The Traveller’s Pocket-Farrier; or, A treatise upon the distempers and common incidents happening to horses upon a journey, being very useful for all gentlemen and tradesmen who are obliged to travel the countries
3rd ed., with additions and improvements, by Henry Bracken (1744).
Henry Bracken’s writing, particularly his work Farriery Improv’d, appears in the Cherry Collection. For more biographical information about Bracken himself, click here.
The Traveller’s Pocket-Farrier, unsurprising given its title, is a relatively short work covering a wide range of equine health issues. Bracken makes a number of observations about horses and what one should look for when looking to purchase a horse. He also makes a number of criticisms throughout the work at untrained individuals providing unsound advice. The work covers a wide range of equine health issues including disorders of the feet, eyes, lungs and digestive system. Various inflammations, injuries and strains, burns and abrasions, as well as glanders, colds, worms, and wounds are also detailed, along with various treatments such as purging, ointments, grooming and the preparation of various medications.