Of the mange or scab in horses

An eighteenth century view of mange in horses

source: Henry Bracken
Farriery Improved: or a Compleat Treatise upon the Art of Farriery 5th ed London, 1745
starts p286, 3 pages long

Mange is a skin disease, and is infectious, so there are laws that prohibit horses with mange being allowed loose in a common pasture, in case they infect other horses. It is caused by the blood being too thin, and containing corrosive or pungent serum. This may be the result of horses being overheated, then cooled too rapidly, and from low feeding. Lime-burners’ horses often suffer from scab, which may be due to lime coating and drying their skin and obstructing their pores and excretory glands.

Horses scabbed as a result of poverty should have their conditions changed. Bleeding is not needed for lean horses, but both purging and bleeding are needed for full-fleshed horses. An ointment can also be used for both lean and fat horses. The ointment includes bay oil, quicksilver, oil of turpentine, and black soap. Scab heals fastest in the spring time when the sun starts to shine strongly and there is juice in the grass. Horses may be purged by the ointment, but this will benefit them, if they can withstand it. The ointment should be followed by a dose of powdered crude antimony mixed with bran or corn. The dosage should be an ounce each time until the horse has consumed a pound weight of antimony.
HO,HD