, it will do the same upon the forehead, and in either case will do the

—

horse no harm.

Kicking and Runaway Horses— How to Cure of the Habit.—

—

If you have a horse which is accustomed to knocking out the

dash-board with his heels, when things do not work to please him, proceed as

" Place around his neck a band like that used for riding with a marfollows:

The Kicking.

tingale.

Then take two light straps (made for the purpose) and buckle them to

the bits, on each side, and pass them through the neck-band, and also inside the

girth, and buckle them securely to

each fetlock of the hind

in the making, to have them of the proper length.

this manner, if

he attempts to

'

feet,

taking care,

When a horse is rigged in

kick up behind,' each effort will jerk his head

down in such a way as to astonish him, perhaps throw him over his head. He

will make but a few attempts to kick when he finds his head thus tied to his

heels, and two or three lessons will cure him altogether."

For the Runatcay.

effectual:

— The method for the runaway

'.'First of all,

is

equally simple and

fasten some thick pads upon your horse's knees, then

buckle a strap, about the size of a rein, upon each fetlock forward, and pass

the straps through the hame rings or some part of harness near the shoulder

on each side and lead the straps back to the driver's hand as he sits

in the buggy.

He has thus four reins in hand. Start the animal without

fear; don't worry him with a strong pull upon the bit, but talk to him

friendly.

"When he attempts to run, he must, of course, bend his forward legs.

Now pull sharply one of the foot reins, and the effect will be to raise one of his

forward feet to his shoulder. He is a three-legged horse now, and when he has

gone on in that way a little distance drop the constrained foot and jerk up the

other.

He can not run faster on three legs than you can ride,