Thank you Rory, yes - there's quite a bit in the diaries and memoirs - I have found good descriptions in Tomkinson, Frazer, Gleig, Farmer and Green. Just needed a few more specifics on injuries sustained, but think I will get that from the ships logs.

By the way, thank you so much for suggesting Trumpet of Glory - Ernest Gray must have had some material beyond 'Farriery' available to him (maybe Shipp's letters?) - he doesn't list his sources, but there was some great stuff in his little book - especially on horses suffering from ship staggers, which then took me onto an article in The Veterinary Journal from mid 19th C, but still relevant. I've also got hold of a copy of Clater's Horse Doctor, again it is later than our period, but still of use. The extensive bleeding and purging that horses underwent seems most peculiar to the modern reader - perhaps this is how our rampant use of antibiotics will be viewed in the future.

Hope you talk is coming together!

Thanks again