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. IX. How to nourish a Horse that forsakes his Meat, during his Sickness.

SOme Horses, when they are Sick, abstain totally from Feeding, in which case you must labour with all your Might, to deliver 'em from the Disease that oppresses 'em, both by the choice of good Remedies, and a due and convenient application of 'em; and in the composition of every Medicine you must have a special regard to the re∣storing of their Appetite, that the Remedy may not only be proper for the Cure of the Disease, but agreeable to the Stomach. The application of these Rules to parti∣cular cases would require an account of all the Diseases to which Horses are subject, and therefore I shall at present content my self with laying down this general Obser∣vation, that when a Horse abstains obstinately from all manner of Food, you must use all means that are not contrary to his Distemper to make him eat, lest you be forc'd at last to have recourse to violent Methods, such as the usual way of pouring in his necessary Sustenance with a Horn, which cannot be done without drawing up his Head with a Halter, and putting him into a very uneasie posture, which hinders him from breathing freely, and increases the Fever when he has any. I confess you may make him swallow a Draught without using the Halter; but even that cannot be done without exposing him in some measure to the same Inconveniencies.

I cannot approve the Method of those who if a Horse abstain from eating for the space of twelve or fifteen hours, and even tho' he be seiz'd with a Fever, immediately give him a Quart or two of Milk with Yolks of Eggs, which they imagine is sufficient to prevent all the ill effects of his preceding Abstinence. But besides that, a Horse may be suffer'd to fast two days without any danger; this sort of Nourishment is not at all agreeable to his Stomach, and even is apt to make him Sick, tho' he was not so before: 'Tis true Milk yields good Nourishment, and is easily digested; but 'tis subject to the common Inconveniency of the best Aliments, that it quickly corrupts in a disorder'd Stomach, where it curdles and occasions violent Pains, and if it be not cast forth at the Mouth (which a Horse cannot do, since he never Vomits) it hardens, and produces dangerous Obstructions. So that Hippocrates had reason to for∣bid the use of it in Diseases of the Head, Fevers, and some other cases, tho' he recom∣mends it on certain occasions. Lac dare capite dolentibus malum, malum etiam febricitan∣tibus. If that famous Author thought it inconvenient for Men who are accustom'd to it, and can discharge it by Vomiting, how prejudicial must it be to Horses, who ne∣ver taste a drop of it after they leave off Sucking, and besides cannot Vomit? I have made some Trials of it, but always without the least Success, especially when the

Horses were Feverish. In Stomacho aegrotantium Animalium acessit lac, sed non imprimitur vitali Caraciere, propterca aciditas fit putrefactiva, quae non nutrit, sed malum auget. Those who will not be disswaded by these Reasons fromfeeding their Sick Horses with Milk, may blame their own Indiscretion for the ill success of the Cure. For, let a Person who is in Health drink a Glass of Milk fasting, and immediately Vomit it up again, as some can do without the least difficulty, he will find that tis already become sowre, and even half coagulated, or turn'd to Choose, by reason of the Acid or Sharp Juice in the Stomach of all sorts of Animals: For 'tis a vulgar Observation that Acids have a power to curdle or coagulate Milk, which therefore cannot be agreeable to the Sto∣mach of a Sick Horse, where it presently turns to Corruption, and instead of nou∣rishing him, encreases his Disease. 'Tis true, this Experiment cannot be made upon a Horse who never Vomits, but it may serve for a convincing Argument, that Milk is rather hurtful than profitable to a Diseas'd Horse.

Some give their Horses strong Flesh-Broths or Jellies, which I have found by expe∣rience to be very prejudicial to 'em; for it would be more proper to give em Extracts of Hay and Oats, which are their usual Food. The dangerousness of this Method will appear more evidently, if we confider that Horses have so strong an avernon to Flesh and Fat, that such Broths are apter to destroy than to restore their Appetites: And all the World knows that if the Teeth of a Horse, who is in perfect Health, be rubb'd with Fat or Suet, he will forsake his Meat, much more when he is actually Sick.

I am not ignorant that the Fat may be taken away from Broath; but still 'tis plain that any sort of Broth is nauseous to a Horse, and disagreeable to his Stomach, and therefore ought never to be given, since there are other Aliments which are more na∣tural, and in all respects more convenient.

I commend a very thin Broath made of Bread, especially the Crum, boil'd with Wa∣ter and a little Salt; for 'tis certainly very proper Nourishment for a Horse that will neither eat Hay, Oats, nor Bran. I have seen some Horses drink this Liquor like Wa∣ter, which nourish'd 'em for a considerable time; and if they should happen to loath it, you may force it down their Throats with a Horn, for a very little quantity will serve to sustain 'em.

You may also feed the Sick Horse with a Broth or Liquor, which is both cheap and easily prepared, and besides, is of the same nature with his usual Nourishment. 'Tis made of Oats or cleans'd Barley well boil'd in pure Water, without Butter, Fat, or any other mixture; you must strain the Liquor from the Grains, and give it him luke∣warm. It differs from his ordinary Food only by the boiling of the Oats or Barley, which cannot make it prejudicial to a Stomach that is weaken'd by the continuance of a Disease. This Method seems to be founded on Reason, and agreeable to the dictates of good sence: And experience will discover its usefulness.

Take a pound of Barley-flower, well fears'd and purifi'd from the Bran; boil it in about two pints of Water to a sufficient thickness, then take it from the Fire, and add a quarter of a pound of Sugar. The quantity of Broth here prescrib'd is sufficient to sustain a Horse four and twenty Hours, and must be given with a Horn. It moistens the Body when dry'd by a Feverish heat or any other cause; but if the Fever be very gentle, and the want of Appetite proceed from some other Cause, you may add to the Broth an Ounce of the Cordial-Powder hereafter describ'd, which will contribute pow∣erfully to the recovery of his Appetite: Or you may mix with the Broth an Ounce of Ever of Antimony in Powder, which will make him Hungry, and allay the preterna∣tural heat of his Entrails.

When a Horse is troubl'd with a Fever, Palpitation, or unusual beating of the Heart, or any other hot or violent Diseases which seldom continue long; you must be careful in proportioning the quantity of his Food, and neither give nor suffer him to eat too much. Excessive Eating has, to my certain knowledge, prov'd fatal to several Horses, who might have escap'd, if they had been kept to a convenient, that is, a thin and spare Diet. A great quantity of Hay is very hurtful to Sick Horses; and Straw is bet∣ter, when it can be had. 'Tis certain, that in those Diseases that are of short continu∣ance, few or no Horses die of Hunger, whereas a great number of 'em are kill'd by excessive Eating.

When you are forc'd to give the Horse his Food with a Horn, you must proceed in that method according to his strength and size. But if he eat without constraint, as it happens frequently by vertue of the prepar'd Antimony mixt with his Bran, which gives him an Appetite, you must keep him to a strict Diet: For when the na∣tural Heat is wholly taken up in the Digestion and Concoction of Aliments, it can∣out,

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not exert its force to consume the Humor that causes the Disease; and consequently the Cure is retarded.

I recommend a strict Diet only in violent Distempers, which are not of any long continuance; for when the Disease lasts long, you must take other Measures, and feed the Horse, lest the preternatural Heat should be augmented, and the body of the Horse so dry'd, that you cou'd not afterwards restore him to his wonted Constitution.

The Rules here laid down for the Nourishment of Sick Horses shall not be repeated afterwards.

Before I engage further in the description of Remedies, it will not be improper to admonish those who are Lovers of Horses, to beware of being Cheated by those deceitful Praises that are given to the Remedies commonly call'd Secrets. The custom of extolling Remedies is grown so general, that 'tis very hard to perceive whether those who magnifie 'em so extremely, act out of a principle of Justice, or are sway'd by a vain desire to make a Figure in the World, and to perswade the Publick that they are Masters of some rare and extraordinary Medicines. You may observe, that they who are desirous to gain Credit to their Remedies, will at least assure you that they are admirable, and that they cure all those who use 'em: You must not seem to doubt of their Infallibility, tho' in all their Descriptions you can neither per∣ceive any Method, Regularity of Doses, nor the least appearance of Reason, but must blindly believe that those rare Secrets have perform'd innumerable Cures. I advise you not to suffer your self to be bubbl'd by such ill grounded Praises: For experience will convince you, that they who have good Remedies never impart 'em but after long and earnest Solicitations, and only to their best Friends. My design is not by discrediting others, to recommend my own Remedies; I only desire you to communicate 'em to Judicious and Learned Persons, and after you have heard their Opinion of 'em, to try, and value 'em according to their Success. In the mean time I assure you that you have in this Book the Summ of above Forty Years Labour and Experience, during which time I have been still endeavouring to find out and make trial of the best Remedies for Horses; I have carefully perus'd all the Books that treat of this Subject, consulted Learned Men to resolve my Doubts, studied the various Effects of Simples, and try'd the Vertue of 'em not once but a hundred times.

I have made Additions and Alterations according to the various Success I have had in my Practice, and without desiring in the least to magnifie my Skill, I can assure you that the greatest part of the Remedies here communicated to the Publick, are of my own Invention, and all of 'em compos'd Methodically, and grounded on Reason. Besides, I have freely imparted all that I know, without concealing any thing, that the Publick may enjoy the fruit of my Labour. Before I was Master of that little Knowledge which Time and Experience have taught me, I esteem'd the Remedies which I found to be effectual, so precious, and kept 'em so secret, that I communica∣ted 'em to very few; but I have since overcome all those Prejudices. For 'tis certain, that those who excel in any Art are never jealous of the rest of their Profession; whereas common Artists and half Proficients cannot endure to hear any Man prais'd but themselves; and far from doing Justice to the Merit of others, they imagine that every acknowledgment of the Skill of their Fellow-Professors is a diminution of their own Glory. I pretend no right to the Title of Learned; but I cannot forbear expres∣sing my satisfaction to perceive that the favourable reception of this Treatise has stirr'd up the Indignation of some Persons who would be thought skilful.

As soon as it appear'd, it was receiv'd by most Farriers with furious Exclamations against the Method I prescrib'd for the Cure of the Diseases incident to Horses, be∣cause I did not think fit to follow their thread-bare way of Practice. Since that time several Persons of Quality, who put some confidence in my Experience, having com∣manded their Farriers to observe my Directions punctually, they found 'em to be successful on a thousand Occasions: They yielded at last to the evidence of Truth, and by degrees began to read my Book, which cur'd 'em of some of their old Pre∣judices, and convinc'd almost all of 'em, one after another: Insomuch that within these fifteen or sixteen Years the Method of curing Horses is almost wholly chang'd at Paris, and the Farriers come daily to ask my advice concerning the Sick Horses that are committed to their care, by which means they satisfie their Customers, who al∣most all read my Book, and will have their Farriers to observe exactly the Method that is prescrib'd in it, when their Horses are seiz'd with any Distemper. If things continue in this posture, as according to all probability they will, the Art which we

profess, will in a little time be very much improv'd, and attended with better Suc∣cess than it was heretofore. So important an Effect is already owing in a considera∣ble measure to this Book, which ought to recommend it very advantageously to the Publick.