Part 1

Essays On Horse Subjects

BY F. C. GRENSIDE, V. S.

NEW YORK PRIVATELY PRINTED 1907

Copyright, 1907, by F. C. GRENSIDE

PREFACE

Having been requested to contribute from time to time, articles for papers devoted to the horse, I have an accumulation of these that I thought it might not be amiss to publish under the title of “Essays on Horse Subjects.”

Many of these subjects I have never seen any literature upon, and these Essays are largely the result of twenty-eight years’ experience as a practical horseman and veterinarian. Covering as they do the borderland between the provinces of the veterinarian and horseman, they relate to subjects which have been to a large extent neglected by both. This fact is my excuse for publishing them. F. C. G.

CONTENTS

PAGE

QUALITY IN HORSES 1

HEREDITARY UNSOUNDNESS IN HORSES 8

HITCHING IN HORSES 20

HORSESHOEING AND HORSES’ HOOFS 25

CORRECT ACTION IN HORSES 34

FORGING, OVER-REACHING AND CLICKING 41

INTERFERING, STRIKING, CUTTING OR BRUSHING IN HORSES 46

THE HORSE’S MOUTH 54

TURNING HORSES OUT 64

BITTING, SHOEING AND CONDITIONING FOR ACTION 69

EXERCISE FOR HORSES 90

THE HORSE’S COAT IN SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN AND WINTER 98

THE CAUSES OF DIGESTIVE DISORDERS 105

THE USE OF BURRS ON HORSES’ BITS 124

QUALITY IN HORSES

There is no subject upon which there seems to be more diversity of opinion amongst horsemen than as to what constitutes “quality” in a horse.

It is a term in very common use, but if you ask a number of horsemen what they mean by it you are sure to get a variety of answers. One will say it means breeding; another, conformation; another, finish; another, “class”; another, symmetry; another, individuality; another, an accentuation of all fine points; another, magnetism; another, refinement of lines or perhaps a combination of some or all of these attributes. Some say that quality is recognizable, but indefinable and unexplainable.

The term “quality” is an abstract one, indicating a special attribute in an individual, just as being well bred, well conformed and possessing finish are attributes of some individuals. When one says that a horse has “quality,” one means that he has a special attribute which may or may not be combined with any or all of the others mentioned. Of course there are varying degrees of “quality,” so that the term can only be used in a comparative sense. In the light classes of horses it is very often used synonymously with breeding. Certainly the more warm-blooded a horse is the higher the degree of quality he is apt to possess, but one may take two equally well bred thoroughbreds and find one showing evidence of the possession of a higher degree of quality than the other. So that breeding and quality do not mean the same thing. Neither does quality signify the possession of symmetry, good conformation, finish or “class.” A horse may be defective in any or all of these respects and still possess a high degree of “quality.” He may be fiddle-headed, lop-eared, ewe-necked, sway-backed, flat-sided, slack-loined, cow-hocked and calf-kneed, and yet show much “quality.”

Much confusion is caused by using the term “quality” synonymously with “class.” Horses are spoken of as high-class, medium-class and so on, indicating the degree of excellence which they possess for the purpose for which they are best suited. Two individuals can be taken as an example, showing equal “quality,” but one of them, on account of better conformation, more style and action, may be worth twice as much as the other. Consequently he is a higher-class individual, although the two are equal in “quality.” So that “quality” and “class” do not mean the same.