Xenophon defcribes a folemn facrifice of horfes, to the fun they were all the fineft fteeds, and were led with a white chariot, crowned, and confecrated to the fame god. The horfes which Jofiah removed out of the court of the temple, were probably appointed for fimilar facrifices. The rabbins fay that thefe horses were every morning put to the chariots dedicated to the fun, whereof there is mention made in the fame book; and that the king, or fome of his officers, got up and rode to meet the fun in its rifing, as far as from the eastern gate of the temple to the fuburbs of Jerufalem. Others are of opinion, that the horfes mentioned in the book of Kings were of wood, ftone, or metal, erected in the temple in honour of the fun: others, that they were horfes which none were permitted to ride or faften to the yoke, but were free, and left to themfelves, like those which Julius Cæfar let loofe and fet at liberty after his paffage of the Rubicon. Horfes were used both among the Greeks and Romans in war, but were not originally very numerous; for, as each horfeman provided his own horfe, few would be able to bear the expense. Horses for a confiderable time were managed by the voice alone, or by a fwitch, without bridle, faddle, or ftirrups. Their harness was skins of beafts, and fometimes cloth. Both horfes and men amongst the Greeks underwent a fevere probation before their admiffion into the cavalry.

(3.) HORSE, ANATOMY OF THE. See FARRIERY, Part I.

(4.) HORSE, HUNTING. See HUNTER, N° 5, (5.) A HORSE, MANAGEMENT OF, UPON AND AFTER A JOURNEY. See that his fhoes be not too ftrait, or prefs his feet, but be exactly shaped; and let him be fhod fome days before you begin a journey, that they may be fettled to his feet. Obferve 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 reft upon the hand when he grows weary, which horfemen call making use of his fifth leg. The mouth of the bit fhould reft upon his bars about half a finger's breadth from his tufhes, fo as not to make him frumble from his lips; the curb fhould reft 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 foft leather. Obferve that the faddle do not reft upon his weathers, reins, or back bone, and that one part of it do not prefs his back more than another. Some riders gall a horfe's fides below the faddle with their ftirrupleathers, especially if he be lean; to hinder it, you fhould fix a leather ftrap between the points of the fore and hind bows of the faddle, and make the stirrup-leather pass over them. Begin your journey with fhort marches, efpecially if your horfe has not been exercised for a long time; fuffer him to ftale as often as you find him inclined; and even invite him to it; but do not excite mares to ftale, as their vigour will thereby be diminished. Ride very foftly, for a quarter or half an hour before you arrive at the inn, that the horse, not be ing too warm, nor out of breath, when put into the ftable, you may unbridle him; but if buffnefs obliges you to ride fast, you must then (the weaVOL. XI. PART IL

ther being warm) let him be walked in a man's hand, that he may cool by degrees; otherwife, if it be very cold, let him be covered with cloths, and walked up and down in fome place free from wind; but in cafe you have not the conveniency of a fheltered walk, ftable him forthwith, and let his whole body be rubbed and dried with ftraw. As foon as the horfe is partly dried, and ceases to heat in the flanks, let him be unbridled, his bit washed, cleanfed, 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 duft and fand will fometimes fo dry the tongues and mouths of horses, that they lofe their appetites. In such case, give him bran well moiftened with water to cool and refresh his mouth; or wash his mouth and tongue with a wet fpunge, to oblige him to eat. Thefe directions are to be observed after moderate riding; but if you have rode exceffively hard, unfaddle your horfe, and scrape off the sweat with a sweating knife, or fcraper, holding it with both hands, and fcraping always with the hair; then rub his head and ears with a large hair-cloth, wipe him alfo between the fore and hind legs; in the meantime, his body fhould be rubbed all over with ftraw, especially under his belly and beneath the faddle, till he is thoroughly dry. That done, fet on the faddle 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 ftands. Or you may unfaddle him immediately; fcrape off the sweat; let the oftler take a little vinegar in his mouth, and fquirt it into the horfe's; 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 foon, have been spoiled. Set the faddle in the fun or by a fire, in order to dry the pannels. When horfes are arrived in an inn, a man should, before they are unbridled, lift up their feet, to fee whether they want any of their shoes, or if those they have do not rest upon their fides; afterwards he should pick and clear them of the earth and gravel, which may be got betwixt their fhoes and foles. If you. water them abroad, upon their return from the river cause their feet to be stopped with cow-dung, which will eafe the pain therein; and if it be in the evening, let the dung continue in their feet all night, to keep them foft and in good condition: but if your horfe have brittle feet, it will be requifite to anoint the fore feet, at the onfetting of the hoofs, with butter, oil, or hog's grease, before you water him in the morning, and in dry weather they should be alfo greafed at noon. Many horfes, as foon as unbridled, instead of eating, lay themselves down to reft, by reafon of the great pain they have in their feet, fo that one is apt to think them fick: but if he looks to their eyes, he will fee they are lively and good; and if he offers them meat as they are lying, they will eat it very willingly; yet if he handles their feet, he will find them extremely hot, which difcovers their fuffering in that part. Examine, therefore, if their fhoes do not reft upon their toles, which is fomewhat Kkk

difficult

purging ceafes, forbear to give them any more honey. Adminifter powder of liquorice in the fealded bran for a confiderable time; and to cool their blood, it will not be improper to let them have three or four glifters. If the horse be very lean, give him fome wet bran, over and above his proportion of oats; and grafs is alfo extraordina ry beneficial, if he be not purfy. Sometimes exceffive feeding may do horfes more harm than good, by rendering them fubject 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 fign that he will recover in a fhort time. All the time you are upon a journey, let your horse drink of the firft good water you come to, after 7 o'clock in the morning if it be in fummer, and after 9 or 10 in winter. That is accounted good water which is neither too quick and piercing, nor too muddy and stink. ing. This is to be done, unless you would have him gallop a long time after drinking; for if so, you muft forbear. Though it is the cuftom in England to run and gallop horfes after drinking, which they call watering-courfes, to bring them into wind; yet, fays M. de Sollyfel, it is the most pernicious practice that can be imagined for horfes, by which many are rendered purfy. Although a horse be warm, and sweat very much, yet if he is not quite out of breath, and you have ftill 4 or 5 miles to ride, he will be better after drinking a little, than if he had drank none at all. But if the horse be very warm, you should, at coming out of the water, redouble your pace, to make him go at a gentle trot, to warm the water in his belly. If when you bait he be hot or fweaty, you muft not let him drink for a long time, as it would endanger his life; and when his bridle is taken off, his exceffive thirst will hinder him from eating, fo that he will not offer to touch his meat for an hour or two, which perhaps your occafions will not allow you for a baiting time, and not to have any 'food will render him unfit to proceed. If you meet with any ford before you come to your inn, fome advife to ride the horse through it two or three times, but not up to his belly. This indeed will cleanfe his legs; but the coldnefs of the water may do him ill, and therefore it is not advisable, If your horfe has been very warm, and you have not had the conveniency of watering him upon the road, he will, when unbridled, eat but very little; therefore he should have his oats given him wathed in ale or beer, or only a part of them, if you intend to feed him again after he has drank. Some think that horfes are often spoiled by giving them oats before their water; because they say the water makes the oats pafs too foon, and out of the ftomach undigested. But M. de Sollyfel 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 horfe be warm, and has been hard rode.

difficult to be certainly known without unfhoeing them; but if you take off their fhoes, and look to the infide of them, and you may perceive that those parts which reft upon the foles are more fmooth and fhining than the others: in this cafe, pare their feet in those parts, and fix on their hoes again, anointing the hoofs, and stopping the foles with hogs lard. After a long day's journey, at night feel your horfe's back, if he be pinched, galled, or fwelled (if you do not immediately difcover it, perhaps you may after fupper) there is nothing better than to rub it with good brandy, or with lead water. If the galls are between the legs, ufe the fame remedy; but if the oftler rubs him well between the legs, he will seldom be galled in that part. To preferve horfes after travel, as foon as you arrive from a journey, immediately draw the two heel-nails of the fore feet; and, if it be a large fhoe, then four: two or three days after, you may blood him in the neck, and feed him for 10 or 12 days only with wet bran, with out giving him any oats; but keep him well littered. The reafon of drawing the heel-nails, is because the heels are apt to fwell, and if they are not thus eafed, the fhoes would prefs and ftraiten them too much it is also advisable to ftop them with cow-dung for a while; but do not take the fhoes off, nor pare the feet. The following bath will be very ferviceable for preferving the horse's legs. Take the dung of a cow or ox, and make it thin with vinegar, fo as to be of the confiftence of thick broth; and having added a handful of fmall falt, 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 fink in and stick to those parts, that they may be all covered over with it. Thus leave the horfe 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 wellwater, which is very good, and will keep them from fwelling. Thofe perfons, who, to recover their horfes 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, do very ill; because, though the continual moisture that iffues from the dung occafions the growing of the hoof, yet it dries and fhrinks it fo exceffively when out of that place, that it splits and breaks like glafs, and the foot immediately ftraitens. For it is certain, that cow-dung (contrary to the opinion of many people) fpoils a horfe's hoof; it does indeed moiften the fole; but it dries up the hoof, which is of a different nature from it. In order, therefore, to recover a horfe's feet, inftead of cow dung, fill a hole with blue wet clay, and make him keep his fore feet in it for a month. Most horfes that are fatigued, or overridden, and made lean by long journeys, have their flanks altered without being purfy, efpecially vigorous horfes that have worked too violently. To recover them, give each of them in the morning half a pound of honey very well mingled with fcalded 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 courfe till your horfes are empty, and purge kindly with it; but as foon as you perceive that their

(6.) HORSE, STONE. See STALLION, Ó 2. (7.) HORSE, TECHNICAL DESCRIPION OF THE PARTS OF A. See Pl. CXXXVIII. The Fore Part. 1. The forehead. 2. The temples. 3. Cavity above the eye. 4. The jaw. 5. The lips. 6. The noftrils. 7. The tip of the nofe. 8. The chin. 9. The beard. 10. The neck. 11. The mane.

12. The

12. The fore-top. 13. The throat. 14. The withers. 15. The fhoulders. 16. The cheft. 17. The elbow. 18. The arm. 19. The plate vein. 20. The chefnut. 21. The knee. 22. The fhank. 23. The main tendents. 24. The fetlock joint. 25. The fetlook. 26. The pastern. 27. The coronet. 28. The hoof. 29. The quarters. 30. The toe. 31. The heel. The body. 32. The reins. 33. The fillets. 34. The ribs. 35. The belly. 36. The flanks.-The bind part. 37. The rump. 38. The tail. 39. The buttocks. 40. The haunches. 41. The ftifle. 42. The thighs. 43. The hock. 44. The kerb. 45. The point of the hock.

(8.) HORSES, BREEDING OF. The Count de Buffon gives the following directions for breeding horses:-When the ftallion is chofen, and all the mares intended for him are collected together, there must be another ftone-horse, to discover which of the mares are in heat; and, at the fame time, contribute to inflame them. All the mares are to be brought fucceffively to this ftone-horfe; which should also be inflamed, and fuffered frequently to neigh. As he is for leaping every one, fuch as are not in heat keep him off, while thofe which are fo, fuffer him to approach them. But inftead of being allowed to fatisfy his impulfe, he muft be led away, and the real ftallion fubftituted in his ftead. This trial is neceffary for afcertain ing the true time of the mare's heat, efpecially of those which have not yet had a colt; for with regard to fuch as have recently foaled, the heat ufually begins 9 days after their delivery; and on that very day they may be led to the ftallion to be covered; and 9 days after, by the experiment above-mentioned, it may be known whether they are ftill in heat. If they are, they must be covered a fecond time; and thus fucceffively every 9th day while their heat continues: for when they are impregnated, their heat abates, and in a few days ceafes entirely. But that every thing may be done eafily and conveniently, and at the fame time with fuccefs and advantage, great attention, expenfe, and precaution are requifite. The ftud must be fixed in a good foil, and in a fuitable place, proportioned to the number of mares and Itallions intended to be used. This spot must be divided into feveral parts, inclofed with rails or ditches well fenced; in the part where the pafture is the richeft, the mares in fold, and thofe with colts by their fides, are to be kept. Thofe which are not impregnated, or have not yet been covered, are to be feparated, and kept with the fillies in another clofe, where the pafture is lefs rich, that they may not grow too fat, which would obftruct the progrefs of generation. Laftly, the young ftone colts 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 furface, they may acquire a freedom in the motion of their legs and fhoulders. This clofe, where the ftone colts are kept, must be very carefully feparated from the others, left the young horfes break their bounds, and enervate themfelves with the mares. If the tract be fo large as to allow of dividing each of these clofes into two parts, for putting oxen and horfes into them alternately, the pafture will last much longer than if continually

eaten by horfes; the ox improving the fertility, whereas the horfe leffens it. In each of these clofes fhould be a pond; ftanding water being better than running, which often gripes them; and if there are any trees in the ground, they fhould be left ftanding, their shade being very agreeable to the horses in great heats; but all ftems or ftumps fhould be grubbed up, and all holes levelled, to prevent accidents. In thefe pastures the horfes fhould feed during the fummer; but in the winter the mares fhould be kept in the ftable and fed with hay. The colts alfo muft be houfed, and never fuffered to feed abroad in winter, except in very fine weather. Stallions that ftand in the ftable fhould be fed more with straw than hay; and moderately exercised till covering time, which generally lafts from the beginning of April to the end of June. But during this feafon they thould have no other exercise, and be plentifully fed, but with the fame food as ufual. Before the ftallion is brought to the mare, he should be dressed, as that will greatly increase his ardour. The mare must also be curried, and have no thoes on her hind feet, fome of them being ticklish, and apt to kick the ftallion. A perfon holds the mare by a halter, and two others lead the stallion by long reins; when he is in a proper fituation, another affiftant carefully directs the yard, pulling afide the mare's tail, as a fingle hair might hurt him dangerously. It fometimes happens that the ftallion does not complete the work of generation, coming from the mare without making any injection: it fhould therefore be attentively obferved, whether, in the laft moments of copulation, the dock of the ftallion's tail has a vibrating motion; for fuch a motion always acompanies the emif fion of the feminal lymph. If he has performed the act, he must on no confideration be fuffered to repeat it; but be led away directly to the stable, and there kept two days. For, however able a good stallion may be of covering every day during the 3 months, it is much better to let him be led to a mare only every other day; his produce will be greater, and he himself lefs exhaufted. During the firft 7 days, let 4 different mares be fucceffively brought to him; and the 9th day let the first be again brought, and fo fucceffively while they continue in heat: but as foon 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 feveral retain even at 1ft, ad, or 3d time, it is computed that a ftallion, by fuch management, during the 3 months, may cover 15 or 18 mares, and beget 10 or 13 colts. Thefe animals have a very large quantity of the feminal lymph; fo that a confiderable portion of it is fhed during the emiffion. In the mares likewife is an emiffion, or rather diftillation of the feminal lymph, during the whole time they are horfing; ejecting a vifcid whitish lymph, called the beats, which ceafe on conception. This ichor the Greeks called HIPPOMANES; and pretended that philtres might be made of it, one remarkable effect of which was, to render a horfe frantic with luft. This hippomanes is very dif ferent from that found in the fecundines of the foal, which M. Daubenton firft discovered, and has fo accurately defcribed its nature, origin, and fitua tion. The ejection of this liquor is the most cer

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ftrength fufficient to repel the injuries of the following winter. Many, inftead of bringing the ftallion to the mare, turn him loofe into the clofe, where all the mares are brought together; and there leave him to choose, such as will ftand to him. This is a very advantageous method for the mares; they will always take horfe more certainly than in the other; but the stallion, in fix weeks, will do himself more damage than in a number of years by moderate exercife, conducted in the manner already mentioned. When the mares are pregnant, and their belly be gins to fwell, they must be separated from thofe that are not, left they hurt them. They ufually go 11 months and fome days; and foal ftanding, whereas moft other quadrupeds lie down. Thofe that cannot foal without great difficulty, must be affifted; the foal must be placed in a proper fituation; and fometimes, if dead, drawn out with cords. The head of the colt ufually prefents itself firft, as in all other animals: at its coming out of the matrix, it breaks the fecundines or integuments that inclofe it, which is accompanied with a great flux of the lymph contained in them; and at the fame time one or more folid lumps are discharged, formed by the fediment of the infpiffated liquor of the allantoides. This lump, which the ancients called the hippomanes of the colt, is fo far from being, as they imagined, a mafs of flesh adhering to the head of the colt, that it is feparated from it by a membrane called amnois. As foon as the colt is fallen, the mare licks it, but without touching the hippomanes; which points out another error of the ancients, who affirmed that the inftantly devours it. The general cuftom is to have a mare covered 9 days after her foaling, that no time may be loft; but it is certain, that the mare having, by this means, both her prefent and future foal to nourish, her ability is divided, and the cannot fupply both fo largely as the might one only. It would therefore be better, in order to have excellent horses, to let the mares be covered only every other year; they would laft the longer, and bring foals more certainly: for, in common ftuds, it is fo far from being true that all mares which have been covered bring colts every year, that it is confidered as a fortunate circumftance if half or at most two thirds of them foal. Mares, when pregnant, will admit of copulation; but it is never attended with any superfœtation. They ufually breed till they are 14 or 15 years of age; and the most vigorous till they are above 18. Stallions, when well managed, will engender till the age of 20, and even beyond; but it must be obferved, that fuch horfes as are fooneft made stallions, are alfo the fooneft incapable of generation: thus the large horfes, which acquire ftrength fooner than the flender, and are therefore often used as ftallions as foon as they are four years old, are incapable of generation before they are fixteen.

tain fign of the mare's heat; but it is alfo known by the inflation of the lower part of the vulva, by her frequent neighings, and attempts to get to the horfes. After being covered, nothing more is requifite than to lead her away to the field. The first foal of a mare is never fo ftrongly formed as the fucceeding; fo that care fhould be taken to procure for her, the first time, a larger stallion, that the defect of the growth may be compenfat ed by the largenefs of the fize. Particular regard fhould alfo be had to the difference or congruity of the fashion of the ftallion and the mare, in or der to correct the faults of the one by the perfec. tions of the other; efpecially never to make any di proportionate copulations, as of a small horfe with a large mare, or a large horfe with a fmall mare; as the produce of such copulation would be fmall, or badly proportioned. It is by grada tion that we must endeavour to arrive at natural beauty; for inftance, to give to a mare a little too clumfy, a well-made horfe and finely fhaped; to a fmall mare, a horfe a little higher; to a mare which is faulty in her fore-hand, a horfe with an elegant head and noble cheft, &c. It has been obferved, that horfes fed in dry and light grounds, produce temperate, fwift, and vigorous foals, with mufcular legs and a hard hoof; while the fame bred in marshes and moist pastures have produced foals with a large heavy head, a thick carcafs, 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 ftill more effential than what we have hitherto obferved, is, to be continually croffing the breed to prevent a degeneracy. In coupling of horses, the colour and fize fhould be fuited to each other, the fhape contrafted, and the breed croffed by an oppofition of climates: but horfes and mares foaled in the fame ftud fhould never be joined. Thefe are effential articles; but there are others which fhould y no means be neglected; as, that no fhort-docked mares be fuffered in a ftud, because from their being unable to keep off the flies, they are much more tormented by them than others which have a long fweeping tail; and their conti nual agitations from the ftings of thefe infects, occafions a diminution in the quantity of their milk, and has a great influence on the conftitution and fize of the colt, which will be vigorous in proportion as its dam is a good nurfe Care must alfo be taken, that the ftud mares be fuch as have been always brought up in paftures, and never over-worked. Mares which have always been brought up in the ftable on dry food, and after. wards turned to grafs, do not breed at first; fome time is required for accuftoming them to this new aliment. Though the ufual feafon for the heat of mares be from the beginning of April to the end of June, yet it is not uncommon to find fome among a large number that are in heat before that time; but it is advisable to it this heat pass over without giving them to the ftallion, because they would foal in winter; and the colts, betides the inclemency of the feafon, would have bad milk for their nourishment. Again, if the mares are not in heat till after the end of June, they fhould not be covered that feafon; because the colts being foaled in fummer, have not time for acquiring

(9.) HORSES, BRITISH BREED OF. The breed of horfes in Great Britain is as mixed as that of its inhabitants: the frequent introduction of foreign horfes has given us a variety that no fingle country can boaft of: moft other countries produce only one kind; while ours, by a judicious mixture of the feveral fpecies, by the happy difference of our foils, and by our fuperior fkill in ma

nagement,