The parfait mareschal, or Compleat farrier. Which teacheth, I. To know the shapes and goodness, as well as faults and imperfections of horses. II. The signs and causes of their diseases, the means to prevent them, their cure, and the good or bad use of purging and bleeding. III. The way to order and preserve them, when upon travel, to feed, and to dress them. IV. The art of shoeing, according to a new design of shoes, which will recover bad feet, and preserve the good. Together with a treatise, how to raise and bring up a true and beautiful race of horses: as also instructions, whereby to fit all kinds of horses with proper bits, whereof the chief draughts are represented in copper-plates. / Written originally in French by the Sieur de Solleysel Escuyer, sometime one of the overseers of the French Kings Royal Academy of Riding, near to the Hostel de Conde in Paris. And translated from the last Paris impression, by Sir William Hope of Kirkliston Kt. Lieutenat Governour of the Castle of Edinburgh. By whom is also added as a supplement to the first part, a most compendious and excellent collection of horsemanship, taken from the best and most modern writers upon that subject, such as Mr. De la Brow, Pluvinel, and the Great Duke of Newcastle. Part I.

CHAP. CLXXX. Of all the Sores, Pains, Swellings, and Distempers of hinder Legs, from the Hough downwards.

'TIS a common Inconvenience of the large Horses of Holland and Friezland, that by reason of their Flegmatic Constitution, and the Moistness of the Coun∣tries where they were brought up, their Legs are so full of Flesh and Hair, that the Grooms and Coach-Men are not able to keep 'em clean: And the Dirt, which is full of a sort of Nitre, or corrosive Salt, frets the Skin, and draws down the Humours which generate all the Ulcers and Sores that are commonly observ'd in the Legs of Coach-Horses.

Fat and fleshy Houghs are more subject to these Sores, than those that are dry and sinewy: For they abound with Humours, which foment and nourish all the Infirmi∣ties that happen in these Parts, of which I design to treat in Order.

To prevent these noisome Sores, call'd the Pains in the Legs of Dutch Horses, some Persons observe the following Method.

They cleave the Spur, which is a soft horny Substance, that almost all Horses have behind their Pastern-Joint; and dividing the Skin beneath that Part, they separate a Piece of spongy and glandulous Flesh of the Bigness of a Walnut, which they say is the Receptacle of the flowing Humours that occasion Running Sores, Pains, Warts, &c. having taken out this Piece of Flesh, they stop the Hole with Flax dipt in hot Turpen∣pentine, which they keep in seven or eight Days, with Shooe-Maker's Thread fasten'd to the Lips of the Wound; afterwards they wash it with warm Wine, and put in Flax dipt in hot Turpentine, as before. This Operation is only perform'd in the Legs, and I believe does neither good nor Harm.

Others, by way of Preservation, assoon as they have bought a Coach-Horse, take up the Veins of the Legs above and under the Hough, to intercept the Passage of the Humours that feed these Sores. This Method, in my Opinion, is much more rea∣sonable than the former; but the best way to preserve Horses from these noisome Sores that break out on the Legs, after they have been several times heal'd, is to make him drink a Decoction of Guaiacum, or for want of that, of Box-wood, for the space of seven or eight Days in the Spring, according to the Method describ'd in Chap. CXLVI. and afterwards to purge him; repeating the same Course the next Year. This Method not only prevents the breaking forth of those Sores, but is the only effectual Way to cure 'em, when they actually over-run the Legs: For the Decoction with the subsequent Purgation, diverts, consumes, and evacuates the Humour that falls upon the Legs.

Of Ratt-Tails, or Arrests.

This Distemper is seated on the Master-Sinew, or at the side of it, a good space un∣der the Hough, that is, about the midst of the Leg or lower, reaching to the Pastern-Joint: And the Hair falling off discovers very callous and rough Tumours, which are call'd Ratt-Tails, from the Resemblance of their Figure; as the other Name is taken from their Likeness to the Arrests, or small Bones of a Fish.

Cut off these Callus's with a red-hot Knife, and apply the white Honey-Charge, till the Scab fall away; then dry up the Sore with the Countess's Ointment, or with the Powder mention'd in the Chapter of Wounds.

If the Arrests be moist without any Callus or Swelling, apply the Neat-Herd's Ointment, or that of Oldenburg.

This Distemper offends the Eye, and occasions an unseemly Deformity, by peeling off the Hair of the Leg, but without any considerable Prejudice to the Horse.

Of Mules.

The Mules are seated in the Bending of the Pastern-Joints of the hinder Legs, fretting the Part, and discharging a sharp and malignant Humour. These are painful Sores, and oftentimes make the Horse halt, being fester'd by the Motion of the Horse's Leg, which continually opens and shuts the Bought of the Joint where they grow. There are a hundred Receipts to dry 'em up; but if the Pastern-Joints be swoll'n, you must rub the sore Place with an equal Mixture of thin Linseed-Oil and Brandy, shaken toge∣ther in a Glass, till they be throughly incorporated, continuing the Application for the space of eight Days; during which time you may ride or work the Horse.

If the Swelling continue, apply the white Honey-Charge, which will dry up the Sores, and draw out the Humour that causes the Swelling. If the Mules be neither accompa∣ny'd with a Swelling, nor with so much Pain as to make the Horse halt, you may dry 'em up with the Neat-Herd's Ointment, or with the black Ointment, describ'd in Chap. CLXXXII. or with the Water, mention'd immediately before it: Or you may apply the Ointment of Oldenburg, which is the strongest Dryer propos'd in this Book.

Of Warts.

These Wart-like Tumours over-spread the Pasterns and Fetlock-Joints almost to the Frush, on the hinder Legs, sending forth Matter when they are green. Cut off all the Warts entirely, and apply the white Honey-Charge to the Sores, till they be per∣fectly heal'd.

These Warts have no apparent Roots or Filaments, but are fed with a nervous Juice, which causes the intolerable Stench that accompanies 'em. For this Juice being out of its natural Place, degenerates immediately into Putrefaction, and bring∣ing continual Supplies of Nourishment to the Warts, occasions the Growth of new ones, after those that appear'd first are taken off.

These troublesome Tumours may be extirpated with Lapis Infernalis, or the perpe∣tual Caustic. But you must renew the Application after the Scabs are fall'n off, till it eat to the very Bottom of the Wart, and the Place appear perfectly smooth.

The following Remedy cures Warts, but they grow again three, four, five, or six Months after, sometimes sooner, and sometimes later, during which time the Horse continues fit for Service: However 'tis better to begin the Cure as often as the Warts appear, than to suffer 'em to grow absolutely incurable. Mix an Ounce of crude Mer∣cury with three Ounces of strong Aqua-Fortis, or (which is better) Aqua Regia, let∣ting 'em stand till the Mercury be consum'd: For if it remain undissolv'd 'tis a Sign of the Weakness of the Menstruum, and you must promote the Solution with a mo∣derate Degree of Heat. This is an excellent Caustic for Farcin-Knots, which it cures in few Days, raising a little Scab without any Inflammation: And as for Warts, you must first make 'em clean, and wipe 'em with a Pensil of Hog's-Bristles, then touch 'em from time to time with this Water, for three or four Days; after which they will fall quite away, and the Place will appear fair and clean, which you may after∣wards dry up with the Black Ointment.

Or, with less trouble, having rubb'd the Warts very hard, you may strew it with a Powder, consisting of an equal Mixture of Gun-Powder and Brimstone, endeavouring by all Means to make a considerable Quantity of the Powder stick to the Warts. Then burn the Warts with a red-hot Iron, and apply Leeks beaten with Hog's Lard to se∣parate the Escar; after which if the Wart be not extirpated, begin again as before, and repeat the whole Process three times, if need require, till the Wart be wholly consum'd; then heal and dry up the Sore with the Ointment of Oldenburg, or the Coach-Man's Ointment, which is a very effectual Remedy for small Warts: But the large ones must be cut off with a red-hot Knife.