24 HORSE- KEEPING FOR AMATEURS. 



Something prevents the blood from returning properly to the 

 head ; the small vessels of the brain become distended ; the 

 brain itself presses upon the nerves, and the result is sudden 

 loss of consciousness. In most of these attacks the driver — 

 they rarely occur to the saddle-horse — gets some warning; the 

 horse will stop suddenly, shake his head, with the air of 

 being hardly conscious of what he is doing ; then one of 

 two things may occur : he may either go on again as though 

 nothing had happened, or, wheeling suddenly, fall heavily 

 to the ground. Some lie like a log, others violently fight 

 and struggle for several minutes, at the end of which time 

 they rise again, covered with sweat, but mostly able to resume 

 their journey. Greatly as I dislike the system of bleeding, 

 I must frankly confess that that is the remedy here, and 

 it ought to be done on the spot if anyone capable of properly 

 handling a lancet be present; if not, then as soon as the horse 

 can be got home. A cooling diet, with a dose of aperient 

 medicine and a week's rest, if possible, are the best reme- 

 dies. A horse which has once been attacked by megrims 

 is always liable to a recurrence of the disease. Therefore, 

 reader, if you are a family man, take the advice of one 

 who is not — sell the animal, or, if you cannot do that, 

 give him away. 



Staggers. — Most of the remarks made in respect to megrims 

 are also true of this complaint. The most fruitful cause of 

 staggers, is where the horse has been kept for a prolonged 

 period without food, and then suffered to gorge to excess. 

 Prevention in this, as in everything else, is better than cure. 

 and if, say with a hunter, you have been unable to get him 

 anything to eat throughout the day, begin gently with him 

 when you get him home. Do not let a big feed of corn be 

 flung into the manger, but first induce him to take as much 

 as he cares for of good, warm, oatmeal gruel ; then give him 

 a hot bran, or bran and oatmeal mash, and let him pick over 

 a lock of sweet hay. When he has finished these things, 

 vitality will have been restored to his digestive organs, and, 

 refreshed and invigorated, he will take his corn with appetite, 

 and yet without the voracity which would have induced him 

 to "bolt" it bad he had the chance when he first came in. 

 Above all things, stop in the stable and see this little process 

 properly gone through yourself. The poor animal has been 

 going all day long, and fasting all day long, for your pleasure : 



