Chapter 12. Lady Catherine’s Horses Founder
Despite the late hour, Mrs Bennet, Elizabeth and Mary followed Mr Bennet from the house to the stable.
“Papa are the horses going to die?” asked Mary nervously holding her mother’s hand.
“I hope not,” Mr Bennet told his youngest. “I sent Mr Hill to Mr Taylor with Jane’s diagnosis of a foundered team of horses to fetch him back.”
“Thomas, why have you sent for the blacksmith?” asked his wife.
Mr Bennet replied quickly, “He has a reputation for saving horses when they founder but Jane has said that the treatment must begin quickly.”
The family entered the Longbourn stable where the darkness was held at bay by several lanterns hung from the rafters. Turning to his steward, Mr Bennet ordered, “Observe extra care with those lanterns. We do not need fire on top of the trouble with horses.”
Jane emerged from the stall where the two bays stood quietly, stamping their feet occasionally, and indicated the stall to her father.
“I am certain both of these horses have foundered and require treatment.” Pointing to another stall where the second pair of bays stood as the stable boys brushed their coats she said, “The second pair are in poor shape, but they are not foundered.”
“How do you know Jane?” asked Elizabeth.
“I have checked their feet myself, but Mr Jones agrees with me. I always pay attention to our horses and visit the blacksmith when we walk into Meryton,” Jane replied. “Mr Taylor will need four buckets and all the ice we have.”
“Ice?” Mrs Bennet replied. “I am not certain we have any ice in the cellar. Our icehouse is certainly empty.”
“Papa, send for ice!” Jane exclaimed.
“We shall wait for Mr Taylor’s arrival and confirmation of your diagnosis,” Mr Bennet told his eldest daughter. “You are not an apprentice to the blacksmith.”
Mrs Bennet fussed, “Mr Bennet! Such a notion! Girls are not apprenticed. Jane’s fascination with horses has gone quite far enough when she is spending time with the blacksmith!”
“She is always chaperoned by Mr Taylor at the livery,” Mr Bennet told his wife. “I know of each of Jane’s visits to the livery and her knowledge. She will have to marry a man with horses someday.”
When Taylor arrived at Longbourn shortly thereafter, he came with several large buckets of ice buried in sawdust and covered with burlap bags.
“Mr Bennet, Mr Hill says you have taken in four horses that have foundered,” Taylor said walking into the stable.
“Good evening, Mrs Bennet,” the man said as he bowed before he smiled at his favourite pupil, Jane Bennet. “Ah, Miss Bennet, tell me how you find the horseflesh this evening.”
Moving with Mr Taylor to the first stall where the team waited patiently, Jane summarized her discoveries for the blacksmith in her gentle voice that seemed to sooth the distressed horses.
“This team has problems with their front hooves. The mare on the right; both front hooves are in trouble. The mare on the left; only her right hoof appears to be in pain. All hind hooves are good.”
“And the other team?” he asked.
“I think they are in poor condition, but their hooves are not injured.”
When Mr Taylor attempted to look at the hooves, the horses stamped their hooves, so he stood aside and allowed Jane with her gentle touch to raise the hooves for his inspection.
Outside the stalls, Mr Taylor made his proscription, “For the next three days, we want the horse to move as little as possible. The soft dirt in the stalls helps. Tonight, we put all four front hooves of this pair in ice buckets for a half hour at a time.”
“Even the good hoof of the second mare?” asked Elizabeth.
As he and the stable boys set to work with buckets and ice, Mr Taylor nodded and explained, “If both front hooves are cold, she’s more likely to stand still.”
Then he looked at Jane and asked, “What else should we do to treat foundering?”
“We don’t feed them for two or three days. They can have water but no feed,” the young lady replied. “I would probably keep the second team without feed for at least one day and then move them out into the yard to feed them away from their teammates but not put them in the pasture.”
“Good,” Mr Taylor agreed. “And I shall check their shoes and hooves then. If the swelling has gone down, we’ll give them new shoes and allow the mares to rest in the stalls for at least another week with moderate amounts of oats and a little well-dried hay.”
Taylor went into the second stall to check the second team of bays and returned, satisfied with Miss Bennet’s evaluation of the horses.
“Not in the pasture?” Mr Bennet asked. “Oats are expensive this early in the summer.”
“Pasture grass and too much travel is what brought these horses to founder today. I would say their owner has skimped on oats and hay all spring leaving them to gorge on pasture grass without enough exercise.”
Mr Bennet frowned. “And then to drive them without rest of over fifty miles in two days’ time, I am not surprised they foundered.”
“Who did you say these horses belonged to?” Mr Taylor asked. “They are expensive horses that have been sorely mistreated.”
“It was a noble lady who was lost on her roads,” Mr Bennet explained, catching the eyes of wife and daughters. “I loaned my carriage and team to take her back to London. I sent young Tolliver with them to drive the team back from town tomorrow after taking the lady to her brother’s home in London.”
Mr Taylor grimaced and shook his head, “I hope your team comes home in good shape, Mr Bennet. No telling what noble folk’ll do when you’re not watching ‘em.”
Mrs Bennet cleared her throat and said, “Girls, let us return to the house.”
“I would like to stay and help Mamma,” Jane replied, and Elizabeth echoed the sentiment. But Mary was ready to return to the house, so she and her mother disappeared into the darkness with one of the lanterns while Mr Bennet and Elizabeth watched Jane and Mr Taylor care for the horses.
It was midnight before Mr Bennet forced his two girls to return to the house and it was not many minutes after following them up the stairs that they were all abed.
**++**
“Lizzy! Lizzy!” called an excited voice.
Stretching as she woke from a deep sleep, Elizabeth asked, “Jane? Whatever is the matter?”
“The horses are better! Much better! Mr Taylor has discontinued the ice baths, and he believes they will recover.”
Hugging Jane, Elizabeth celebrated. “They were too beautiful to die!”
“Father will write to Mr Darcy today and begin arrangements for their proper care I am certain.” Jane paused and shook her head, “I do not know why someone with money would so abuse a beautiful animal such as these horses!”
Imitating the lady who had passed by Longbourn the day before, Elizabeth said, “I am certain ‘Her Ladyship, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’ did not see them as animals any more than she saw her driver as a person. Did you see the gash she gave him with her cane?”
“Will Mr Darcy make his aunt take better care of the horses do you think?” asked Jane.
Elizabeth nodded, “Mr Darcy can do anything. Everyone listens to him.”
**++**