With regard to wind, some horses naturally possess greater freedom of breathing than others; for instance, a horse with large open nostrils, a wide gullet, a rather short neck, and a deep, wide chest, has generally superior wind, to one with the contrary shape. There are two kinds of disease injurious to the wind; one is an affection of the windpipe, which creates whistling and roaring; the other, an affection of the lungs, which produces broken wind.

The usual way to discover the first of these imperfections, is, to go up to the animal in the stall; and taking fast hold of his head, flourish a stick about him suddenly, or strike him; if he groan he is a roarer. But this method will not detect a mere whistler: the surest way, therefore, is to gallop the horse with a bridle tightly curbed, and at the same time agitate him as much as possible. If he make a wheezing noise, or blow with the same kind of sound as is produced by blowing upon a knife placed before one's mouth, he is not sound in his wind. The state of the wind is frequently ascertained, and with great accuracy, by the sound of the cough; and in the following manner. Grasp the windpipe at the throat tightly, and then immediately let go the hold; the horse is sure to cough. If he cough bully, that is, if the cough sound like the lowing of a bull, the disease I just mentioned is in existence. If he cough short and hacking, the lungs are affected, and he is broken winded; but if the cough be long, and shrill, the wind is good. Be careful to leave hold of the windpipe the moment you have compressed it; for if you hold it long, the horse will cough shrill, even if he have imperfect wind.

Always gallop a horse as well as make him cough; though a horse with the roaring, or the short cough, should be rejected immediately.

By making a horse cough, another advantage arises; viz., that you may discover if he be affected with a cold; in which case, upon compressing the windpipe, he will cough repeatedly.