§8.24Τῶν δ’ ἵππων αἱ μὲν φορβάδες ἄνοσοι τῶν ἄλλων ἀρρωστημάτων εἰσὶ πλὴν ποδάγρας, ταύτην δὲ κάμνουσι, καὶ ἐνίοτε ἀποβάλλουσι τὰς ὁπλάς· ὅταν δ’ ἀποβάλωσι, πάλιν φύουσιν εὐθύς· γίνεται γὰρ ἅμα τῆς ἑτέρας ὑποφυομένης ἡ τῆς ἑτέρας ὁπλῆς ἀποβολή.
Of horses, the mares at pasture are free from other diseases except gout; they suffer from this, and sometimes lose their hoofs; and when they lose them, they grow again immediately; for the shedding of the one hoof occurs at the same time as the other is growing underneath.
Σημεῖον δὲ τῆς ἀρρωστίας· ὁ γὰρ ὄρχις ἅλλεται ὁ δεξιός, ἢ κατὰ μέσον ὀλίγον κάτωθεν τῶν μυκτήρων ἔγκοιλον γίνεται καὶ ῥυτιδῶδες.
A sign of the disease is that the right testicle twitches, or a hollow and wrinkled space appears in the middle slightly below the nostrils.
Οἱ δὲ τροφίαι ἵπποι πλείστοις ἀρρωστήμασι κάμνουσιν.
But stall-fed horses suffer from very many diseases.
Λαμβάνει γὰρ καὶ εἰλεός· σημεῖον δὲ τῆς ἀρρωστίας τὰ ὀπίσθια σκέλη ἐφέλκουσιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἐμπρόσθια καὶ ὑποφέρουσιν, ὥστε ὀλίγου συγκρούειν.
For they are seized with colic; and a sign of the disease is that they drag their hind legs towards their front legs and draw them underneath, so as almost to clash them.
Ἐὰν δ’ ἀσιτήσας τὰς ἔμπροσθεν ἡμέρας εἶτα μανῇ, αἷμα ἀφαιροῦντες βοηθοῦσι καὶ ἐκτέμνοντες.
And if, after having refused food in the preceding days, the horse then becomes mad, they help by bleeding and castrating it.
Λαμβάνει δὲ καὶ τέτανος· σημεῖον δ’ αἱ φλέβες τέτανται πᾶσαι καὶ κεφαλὴ καὶ αὐχήν, καὶ προβαίνει εὐθέσι τοῖς σκέλεσιν.
They are also seized with tetanus; and the sign is that all the veins, and the head and neck, are stretched tight, and the horse walks forward with stiff legs.
Γίγνονται δὲ καὶ ἔμπυοι οἱ ἵπποι.
Horses also suffer from internal abscesses.
Λαμβάνει δὲ καὶ ἄλλος αὐτοὺς πόνος, καλεῖται δὲ τοῦτο κριθιᾶν· σημεῖον δὲ τοῦ ἀρρωστήματος μαλακὸς γίνεται ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ θερμὸν πνεῖ.
Another disease also seizes them, which is called barleymeal sickness (krithian); a sign of the disease is that the palate becomes soft and the breath is hot.
Ἀνίατα δέ, ἐὰν μὴ αὐτόματα καταστῇ.
It is incurable unless it subsides of its own accord.
Τό τε νυμφιᾶν καλούμενον, ἐν ᾧ συμβαίνει κατέχεσθαι ὅταν αὐλῇ τις, καὶ κατωπιᾶν· καὶ ὅταν ἀναβῇ τις, τροχάζει, ἕως ἂν μέλλῃ κατά τινας θεῖν· κατηφεῖ δ’ ἀεί, κἂν λυττήσῃ.
There is also the so-called nymphian sickness, in which it happens that the horse is spellbound when someone plays the flute; and katopian sickness; and when someone mounts, it trots about until it is ready to run at certain horses; and it always looks dejected, even if it runs mad.
Σημεῖον δὲ καὶ τούτου τὰ ὦτα καταβάλλει πρὸς τὴν χαίτην καὶ πάλιν προτείνει, καὶ ἐκλείπει, καὶ πνεῖ.
A sign of this also is that it droops its ears towards the mane and then points them forward again, and then gasps for breath and pants.
Ἀνίατα δὲ καὶ τάδε, ἐὰν καρδίαν ἀλγήσῃ (σημεῖον δὲ λαπαρὸς ὢν ἀλγεῖ), καὶ ἐὰν ἡ κύστις μεταστῇ (σημεῖον δὲ καὶ τούτου τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι οὐρεῖν, καὶ τὰς ὁπλὰς καὶ τὰ ἰσχία ἐφέλκει).
The following are also incurable: if it suffers in its heart (and a sign of the pain is that it suffers while its flanks are drawn in), and if its bladder is displaced (and a sign of this also is the inability to pass urine, and that it drags its hoofs and hips).
Καὶ ἐὰν σταφύλινον περιχάνῃ· τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶν ἡλίκον σφονδύλη.
And if it swallows a staphylinos; this is of the size of a whorl.
Τὰ δὲ δήγματα τῆς μυγαλῆς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑποζυγίοις χαλεπά· γίνονται δὲ φλύκταιναι.
The bites of the shrew-mouse are dangerous to horses as well as to other beasts of burden; and blisters arise.
Χαλεπώτερον δὲ τὸ δῆγμα, ἐὰν κύουσα δάκῃ· ἐκρήγνυνται γὰρ αἱ φλύκταιναι, εἰ δὲ μή, οὔ.
The bite is more dangerous if the shrew-mouse is pregnant when it bites; for then the blisters burst, whereas otherwise they do not.
Ἀποκτείνει δὲ δάκνουσα ἢ σφόδρα ποιεῖ ἀλγεῖν καὶ ἡ καλουμένη χαλκὶς ὑπὸ τινῶν, ὑπὸ δ’ ἐνίων ζιγνίς· ἔστι δ’ ὅμοιον ταῖς μικραῖς σαύραις, τὸ δὲ χρῶμα τοῖς τυφλίνοις ὄφεσιν.
The creature called chalchis by some, and zignis by others, also kills by its bite or causes violent pain; it is like a small lizard, and in colour like the blind snake.
Ὅλως δέ φασιν οἱ ἔμπειροι, σχεδὸν ὅσαπερ ἀρρωστεῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀρρωστήματα, καὶ ἵππον ἀρρωστεῖν καὶ πρόβατον.
In general, experienced people say that a horse and a sheep suffer from almost all the diseases that a man suffers from.
Ὑπὸ φαρμάκου δὲ διαφθείρεται καὶ ἵππος καὶ πᾶν ὑποζύγιον σανδαράκης· δίδοται δ’ ἐν ὕδατι καὶ διηθεῖται.
A horse and any beast of burden is destroyed by the poison sandarac; this is given in water and strained.
Καὶ ἐκβάλλει δὲ κύουσα ἵππος ὀσμὴν λύχνου ἀποσβεννυμένου· συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦτο καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐνίαις κυούσαις.
A pregnant mare also miscarries at the smell of an extinguished lamp; this happens also to some pregnant women.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν τὰς νόσους τῶν ἵππων τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, τὸ δ’ ἱππομανὲς καλούμενον ἐπιφύεται μέν, ὥσπερ λέγεται, τοῖς πώλοις, αἱ δ’ ἵπποι περιλείχουσαι καὶ καθαίρουσαι ἀποτρώγουσιν αὐτό· τὰ δ’ ἐπιμυθευόμενα πέπλασται μᾶλλον ὑπὸ γυναικῶν καὶ τῶν περὶ τὰς ἐπῳδάς.
So it is with regard to the diseases of horses. The so-called hippomanes grows, indeed, as is said, upon the foals; and the mares, while licking and cleaning them, bite it off; the fabulous stories about it are invented rather by women and those who deal in incantations.
Ὁμολογουμένως δὲ καὶ τὸ καλούμενον πώλιον αἱ ἵπποι προεκβάλλουσι πρὸ τοῦ πώλου.
It is agreed, however, that mares expel the so-called polion before the birth of the foal.
Γινώσκουσι δ’ οἱ ἵπποι καὶ τὴν φωνὴν ἀκούοντες τῶν ἵππων, οἷς ἂν μαχεσάμενοι τύχωσιν.
Horses also recognize the voice when they hear that of the horses with which they have happened to fight.
Χαίρουσι δ’ οἱ ἵπποι τοῖς λειμῶσι καὶ τοῖς ἕλεσιν· καὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑδάτων τὰ θολερὰ πίνουσι, κἂν ᾖ καθαρά, ἀνατρέπουσιν αὐτὰ οι ἵπποι ταῖς ὁπλαῖς, εἶτα πιοῦσαι λούονται.
Horses delight in meadows and marshes; indeed, of waters they drink the turbid ones, and if the water is clear, they disturb it with their hoofs, and then after drinking they bathe.
Καὶ γὰρ ὅλως ἐστὶ φιλόλουτρον τὸ ζῷον καὶ φίλυδρον· διὸ καὶ ἡ τοῦ ποταμίου ἵππου φύσις οὕτω συνέστηκεν.
For indeed, the animal is in general fond of bathing and fond of water; which is why the nature of the river-horse (hippopotamus) is also so constituted.
Ὁ δὲ βοῦς τοὐναντίον τοῦ ἵππου· ἂν γὰρ μὴ καθαρὸν ᾖ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ψυχρὸν καὶ ἀκέραιον, οὐκ ἐθέλει πιεῖν.
But the ox is the opposite of the horse; for if the water is not clean, cold, and untainted, it refuses to drink.