On the Medicine of Horses An Edition and Translation of De Medicina Equorum by Jordanus Ruffus

Introduction

On the Medicine of Horses

1. On the generation and birth of the horse

II On the capture and taming of the horse

III. On the care and training of the horse

2. On shoeing the horse

3. On the training of the horse

4. On the form of the bit

IV. On recognising the beauty of the horse’s body

V. On naturally occurring illness

VI. On the accidental infirmities and injuries of horses

CHAPTERS

1. On the worm

2. On the flying worm

3. On anticuor

4. On strangles

5. On vivulis

6. On pain from superfluous blood

7. On pain from flatulence

8. On pain from superfluous eating

9. On pain from the retention of urine

10. On the swelling of the testicles

11. On the infusio horse or infunditus

12. On pulcinus or pulsivus

13. On infustitus

To fatten the horse

14. On scalmatus

15. On the infirmity aragiatus

16. On cimoira

17. On the coldness of the head

18. On the infirmity of the eyes

19. On evil of the mouth

20. On injury of the tongue

21. On all injuries of the back

22. On the injury of the skin

23. On pulmonus

24. On spallatiae

25. On pustules or carbuncles

26. On scabies or pruritus

27. On malferutus in the loins

28. On injury of the haunch, or sculmatus

29. On spatallus, or injury of the shoulder blade

30. On injury of the hock

31. On heaviness of the chest

32. On injuries of the legs and hooves

33. On jarda in the hock

34. On spavins

35. On the curb

36. On spinula

37. On supraossas

38. On attinctio or attincto

39. On galls

40. On grappae

41. On crepatiae

42. On extortilliatus or stortilliatus

43. On swelling of the legs

44. On a thorn or splinter penetrating the legs

45. On forma

47. On cancer

48. On fistula

49. On malum pinsanese

50. On all injuries of the hooves, and first on sita

51. On superposita on the coronet of the foot

52. On inclavaturae that touch the living hoof

53. On inclavaturae that do not touch the frog

54. On the inclavatura that ruptures the coronet

55. On the ficus underneath

56. On subbattutus under the sole of the foot

On spontationibus of the hooves

On the desolation of the hooves and treatment

On the changes of the hooves

On natural infirmities

Incurables

On oblique legs

On oblique hooves and their treatment

On the infirmity murus or celsus, and treatment

On other glands and treatment

Rules for the recognition of all horses

On the recognition of lameness

On the recognition of diseases

Glossary

Bibliography

Biography

Emma Herbert-Davies holds an honours degree in History, an MA in Medieval Studies, and a PhD from the University of Leeds. A lifelong equestrian, she is the author of The Warhorse in England: 1272–1327 (2025), co-editor of The Horse in History: Festschrift in Honour of John Clark (2024) and has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on medieval horses. Her current research focuses on medieval veterinary medicine, with particular attention to how veterinary knowledge and practices were developed, circulated, and transmitted across Latin and vernacular traditions in the Middle Ages.