278 THE HORSE. 
altogether out of the question. A cradle must be kept on to prevent 
blemishes, but this is no more objectionable out of doors than in. In 
almost every case this application would be necessary for the diseased con- 
dition of the extremities, whether the horse was turned out or not; but 
it is better to seize the opportunity while the legs are still stiff and sore. 
Fetters or hobbles may be put on the fore-legs with the same object, if 
the feet only are the seat of mischief; but to inflamed joints or back 
sinews they are not so well suited, from the pressure they produce on the 
former, and the strains which they cause to the latter. After a few days’ 
liberty, the tendency to gallop will be lost, and as the legs gradually 
recover their elasticity the horse is not so prone to overdo himself in his 
exercise, and will generally remain content with a moderate pace; or, if 
the legs are very unsound, the blister may be repeated. 
THE RENOVATION OF THE HEALTH, when this has been broken down 
by disease or hard work, is best effected on good sound uplands. The 
herbage on salt marshes will sometimes agree with the horse even better 
than ordinary meadow grass, but this forms the exception to the ruie, and 
is not to be relied on in general. In selecting a run in such a case care 
should be taken that the herbage is of the desired nature, the best proof 
of which is that it has agreed with horses in previous seasons. Ex- 
perienced judges can generally pronounce upon the probability of the 
desired result after inspecting the situation, but on the whole their 
opinion, however well founded, is not so much to be relied on as the fact 
that horses have actually become fresh while turned out there. 
WHEN THE SAVING OF EXPENSE is the principal object, a good aftermath 
may generally be chosen, on which horses will be “tacked” at 4s. or 5s. 
per week from August to December. In large parks they are often taken 
in at even lower rates, but there are many objections to these, such as the 
increased danger of contracting infectious diseases, and the greater risk of 
accident among a large number of horses and cattle ; and to these must 
be added very often the poorness of the herbage. There is also generally 
a difficulty in superintending the feet, &c., owing to the difficulty of 
catching the horses in a large park, so that the plan is not to be recom- 
mended whenever a run in a comparatively small enclosure can be 
obtained. 
THE FORE FEET should always be protected by “tips,” which are 
merely short shoes reaching only two-thirds of the way to the heels, 
which are then left uncovered. ‘The object is to avoid the risk of break- 
ing away the toes, which is incurred whenever the foot is battered on 
hard ground, as it often is when it is stamped continually, as horses are 
very apt to do, on the bare surface which is kept dry beneath a sheltering 
tree. Here the flies are very apt to collect around the horses, and to get: 
rid of their annoyance the legs are constantly in motion. If the full 
shoe is left on, the hind toe is very apt to catch its heel in deep ground, 
and tear it wholly or partially off ; and, moreover, it is too often neglected, 
and either the heels press into the sole, producing corns, or they confine 
the frog, and lead to disease of that important organ. Tips may safely 
be left on without removal for two or three months, whereas shoes require 
attending to every three or four weeks. The hind shoes are always taken 
off, partly because the hind feet are not so liable to be broken at the toes, 
but chiefly because they would be dangerous to other animals if they 
were left on from the severe damage which is done by a kick with an 
armed heel. 
Horsrs WHOSE JUGULAR VEINS have become obliterated from adhesive 
