XL] THE HORSE AND HIS. STABLE. 123 



avoided injury to the ridge : the objection is the trouble. 

 The bridge or channel of our roller is never effective, 

 and every stabled horse has a sore ridge. This is a 

 great calamity to him as well as to his master. 



The play of the ribs in breathing saws the sore ; he is 

 disinclined to lie down because the roller is tightened by 

 this position. The groom puts his hand towards the 

 ridge ; the ears go back and a leg is lifted. The horse 

 gets a kick in the stomach or a blow with the fist, and 

 becomes shy in the stall as well as vicious. In cleaning 

 him underneath, the groom rests his hand on the sore 

 ridge and the horse dashes his teeth against the wall, 

 and lashes out from pain ; he becomes shy to saddle, 

 shy to girth, shy to mount, and he hogs his back, and 

 perhaps plunges when you are up. 



I have used two remedies; first, a more efficient bridge. 

 Let the pads of the channel be deep and steep towards 

 each other and die off on the side from each other, 

 set them wide apart and have the channel clear. The 

 common error is to stuff the channel, which increases the 



