John Halfpenny active 1671.

The gentleman’s jockey, and approved farrier, instructing in the natures, causes, and cures of all diseases incident to horses, with an exact and easie method of breeding, buying, dieting, and otherwise ordering all sorts of horses, as well for common and ordinary use, as the heats and course. With divers other curiosities collected by the long practice, experience and pains of J.H. Esquire, Matthew Hodson, Mr. Holled, Mr. Willis, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Holden, Thomas Empson, Mr. Roper, Mr. Medcalf, and Nathaniel Shaw.

London : Printed for Marcy Browning, near the Royal Exchange, 1681. (the only book printed by Marcy Browning in the ESTC). Price $1,900

Octavo 15 x 8 1/2. cm. Signatures: A-S⁶ T³ ²A³ (Final quire signed T³ A³ with A³ comprising index, possibly meant to be bound as part of the preliminaries) ‘ Seventh edition, most likely a pirated edition, Quite Rare see below Bound in full contemporary sheep, professional restored, a very good complete copy.

Halfpenny, seems to authored only one book, this. In this useful hand book as the title promises, method of running, breeding, buying, dieting, and medicating , curing horses. Extremely practical there are 279 “Approved Receipts” . I find the section (chapter?) on How to order, feed, and keep any Horse for Pleasure, Hunting or Travel, particularly interesting for example

“Nor would I have you to distract your mind with any doubt or amazement,

because I prescribe you five severe times of feeding in one day,

as if it should either overcharge you, or over feed your Horse….”p63

“All editions are rare. There are several variants of the 7th edition also published in 1681. Oddly the UCLA copy on EEBO, which is also dated 1681, has a very similar but clearly different plate from the usual one and may be a pirated version (printed by Marcy Browning, and claiming to be the 7th edition), however this same plate appears in the 9th edition as well. Henry Twyford did not produce his 7th edition until 1683 and used the same plate as in this 1681 printing. His last printing was in 1687, the 8th edition. Pagination error: 267 given as ‘297’.” Niall Kenny  TA&MU