and swiftest horses in the world, and performing every day his journey from east to west, in order to communicate his light to mankind.

Xenophon describes a solemn sacrifice of horses to the sun : they were all the finest steeds, and were led with a white chariot, crowned, and consecrated to the god. The horses which Josiah removed out of the court of the temple were probably appointed for similar sacrifices. The rabbins say that these horses were every morning put to the chariots dedicated to the sun, whereof there is mention made in the same book; and that the king, or some of his officers, got up and rode to meet the sun in its rising, as far as from the eastern gate of the temple to the suburbs of Jerusalem. Others are of opinion that the horses mentioned in the book of Kings were of wood, stone, or metal, erected in the temple in honor of the sun. Horses were used both among the Greeks and Romans in war, but were not originally very numerous; for, as each horseman provided his own horse, few would be able to bear the expense. Horses, for a considerable time, were managed by the voice alone, or by a switch, without bridle, saddle, or stirrups. Their harness was skins of beasts, and sometimes cloth. Both horses and men, amongst the Greeks, underwent a severe probation before their admission into the cavalry.

In the management of a horse, upon a journey, see that his shoes be not too strait, or press his feet, but be exactly shaped; and let him be shod some days before you begin a journey, that they may be settled to his feet. Observe that he is furnished with a bit proper for him, and by no means too heavy, which may incline him to carry low, or to rest upon the hand when he grows weary, which horsemen call making use of his fifth leg. The mouth of the bit should rest upon his bars about half a finger's breadth from his tushes, so as not to make him frumble from his lips; the curb should rest in the hollow of his beard a little above the chin; and, if it gall him, you must defend the place with a piece of buff or other soft leather. Observe that the saddle do not rest upon his withers, reins, or back bone, and that one part of it do not press his back more than another. Some riders gall a horse's sides below the saddle with their stirrup-leathers, especially if he be lean; to prevent this, you should fix a leather strap between the points of the fore and hind bows of the saddle, and make the stirrup leather pass over them. Begin your journey with short marches, especially if your horse has not been exercised for a long time; suffer him to stale as often as you find him inclined; and even invite him to it; but do not excite mares to stale, as their vigor is thereby diminished. Ride softly for a quarter or half an hour before you arrive at an inn, that the horse, not being too warm, nor out of breath, when put into the stable, you may unbridle him; but, if business obliges you to ride fast, you must then (the weather being warm) let him be walked, that he may cool by degrees; if it be very cold, let him be covered with cloths; but, in case you have not the conveniency of a sheltered walk, stable him forthwith, and let his whole body be rubbed and dried with straw. As soon as the

horse is partly dried, and ceases to heat in the flanks, let him be unbridled, his bit washed, cleansed, and wiped, and let him eat his hay at pleasure. If he be very dry, and has not got water on the road, give him oats washed in good mild ale. The dust and sand will sometimes so dry the tongues and mouths of horses, that they lose their appetites. In such case, give him bran well moistened with water to cool and refresh his mouth; or wash his mouth and tongue with a wet sponge, to oblige him to eat. These directions are to be observed after moderate riding; but, if you have rode excessively hard, unsaddle your horse, and scrape off the sweat with a knife, or scraper, holding it with both hands, and scraping always with the hair; then rub his head and ears with a large hair-cloth, wipe him also between the fore and hind legs; in the mean time, his body should be rubbed all over with straw, especially under his belly and beneath the saddle, till he is thoroughly dry. That done, set on the saddle again, cover him; and if you have a warm place, let him be gently led up and down in it, for a quarter of an hour; but if you have not, let him dry where he stands. Or you may unsaddle him immediately; scrape off the sweat; let the hostler take a little vinegar and squirt it into the horse's mouth; then rub his head between the fore and hind legs, and his whole body, till he is pretty dry: let him not drink till he be thoroughly cool, and has eaten a few oats; for many, by drinking too soon, have been spoiled. Set the saddle in the sun or by a fire, in order to dry the pannels.

When horses are arrived in an inn, a man should, before they are unbridled, lift up their feet, to see whether they want any of their shoes, or if those they have do not rest upon their sides; afterwards he should pick and clear them of the earth and gravel, which may be between their shoes and soles. If you water them abroad, upon their return from the river cause their feet to be stopped with cow-dung, which will ease their pain; and, if it be in the evening, let the dung continue in their feet all night, to keep them soft and in good condition: but, if your horse have brittle feet, it will be requisite to anoint the fore feet, at the onsetting of the hoofs, with butter, oil, or hog's grease, before you water him in the morning, and in dry weather they should also be greased at noon. Many horses, as soon as unbridled, instead of eating, lay themselves down to rest, because of the pain they feel in their feet, so that one is apt to think them unwell: but, if their eyes are lively and good and if they will eat lying, they are in good health; yet if you handle the feet perhaps they will feel extremely hot, which discovers their suffering in that part. Examine, therefore, if their shoes do not rest upon their soles, which is somewhat difficult to be certainly known without unshoeing them; but if you take off their shoes, and look to the inside of them, you may perceive that those parts which rest upon the soles are more smooth and shining than the others: in this case, pare the feet in those parts, and fix on their shoes again, anointing the hoofs, and stopping the soles with hog's-lard.

After a long day's journey, at night feel your

horse's back: if he be pinched, galled, or swelled (if you do not immediately discover it, perhaps you may after supper), there is nothing better than to rub it with good brandy, or with lead water. If the galls are between the legs, use the same remedy; but if the hostler rubs him well between the legs, he will seldom be galled in that part. To preserve horses after travel, as soon as you arrive from a journey, immediately draw the two heel-nails of the fore feet; and, if it be a large shoe, then four: two or three days after, you may blood him in the neck, and feed him for ten or twelve days only with wet bran, without giving him any oats; but keep him well littered. The reason of drawing the heel-nails is because the heels are apt to swell, and, if they are not thus eased, the shoes would press and straiten them too much; it is also advisable to stop them with cow-dung for a while; but do not take the shoes off nor pare the feet.

The following bath will be very serviceable for preserving a horse's leg. Take the dung of a cow or ox, and make it thin with vinegar, so as to be of the consistence of thick broth; and, having added a handful of small salt, rub his fore legs from the knees, and the hind legs from the gambrels, chafing them well with and against the hair, that the remedy may sink in and stick to those parts. Thus leave the horse till morning, not wetting his legs, but giving him his water that evening in a pail; next morning lead him to the river, or wash his legs in soft water, which will keep them from swelling. Those persons who, to recover their horse's feet, make a hole in them, which they fill with moistened cow-dung, and keep it in their fore feet during the space of a month, act very injudiciously; because, though the continual moisture that issues from the dung occasions the growing of the hoof, yet it dries and shrinks it so excessively when out of that place, that it splits and breaks like glass, and the foot immediately straightens. It is certain that cow-dung, contrary to the opinion of many people, spoils a horse's hoof; it does indeed moisten the sole; but it dries up the hoof, which is of a different nature from it. In order, there fore, to recover a horse's feet, instead of cow dung, fill a hole with blue wet clay, and make him keep his fore feet in it for a month. Most horses that are fatigued, or over-ridden, and made lean by long journeys, have their flanks altered without being pursy, especially vigorous horses that have worked too violently. To recover them, give each of them in the morning half a pound of honey very well mingled with scalded bran; and, when they readily eat the half pound, give them the next time a whole one, and afterwards two pounds, every day continuing this course till your horses are empty, and purge kindly with it; but, as soon as you perceive that their purging ceases, give them no more honey. Administer powder of liquorice in the scalded bran for a considerable time; and, to cool their blood, it will not be improper to let them have three or four glisters. If the horse be very lean, give him some wet bran, over and above his proportion of oats; and grass is also beneficial, if he be not pursy. Sometimes excessive feeding may do horses more harm than good,

by rendering them subject to the farcy. Be cautious, therefore, in giving them too great a quantity at a time. When a horse begins to drink water heartily, it is a certain sign that he will recover in a short time. All the time you are upon a journey, let your horse drink of the first good water you come to, after seven o'clock in the morning if it be in summer, and after nine or ten in winter. That is accounted good water which is neither too quick and piercing, nor too muddy. This is to be done, unless you would have him gallop a long time after drinking; for if so, you must forbear. Though it is the cusstom in England to run and gallop horses after drinking; yet, says M. de Sollysel, it is the most pernicious practice that can be imagined for horses. Although a horse be warm, and sweat very much, yet if he is not quite out of breath, and you have still four or five miles to ride, he will be better after drinking a little, than if he had drunk none at all. But if the horse be very warm, you should at coming out of the water, redouble your pace, to warm the water in his belly. If when you bait he be hot or sweaty, you must not let him drink, as it would endanger his life; and, when his bridle is taken off, his excessive thirst will hinder him from eating, so that he will not offer to touch his meat for an hour or two; therefore he should have his oats given him washed in ale or beer, or only a part of them, if you intend to feed him again after he has drunk. Some think that horses are often spoiled by giving them oats before their water; because they say the water makes the oats pass too soon, and out of the stomach undigested. But M. de Sollysel affirms, that though it be the common custom not to do it till after, yet it is proper to feed with oats both before and after, especially if the horse be warm, and has been hard rode.

HORSE, STONE. See STALLION.

The count de Buffon gives the following directions for breeding horses :-When the stallion is chosen, and all the mares intended for him are collected together, there must be another stonehorse, to discover which of the mares are in heat; and, at the same time, contribute to inflame them. All the mares are to be brought successively to this stone-horse; which should also be inflamed, and suffered frequently to neigh. As he is for leaping every one, such as are not in heat keep him off, while those which are so suffer him to approach them. But, instead of being allowed to satisfy his impulse, he must be led away, and the real stallion substituted in his stead. This trial is necessary for ascertaining the true time of the mare's heat, especially of those which have not yet had a colt; for, with regard to such as have recently foaled, the heat usually begins nine days after their delivery; and on that very day they may be led to the stallion to be covered; and nine days after, by the experiment above-mentioned, it may be known whether they are still in heat. If they are, they must be covered a second time; and thus successively every ninth day while their heat continues: for when they are impreg nated their heat abates, and in a few days ceases entirely. The stud must be fixed in a good soil,

and in a suitable place, proportioned to the numbers of mares and stallions intended to be used. This spot must be divided into several parts, enclosed with rails or ditches well fenced; in the part where the pasture is the richest, the mares in fold, and those with colts by their sides, are to be kept. Those which are not impregnated, or have not yet been covered, are to be separated, and kept with the fillies in another close, where the pasture is less rich, that they may not grow too fat. Lastly, the young stone coits, or geldings, are to be kept in the driest part of the fields, and where the ground is most unequal; that, by running over the uneven surface, they may acquire a freedom in the motion of their legs and shoulders. This close, where the stone colts are kept, must be very carefully separated from the others, lest the young horses break their bounds, and enervate themselves with the mares. If the tract be so large as to allow of dividing each of these closes into two parts, for putting oxen and horses into them alternately, the pasture will last much longer than if continually eaten by horses; the ox improving the fertility, whereas the horse lessens it. In each of these closes should be a pond; standing water being better than running, which often gripes them; and, if there are any trees in the ground, they should be left standing, their shade being very agreeable to the horses in great heats; but all stems or stumps should be grubbed up, and all holes levelled, to prevent accidents. In these pastures the horses should feed during the summer; but in the winter the mares should be kept in the stable and fed with hay. The colts also must be housed, and never suffered to feed abroad in winter, except in very fine weather. Stallions that stand in the stable should be fed more with straw than hay; and moderately exercised till covering time, which generally lasts from the beginning of April to the end of June. But during this season they should have no other exercise, and be plentifully fed, but with the same food as usual. Before the stallion is brought to the mare he should be dressed, as that will greatly increase his ardor. The mare must also be curried, and have no shoes on her hind feet, some of them being ticklish, and apt to kick the stallion. During the first seven days, let four different mares be successively brought to him; and the ninth day let the first be again brought, and so successively while they continue in heat: but, as soon as the heat of any one is over, a fresh mare is to be put in her place, and covered in her turn every nine days; and as several retain even at first, second, or third time, it is computed that a stallion, by such management, during the three months, may cover fifteen or eighteen mares, and beget ten or thirteen colts. After being covered, nothing more is requisite than to lead her away to the field.

The first foal of a mare is never so strongly formed as the succeeding; so that care should be taken to procure for her, the first time, a larger stallion, that the defect of the growth may be compensated by the largeness of the size. Particular regard should also be had to the difference or congruity of the fashion of the stallion and the mare, in order to correct the faults

of the one by the perfections of the other; especially never to make any disproportionate copulations, as of a small horse with a large mare, or a large horse with a small mare; as the produce of such copulation would be small, or badly proportioned. It is by gradation that we must endeavour to arrive at natural beauty. It has been observed, that horses fed in dry and light grounds produce temperate, swift, and vigorous foals, with muscular legs and a hard hoof; while the same bred in marshes and moist pastures have produced foals with a large heavy head, a thick carcass, clumsy legs, bad hoofs, and broad feet. These differences proceed from the air and food; but what is more difficult to be accounted for, and still more essential than what we have hitherto observed, is, to be continually crossing the breed to prevent a degeneracy. In coupling of horses, the color and size should be suited to each other, the shape contrasted, and the breed crossed by an opposition of climates: but horses and mares foaled in the same stud should never be joined. These are essential articles; but there are others which should by no means be neglected; as, that no short-docked mares be suffered in a stud, because, from their being unable to keep off the flies, they are much more tormented by them than others which have a long sweeping tail; and their continual agitation from the stings of these insects, occasions a diminution in the quantity of their milk, and has a great influence on the constitution and size of the colt, which will be vigorous in proportion as its dam is a good nurse. Care must also be taken that the stud mares be such as have been brought up in pastures, and never over-worked. Mares which have always been brought up in the stable on dry food, and afterwards turned to grass, do not breed at first; some time is required for accustoming them to this new aliment. Though the usual season for the heat of mares be from the beginning of April to the end of June, yet it is not uncommon to find some among a large number that are in heat before that time; but it is advisable to let this heat pass over without giving them to the stallion, because they would foal in winter; and the colts, besides the inclemency of the season, would have bad milk for their nourishment. Again, if the mares are not in heat ill after the end of June, they should not be covered that season; because the colts, being foaled in summer, have not time for acquiring strength sufficient to repel the injuries of the following winter. Many, instead of bringing the stallion to the mare, turn him loose into the close, where all the mares are brought together ; and there leave him to choose such as will stand to him. This is a very advantageous method for the mares; they will always take horse more certainly than in the other; but the stallion, in six weeks, will do himself more damage than in a number of years by moderate exercise, conducted in the manner already mentioned. When the mares are pregnant, and their belly begins to swell, they must be separated from those that are not, lest they hurt them. They usually go eleven months and some days; and foal standing, whereas most other quadrupeds lie down. Those