The First Book

CAVELARICE. The first Book:
CHAP. 1.
Of the breeding of Horses, and first touching the choice of grounds, their uses and separations.

Having resolved inwardly in myself (even to the uttermost of my best powers) to give to every creature that shall read these my labors, a full and undoubted satisfaction touching any scruple, mystery, or other Enigma, that has hitherto been concealed in this most famous Art, making a plain, even and direct way, where there has formerly been much roughness, some hills, and many interchangeable turnings; I thought it most convenient to begin with the Art of breeding of Horses; which however it be not so generally appertaining for all men, as the other members of the same Art in this volume following; yet for as much as bringing forth, must go before the use of the thing brought forth, and that this Art of breeding is only appertaining to Princes, Potentates, and men of best place and estimation, it must necessarily challenge the precedent place. Wherefore to you that are the owners of the earth, and desirous to enrich her and your selves, with Beasts of the greatest use and virtue, I direct my discourse. Know then the first observation in breeding, is the knowledge of grounds, their natures, climates, fertileness or barrenness. The second, the distinguishment of Horses and Mares according to their breeds, or proportions: coupling each kind together, in such sort as maybe most commodious for that purpose to which you intend. And the last the disposing and using them, being brought forth both in their foliage, best strength, and old age.
For your grounds, I am of opinion with Xenophon and Grison, that you must principally, respect both the quantity and quality: the one for surcharging, the other for too gross feeding: the quantity, that your Mares and Colts may not be thronged up, and as it were kept in a pin-fold, wanting liberty to scope and run up and down at pleasure (than which there is nothing more commodious) and the quality which is the situation & fertileness of the soil: For the situation, it would be ascending with hills & dales, & those hills open upon the fresh air: if the plains be full of Molehills it is much better: For the fertileness, it would be a ground neither exceeding rank, nor extreme barren, but of an indifferent mixture, rather inclining to barrenness; then much rankness, apportioning to the fruitfulness of the ground: the number of your Mares in such sort that they may neither want food nor surfeit with too great abundance, neither grow so exceeding fat that they be either disabled for bringing forth, or endangered with rotting) which only springs from such grossness (nor brought so weak with want of food that they neither take delight in generation, or for lack of strength die with hunger-bane: an indifferent mean must therefore be observed, which must be applied according to the nature of the ground; observing this order, either to increase or diminish the number of your race-mares, as you perceive them either grow fat or lean in the place of their abiding. Some are of opinion, that as much ground as will serve a Cow, will serve a Race-mare, and I am not much opposite to that opinion, only I hold it a proportion some what with the most; for I have found in my own experience, that the ground which would summer but experience Kine well, has Summer d a dozen Race mares very sufficiently; but for as much as every country, nay almost every Lordship differs one from another, either in fruitfulness, or barrenness; there cannot be appo joned any certain number or stint to every ground, but it must be referred to the judgement of the owner, either to increase or decrease his stock, according as they either prosper or decay.
Grounds that be rank, marsh, cold & wet, are most wild to breed upon, for the food being unwholesome, the lair unnatural, and the treading uncertain; the foals that are bred thereon, are heavy, slow, fat headed, great bellied, round legged, and weak jointed, chiefly in the pastern: your ground therefore (as before I said) must lie high and firm, and such commonly are the Parks of Princes, and great Persons, whose employments in my conceit are most fit for this purpose, mixing with the delight of Deer, the delightful benefit of a brave race of Horses, in which even Kings of the best memories have taken unspeakable pleasures: whoso ever therefore has either Park or impaled ground (for a less fence will hardly serve a good race) which he purposes to this use of breeding, must first know that he must not keep it as one entire ground, but with a sufficient rail of so convenient a height as may control a Horses leaping: divide it into three several pastures: the first containing the Land or plainest part of the Park, where there is least shelter, water furrows, or dry ditches, which must be for your Mares to foal in; and after their foaling, for the stallion and the Mares to run together in: in which it shall be good if there be no other water more than some sayre fresh Pond.
Now the reasons for all these choices are these: first, that it should be plain and without shelter, because a Foal at the first foaling would have all the bitterness and sharpness that the latter end of the Winter can put upon it, which will so harden and knit him, that when the warmth of the Spring and Summer shall begin, he will prosper more in one week than another contrary-used in a Month: and when the Winter shall come upon him again, he shall hold both his flesh and courage, when others shall hardly hold life in their bodies: this being a rule among all good breeders, that every Foal should have two Winters in the first year. Next, that there should be no water furrows nor dry ditches, is because a Mare out of her own disposition ever covets to foal in the water, or so near as she can get: by which means, I have known many foals drowned. And again, in that a Mare commonly foals standing, she less respects where she foals, whether in the water, by a ditch side, or other where. The next pasture you are to divide, would consist partly of good ground, partly of bushes, brouse, and some high or thick trees for shelter; it would be ascending, and that ascent plain and open upon the air; Molehills, small gutters, & uncertain treading is very good in this ground: Also if some fresh river, or rundle issuing from a clear spring, run through this ground, it is much the better. And in this ground you shall Summer your Mares and Foals as soon as the Stallion is taken away: the reasons for the former choices are these; first, it must be good ground, because it may make your Mares spring with milk: next for bushes and brouse, it is that a Foal takes great delight in, and makes them hard.
The shelter of trees is to defend the heat of the Sun, & the stinging of Flies. To be mountainous & plain, is that a Foal may by the sharpness of the air every morning and evening, recover stomach, strength, and livelihood, or by scooping or galloping up and down the hill, come to a pureness of wind, and a nimbleness of body. For Molehills, small gutters, or other uncertain treading, they are to bring a Foal by his wanton galloping and playing about them, to a nimbleness and truth of footmanship, to a fine treading, and a surety of not stumbling. That the water should be either fresh river or spring, is because the purity thereof engenders no evil nutriment or grossness, but rather sprightliness and quickness. The third or last ground wherein I would have you winter your mares & Foals, would be of reasonable fruitfulness, & free from all inundation or overflow of waters: it would be also upon the knoll of an hill, and if conveniently it maybe, full of trees or bushes for shelter. On the top of the hill, I would have you build certain cross hovels of stone or other close stuff, over which you may stack your Hay, Oats, or other winter provision: the quantity whereof you must measure according to the number of your Mares & Foals. The open sides of your hovels, I would wish lie East & west, the close ends north & south, insomuch that in what quarter so ever the wind or whether stinted, they may have warmth & shelter from the same. Within these hovels I would have racks wherein to put the Hay or Oats in the straw, which will not only save much from loss & spoiling, but also increase the appetite of a Foal by laboring at the same. I would also have under the racks, mangers; in which you may cast the over-shavings of Wheat, Barley, or other-white corn, but by no means any Peas pulse, for it engenders many foul diseases; as the gargle, strangle, mawe worm & such like: It shall be also good to cast in the manger that which Horsemen call garbage, which is wheat straw and the ears, chopped small together, with a fine cutting-knife, for it rays the crest, and makes it high, strong, firm and thin. Now for those great Princes, who are the owners of many Parks, many wastes, and many large continents; they may (if it seem good in their eyes) make these three several grounds, three several Parks, multiplying their stocks as it has pleased God to multiply their possessions; but for him that has but one Park, or one piece of ground, fit for this purpose, the course I have formerly prescribed, I hold most Husbandly for his profit, and the goodness of the Beast he intends to breed. As for the Yeoman or Husbandman, who neither have choice of particular grounds, nor means to breed after any exact method, as having but only the benefit of the common fields; yet both for his profit & credits sake desires to breed a good Horse, To him I can but set down these few rules: First to foresee that his Mare be of good shape & metal: next that he put for her so good a Horse as either his credit or ability can procure: Next, that after his Mare has foaled, he keep her in the tether, shifting her four or five times in a day for fresh grass which will be a sufficient means to preserve the Mares milk, all be she labor and work much. Next, that she maybe tethered so near as maybe for corn lands, that whilst the Mare feeds, the Foal may at its pleasure crop & eat the green blades of Corn, which will scowre & make the foal grow: & when the Corn is of better ripeness, then it may crop the ears of Corn also, especially wheat, which will bring for the Foal such strength, full growth & liveliness, that he will savor of that seasoning all his life after, so that in the winter he be not brought for too great a weakness; which to avoid, I would have the Husbandman ever to winter his Foal in the house, giving it good store of Chafe, light Corn, & such like: but in any case neither Peas nor Peas pulse, till March be past at the soonest. And thus much touching the use of grounds and their divisions.



CHAP. 2.
Of Horses and Mares, and of their divers kinds.
For me to enter into as frivolous and idle a discourse of the kinds of Horses and their colors, as Conradus Gesner has, filling leaves with names scarce heard of, at least never experienced in any of our climates, some being more ugly than prodigies, and some more strange than even untruth itself can imagine, were to distaste the most worthy ears, and make myself a second Trumpet of other men's falsehoods: but forasmuch as my ambition is to satisfy the world with truths, & not to amaze men with miracles, I will only deliver the kinds and generations of such Horses as I have approved and known within my own experience.
And first of all, for as much as I know almost all English men, whether out of the inconstancies of their natures (which is ever most delighted with new sangled novelties) or out of the bashfulness of their modesties, are ever apt to give precedence and priority of place to strangers, strange creatures, and strange fashions: yet for as much as I have formerly, and do daily find in my experience, that the virtue, goodness, boldness, swiftness, and endurance of our true bred English Horses, is equal with any race of Horses whatsoever: I will first of all begin with him, and his description. Some former writers, whether out of want of experience, or to flatter novelties, or else collecting their works from others writings, in which not finding the English horse named, they have thereupon concluded that the English horse is a great strong Jade, deep ribbed, side-
bellied, with strong legs, and good hoofs, yet fitter for the cart than either the Saddle or any worthy employment. How false this is, all English Horsemen know, and myself dare boldly justify: for the true English Horse indeed, him I mean that is bred under a good clime, on firm ground, and in a pure and temperate air, is of tall stature, and large proportion: his head, though not so fine as either the Barbary, or Turks, yet is it lean, long, and well fashioned: his crest is high, only subject to thickness if he be stoned; but if he be gelded, then is it thin, firm, & strong: his chin is straight and broad, and all his limbs large, lean, flat, and excellently jointed, in them exceeding any Horse of what Country so ever. Now for their inward goodness; first for their value and endurance in the wars, I have seen them suffer and execute as much and more than ever I noted in any other of foreign creation: I have heard it reported, that at the Massacre in Paris, Mongomery taking an English Mare, first in the night swam over the river of Seine, and after ran her so many leagues, as I fear to nominate, least misconstruction might tax me of too lavish report. And I have heard Master Romano say, the most enduring beast that ever he rid, was an English Mare. Again, for swiftness, what Nation has brought forth that Horse which has exceeded the English? For proof whereof we have this example: when the best Barbary that ever were in my remembrance were in their prime, I saw them over-run by a black Hobby at Salisbury of master Carlton's, and yet that Hobby was more over run by a horse of master Blackstone's called Valentine, which Valentine neither in hunting nor running, was ever equalled, yet was a plain breaded English Horse both by Sire and Dame: to descend to our instant time, what eu I men may report or imagine, yet I see no shape which can persuade me that Puppy is any other than an English Horse: and truly for running, I hold him peerless. Again, for infinite labor, and long endurance, which is easiest to be discerned in our English hunting matches, I have not seen any horse able to compare with the English horse, so that I conclude, the English horse is of tolerable shape, strong, valiant, swift and durable.
Next to the English Horse, I place the Courser of Naples, which is a horse of a strong & comely fashion, of great goodness, loving disposition, and of an infinite courageousness: his limbs, and general features are so strong and well knit together, that he has ever been reputed the only beast for the wars, being naturally free from fear or cowardice: the best character to know him by, is his head, which being long, lean, and very slender, does from the eyes to the nose bend like a Hawks beak: he has a great and a full eye, a sharp ear, and a straight leg, which in an over-curious eye might appear a little too slender, which is all the fault, curiosity itself can find. They be naturally of a lofty pace, they be loving to their rider, easy to be taught, most strong in their exercise; and to conclude, so good in all points, that no foreign race has ever born a title of so much excellence.
The Horses of the Iles of Sardinia, and Corsica, are the nearest of all other horse's to the Courser of Naples, only they be somewhat shorter bodied, and of somewhat a more fierce and fiery nature, but that by the temperance of a good Rider is easy to be qualified, and converted to an excellent virtue. Gesner among his other absurdities, said they be exceeding little horses, whereas indeed they carry proportion with horse's of the best stature.
Next these, the Turkey horse is an excellent beast; I do not mean those horse's which have been bred in the Turks first dominions, as in the upper parts of Scithia, Tartaria, Parthia, Medea, Armenia, Capadocia, & other his Asian countries, although if we will belie the report of old writers, each of these Countries have several good races, as Scithia and Tartaria for greatness of body: Parthia, for limb and courage: Media, for beauty and comeliness of shape: Armenia, and Capadocia, for heaviness of head, and strength of body, with many other such like descriptions: but sith for my own part. I have never found grosser untruths, (I speak for horsemanship only) than in the records of these old Writers; and for-as-much as my experience (and as I think the eye of our Nation) has had little dealing with Horses of these Countries, I will omit then, & refer the curious, who only delight in novelties, to read Absirtus, Uegetius, Gesner, and such like, who may happily please their ears, but never better their experience; and for my own part I will write of the horse of Greece, which for as much as it is now under the Turks government, the Horses that come from thence are called of us Turks; of which I have seen divers, ridden some, and known them bred upon in many parts of England: but first to report what others write of the Horses of Greece: One said they have good legs, great bodies, comely heads, high of stature, and well made forward, but not backward, because they are pin buttock: they be very swift, and of exceeding great courage. Now another said, they be foul, ill shaped, rough over all their bodies, great shoulders, ill dispositions, Camel-backed, unsure paced and crooked legged. Now how these contrary descriptions can agree I understand not, only they say the better horse is of Thessaly, the other of Thracia; but for my own part, touching those Turks which I have seen, all which have been said to come from Constantinople, which is a part of Thrace; they have been Horses of most delicate shape, pace, and metal: they have not been of any monstrous greatness, but inclining to a middle size, or indifference of height; they are finely headed almost as the Barbary; they have most excellent forehands, both for length, depth, and proportion; their limbs are straight, yet rather small than great; their hoofs are long and narrow (a great sign of swiftness) their coats are smooth and short, and all their members of suitable quality; they are of great courage & swiftness, for I have seen them used at our English Bell-courses. Naturally they desire to amble; and which is most strange, their trot is full of pride and gracefulness.
Next the Turk, I place the Barbary, which are horse's bred, either in one of the two Mauritanias, or in Numidia, or the lesser Africa: they are beyond all horse's whatsoever for delicacy of shape and proportion, insomuch that the most curious painter cannot with all his Art amend their natural lineaments. They are to be known before all horse's by the fineness of their proportions, especially their heads and necks, which Nature has so well shaped, and placed, that they commonly save Art his greatest labor: they are swift beyond other foreign horses, and to that use in England we only employ them; yet are their races only upon hard grounds, for in soft or deep grounds, they have neither strength, nor delight: they are exceeding well winded, which breeds in them a continuance of their swiftness: Their colors for the most part are gray, or flea-bitten. I have seen black and bay, but not so generally; they seldom or never founder; they take less care than others in keeping, being both of such temperate diet, and such ability of body, that they seldom surfeit, only they are (especially such as I have seen) of such little and slender stature, that they are unfit for the wars, or to support arms.
Next to these horse's of Barbary, I place the Jennet of Spain, which although Gesner in his ignorant descriptions reports to be a horse of great stature, buttocks short, weak, and uncomely; of body fat and big, slow, and cruel to his rider; yet those who better know by their experience than he by his readings, And for myself, both those I have seen here in England, and also those I have seen in Spain, and other places of the King of Spain's dominions, assure me of the untruth of such writings. For the Jennet Indeed is a horse but of a middle stature; finely made, both head, body, and legs; his buttocks though they be long, yet are they well shaped and strong: but whereas some write they do exceed all horses in swiftness, or for that Old wines tale of breeding with the west wind, and over-running all winds, I have in them as little belief, as there is in such tales little possibility: only this I think, that the Jenes being a horse of great metal and courage, and therewithal of nimble, light, and active proportion, may pass a carrere, that is, run some twelve or twenty score, with great puissance & swiftness; but for running our English courses, which commonly are three or four miles, we have not seen any such virtue or goodness in them: their limbs, for the most part, are weak and slender; yet in the wars they are esteemed to be of wonderful prowess, and endurance; they are commonly full six years old or more, before they come to any perfection of shape, for they grow one year before, and another behind. And the last thing which is complete in them, is their crests, they are many of them naturally given to bound, & to perform salu s; above ground; but by reason of their weak limbs, they continue not long without lameness; their trot is somewhat long and waving: but if at any time they be put to amble, they it take naturally.
Next this I place the Polander, or horse of Poland, which is a beast but of a middle stature, well composed and knit together, their limbs and joints are exceeding strong in all proportions, like to our true bred English horse's; their heads are somewhat fine and slender, very like in proportion to the Irish Hobby: their necks & crests are well raised upright, and exceeding strong; their ears are little and extraordinarily short: they have exceeding strong backs, broad chines, and the best hoofs of any horse living, which is the reason that they are many times trained up, & made stirrers, as being horse's which take an especial delight in bounding, yarking, and other strong saults above ground, which most commonly they do with such courageous violence & smartness, that they have been seen many times to throw their shows from their fect, with an almost incredible fury; they are also exceeding good in travel, and will endure journeying beyond many other horse's; they are also exceeding good in the coach, & as some of our English Nobility have experience, equal or beyond most of the best Flemish races; only their general fault is their littleness of stature.
Next the Polander I place the high Almain horse who is generally of an exceeding great and high stature. And although he have neither neatness nor fineness in his shape, yet is there great strength in all his proportions; so that howsoever ever other men esteem him for the shorke or the manage, yet I account him best for draught, or burden; they are much used in the wars, but I think like their Country-men, rather for a wall or defense, than either for assault or action; they are great, slow, and hard trotters.
Next them is the Hungarian horse, who has a great flat face, crooked nose, and thick head, great eyes, narrow nostrils, and broad jaws; his main rough, thick, & almost extending to the ground, a bush tail, weak pasterns, and a lean body: generally, his deformities are so well coupled together, that they appear comely; he is of a temperate courage, and will abide much hardness, by reason whereof they are of much use in the wars.
Next the Hungarian, I reckon the Flemming, who in most of his shapes differs little from the Almain: His stature is tall, his head short and thick; his body long and deep, his buttock round and flat, his legs big and rough, and his pace a short & hard tro:: the principal virtue both of the Horses and Mares, is in the draught, in which they exceed all other horses, otherwise for the Saddle they are both uneasy & slothful; the Mares are tall, large and wondrous fruitful.
Next these, I place the Frisian horse, whose shape is like the Flemming, but not full so tall; he is of a more fierce & hot courage than the Flemming, which makes him a little better for service, as being able to pass a short carrier, to manage, beat a corvet and such like: but for his inward disposition, it is devilish, cruel, and full of all stubborn forwardness; they are apt to all restive and malicious qualities, if the discretion of the rider prevent not their frenzy; their pace is a short and hard trot.
Next them I place the Sweathland horse, who is a horse of little stature, lesser good shape, but least virtue; they are for the most part pied, with white legs, and wall eyes: they want strength for the wars, and courage for journeying; so that I conclude, they are better to look upon than employ.
Next and last, I place the Irish Hobby, which is a horse of a reasonable good shape, having a fine head, a strong neck, and a well cast body; they have quick eyes, good limbs, and tolerable buttocks: of all horse's they are the surest of foot, and nimblest in dangerous passages, they are of lively courage, & very tough in travel, only they are much subject to affrights and boggards. They will hardly in any service join with their enemies, the reason I imagine to be these: first, they are for the most part breaded in wild races, and have neither community or fellowship with any man till they come to the Saddle, which many times is not till they come to seven, eight, nine, or ten years old, at what time the country rising, do forcibly drive the whole studded, both Horses, Mares, Colts, and Fillies into some bog, where being laid fast, they halter such as they please to take, and let the rest go.
This wild bringing up, and this rude manner of handling, does in my conceit engender this fearfulness in the Beast, which those ruder people know not how to amend. This Horse though he trot very well, yet he naturally desires to amble: and thus much I think sufficient, touching these several kinds of Horses, and their generations.



CHAP. 3.
Of the mixture of these former races, for which purpose each is best, and for the breeders commodity.

Having in the former Chapter, declared the kinds, Generations, shapes and dispositions of all such Horses, as either our nation has been acquainted withal, or myself has tried in my own experience, it shall be meet that now I mix these races together, showing which will agree best with our climate, for what purpose, and How they bring the best commodity.
First, for the agreeing with our climate, it is not unknown to all Horse-men and men either of greatness or experience, that all those races, of which I have written, have been, and are daily bred in this kingdom, and that of so great vigor, worth and goodness, that even their own nations have not brought forth any of better estimation, as by infinite instances I can approve were it not both tedious and needless. Wherefore for me to enter into a Philosophical discourse touching the height of the Sun, the disposition of the air, or the alteration of heats and colds, drawing from their effects the causes or hindrances of conception, were to trouble my flee to no purpose, and to tire others with idle ceremonies.
But for as much, as divers men compose their breeds to divers purposes; some for the wars, service or pleasures of great Princes: some for swiftness in running, or toughness in hunting: some for easiness of pace, and the use of travel; some for the draught and the portage of great burdens. I will as plainly as I can, show how each race should become pounded. First, if you covet a race for the wars, or the service of Kings, the Neapolitan courser is of all Stallions the best, to whom I would have joined the sayrest English Mares that can be gotten. The next to him is the Turk, who would be mixed with the Neapolitan Mare, whence springs a brave race; next him, the Horse of Sardinia or Corsica, who begets a brave race from the Turkey Mare: lastly the Jennet of Spain, breeding upon the fairest Flanders Mares. To conclude, any of these Horses upon fair English Mares, beget much braver Horses than of their own kinds, and fair English Horses upon any of these country Mares, do beget most serviceable beasts: but if you will breed only for swiftness, then the Barbary Horse is only best; breeding either upon a Mare of his own country, upon Turkey Mare or English: the Turkey Horse upon the English Mare likewise does beget a swift beast: But if you would breed only a tough hunting Horse, there is none better, (as by daily experience we find) than the fair bred English Horse, and the English Mare, but if you would breed, easy ambling Horses for travel and the use of journeying, there is none better than the Turk, or Irish Hobby: so they be mixed with either English ambling Mares, or bastard Mares of their own country, that likewise amble perfectly. I have seen many ambling Horses breaded from Jenets of Spain, yet by reason of his slenderness of limbs, and length of pasterns, I esteemed him not altogether so good as the two former.
Now lastly, if you would breed Horses for the draught, as either for Coach or Cart, or Horses for the portage of great burdens: as either for Sumpter or Pack man, the Flanders, Frisian, or Almain Horse are your best stallions, the Flanders or Frisian, for the Coach or Cart, and the Almain for the burden, and for either of these purposes the Mares are in all parts as serviceable as the Horses, according to our present experience in England at this instant. Now you are to understand, that as all these Horses in their several for named uses, are most best, so likewise their colts thus begotten (which of some Horse-men is called bastardy) are likewise excellent Stallions. For my own part, I would to choose breed sooner of a Bastard Courser, bastard Jenet, Turk, or Barbary, than of the natural Horse of the own country; and my reason is, by their mixture with our Mares, all the imperfections of their own Countries are amended; as in the Courser, his length of head, and want of crest, which many times is imperfect. In the Jenet, his weakness of joints: and in the Turk and Barbary, their slenderness of limbs: the Flanders and Frisian which are so extreme rough and hairy about their pasterns, that the best keepers cannot preserve them from scratches, pains and Mallanders, are by mixture with our Mares brought to a clean race of sufficient tolerable limbs, so as they need not be kept, but will keep themselves from sor ances: they also by mixing with our Mares, have their heads much amended; & their hoofs infinitely much better hardened, which of all the parts of those country horses, is the worst, & of least endurance: all which me thinks when a perfect judgement shall take into his consideration, it shall appear great honor to our nation, and much shame to them who have wronged it with former misreportings: and thus much for the mixing of races.



CHAP. 4.
Of the choice of Stallions and Mares: the knowledge of their ages by divers observations, and of their shapes.

For as much as every thing is made most perfect, sufficient, and of longest continuance, by the strength and surety of his first ground work or foundation, which indeed is the chief masterpiece of all that grows from that beginning: I therefore advise all those worthy ones, who will be the breeders of the best Horses, to have an special care to the first choice & creation of their studded, sith if in the beginning, there be either insufficiency or blemish, it is most likely such stains will by continuance, grow to be more & more wild & ugly, & in this circumspection, there is nothing of more importance, than the well choosing of your Stallions and Mares, sith they are the living bodies, from whence you are to derive both your delight and profit; he therefore, that will choose a perfect Stallion (said one writer) must respect his beauty, goodness, and age. Another said, shape, color, merit, and beauty; which indeed is all one with the former, and I hold them principal observations, but I would likewise have added for them, his descent and generation: for although, a Clown may-beget a beautiful Son, yet shall he never beget an Heroy call spirit, but it will ever have some touch of baseness: and an ill bred Horse may-beget a Colt, which may have saire color & shape, w^c we call beauty. Toughness, which we call goodness, & youth, which is few years, yet still his inward parts may retain a secret wildness of disposition, which maybe insufferable in breeding. Now for his beauty, which only is contained in his color & shape, all be I have in the next book writ sufficiently touching than too, yet I will here a little glance at them, by comparing with then the opinions of some other writers. First, for the opinion of Gesner, which merely is no good opinion at all in horsemanship, but a collection of idle tales: he says the best colors are bay, white, carnation, golden russet, mouse color, flea-bitten, pied black & pale, pied blew & gray; had he put in also orange-tawny, willow color, & such like, all the world could not have gone beyond him, neither should the Spaniards nor Italians have need to have dyed their horse's manes & tails, if horse's could have been bred of such colors. But to let pass such frivolous notes, the best color for a stallion, is brown bay dappled, dapple gray, bright bay, or white lard: the roan, the pure black, with white star, white foot, or white rach, or the black bay, which has neither mealy mouth, norred flank, is also sufferable. A stallion would be all of one color, yet not according to the opinion of Gesner, his main & body of one color, for that is most wild: for a bright bay horse would have a black mane & tail, & black out parts, as the tips of his ears, legs, & such like: a dapple gray, would have white mane & tail, & so forth of the rest: but I would not have a pied stallion, except it be for him, who esteeming more the strangeness of colors, then the goodness of horse's: places his delight in motley generations: to such an one a pied Stallion is best: and of pies, the black and white, & bright bay & white are most choice: & not blew, carnation or golden pied. For his shape in general, I refer you to the next book, where I have not as I hope omitted, the least tittle in proportions; only for some particular things, which are to be most respected in a stallion, than in any other horse, I will give my opinion. First, for his head, it must be lean, slender & small about his mussel, at the setting on of his head to his neck you must have an special regard that his neck swell not up about his chaules, or that the kirnells which run between his neck and his chaule be thick or big, for it is a great sign of sloth, and thickness of wind, which is a great fault in the Stallion, especially if his master expect to breed from him either running horse, hunting horse, or good traveller: neither must he have wall eyes, or white specs in his eyes: you must have care that your stallions yard be all of one color, & not pied or spotted: for what stallion has such a falr, begets weak foals, or for the most part of phlegmatic complexions, which are seldom good, either for use or hardness; his stones would be of a mean size, without warts or knobs, well trussed up, & close to his body, for if either they hang side, or one hang lower than another, it is a sign of surfer, sickness, or dullness of Spirit. If your stallion have under his chaps, long thin hairs like a beard, which also extend downward even to his breast, It is much better, and a great sign of swiftness. Also, you must take care that your Stallion be free from all natural diseases: as excretions, which are splents, Spavens, Serew, ring-bones, Curbs, or such like; If they put forth, or appear before a Horse come to handling: or if he be subject to lunatic eyes, or to wens on his body, or such like. And thus much for his shape.
Now for his goodness, it is true, as some write, that it is of two sorts, either natural or artificial; his natural goodness consisting in his strength and ability of body, for the performance of the Art of generation, in his health, agility, swiftness, and good disposition. His artificial, in the manner of showing his natural virtues, which is always the best discerned under his rider: but in as much, as that artificial grace does little avail in generation, it shall be the breeders principal office to take special knowledge of his natural perfections, which if he shall find answerable to my former demonstrations, he may presume upon his fitness for that purpose: and yet I would not have you so seriously to regard his natural goodness, that you utterly neglect his artificial: but rather if you shall behold a Horse under the rider of infinite spirit and endurance, or of wonderful speed, pride, and stateliness, that although there be some things in him you could wish amended, yet to bear with them, and breed upon him, for the benefit of his other virtues.
Now forasmuch as some, whether out of curiosity to appear excellent in the knowledge of supernatural things, or to give a satisfaction to such as out of their too much search, would become Horse-Midwives; have set down as an special regard in the natural goodness of a Stallion, to know the goodness or illness of the Horses seed, which experience (for my own part) I have ever shunned as a thing loathsome, ungentle, unnatural, and most unmanly; yet, for as much as in this work, I covet to satisfy every several desire; I will set down what others think touching that point, and not what I have approved; leaving the trial to such as out of their flemye womanishness seek for such secrets.
One Writer said, that if you will know the goodness of your horse's seed, you shall when he covers a Mare, cause him to shed some of his seed into water, and if it sink it is good, if it float aloft it is naught: another said, if you take the seed of the Horse into wool, or between your finger and your thumb, and if it rope and be slimy like birdlime, then it is good: but if it be thin and loose like whey, then it is naught: with other such like midwifery precepts, which I wish every good breeder rather to hazard, then prove the experiment.
Now for the age of your Stallion, though Pliny be of opinion, that a Horse maybe put to a Mare at two years old, and continue getting Foals till he be thirty three years old: yet for my own part I like neither the beginning nor the ending, having in them both too much extremity; for the beginning is too early, and the continuance too long to prosper: the best age therefore in these days (however it has been in former ages) for to put a Horse to a Mare, is when he is between four and five years old, at what time he gets the goodliest, greatest, & best spirited colts.
In Spain I have heard the Spaniards say, they let their Colts run with their Mares, till they cover their Dames: & indeed I have seen very young Horses in some of their Land races; but I utterly dislike such breeding, for it is wild and unnatural: for as Pliny reports, a Horse being hoodwinked whilst he covered a Mare, after perceiving it was his own Dame, ran up to the rocks, and brake his own neck: and also that a Mare in the territory of Realte, killed her keeper for the like; which reports although they carry not the fairest liurys of truth, yet are they precedents for us that such manner of breeding is not by former horse-men allowed of: and this in my own experience I have both found and know, that if a man will continue his breed altogether in one strain, without any alteration or strangeness, shall in the end find his studded to decay and loose both stature, strength and comeliness, which does intimate to me, that there is a great dislike in such kind of breeding. Let your Horse therefore (as before I said) be of the age of four or five years old, or between that age, and fourteen or fifteen at the most; for after that time he is past the use of generation, except he be some principal rare horse, as some I have seen, that have gotten very sufficient Foals at eighteen and twenty years old, clearly disproving the opinion of Gesner, which said, that old Horses get lame Foals, a thing both false and ridiculous, except he account the hollowness of the eyes, or sadness of countenance lameness, which are the greatest faults an old horse begets: For whereas some hold opinion, that an old Horses Foal is more tender than the other, and more subject to sickness and infirmity, I have for my own part found the contrary, not approving many Colts more sufficient for health, or of more ability in nature to endure sickness when it chances, then the Colt of an old Horse; yet that such an old Horse would have begot a much better Colt in his youth I make no question; by which I conclude, that the young Horse is for breed the most principal: but the good old horse in extremity or necessity, not to be forsaken; provided always that he be sound of his limbs and body, unless it be such disease as comes merely by mischance or casualty.
And now sith I have proceeded thus far in the age of Horses, it shall be requisite that I show you how you shall know the age of any Horse whatsoever: First by the pride, fullness, and cheerfulness of a Horses countenance we adjudge his age: for first if his eyes be round, full and starting from his head; if the pits over his eyes be filled, smooth and even with his temples; and his countenance smooth and free from sadness, then we guess and know that such a Horse is young: and by the contrary aspects, we know he is old.
Another way, is to take his skin between your finger and your thumb, and pluck it from the flesh, than letting it go again; if it suddenly returns to the place from whence it came, and be smooth and plain, without wrinkle, then is he young and full of vigor; but if being pulled up it stand, and not returns to his former place, then is he old and wasted.
Others approve a Horses age in this sort, take him with your finger and your thumb by the stern of the tail, close at the setting on of the buttock, and feeling there hard, if you feel between your finger and thumb, of each side his tail, a joint stick out more than any other joint, by the bigness of an Hazel Nut, then you may presume he is under ten years old; but if his joints be all plain, and no such thing, to be felt, then be assured he is above ten years old. Others approve the age of Horses by their teeth, and that is of all ways the most certain: some will put their for-finger into the horse's mouth, and feel the inside of his upper tush: and if therein they find a little hole or nick, then they are sure he is under ten years old: but if it be plain and full, than he is above ten. Lastly, and the surest way to know a Horses age, i to look in a Horses mouth, and if he have changed no more but his four foremost teeth, then is he but two years old: if he have two ties above, and two below of each out side to change, than he is three years old: if he have one tooth above, and one below of each outside to change, than he is four years old: at five years old he changes his tushes, and at six years old all his ties are perfect, only his under tushes have a little circle or ring of young flesh about them, different from his gum, and his outmost ties of each side have little black holes in the top of them; which as soon as they be worn out, and are smooth, the horse is past eight years old: if when that mark is gone, and the ties smooth, the horse's ties belong, yellow and foul, although he cut even and close, than he is above twelve: i his upper ties over-reach his neither, and be worn uneven, & his tusks long, foul & thick, then is he above fifteen; but if his ties be foul, uneven, and his tusks worn close to his chaule, than he is rather above then under twenty. Also, if a horse of dark color grow grizzle above his eye brows, or under his mane, it is a sign of extreme old age: and thus much touching the Stallion.
Now to speak some little of breeding Mares, which as well as the horse would have all the three properties of beauty, age, and goodness; by the consent of my opinion, I would have a breeder to choose his Mare (after he is resoled touching her natural goodness and generation) by the largeness and goodly shape of her body, not respecting a gaunt, clean, and eye-pleasing proportion, in any sort comparable with a well for-
handed, side-ribbed, clean limbed, and large wombed Mare. For if a Foal have an ample bed, he cannot choose but be of great stature: The best age for a Mare to take the horse in, is at three years old and upward, and the time of their decreasing at twelve: yet for my own part, I did know the two and twenties Foal of one Mare, which was an exceeding good and goodly horse: but that example I hold for no general rule.
Now if you demand of me why a Mare should go sooner to the Horse than the Horse to the Mare, my answer is, because she comes a year sooner to her fullness and perfection: for a Horse is not complete, till after six, and a Mare is perfect at five. Pliny and other Philosophers, are of opinion, that Mares may bear Foals till they be forty years old, not being used for other purpose: but I whose Philosophy is my own experience, have found it in general otherwise, and therefore would wish no Prince, nor man of greatness or estate, whose power and purse may uphold his breed in the best manner, to preserve his Mares longer in his studded, than from three years old till ten; unless it be some such principal Mare of whom you have such sufficient proof of extraordinary goodness, that you may adventure a more than usual continuance: for Mares being more apt to the Act of generation than Horses, are ever found sooner to decay and grow barren. That your Mares which you preserve for your studded should run wild and untamed, as I have seen them do in Spain, Ireland, and in some races here in England I utterly dislike: for although great persons respect not their work or labors profit, yet such wildness endangers them as often as they are driven or removed from ground to ground, either for casting their Foals, swelting, or other violent evil proceeding from wildness: therefore it is most necessary that your Mares be made as domestic and tame as maybe, both that great men may not loose the pleasure of their breed, nor the meaner sort the profit of their work and labor; which labor if it be moderate, is most wholesome for the Mare, and makes her more apt and ready for conception; and moreover makes her fit either to be covered in hand, or out of hand, at your will or pleasure.



CHAP. 5.
How and at what time of the year Horses and Mares should engender: signs of a Mares desire: how many Mares for one Stallion, and how long he shall continue with them.

The next and immediate percept after the choice of Stallions, and Mares, is to know the time of the year, and season when they should engender: the opinion of Pliny, Palladius, and some other writers is, that the Stallion and Mares should be put together, from the midst of March, till the midst of June; and truly the opinion is very good, & agreeable with our clime: but in the strictness of my own opinion; & experience, I have ever found from the beginning of March till the end of April, the very best time of all, for May and June are somewhat with the hottest, & a little too late in the year; so that the Foals falling in those times, neither having taste of frosts, nor sense of cold dews; in the latter end of the year, when they shall be compelled to endure them, and feel them to increase every day more and more, the bitterness will be so extreme, that for want of former custom, they will loose their flesh, grow weak, and misshapen: notwithstanding, if a Mare be not ready (as it will often happen) so early in the year: yet rather then she should go over, or you loose her profit, it shall not be amiss to let her be covered, either in May or June, so that the Mare going with Foal ordinarily eleven Months, and ten days, or there about, she may foal though not in the beginning of the spring (which I would ever wish) yet at such a tolerable time, as both for the temperature of air, and benefit of food maybe allowed, though not much praised. Divers horsemen here in England (but not any expert breeders) I have heard, hold strong argument against this opinion of my for early covering of Mares, concluding that to cover Mares in May, is somewhat of the soonest, reasoning thus; that forasmuch as Italy, Spain, and other Countries much hooter than ours, cover not their Mares before mid-March, or the beginning of April: ours that through the coldness keeps grass slow and long ere it spring, may right necessarily stay a month after them, but they are deceived in their judgments: For although our clime be cold, and that grass be long in growing; yet this is a certain rule, that if a Mare have meat enough to sustain nature in any good fashion, she will ever have milk enough to bring up her Foal.
Again, if a Foal fall early in the year, as the year increases, so both meat and milk increases: but if a Foal fall in the prime time of the year, than as the year decreases, so meat and milk decreases; so that the Foal tastes in his first month his best food: and when he can eat least, has the greatest plenty, which is contrary to rule.
Lastly, our Winters being almost double to the Winters in those hot Countries, if our Foals have not a little taste or seasoning of Winter before our Winter begin, they will hardly (as before I said) endure our Winters.
An other Argument those Horsemen have, which is that our Mares will not covet the Horse before May, but that is more absurd than the other; for all men of experience know, that a Mare which is not with foal, will ever covet the Horse before mid-March, at what time if she be suffered to go over, she will not desire the Horse for a Month after. Again, if the Mare be with Foal, it is an infallible rule, that as soon as she has foaled, she will ever covet the Horse nine nights after: so that it is rather a natural course, then the pride food, which makes a Mare covet or not covet the Horse.

Now the signs to know when a Mare covets the Horse be these: They will run extraordinarily up and down, and seldom rest in any one place, and their coursing for the most part is ever towards the North or South; they will prick up their tails, woo one another, and leap one upon another, they will piss often, and as some do report in their writings; if they may not have the Horse in the extremity of their desire, they will run maddened.
The time of the year being thus: from the beginning of March, till the end of April or May: and your Mares being ready for the Horse, the next rule is, the manner of their putting together: it is most true that, for Princes and great Persons, who have multitudes of Mares, and great choice of Horses, to whom the spoiling of a horse, or the going over of a Mare, is no loss. The only best manner of covering, is to put your Stallion into a well fenced ground, full of fresh water, good shelter, and clear water, where he may run from March till the midst of May, and than to put for him so many Mares as with good convenience his strength is able to endure & serve: which must be proportioned according to his youth and strength. Pliny is of opinion, that a good Stallion may cover fifteen Mares, and our English horsemen have ordinarily proportioned twelve and ten, but for the best Horses that have been within my experience, I have found eight at full sufficient, unless a man would never expect more of the Horse, then that one two months Service.

For a Horse then if youth, strength, and lustiness eight Mares are a full number, but if he be old or feeble, then four is enough, fix to many. According to this proportion, having severed your Stallions & Mares into their proper places, You must appoint such as maybe careful of the fences, least either your stallions should break one into another, and so either mare the determination of your breed, or spoil themselves by fighting; For Horses like Deer are Jealous of their mares, as may appear by their keeping them together, & not suffering them to stray or feed a sunder, as in such cases you may easily observe, and which as some think, is the cause that they are more apt for generation, and do conceive more speedily: and truly for the first, second or third mare, I am of the same opinion: but that it holds so in the rest, I differ; for a Horse which is at such liberty, and is of a mighty spirit, does so extremely; and with such disorder spend himself, that in less then one weeks space, he brings such feebleness upon him, that he is almost disabled for the purpose you employ him: and for my own part, I have known divers excellent horse's that have killed themselves with the violence of their lust. Yet as before I said, for such as have multitudes of mares, there is no other mean, but the sufferance of this hazard.

As soon as you shall perceive that all your Mares be covered, which necessarily must be within the compass of six weeks, because every empty Mare at that time of the year, desires the Horse once in a month, you shall forth-with take your horse from your mares: for it is not good to let him go any longer, for these reasons: first for the loss of his use & service, which maybe after his recovery to some good purpose; but chiefly, least if he run too long, he spoil what he has formerly created: for a Mare, contrary to the kind of other beasts, is of so strong a lust, that although she have conceived, yet if she be proud in flesh, fat, full, and lusty, she will notwithstanding desire and take the horse again, which if at any time she do, she immediately casts the Foal where withal formerly she went, which experiment I have known divers times approved, yea even when a mare has been within almost a month of her reckoning: for which cause I would have you ever observe to remove your stallion, so soon as he has done his office. And thus much for the races of Princes, and Potentates.
Now for such private Gentlemen, as having but one Stallion, yet divers mares, they may by no means run the hazard of this former course, least by spoiling their horses, they loose both their hope & benefit together, wherefore it behooves than to observe an other course: yet not in my opinion, according to the demonstration of some of our late English writers, by turning mares single, and by one for the Horse, whilst he runs in some private enclosed ground, as some pond-yard, or such like: for this takes as sore of the Horse as the other course first mentioned, or rather sorer, by as much as the change and novelties of new Mares, brought almost at the end of every three days fresh for him, stirs & inflames him with a more greedy & eager lust, than otherwise he would have if they were his continual object: therefore he that has but one Stallion, & hopes to enjoy him long, (yet many Mares for him yearly to cover) let him observe the order prescribed in this next Chapter.




CHAP. 6.
Of covering Mares in the House, the dieting of the Stallion, the time of the day for the Act, and to know when she has conceived.

Although this course we are now about to treat of, be much more troublesome, and a little more chargeable then the former, yet it is by many degrees safer, and in my conceit much surer. He therefore, that out of little means will preserve a good breed: Let him first prepare to keep some warm spot of ground, as either Orchard, Garden, or such like: with not being eaten all the year before, may have grass ready to mow by mid April, at what time you shall put your horse into the soil, feeding him thoroughly with bread made of peas meal and mingled with barme and water, well kneaded & baked in great Household loaves: then when you have a Mare ready to be covered, let her as soon as the Sun is in setting, be brought into some large empty barn, and there turned loose: let then the Horse be also brought for her, and turned loose, where let him remain with her all night, till half an hour after Sun rise: then let him be taken and led into the stable, and the first thing you give him, let it be a sweet warm mash of malt and water: after that, let him have grass and provender as before he was accustomed: then let the Mare likewise be turned to grass.
This order you shall observe three nights together, and there is no doubt but your Mare shall be sufficiently served: In this manner, & with this diet, your horse may well serve one after another, ten or twelve mares; during all which time of soil & covering, your horse must by no means be ridden.
Now for as much as some English writers prescribe in this time of soil, for your horse's diet, dried wheat or dried Peas and Wheat bran, or clean fytches, and his mashes of wheat, meal and water, I for my own part, do dislike them all, and this is my ground: first, for dried wheat, although it be a clean, hearty, and strong food, yet it is a grain, which of all other does soonest cloy a Horse, & is most dangerous, if a horse shall surfeit thereon: besides, it is with us here in England, of so little use for Horses, that when you shall give it a Horse, his nature (unaccustomed thereunto) receives it rather as a medicine, then as any familiar food, and by that means takes little or no pleasure therein: Lastly, it is so costly, that no good Husband ut will grudge the expense, except he were assured of some extraordinary benefit thereby, which I assure him he shall never reap.
Now for peas and bran, who knows not that has any experience, that it is of all foods the most idle, engendering gross humors, & bad nutriment, occasioning heart-burning, and many other scalding passions in a Horse. And for fytches they are (if possible) worse then the other for besides that they are rank, fulsome, and unwholesome food: they have also in em such a dangerous poison, that by surfeiting upon them, they breed even the plague among horses.
For the mash of Wheat and Water, it is tolerable, and maybe used, but not in this time of covering, because it carries neither the strength, pleasant taste, nor sweetens, which Malt and water does. And thus much for the covering of Mares in the house.

There is yet another manner of covering of Mares, and that is, for such as either having some one principal Horse, which they esteem so precious, that they will not adventure him loose a night together, least they mare either in her wooing, or out of her toying knavishness, should give him such a blow, as might either breed in him grief or lameness; yet are desirous to have some one or two special Mares covered with him: or else it is for them who being desirous to get into good races, are fain to get leaps for their Mares, either by courtesy, bribes, or stealth: for these, they must be content to have their Mares covered in hand; which although it be not altogether so sure as the former prescribed was, yet the Foals so begotten, are altogether as good as the former: and whereas some have held opinion that the Horse being at hard meat (that is, at Hay and Provender) and the mare at grass, or the mare at hard meat, and the horse at grass, that if these two shall engender together, the mare will never conceive or hold, I have found it mere untruth, for I have known a horse the night before he should have run for a wager; who then was not only at hard meat, but also in straight diet, which is the extremist of hard meat, cover a grass mare, which mare has held to that horse, & brought forth a foal, which both for his shape & virtue, might well challenge his Sire. He therefore that will have his mare covered in hand, must observe this order: as soon as you find your mare ready for the Horse, which you may know by the signs before mentioned, or if for a better assurance, you may if you please, bring some bad stoned Jade for her, and if you see her wry her tail, & show willing to receive him, then it is most certain she is ready: then you shall half an hour after Sun-rise n the morning, bring your mare into some close court r back yard, near for the Stable, or for want of ch into some empty barn: then you shall cause the horse keeper to bring forth the Horse, in a watering trench, with a strong long rein: and if at the first sight f the mare, the horse (as it is very likely he will) fall to bound or leap, let not the keeper be afraid. ut rather cherish and fortify the Horse in such salts, only let him so much as is in his power restrain him from coming too suddenly to the mare, that f it be possible he maybe ready when he comes to her, and as soon as he is upon her, let him have all the liberty the Horse-keeper can give him. But whereas some would have the Horse-keeper to help the Horse, as by putting his yard on the right place, or such like: I am utterly against (gap: 1 word), (except it be in case of great need) for it is so much against the nature of a Horse, so to be handed, that I have seen a Horse when he has been ready to cover a mare, by such officiousness of the keeper, to come immediately off from the mare, & leave her unserved, for more than an hour after. As soon as the Horse has served the mare, & is come from her back, let a stander by (prepared for the purpose) immediately throw a pale of cold water upon the private parts of the Mare, which will keep her from shedding the seed (which naturally a mare will do) and so soon as the water is thrown, let him which holds the mare, run up and down with her the space of a quarter of an hour, making her trot a good pace, which chafing will also make her hold the seed, and whilst this is in doing, let the Horse be led into the stable: and have some bread given him, then within half an hour after, let him be brought forth again as before, and let him cover her the second time, and then no more for that time, & look, how you do in the morning, the same you must also do in the evening, continuing so to do for three mornings and three evenings together: and it will be sufficient.
Now that you may know whether she has conceived or no, you shall within ten days after her covering, offer her some bad stoned Jade again: which if she refuses to receive, it is an evident token that she holds; but if at that time month after her covering, you offer her the Horse again, and she reuses him, it is most infallible that she holds.
Again, if when you cover your Mare in hand, and let her stand still, she do not then loose or cast out her seed, it is most certain that she holds. Also when a Mare has conceived, her coat will scower, and she will look more smooth, slight, and full then before she did. The only time of the month for covering of Mares, is three days after the change of the Moon, & three days before the full of the Moon. And thus much for the covering of Mares.


CHAP. 7.
That Mares maybe made to conceive either Horse Foals, or Mare Foals at pleasure, and of what color the breeder will.

Although ever, even from my infancy, my uttermost ends & ambition has been only to be expert in this art of Horsemanship which I profuse: & although I have not omitted any time, labor, r rest (according to the substance of my estate) which might any way enrich me with any secret belonging on the same; yet whether it has been the strength of y misbelief, or the nature of my condition (which has ever desired in these natural courses, a natural and comely proceeding) I know not, yet well I am assured, that I could never relish or well digest these needless secrets, into which the fond curiosity of man both to so small purpose wade; yet for my promise ke, and least by this omission some other man might come & deny my CAVELARICE, I am content to port the uttermost of other men's opinions, joining on them my own observations. One writer therefore said, that if you will have your Horse get a Colt Foal, you must tie up his left stone with a lace or ribbon: but I fear if he have not the use of both those instruments, he will get neither Colt nor Filly: The binding up of the right stone gets the filly Foals.
Another said, if you cover a Mare when the north wind blows, she will conceive a Colt Foal; if when the South-wind blows, a Filly. Others report, that if you constrain your Horse to stand a good space by the Mare wooing her, and priding himself before her, that the Mare out of the conceit of his comeliness, will at that time conceive a colt Foal, Others are of opinion, that if you anoint the Horses yard and stones with the oil Petroleum, that it will occasion him to beget colt Foals: but in all these experiments, I have little trust. My observations therefore for this begetting of Males, or Females, has been ever these: first, let a Mare be covered three days after the change, or 3. days before the full of the Moon, & it is commonly a mean to make her bring forth a colt Foal: To cover a Mare the third night, or the ninth night after she has foaled, is a good way to get colt Foals: lastly and which is of all the surest, let your Horse when he goes to your Mare, be in as great lust and strength as you can make him, and let your Mare be rather lean then fat, so that in the work of nature, the horse maybe the stronger doer: and from these observations I have many times seen horse-colts to issue.
Now that you may know when your mare is covered, whether shoe has conceived a horse Colt, or mare Colt: one observes, that if the horse when the act of generation is ended, do come off from her back on the right side, that then she has conceived a colt Foal, if on the left side, then a mare foal. Others observe, that if when the horse comes off from the mare, he seem to be much dejected and ashamed, that it is a strong argument he has got a colt foal; but if he show any alacrity of spirit, or do neigh, it is a manifest token he has got a mare foal: but both these ob uations in my conceit are frivolous, nor do I think (gap: 1 word) ought in truth seek such superstitious knowledge.
Now that your Mare may conceive her Foal of hat color you will, many Philosophers and some Horse-men are of this mind, that look what color u shall put upon the horse when he covers the Mare, or what other color you will present to her eye hen she is in covering, that the Foal which she then conceives shall have the same color: Others report, at of what color you will stain or paint the hairs (gap: 1 word) your Horse, when he goes to cover your Mare, at she will conceive her foal of that color. Another iteth, that if you will paint the portraiture of a Horse on board or canvas, and hold it before the eyes (gap: 1 word) the Mare whilst she is in covering, that look what lour or special marks the picture contains, that e same color and marks the foal shall have which the Mare then conceives. However these opinions (gap: 1 word) maintained by the Scriptures, or by Laban's sheep, r my own part I hold neither trust nor truth in em: for were there a certainty in such practice, I ow so many fantastical wits in this Nation, that we would not be without a world of Gesner's Horses, I eane horse's of all manner of colors in the Rainbow: ay some maddened men I know would have their Mi esses names grow on their horse's buttocks, But let g these juggling tricks pass, the only sure way to have our foal of good color, is to have both your Horse d Mare of a good color, and that does never fail (gap: 1 word) nature.




CHAP. 8.
If Mares should be forced to take the Horse, and how to move lust in Horse and Mare, and how to abate it.
Though in former ages, as in the days of Plintus secundus, & Uarro, it has been an usual custom to force Mares to take the Horse, when they have had no lust, as by cross shackling them, tying them to a Post, and such like violent compulsions: yet I for my part do utterly dislike it, and hold it both barbarous & unnatural: for in all those natural actions there should be a natural accord & agreement, or otherwise the labor is lost: or if it auaié, it is the first means to bring forth prodigies: therefore if at any time you be offered the benefit of a principal Horse, and because of your Mares unreadiness you are likely to loose that fair opportunity, unless you shall force her by compulsion: my advice is, that rather then you shall loose the one, or make use of the other, that you try all the means that maybe to stir and move lust in your mare, which one writer said you may thus do: take Shrimps and beat them in a mortar with water, till they be as thick as honey, then mix therewith mares seed, and so anoint her private parts, and her nose, and it will procure lust; or else take the powder of Horses stones, and mixing it with sweet wine, give it the mare to drink.
Another writer said, that the juice of a Sea Onion (gap: 1 span) ng laid upon the Mares matrix, will stir up lust, (gap: 1 word) else to anoint her matrix with Hen's dung and (gap: 1 span) turpentine mixed together. But above all these uncleanly (gap: 1 span) eits, the best & surest provocation, is to rub her privy (gap: 1 span) parts with keen nettles, for that will not only violent (gap: 1 span) stir up her lust, but also make her conceive and (gap: 1 span) ld when she is covered, as I have seen by due proof (gap: 1 span) sundry times: yet before you make trial, either of this (gap: 1 word) of any of the former, I would have you first put to (gap: 1 span) your Mare some bad stoned Jade, who being so shack (gap: 1 span) that he cannot cover her, may run with her a (gap: 1 span) y or two, in which time, if by his chasing & wooing (gap: 1 span) r he stir her to lust, (as it is most likely he will) then (gap: 1 word) that only suffice; otherwise you may follow your (gap: 1 span) own opinion: but if it be so that your Mare be ready (gap: 1 span) r the Horse, & only the Horse out of a cold or sullen disposition refuses to cover your Mare, as I have seen any fair Coursers of that nature: then you must him (gap: 1 span) oy your Art by stirring lust in your Horse, which (gap: 1 span) me writers report you may do, by giving him to (gap: 1 span) inke the tail or pizsel of an old Stag burnt to pow (gap: 1 span) r: & mixed with sweet wine, and also anointing his (gap: 1 span) nes therewith, or else to mingle with that powder (gap: 1 span) e powder of Anny-seeds Saterion, Basil, and Date (gap: 1 span) ones, and give them in sweet wine to drink; but rather then you shall approve any of these medicines, I (gap: 1 span) would wish you to stay the long leisure of the Horse, (gap: 1 span) and by often offering to take the Mare from him, seek (gap: 1 span) on move and inflame him; if you do with nettles rub (gap: 1 span) is yard a little it will provoke him, and is a thing ordinarily used.
But now of the contrary part, if either your Horse or Mare be so proud and strong in lust, that nothing you can do will abate their heat, you shall then anoint his stones and yard, and the Mares Udeder and private parts with Sallet Oil, wherein has been steeped before Mallowes, Sorrell, and Lettuce: but if that prevail not, you shall twice a day swim your Horse or Mare in some deep River. As for that idle opinion of them that think the cutting off of a Horse or Mares mane, or tail, will abate their courage, it is most gross; for Horses & Mares have not like Sampson their strengths in their hairs: and thus much touching these natural secrets, which if to modest ears they bring any evil sound, they are the rules of the best respected Writers, and not by me published but repeated.




CHAP. 9.
Which Mares should be covered, which not, and which shall not go barren.

Palladius, Columella, and myself am much different in opinion; for they would have such Mares as are beautiful, and fair, and there with all have been well covered, and have fair Colt Foals, not to be covered every year, but once in two years, nay, once in three years: their reason being, that their Foals may thereby have the longer time to suck, and for such Mares as are soul, and have foul Foals, to be covered every year, as if they would give rules to breed bad things often, and good things seldom.
Now for my opinion; first, where they make a distinction between fair Mares, and foul Mares, I would have every breeder, so near as he can, not to preserve one foul or uncomely Mare in his race, or if he have any such, to breed so seldom upon them as maybe; so that composing his studded all of fair Mares, he should by Palladius rule, breed but once in three years, a husbandry in my conceit very unprofitable. But to come to our purpose: I would have every one that breeds Horses, not to let any Mare he has to go over, except it be that some of his Mares miscarry, and cast their Foals; which if any do, then I would have such Mares to go over for a year at least, because if they be covered the next year after, they are in danger to cast their Foals again, although they have no mischance: as for Palladius reason, that they should go over for the bringing up of their Foals, he is much mistaken: for a Foal does not suck any great quantity of milk above nine Menses, the other three Menses he sucks but by snatches, and for wantonness; so that the Mares being with Foal, does not anything at all hinder the Foals nourishment. Besides, the Foals sucking upon the Mare, keeps the Mare in a good estate of body, rather lean then fat; so that when she shall come to be covered she will sooner hold, sooner bring forth a Colt foal, and have more room, and a larger bedded for her foal to tumble in: Whereas should she be suffered to go over a year or two, in that time of her barrenness, she would grow so fat, that she would hardly hold; or if she did hold, her womb would be so closed up with fatness, that when she should come to foal, she would bring forth nought but a wreckling; my opinion therefore is, that no Mare should go over, that is worthy the covering, except (as before is said) mischance constrain: now to be sure that none of your Mares shall go barren, try every Mare you have the Month day after her covering, except such as be fat and proud, but by no means try then; & if the other covet the Horse again, let then have him, and so you shall be sure that not any of them shall go barren: but for turning a Stallion amongst your Mares about Lammas, (as some advise) O it is most wild: first through the mischief he may do to those who have already conceived, and next the lateness of the year, at what time I had rather the Mare should go over, then bring a Foal at so bad a season: and although I have seen myself, & heard also of many good Lanmas Foals, yet I never saw any such, as thereon to ground a president. And thus much for Mares and their barrenness.




CHAP. 10.
The use of Mares when they are with Foal, and of the casting of Foals.

AS soon as your Mares have conceived and are with Foal, those great persons which keep their studeds only for breed, and no other labor, are to respect that they may go in good short, yet sweet pasture, especially if they give suck, and that for a month before and after Michaelmasse they be not chased, strained, or troubled, for then is the time of their knitting and quickening, so that a small rush at that time breeds aborsment (which is the casting of their foals. ) But for such men as must by labor make some special use of their mares, they must have care, that after their Mares have conceived, they labor and work them very moderately, shunning by all means to put them to the carriage of heavy burdens, or the toil of hasty journeys: but above all, as before I said, a month before and after Michaelmas; Mares that are with Foal, and have Foals sucking upon them, must have in the Winter besides grass, good store of sweet hay, and light Corn: they must have good shelter, as house or hovel, & dry layre. The houses or hovels, where they eat their winter meat, must be large and spacious, so that they may not be thronged up together, for fear by rushing or striking, they be forc'st to cast their Foals. Some have been of opinion, that the change of strange pastures, and strange waters, will make a Mare cast her foal, but it is not so, only a man may by driving Mares from pasture to pasture, with unruly chasing make them cast their foals, with is the cause I would have mares with foal seldom removed or dryuen: but that fresh pasture should do them such hurt, it is senseless. As for the mast of Cedar trees, the treading upon Wolves or such-like, all which some writers say, will cause aborsmeut, we here in England need not fear them. But for stinking smells, as the stuffs of candles, carrion, or such like, I hold it very dangerous, and do often occasion aborssement: fatness in a Mare is dangerous for aborssement also; or if they scape casting their foals, yet fatness puts a Mare to great hazard in her foaling, which is the reason that many good breeders which I know, willet their Mares after they are quickened, be moderately trauelled or wrought, till within some month or six weeks of their foaling, but not any longer: for the only time of danger is at the first conception, and at the time of teaming. And thus much for this matter.

CHAP. 11.
Help for a Mare that is in danger in foaling, and other secrets.

Mares naturally (contrary to the custom of other beasts) do foal standing: and as certain ancient Writers report (for I have not at any time seen it) the foals when they are new foaled, have upon their foreheads a little black thing like a figge called Hypomanes, which they say will procure love, the dam bites it off, and eats it as soon as the foal is fallen, but if she be prevented thereof, she will never suffer the foal to suck; as if the tenderness or natural love which a Mare bears to her young, sprung from this accidental cause, and not from the motion of her natural inclination: but for my own part, having seen so many Mares foal as I have done, and never perceiving any such observation, I cannot imagine it any other than a fabulous dream.
But to proceed to our purpose: if your mare either by mischance, or by natural defect, as by taking the Horse when she was too young, as under two years old, or upon her first foal, which ever has the greatest peril, be in danger at her foaling, or put to extraordinary torment in foaling; you shall ease her by these means: first one is of opinion, that if you make one stand before the mare when she is in foaling, that shall hold her nost ls close, in such sort that she cannot take her breath, it will procure her to foal with much ease: but for the (gap: 1 word) I doubt, only I know it will procure he more speed in her business: but the most (gap: 1 word) and surest remedy for this evil is, to take the (gap: 1 word) part of the Crab-fish fear, and beating (gap: 1 word) to powder, mix it with sweet Wine, and Sall Oil, and give it the mare with a horn to drink, and i will bring her ease presently, of which I have known good experience: but if it shall fail, then I would have you take the help of some discrete woman, whose better experience knows best How to handle such an occasion.
Now if after your mare have foaled, she do not scowe away her Secundine, which is the skin wherein the foal is wrapped, after that natural manner which is requisite in such a case: some think it best to give her this medicine: first to boil two or three handfuls of fennel in water; than to take half a pint of that water & as much old sweet wine, & a forth part of sallet oil, & mingle them together upon the fire, then when it is luke warm, to power it into the mares nostrils, and to hold her nostrils close after it, which will be a present means that she shall expel the former substance: but for as much as this medicine is somewhat tedious in making, and that a Mare should not be so long in scouring, as this: in compounding, boiling, and cooling. I have ever observed, that as soon as my mare has foaled, to give her a little bottle of green forage, that is, the blades of young Wheat or Rye, but of the two Rye is the better, and it will both expel and cleanse a Mare presently: touching the eating of the Secundine, which most commonly mares do, some think it is very unwholesome, and that it makes a Mare sick and unlustie, which opinion I hold for great truth, adeding this with all; that it is a great hindrance to the Mares milk: wherefore so far forth as is in a man's power, I would have it prevented. And thus much for this matter.

CHAP. 12.
How to make a Mare cast her Foal.

SOme say, it has been a practice among ancient Horsemen, in times past, that when they have had a Mare unworthily covered, as when a fair Mare has either by stealth, or mischance, taken some ill favored stoned Jade, or when a mare of some special hope or virtue, as eyt her for riding, running or hunting, is pressured from the horse, and yet not withstanding through some negligence, gets to the Horse, and is covered:
In this case, it has been a practice to force the mare so covered, to aborsment, which is to cast her Foal, and it is a thing myself have practiced upon a mare, in whose speed I was infinitely much persuaded, the rather because I know this general rule never to fail, that a mare which once gives a Foal suck shall never boast of that speed which in her maidenhood, she enjoyed, both because all her powers, organs, and instruments of strength have then a contrary employment; and also, because nature in foal-bearing lose the pride and luster of her greatness.
Again, if you preserve your Mare for beauty, and eye-pleasure, the bearing of foals utterly takes away that delight, because the womb being stretched out, the udder broken, and the full parts fallen, there is little more than the head & limbs which a man can call beautiful; he therefore then which has either swift, mare, or beautiful mare, which is unworthily covered, if he would disburden her of that evil burden, there is no course but to make her cast her Foal: which although some writers hold, maybe done two ways, that is, either by strength of hand or use of medicine, yet for my own part, for that handy course, I utterly dislike it, both for as much as I know it can never be done but to the great hazard of the mares life, & also because I have seen some mares die in the deed doing, for that which is to be done by hand, is not to be done, till the Foal be so great, that it have hayre, at what time they cause one to thrust his hand into the womb of the mare, and to crush the head of the foal, how monrous, immodest & unnatural this is, who cannot Judge? but for the medieenable course, it is less dangerous, & by all degrees more tolerable; Yet for as much as I have ever used such experiments, but in extremity and that the medicines are all in other men's records; I will for modesty sake, refer them to their writings; and at his instant save myself a labor in repetition, advising all Horse breeders and Horsemen whatsoever, rather to endure the inconvenience of mischance, then the mischief of these subtle knowledges.



CHAP. 13.
The use of Mares when they have foaled; of the sucking of Foals, and of other help and uses.

IT is to be intended, that according to the (gap: 2 words) are prescribed in the first chapter of this book, all your (gap: 1 word) hold be in that ground which being plam and most uoide of water furrowes, ditches, and such like, is the safest from danger in foaling: but when your mares have all foaled, if then you have any fresh and u bitten ground, which not being rack, deep, nor soft, but sweet grass, short bit, and hard to tread on, with good shelter and fresh water: it shall be good to put your race mares and their foals therein, to the end that their milk may spring & that your foals may come to a fullness of strength, beauty, and courage: in which although some Authors give aduice on chase and rechase your mares up and down the ground at certain times, as the best means to bring the mares milk into her Udeder, yet I am of a contrary opinion, knowing this by due proof, that such exercise does rather hurt then good, because whatsoever is don unwillingly is done with pain, & that painfulness takes away the sence of profit: as for bringing down the milk, that the foal itself ever does, whom as he sucks, you shall ever see with his nose and head to iump and strike against the Udeder of the mare, which is to no other purpose but to break the kernels of the mares Udeder, and to have the milk have its passage, so that to conclude, I would have your mares run with all the quietness that maybe, knowing this principle, that all horse's and mares, which are either in lust or strength, will out of their own natures, either against raine, wind, or stormes, run, chase, and scope about the ground where they pasture; so that where nature is so good a help, constraint need to be of little use.
Now for the sucking of foals, although one man writes, that all Authors do agree, that foals should suck two years at least: nay, that after the Spanish manner, they should suck till they cover their dams, I for my part & as I think all good English breeders are of a contrary opinion; for however in the days of Pliny, Aristotle, or Anatolius, two years might be thought litle enough; yet in these our days we find it full one year too much; wherefore leaving the uariable opinions of sundry men, I conclude, that in the races of Princes, Noblemen and Gentlemen, for a foal to suck a year complete, that is from his own foaling, till his dam foal again, is a time full out sufficient; but for the husbandman, who may not loose the work and labor of his mare, it shall be sufficient for him if his foal suck but full six Months complete; and However some men have written that Foals sucking so small a time, must necessaryly want much of their inward pythe, strength and healthfulnes, yet by proof I know it does not generally hould so, and for my own part, I could almost give consent to the wayning of all foals at six and seven monthes, were it not for the great danger of the Gargill, and maw-worme, which for foals wayned so young, are diseases both incydent & common: so that in conclusion, I would have those who are of ability, to let their foals suck a year, & no more. For those who want means, to make their hazard at six monthes and upward. For the housing of foals at their first foaling, which is the opinion of Uarro, and some others. I am utterly against it, because as I have formerly written, the perfect Horse must ever in one year have the taste of two winters, and therefore in Gods name let your Foal taste the worst of winters farewell.
Now for the exercysing of your Foals to eat provender after they be five or six monthes old (which is likewise the opinion of Uarro) it is exceeding good, and nothing more necessary, but that the provender should be either ground Barly, or dried Barley and wheat branne mingled together: That might in those countrys, wherein he was experyenst be tolerable, because peraduenture there was no other choice: but with us here in England, where we have so many choices of good foodes, that food is of all other the uildest, and worst, both because it affords the worst nutryment, and also both Barly and wheat bran, are of a hot burning nature, ingendring hot feauers and other drye diseases. The provender best for foals then, is old Oats in the sheafe, the over chaueing of wheat, garbadge (which is wheat ears and the straw chopt altogether) and now and then barly in the chaffe, or if your foals grow dry in their bodies, and costiue, then now & then a sheafe of Ry among them. This manner of feeding will not only make them acquainted with the several taste & use of meates but also breed such familiaritie between them and their keepers, that they will be much more domesticall and tame than otherwise they would be, which is a great benefit, both to the breeder, and also to him which shall be the rider; but in any wise let not their keepers handle or stroke them too much, for that will but hinder their growth, because for the most part, all four-footed beasts do take dislike in their infancie to be much handled. The houses or cross houels which you preserve for winter shelter for your foals, would be fair paued with pibble, boulder, or some other kind of small stone, and therewithal daily kept clean from myre or dung: from myre, that by soft treadyng the hoofs of your foals grow not weak and tender: and from dung, least standing thereupon it burne and dry up their hoofs, making them short and brittle. But if naturally you perceive any of your foals to have tender houes, then you shall seek by medicenable means to recover them, as by annointing then with the upper sword or skin of fat bacon, or else by taking the ears of Garlike, Swines grease, Goats grease, and Brimstone mixed together, and annointing their hoofs therewith, or by rubbing the cronets of their hoofs with Tarre and Hogges grease mixed togithere, and such like, of which I will speak more in my ooke of diseases.





CHAP. 14.
The knowledge of a horse's shape stature and quality: and how it is to be known when he is new foaled.
THis knowledge and experience I have oftentimes noted, and therefore dare the more boldly protest it which is that a man may have almost a certain knowledge when a Foal is new foaled, what shape, stature, and quality he will carry when he is a Horse of complete strength and growth: Wherefore, first as touching his shape; look what shape, proportion and beauty he has when he is a full month old, the same shape and beauty he will carry when he is full six years of age: and the same defects which he then retains, the same he will hold when he comes to his growth, and all his life after. Than for his stature, this is an infallible rule, that for the shinne bone (which is between the knee and the pastrne of the for legs) that bone never increases, no not from the first foaling, neither the bone from the cambrell to the pastrne of the hinder leg; insomuch that if those bones be long and large, we are ever assured that the Foal will proue a tall and a large Horse. But for a general knowledge of the height of a Horse by his foalage, take an Incle or Ribband, and measure the Foal when he is new foaled, from the knee to the Withers (which is the top of his shoulder) and double that length he shall be of height when he comes to be a Horse of complete age.
Now for his disposition and quality, I am of Uarros opinion, that if a Foal be of a stirring and liuely spirit, ualiant against all strange sights, and sudeden noises; wantonly leading the way in his sportings, and to be the foremost in every chasing, that will uoluntarily leap hedges and ditches, boldly pass bridges, straight lanes or places of covert, or to swim waters, and therewithal to show a most tractable patience, when they are by ordinary means restrained, This foal or colt I say, and this I have ever approued and obserued, will proue a horse of all good virtue, tractabilitie, and endurance; whereas Colts of contrary dispositions, proue horse's of dull, cowardly, and most unseruiceable quality. And thus much for these hopefull and prophetique imaginations.



CHAP. 15.
How Horse foals, and Mare foals grow, and to know the continuance of their goodness.

TOuching the groath of horse's & mares even from their first beginning to their complete age, diuerse men are of diuerse opinions: for one supposs that Horse-foals are sooner fashioned in their Dammes bellyes then Mare foals: and indeed there is some natural reason for such conceit: but in as much as no man can make any just proof or experiment thereof, I will refer it to the readrs discretion to beleeue it as he list. Another is of opinion (and to that opinion I must needs condiscend, for I find it in daily experience) that after foals are foaled, the mare foal comes to her full growth of height and length at five years of age: but the horse-foal not before he be full six; and from that time, although some imagine they spread & grow in breadth and largeness till they be ten years of age; yet I for my own part have diligently obserued, and found by experience, that no horse does spread, or grow brodr, or larger after he is eight years of age, at which time only he is complete, and full in every member.
There is another which writes, that horses with bald or white faces do not grow old so soon as other horse's: how he means that saying I scarce understand, for most sure it is, that nature as soon decays in them as in others: but if his meaning be that they do not appear old so soon as other horses, then I am of his opinion, because those grisseld hairs which in horse's of dark colors are the only marks of old age, do never appear in a horse that has a white face: as for the length of life in such horses, I think it is shorter then in the others, for bald faces, white legs above the knees or cambrels, and such like superfluities of whiteness, are the euident tokens of the imperfections of nature, and where nature is imperfite, there life is of least continuance.
Now for as much as all horse's do not; attain to their full growth in one manner and fashion, I will show you how they grow, according to their several breeds: and first for our English horses, they commonly
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do hold their shapes till they be two years old; but at three, they loose all beauty and proportion, appearing to the eye weak, loose, and ill fauouredlye cast, no member answering other, either in shape or fitness: then at four years old they recover again the shape and good fashion of their bodies, only they want neck and crest, which begins not to rise or extend its comeliness till he be five years old, and becomes perfect and complete at six years old. The English horse grows altogether even and just, and not as other horse's do, one while before, and another while behind; for whenso ever you shall perceive him to grow uneuen, that is higher behind then before, or hygher before then behind, be you well assured, he will ever continue so all his life after: so that when you shall see any English Colt of any such uneuen making, neither choose him, nor preserve him, otherwise than for present sale or profit. According to the growth of your English horse's: so for the most part grow your Almaines, Flemings, and Frisonds.
Now for the Neopolitan Courser, he lose his shape as soon as he is a year old, and recovers it not again, till he be full five years old: during all which time he is of loose shape, raw-bond, weak-jointed, and hinne neck'd: at two years old he is higher behind hen before: at three, higher before then behind: t four, higher behind then before: and at five, of even height, all his joints being come to their true euenness; and at six years old, his neck, crest, breast, and buttocks, come to their full beauty, and comeliness.
Now it is to be noted, that if any true bredede
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Courser do either at two years old, or three years old, show the beauty of a good shape, appearing to the eye to be firmely knit, round and close trust togethere, with all those shapes which should be discerned in his full age: such a Colt ever does loose his shape at four and five years old, and never recovers it again during his whole life after. So that I conclude, the worse shape a Courser carry that two, three, and four years of age, the better he will bear it at five, and six, and all his life after. According to the growth of the Neapolitan; so for the most part grows both the Jenet of Spaine, the Turkes, and Barbaryes.
As touching the continuance of a Horses goodness, it often appears by the Horses hoofs. For if they be tender and soft, as for the most part your Flemings, Almaines, and Frisons are, then are they but of short continuance, as wanting much of their uigor and strength. But if they have hoofs which are strong, hard, and sounding, as for the most part our English horses, Neapolitans, Jenets, Turkes, and Barbary have, then are they of long life, continuance and goodnes, as wanting no benefit that nature can give. Other observations we have for the continuance of a horse's goodnes; as from the healthfulness of his body, or inclination to infirmitie, from his strength or weakeness of stomach, or his good or bad digestion, from his sleepe or watching, and many such like; by whose excesse we may ever Judge of a horse's good or evil habite. And thus much for this matter.

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CHAP. 16.
Of the weaning of Colts, of their ordering, and separating, according to their ages.

SO soon as your Foals have sucked a year, or within a month of a year, which is till your Mares be ready to foal again, which as near as you can compass would be about the middlest of March, you shall then some three or four days before the full of the Moone, about nine or tenne of he clock in the for-no one, take all your foals from our Mares, and shutte them up in a close house, where they may neither hear the noise of their dams, ortheir dams hear their whinneing. In this house would be either some few Oats in the sheafe, some Hay, or some other provender, not so much as will ll their bellys, but so much as will sustain nature.
The Foals having thus rested in this house all ight, the next morning, although one Author would have you pute them to their Dammes again, that they might suck whilst they are able, et in my conceyte it is very insufficient aduice, neither would I have you by any means to observe (gap: 1 word), but instead of puting them for their dammes, t them be taken by the strength of men, one after another, and give to each of them two or three slips of Sauen, which done, let them rest an hour or two without meat, then after give them both Hay, Provender, and water, as much as they will eat till night, but all night let them fast, and the next morning give them Sauen again as before, and in this sort use than for three mornings together. This Sauen is the most wholesomest thing in the world for young foals, because all foals naturally, what through the flegmatick humor of the milk which they suck, & the raw & moust coldness of the grass which they eat, are ever subject to great aboundance, both of Maw-wormes, Grubs, and Bots, which as soon as foals are weaned wanting half the nourishment on which formerlye they fed, they then begin to feed and corrupt the uitall parts, bringing for foals many times a sudeden and unexpected death: nay, I have known from the corruption of these maw-wormes, many times the gargil to proceed, which is a disease little differing from the plague, and is deserned only by a great swelling about a foals face and neither chaps, which swelling does not rise above two or three hours before the foals death, and when it ryses the Foal is past cure, from all which mischiefes and diseases, this receite of Sauen does both save and defend foals: and truly before I knew or found out this medicine, I have seen four or five foals, which over night have been scoping, and playing as wantonly as maybe, and in the morning have been dead in the house, whom when I have with my own hands opened, I have found no other occasion of their death, but the extreme aboundance of these maw-wormes, & since I used this Sauen, I never had any that dyed.

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When your Foals have had Sauen given them thus three mornings together, you shall then drive than to that pasture wherein you intend they shall run all the year following, which pasture would be a firm, hard ground, and full of short sweet grass, and some cleare Springs, pond, or fresh riuer, & not as one of our English writers persuade, keep them fourteene days together in the house: because after a Foal is a year old, there is neither in him such fondness towards his Dam, nor such delight in milk (which a foal naturally refuss after he comes to six or seven monthes of age) as will inforce him to put himself into any danger or hazard.
Now the reasons why your pasture for your wean ings should be so good, is, because if in this first year (which is the spring time of their growthe) your foals shall either endure thirst, hunger or cold, they will be come staruelings, or such as we call stocked foals, which is small of stature, weak both of body & reins, and full of evil diseases: wherefore I would have all good Horse-breeders, the first year after the weaning of their foals, to put upon their foals all the strength, ust, and liuely-hood, which maybegot either by food or otherwise.
But as soon as your foals have past the age of two years, then I would have you put them into some arge, wilde, hard, and hungry ground, where, by their uttermost pain and trauel, they may not fill their bellyes above once in the day, which will be sufficient for their growth: for by such means of sharpness, labor and hunger, they will be made hard, durable, and exceeding healthful: where, on the contrary part, rankranckness of grass; and fatness of body breeds both unwholesome humors and incurable diseases, so that by keeping such observations, as are before prescribed, you shall breed a Colt, nimble, hard and strong; with good legs and sound hoofs, free from surfet, corruption of blood, or outward members.
Now lastly (according to the agreement of all good Horsemen) I would have you to seperate your horsecolts from your Mare Colts, in several pastures, and your yearlings from your two years old, and your two years from your three; that none going together but such as are of equal age and strength, there maybe no disorder or tumult, the great ones beating the less, or robbing them of their food or nourishment. And thus much for the weaning of foals, and the partition of pastures.



CHAP. 17.
Of the gelding of Colts, and Horses, and the cause, the age, the time of the year, and manner of gelding.

I Cannot find in any Author whatsoever, that the use of gelding of Colts, is in any nation whatsoever, of so great antiquity, as with us here in England, from whence (as I imagine) the first originall of that practise began; and I am the rathere induced so to think, because I neither know, nor have heard of any counttie whatsoever, that can boast of so many good, goodly, and serviceable Geldings as
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England at this hour can shoe, the cause whereof I think has proceeded from our continual use of travelling winter & Sunmer, in which men desire to ride easily, fast, and quietly. Now for as much as stond horse's naturally out of the pride of their courage, do most conmonly trot, & therwithal are exceeding ranmish, & unruely, especially in the company of mares and other horses, there sprung from some inuenting brayne, both the euice to make horse's amble (which is the pace of ease) and the practise of gelding horses, which is the means of quietness. Now whereas one of our English writers aith, that a stond horse will not trauel so far in a day, as a Gelding; in that he is infinitly deceiued, and I impute his error only to his want of experience, for all Horsemen know this (especially those whose practise consists in hunting Horses, or running Horses, that the good stond horse will ever beat and over labor the good Gelding: nay more, whereas the Gelding, if once e be over labored or tired, does never again recover his first goodnes: the ston'd horse, on the contrary part, if he be never so sore tired, with a little refreshing getts again his strength, and is again as good as e er he was for new labor: the reason whereof, I take to be this, that the Geldings wanting that natural and liuelye heat which a stond Horse enjoyeth, are of more abiect and deiected spirits, so that when their labor comes to exceed their strength, their faintness, and cowardliness of their dispositions, makes them yeeld to tiring, the sence whereof they never forgoe all their liues after: but to returne to our purpose, howso ever this practise of gelding of Colts was begun, yet for as much as we find a profit
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therein, both in our trauel and also in our light service in the wars, it shall be requisite that I set down the age, time of the year and moone, which is most fit for the gelding of Colts. And first for the age: although some of our late Authors would have Colts gelded when they are two years old, which in truth is a very good, sure, and tollerable time, because at that age a Coltes stones will be come down, and he is of good strength and ability to endure both the grief and torment, yet I do not hold it the best and choycest time of all, for that purpose: because the longer that a Colt goes ungelt, the thicker and fatr his head will grow: his crest also will be thick and heavy, and the act itself by reason of the toughness and hardness of the strings
and cordes, will be both more dangerous and more painfull.
Now therefore the only choice, and best time of all for gelding of Colts, is ever when the foal is just nine days old, for at that time nature has so little force in those parts, and the cords and strings of those instruments, are so tender and easy to be broken, & fluxes of blood and other gross or impostumating humors, are so little incident to foals of such youngnes, that there is no more danger at that time in gelding of a Foal, then in gelding of a Lambe: neither is there greater labor; for to foals of such youngness, there needs no caulteryzing with hot yrons, stytching, or other implastring, which elder Colts must of necessity have: besides, a Foal of such youngness, sucking upon the Damme, eates no bad or unwholsome meat, but living only upon milk, keeps that diet which preserues the sore from ranckling, swelling, or rotting: insomuch
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that myself have gelt a foal at that age (when ine experience was almost in that matter as young s the foal) and have had him sound & whole in seven aies, applying nothing to the sore but sweet butter, which is an euident proof to confute those who say at the gelding of a foal young, decayes the growthe f the foal, for sure the pain being ended in less then auen days, the grief thereof can neither lose growth, or strength, but if they mean that the depriving the oale of those instruments so earelye, does decay his owth, then by all reason to geld at two years old, ust decay it much more, both because the foal at at age has more sence, use and strength, in those instruments, then at the former age: by means whereof he loss of them, is by a thousand degrees more painfull & greeuous, & the cure thereof, is never finished in (gap: 1 word) month, many times not in two, and sometimes not n three monthes: which teadiousness of grief cannot huse, but abate both growth, strength and courage.
Now the benefit which is gotten by gelding Foals thus young is, First, besides the safeness & no danger in the cure, it maks your Gelding have a delicate fiine lean head, of comely shape, well fauoredness and proportion, many times not unworthy to be compared with the choycest Barbary: it makes him to have (gap: 1 word) gallant crest, high, thin, firm, and strong: it is a great cause of swiftness, nimbleness, and courage, by which it is certain they will not tire so soon as those who are gelt of elder age.
But if it be so, that your Foal have not let down is stones so soon, neither that you can by chafing or
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towsing his codede compel him to let then come down, which none but some few dull Foals will do, you must then of necessity let him over-slippe that time; and stay till the fall of the leafe after, for by no means I can allow gelding of Foals in Summer, both because of the excessive heat, and the crueltie of the flye, both which are dangerous, and sometimes mortall to young foals: but if at the fall of the leafe, he do not let down his stones, then you must stay till the Spring, for the extremity of the cold in Winter is as evil as the heat in Summer, occasioning inward swelling, canker, and putrification: so that the time to geld Foals, is either in the Spring, or at the fall of the leafe: the age from nine days old to two years old, and the state of the Moone ever when it is in the weane.
If after your foals be gelt, their cods and sheathes happen to swell exceeding much, as there is no question but they will, especially if they be above six months old, when they are gelt, & such swellings do ever begin five days after the gelding, you shall then (notwithstanding someof our English writers give precepts to the contrary) cause those Foals which do swell to be chafed up and down an hour together, both morning and evening, till the swelling cease, which it will do in less then a weeks space, holding this observation, that if the foal be above a year old when it is gelt, then the more it rotteth, the better and safer is the cure.
Now as you may geld foals, so you may also gelde elder Horses, nay horse's of almost any age, & that with great safeness also, as I have diuers times approued in
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my own experience, without the use or help of any on er instrument or medicine, then such as in those cases re usd about foals. Lastlye touching the manner and way to gelde foals or horses, all be there be sundry practises, yet there is but one sure and perfect methodede. Some there are which will take eight or ten strong horse ayres, & knit them fast & strait about the horse's cods oue his stones, & so with the continuance & eating of e hairs, make the colts stones to rot, & fall away, but is fashion of gelding, I do utterly dislike, for it is both (gap: 1 word) danger to mortifie the menber, & bring it to Gangeran which is deadly without cure) & also it is so painful, at neither horse nor foal can endure it without the hazzard of madness. Others use after they have slit the od, & taken out the stone, to cut the stone away, & only to melt a little yellow wax upon the root of the strings, & so to anoint the cod with fresh butter, and let the horse or colt go, but that is not so good neither, because upon such a cure, a flux of blood may follow, which may kill either horse or foal. The only perfect & certain way, therefore to geld either foal or horse is: after you have slit the cod, and taken out the stone between a pair of niprs, made of wood for the purpose, then with a sharp knife to cut away the stone, then with a hot calteryzing iron to seare the cords & strings of the stone, & than to melt upon them, wax, Dearsuet, and Uenice Turpentine, made together in a plaster, than to fill the inside of the cod with salt, and to annoint the outside of the cod, the horse's sheath, and all between his thigh & his body, with fresh butter, and so to loose him, and put him into a close house for three or four days, (if it be a Foal or Horse of age; but if it suck upon the Dam, then turn it to the Dam, & the danger of the cure is past. And thus much for the gelding of Horses or Foals.



CHAP. 18.
When, and at what age to take up Colts for the Saddle, and of their first use and haltering.

Touching the taking up of Colts that they maybe broke, and come to the use of the Saddle: there be sundry opinions, according to men's several experiences, yet there is but one most substantial, all be the rest have their grounds of probability and reason: for if when you take up your Colt that you may make him for the use of the Saddle, you also determine at the same time to put him either to travel upon the high way, or to the exercise of any uyolent lessons: as galloping the large Rings, passing a Careyre, or managing either in straight or large turns: then I say, to take up your Colt at four years old and the uantage, is full soon enough, or rather with the soonest: but if according to the rule of good Horsemanship, you intend when you take your Colt up first, only to make him but acquainted with the Saddle, Stirrups, girths, crooper, bridle, watering trench, musrole & martingale, & other such necessary implements as are needful in those cases, And that for the Rider, the Horse shall the first Winter but only learn to know his weight, in what manner to receive him,
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how to go or walk under him, and with what quietness to part from him: making all his exercises recreations, and benefits, and not labors or services. In this ase, and with a firm resolution thus to order your horse, you shall then take him up at three years old and the uauntage, which is at three years old and as uch as between the time of his foaling, and the midst f October, but if you shall fail in this course, & either ut of indiscretion or fury, or finding your horse's aptness to preceed your imagination, put him to any violence or extremity, you shall not only endanger the Swaying of his back, and the dulling of his better spirits, but (his joints being tender and unknit) make him ut forth wingals, and bony excressions (which are splents, spauens, curbs, and ringbones, or such like) wherefore the only thing I can advise any horseman nto, in the whole work of horsmanship, is for temperance and patience, especially in the beginning, because the choysest time for taking up of Colts to the Saddle, is in my conceit at three years old and the antage, chiefly if they be Neapolitans, Jenets, Turkes, r Barbary, and keeping the observations before prescribed. For if horse's of their breed and spirit shall run wilde and untamed, without either acquaintance with e man, or the furniture needfull in riding, till they be oure or five years old, they will be of that stubbornness, fury & disobedience, that they will not only put e rider to a three-fold greater trouble then the other which are but three years old and uauntage: but also pon the least contention or crossing of their natures, ter into restise, dogged & rebellious qualities, which (gap: 1 word) reclaim, asks as great labor & industry, as to bring
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a horse of good quality to his best perfection. Again, if a man will but measure time by an even proportion, if a horse be four years old, and the uauntage, ere he be haltered, he must of necessity be full five ere he be reclaimed from his wildness, made familiar with the man, brought to be shod, & to take the Saddle with patience: then before he be made to receue the man, to have his head well placed, and his rain right fashioned, before he will trot forth-right in a comely order, change turns on both hands, trot and gallop, both large and strait rings, and perform other ground manages, he must needs be full six years old. Then before he come to the use and perfectness of the bit, or to perform those saults and manages above ground, which are both delightfull to the beholders, and wholsome for the health of such as have them in practise, he will accomplish full the age of seuen, so that more than half of the horse's life, shall be spent in precept and instruction, whereas beginning at three years old and the uauntage, a horse out of his youth and ignorance will be so tractable, that in the first six Months he will gain as much knowledge as the other in a year and more, neither shall you find restiueness or churlishness, except it spring from your own fury; so that there is no doubt but your horse at the end of five years of age, will be absolutely perfect in all that is fit for his understanding.
At three years old therefore and the advantage, & in the latter end of the month of October, I would have you drive your colts up into a house, where having a halter made of principal hempe, after the fashion of ordinary
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halters, only a size bigger at the least, and the ine thereof must be at the least three or four yards ng, taking some old quiet Jade in your hand, go among them, and with all the patience, lenitie, & lea e that you can deuise, put the halter upon one of their ads, which if the colt will not suffer you to do with your hand (as it is very likely he will not) you must then e to stale it on, by winding the halter about the end a long poale, and holding it before the colts face, you all see him with ducking his head down to thrust it to the halter: this is an ordinary way, and you shall uer find it fail as long as you take leasure, and use no olence. When the colt is haltred, you shall prouide, at good strength of men take hold upon the end of e chase halter, which done, you shall cause one to se r the rest of the colts from him that is haltred, and as were to drive them to the other end of the house: but the haltred colt offer in fury to rush after them (as it (gap: 1 word) no question but he will) then shall they which have ld upon the chase haltar, with a forcible and strong itch pull him back, in such sort that they almost ake his neck cracke again; which done, let his kee r after, leasurably, and with gentle words to go for (gap: 1 word) : but if the colt refuse him, and offer either to nne, leap, or strike, let them which have hold upon e halter, with twitchings & strainings torment him: t if that prevail not, then let them lead him forth the house, and when he comes abroade, let some nders by chase him about on both hands, till he so tame that he will suffer his keeper (or some other) come for him to cherish him, and clawe him, and t he will lead up and down quietlye, which
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when you have effected, you shall than forthwith lead him into the stable, and puting on a collar made of strong leather, both broade and flat, and with two reins; tye him down to the manger, and take off his chase halter. As for making your first collar of wollen yarne, or of horse hair (as some Authours advise) it is a curiositie, but too curious, and the expence maybe saued: for after a Colt has been once well mastered, twiched and conquered in a chase halter, he will never after strain his collar so much as to hurt himself. You shall when you place your Colt in the stable, either set him by some old ridden horse, under whose covert the keeper may safely come to him; or else in such a roome where there maybe space enough without danger to come & go on both sides of him. The keeper after the Colt is in the stable, must never be idle, but ever either rubbing, picking, clawing, or cherishing the colt, clapping him somtimes upon the back, somtimes upon the neck, sometimes under the belly, between the foreboothes, & about his cods. He must often stroke his legs down even for the pastrns, & often take up his feet; and first with his hand, & after with a little sti knock him upon the soales of his feet as if he were shooing him, and ever as the keeper shall find the horse to give a sufferance to these motions, so shall he not only increase his cherishings, but also for reward, give the colt either bread or other provender, such as he finds him to take most delight in, by which means he shall not only bring the colt to be tame, but also to take a delight in his tameness.
If your colt be of so stubburne and rebellious a disposition, that these gentle courses will not prevail, you
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shall then but only augment your labor, and what you not attain to in one day, you must seek to win in on: for it is no loss of labor if you be two days in ning your horse to let you but stroke him, so in the d with gentle means you compass it; and that your se in the mean space learn no knauish quality, as ite, strik, or such like: which to eschue, you must ever erue, that what you do to a colt, you must do with stancie, boldness, & resolution, and not with fear esse, starting, or tickling, for they are the first occa s of a horse's wickedness. Now, whereas some horse advise you in this case to keep your horse from p, and so by overwatching him, to make him tame. ough it be a course which in my own knowledge d experience, will tame either man or beast, yet to (gap: 1 word) it to a colt of such youngness, and for faults which lie proceed from nature & ignorance, I cannot allow for besides that, it is unwholsome & breeds infirmi n such young years: it is also too cruel, & brings a colt too much faintness & weakeness: wherefore I would uer wish any horseman to tame any with over wating, but such as are old ridden horses, & either out of ir own natures, or misgovernment, are not only come restife and furious, but even mad & desperate. When you lead your colt either to the water, to aire, such like, you shall let some other ridden horse which nds next him be led before him (which will not only an encouragement, but also be an example) the colt ll with more willingness imitate.
After your colt is brought to a perfect tameness, and oving familiarity with his keeper, so that he will be 'd, dressed, clothed, shod, and led up and down, you
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shall then use him to wear (gap: 2 words), Caveson and Chain: you shall also (gap: 2 words) with the Musroll, and Martingall; which done, you shall then bring him to wear the Saddle, the manner whereof is set down in the next book. All this perform'd, you shall then put upon his for legs a pair of soft and well-lin'd pastrns, but for tying his hinder foot with a wollen cord, as one of our ancient horsemen aduiseth, I do not like it, because a colt being fearful, and sudeden in all his motions, may by starting, or some apprehension of affright indanger the spoilling of his hinder parts. Again, a horse that is so tied can not lie down, neither take rest nor delight in his stall, which you should enduour to procure him with all industry; and for my own part it is a toy I did never practise: but when I had a horse of devilish quality that would strike and yarke at his keeper with his hinder heels, or turn himself cross in his stall, to strike at the horse which stood next him, in these cases I have used it but in no other. You shall whilst your colt is in taming (as near as you can) suffer neither fantasticall men, nor apish boys to come into your stable, who with toying or other foolish affrights may move those distmperatures in a colt which will hardly be reclaimed. In this manner as I have prescribed for one colt, so must you use the rest one after one, if your number be never so many. And however other riders persuade you to take up your young mares for the Saddle a year sooner then your colts, yet I cannot be induc'd to be of that opinion, but would have both one age, and one time of the year obserued in both kinds. And thus much for the taking up, and taming of colts.



CHAP. 19.
Of the cutting of Colts mouth or tongues, and of the drawing of teeth, to help the bit lie in his true plae.

The brain of man being a busy and laborsome workmaster, to bring to our desires the depth and secrets of that Art which we professe; often times out of its own contriuings brings to our owledge such false shapes and experiments, as ing but only clad in the colors of Art, for love to r selues, and to our own intentions, we are will g to Intertain them not only as grounds, but even the arts best perfection. Hence it has come to pass, t some of the best horsemen of the old-past-times, ing got both by rule and practise more speculation this Art than others men, did not yet think eir skill great enough, except they could both find lts, and approue reasons to controll and amend e work of nature: of which sort Laurentius Russius most principal, who amongest his better knowledges has set down certain precepts for the drawing of a horse's teeth, affirming peremptorily, that is impossible for a Horse to have a good or per e mouth, except his two tushes of his enser appe, & the two wongge ties of the same next to e tushes be first drawn out, because (said he) if a horse be once heated or chaft, it is impossible for
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the rider to hold him from running away, having those teeth: and thereupon prescribes the manner of drawing them out, which should be with an instrument made for the purpose like a crooked pair of Pincers: And the ties being drawn, to dress the gums with salt, or with Claret wine, hony and pepper, warmd togethere, or with wine and hony only, till the sore place be whole. To make answer to these allegations:
First, that the general proposition is not good, and that the horse should not loose any ties at all, every one knows that has seen the work of nature, that in her creations she has not made anything superfluous, nor can we (however out of our follys we suggest inconviences) diminish one jot of what she has made, but by bringing to the beast far greater mischiefes. For the ties being the strength of his food, the maintainers of his life, and the instruments both of his defence and strength, take any of them from him and what shall become of those powers? And again, a horse has not any one tooth, which in true judgement a man can say maybe spared: for first, the two first rankes of ties which are even before, serve him only but to cut up and gather his meat: of which in number they are not commonly above twelve, both above and below, and who can allow him a lesser proprotion? Next those who stand higher in the upper parts of his chaps, which we call his grinders or woing teeth, they are to chaw & shred his food being gathered up, & to make it fit for digestion, & they are in nunber
commonly not above ten of a side, both above and below, which are so few, that if you take any of them away, you do not only take away his strength, but
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a great part of his life also: as for his four tushes, they e to hold in his food as he gathers it, and so to con ey it up to his grinders, so that you may see every oth has such an especial office, that not any of them n be spared.
Now where he said a horse cannot have a good outh, except these ties before named be drawn out, (gap: 1 word) if the bit lying upon the horse's tushes, should by that means be defended from the chap, so that the horse ving little or no feeling of the bit, should therefore e for the bit no obedience longer then during his ne pleasure. To this I say, all Horse-men know t the true place of the bit is directly above the two shes the neither side of the mouth of the bit resting t upon the tush, but against the tush, so that the tush a stay and help for the bit and no hindrance, but the mer Author would have men imagine, that if the t rest above the tush, that then there cannot be space ugh for the bit lie between the tush and the ngge teeth, but whoso ever pleass to look into t part of a horse's mouth, shall find that there is full re inches between the tush and the horse's wongge th, and I hope there was never any mouth of bit de so broad, especiallye in that part which lys on the chap.
Thus you may see this curious invention, if it be ked into with a right sence, is both needeles and friuolous, yet because of the great authority of the Author, I know it has been retayned, and held authenticall by sundry horse-men, and by one of our English authors, is not only commended, but also left in re rd to postritie; which Author, to show the love he
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bears to noueltie, has to this deuise of drawing of teeth, adeded another of his own of self like nature and virtue, and that is, for as much as he supposs that a Horses mouth may naturally be so shallow, that the bit cannot have any firm resting place, but shall be inforced liee upon his tushes, or else so inconueniently, that it will much disturbe both the Horse and man; he would therefore have you to make some expert Horse farryr, to slit up the weeks of your Horses mouth, equally on both sides of his cheeks, with a sharp raysor, and than to seare it with a hot iron, and so heale it in such sort, as the syds thereof may no more grow together, but appear like a natural mouth: to whom I make this answer, that I imagine neither he, nor any other Horse-man has here in England seen a horse of that shallowness of mouth, which would not give place for a reasonable bit lie in; or if they have, surely I know it has been so seldom, that I hold such Horses rather of a stigmaticall then natural proportion: but suppose there are Horses of such shallowness of mouth, yet I say they ought not to have their mouth cut to make a place for the bit, but to have the bit moulded and proportioned according to the shallowness of the mouth, for were it necessary that all bitts should be of one quantity & proportion, then I should draw some what nearer to their opinions; but in as much as they are to be made either in length, roundnes, thickness, sharpnes, or flatnes, according to the nature, shape and temper of the mouth, why should horsemen make themselves either tyrants or Fooles, to torment without cause, or inuent to no purpose, those tortures or stratagems,
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which shall rather make us scornd then imitated?
Again, these inconviences, a horse-man shall find that will slit up his horse's mouth: first, the skilfulst horse each that is, shall never heale it (according to the order prescribed) in such sort, that ever it will meet close again, because the searing of the skin with hot yrons, does so seauer and dispress it, that it will never after meet close together again; insomuch, that when he eats his meat, it will fall out of his mouth, and put him to a double trouble, and a double time in eating. Also when he drinkth, the water likewise will run out of his mouth, and both annoy and gryue him. Lastlye (and which is of all the foulest eye-sore) you shall ever have a horse that is so cut, both in the house and abroad, continually slauering, because the moysture which comes into his mouth, cannot be elde in, but will issue forth at those open places, to e great trouble of the horse himself, and the annoyance of such Horses as shall stand near him; for this by daily experience we see, that those barbarous & ignorant Horsemen, which with distmpered hands, rough rackes, or twound snaffles, do teare and break their horse's mouth, that even those horse's have all the inconviences before mencioned.
Now besides this drawing of teeth, and cutting of mouth, there is also a third practise, which many years since, I have seen used by Prospero, and now to my no little admiration, I see the opinion fortyfide by Salamon de la Broue, a man of exquisite practise and knowledge: and that is, when a horse does in his riding thrust forth his tongue, and will not by any means be made to keep it in his mouth,
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he would have you to take an instrument, made according to the proportion of this figure here prescentd, which opening and shutting like a pair of flat niprs, you may in it take and hold the horse's tongue so hard and flat, that he cannot stir it, and then according to the circkle of the instrument, which must carrye the proportion of the horse's tongue, with a sharp razor cut so much of his tongue away, as he puts out of his mouth. The fashion of the instrument is this:
Truly, under the correction of his better knowledge, I can give no allowance to this kind of dismembring; for besides that, it is both unnaturall and hurtfull to the beast, whose tongue is his only instrument for the taking up of his provender, & for the conueyance of every several kind of food down into his stomach: I see not, but if any part of it taken away or diminished, but that the horse by such lacke, must incur many mischiefes. Again, this I know, that no man has ever seen any foal foaled with his tongue, either to long or too big for his mouth, nature making everye member sutable to his place and employment, so that if a horse either
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by custom, torment or sufferance, come to be disfigu ed, with such a foul and odious falt. I must for my own part impute the whole ground and cause thereof on be only the unskilfulness of the Rider, who wan ng knowledge or discression, either to make his bit ccording to the modell of the horse's mouth, or to uowe when the tongue is either at too much liberty, r too much streightned, brings on these foul errors, hich are not to be cured, but with much greater mis iefes, and so by these deuises do imagine to cover e deformitie of their Ignorance, for had I ever seen (gap: 1 word) my worthy old Master, Master Thomas Storye, or ight in these days see by the example of noble Sir obert Alexander, or any of their equal knowledge hich without flattery, I think Europe scarse con ines) that this drawing of teeth, cutting of mouth, d dismembring of tongnes, whereby they either allowed or practised, I should (whatsoever I thought) e more amazedly silent, but because I see horse's of eir makings, have no such aparant deformities, & be sides in myself, know that all the errors from whence sius and others draw the grounds of these inuenti s, have many better, safer, and more comely reme s, I could not choose but make thys protestation, and fence against this tyrannical martyring of poor hor s, concluding thus: that if either your horse's ties and too straight, or his mouth be too shallowe, that you ake the preportion of the bit less, and fit with the orke of nature: and if he thrust out his tongue, as ha ng too great liberty by the openness of the bit, that en your bit be made closer, so as it may restrain the ngue from too much freedome: but if it proceed
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from too much closeness and pressing down of the bit, that then the liberty thereof be augmented, either by whole and smooth port, upset mouth or such like. Lastly, fit proceed from neither of these causes, but even from an evil habit & naughty condition of the horse, you shall then as soon as the bit is in his mouth, if he thrust out his tongue, first knocke it in with the great end of your rodd, and then buckle the nose-band of your bridle head-stall so straight, that he shall not be able to open his teeth, and thus riding him but a week or a little more, he will soon both forget and forgoe that vice: and thus much for these cruel intentions.



CHAP. 20.
Of the seperating of bad Colts and Mares from the good, and which shall maintain the race still.

IT is not the dilligence of man, neither the curyositie of his choice (although they be the two most special cars which begets a man his own desires in this matter of breeding of Horses) which can acertain for any man, that he shall breed horse's all of one stature, strength, beauty, and goodness, sith thereby diuers casualties (as sickness or infirmitie in the Mare or Foal, negligence in keepers, rushes, straynes, heats or colds and such like (which may make foals (though they be all of one breed) much different and almost contrary
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in proof, some prooving good, some bad, and some indifferent: wherefore I would wish everye good breeder once a year, especially at Michaelmas, to look over his whole studede, and among those Mares and Foals, which shall be three years old & the uauntage, to cull out them which be most beautifull, strong, nimble, and couragious, and to seperate them for his own use: the rest, which either by infirmitie, or casualtie, have lost the pride of their natural erfection, I would have you take into the house, and having made them fit for the Saddle and other men's uses, to send them to such fayres and markets as shall be convenient, and so sell them to their best profit. But if the greatness of the breeders place oe disdain such profit, it shall then be worthy in him, if he bestowe them either of his officers, or on her men of merrit: and in this coyling of Studs, there (gap: 1 word) great art and judgement to be used, for it is not at at age, the Colt which is fatst, best proportioned to the eye, round, and close knit together, which maks the best horse; nor he that is long, loose, gaunt, & fauoured, which is to be coyled and cast away: for the rst when he comes to ripeness of age, lose his eautie and goodness, and the other increases, and when his age is complete, is most worthy and gallant: wherefore as I said, there must be art used in the choice f coylings, for I have myself seen a Stud coyld when here has been none so good left behind as those who have been sold, & made away for a little money
After you have coyld your Colts and Mares of three years old, and the advantage, you shall then take a uruay of your younger sort, and if you shall
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find among them any that are diseased, as with Ag or inward sickness, with pestillence, Staggers, Ap plexie, glaunders, strangle, or such like, all which are infections, you shall forthwith, seperate the sound from the unsound, least the infection of one, breed the loss of all the rest.
Lastly, you shall take a Suruey of all your old breeding mares, and if any of them, either through natural defect, mischance or age, shall become barren, or (gap: 1 word) you shall perceive any of them, which from year to year brings forth uncomely foals: or if any of them having brought forth comely foals, shall not nursse & bring them up well, but either through want of milk, or the doggedness of some unnaturall quality, shall stocke and starue their foals; in any of these cases, it shall be good for you to sell or make away such mares as being unworthy to be bred upon, and to store yourself with none but such as shall be both good, full of milk, and most natural. And thus much I thought good to write, touching the breeding of Horses, and all such necessary observations, as are incident for that art or knowledge, wherein if I have ascribed to my own knowledge or experience, too seueare an authority of judgement, I craue only to be censur'd by their excellent wisdomes, who being both owners of reason, and masters of this Art, will not condemn me till there be just approbation of my errors, and in that hope I live their Seruant.
The end of the first Book.