Shipping of Horses 73 



is less danger of slipping and injury to themselves or to 

 others. It is a good plan to rasp the edges of the hoofs 

 to prevent their splitting and breaking off. The car 

 should be thoroughly disinfected and the floor should 

 be well covered with fine litter or similar material, to 

 absorb moisture and so to prevent it from getting wet 

 and slippery. Each animal should be raiher closely 

 confined by himself, as there is less danger of the 

 momentum in starting and stopping being transmitted 

 to other animals. In no case should a horse be loose 

 with a great amount of room, as he is likely to be 

 thrown about and injured. Horses should be fed spar- 

 ingly and watered as frequently as possible in transit. 

 They should be unloaded and allowed to rest and be 

 fed as often as practicable. 



So far as possible, large sale stables in shipping 

 centers should be avoided, especially with " green 

 horses," as these places are usually infected with influ- 

 enza, and the strain of shipping renders the horses 

 peculiarly susceptible to this and other diseases. 



The quarters in which horses are confined for ship- 

 ment should be well ventilated; there is little danger of 

 the animals' taking cold if their bodies are well protected 

 by stable blankets. The injury resulting from impure 

 air in close quarters is likely to be much greater than 

 that following undue exposure. If a horse gets down, 

 in transit, he should be gotten on his feet as soon as 

 possible, as there is danger of the other horses' tramp- 

 ling and seriously injuring him. After unloading, the 

 animals should be allowed to rest and should be fed 

 lightly and given gentle exercise until their normal con- 



