Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-12-17
TRICKS OF THE TRADERS
Some of Them are Enough to Deeeive
the Veterinary Doctor.

Some of Them are Enough to Deeeive
the Veterinary Doctor.
Buying a horse from an honest
Trustworthy person is all right; but
the majority Of horses are purchased
from dealers, and not a few Of the
latter are up to "the tricks of the
trade" The man who knows nothing
about a horse must rely upon the deal
er's word, which in great many cases
has been the cause Of a bad bargain
It Is therefore we'll that little knowl-
edge be acquired before the step Is
taken.
These tricks as practiced by dealers
are many. A horse is made to appear
young by giving a stimulating dose
The process Of filling up the depres-
sions over an old horses eye is another
matter that requires the art Of an
adapt. This Is termed "fuffing the
glims." The skin over the cavity Is
punctured, and the jockey then fills
it with air from his mouth; the ap-
erture closes, and the brow becomes
as smooth as that Of any young
horse.
Jockeys go so far sometimes as to
paint a horse all over IL his color is
bad; and dyeing in spots for the pur-
pose of producing matched teams Is
common practice. This Is a clever
trick and not easily detected. The
white hairs which appear about the
head and eyes Of aged animals are
frequently pulled out.
Horses, too, are doped to produce
the appearance Of flesh.
Dealers frequently endeavor to pass
off a glandered horse upon an un-
wary customer by stimulating the
nostrils until the animal has snorted
away all the matter lying in them, and
then by injections Of an astringent ma
ture produce a temporary suppression
of the discharge.
But of all the means by which the
dealer carries on his trade there. are
none so much relied on or 80 effectively
as bold and ingenious lying. This Is his
great resource. 1t furnishes history,
pedigree and warranty. Should there
be blemishes on the horse, they can be
easily explained away by plausible
lies. If the horse is lame, 1t arises
from a slight sprain, bad shoeing, or
other easily remedied cause; If he
stumbles it Is because he has been Ill
shod; IL he balks, the harness Is on
wrong, or the horse has an attack OF
some acute complaint arising from
over-feeding, over-driving, or 1t comes
of bad handling; if he kicks. he is only
playing; if he leers and bites, it Is a
sign Of courage and vitality: If his coat
"stares," he has just been brought In
from the country, where he was run
ming out during the winter; If he is
thin and bare, there are a thousand eX-
plantations handy; while every good
point is exaggerated and held up with
art and eloquence.
Now the above applies almost Who'll
ly to the jockeys or dealers who travel
about selling animals-men with no
reputation. The safest man to pur-
chase from is the reliable and long-es-
tablished dealer, who has built up on
honest principles. He not only wants
to sell you, but he wants to make your
bargain so satisfactory that you will
tell others about his fairness.
Owing to the fact the horse Is val
liable only so far as it is capable OF
performing a certain amount Of work,
| it is desirable that soundness should
be one Of the first qualifications in the
animal to be purchased. Now the av-
erage man is prone to pride himself on
his knowledge of the horse, and If he
purchases a horse from neighbor
and the neighbor is honest, the deal
is apt to be satisfactory to both par
ties; but let the same man purchase
from some professional horse sharper
and he will often find his store OF
horse sense considerably augmented
within a day or two after getting his
purchase home.
The fact Of the matter is that even
few veterinarians are able to in all
cases detect some forms Of un-
soundness in the horse. 1t is the pur-
pose Of this article to offer some hints
| that may be Of assistance to those who
do not know it alP when it Is neces-
sary for them to rely on their own
Judgment as to the soundness Of some
| particular animal. We will assume
that the horse to be examined Is sound
externally, that is, free of curbs,
SPAWN, splints, ringbones, quarter
cracks, bad eye sight, etc, and is to all
appearances not lame.
A superficial examination Of this kind
is all that is usually made, and that
too, under conditions often most favor
able to the animal in question, it usual
ly having been under motion for some
time before the examination takes
place. When such is the case, certain
defects, such as certain forms Of lame
ness, are liable to be overlooked, as the
lameness disappears with exercise.
In all cases the horse to be ex-
amined should be tied in well-lighted
stall for at least one hour before moved
out for inspection. During the time the
animal is in the stable no one should
be permitted to go near it. Observa-
tion during this time will often reveal
certain defects, and the hours rest
gives ample time for the horse to cool
out.
Two things to watch for while the
horse is in the stall are crib-biting
and weaving" the latter a form OF
chorea evidence only in the stable
while the horse is not excited by the
presence Of owner or groom. The
term weaving" is applied to this af-
fection from the resemblance to the