GROOMING AND LITTER 509 



hocks may be removed with advantage. The extremities, 

 which require protection to a greater degree than other parts 

 of the body, should retain their natural covering. Horses 

 thrive best when thus relieved of the surplus coat of hair. 

 It is no uncommon sight to see an undipped horse, which 

 had been heated in the yoke, still wet on the following 

 morning. This is an unnatural and unhealthy state of 

 matters. 



Litter. Barley straw, on account of the awns irritating 

 the tender parts of a horse's skin, is objectionable as litter : 

 12 to 14 Ibs. per day of wheat or oat straw is much better. 

 Bedding should never be stored during the day under the 

 manger. When a good market for straw is available, moss 

 litter may be substituted. It costs about 253. per ton, in 

 4-ton lots, carriage paid ; or about 4d. each horse per week, as 

 i cwt. is sufficient per horse per month during the winter 

 season. If moss litter is allowed to become too wet before 

 it is removed, there is a danger of injury to the horse's hind 

 feet owing to the ammonia produced from the urine acting 

 upon the weaker parts of the horn, with the result that 

 sores break out about the heels. 



Should a horse sprain a limb and become lame, he must 

 not go to work, as he will certainly become worse. Rest, 

 and the application of cold-water bandages to reduce in- 

 flammation, followed by firing and blistering to give strength, 

 are the usual methods of treatment. 



A winter out at grass without his shoes, and letting him 

 meanwhile get down, but not too far, in condition, renovates 

 in a marvellous way an old or any horse that has been 

 overworked. He takes sufficient exercise, and he goes so 

 quietly about, that a weak part is allowed to strengthen. 

 It is thought that frost also aids in the recovery of unsound 

 limbs. A horse that has been highly fed during summer will 

 become much poorer when turned out in winter than if he 

 had been moderately kept. 



SOME COMMON AILMENTS 



Colic is more prevalent among horses than in the other 

 domestic animals, and is probably due to the comparatively 

 small size (a capacity of three gallons) and the peculiar 

 structure of the horse's stomach. 



