216 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



no account have a quantity of water given it directly 

 after a hard journey ; one quart of water is quite enough 

 until the animal has had some corn or sweet hay, then 

 more water and more food may be given with safety. 

 Again, in washing the horse it is always better to let the 

 dirt remain on than to wash it and not rub it perfectly 

 dry. Many owners of horses will not allow their horses to be 

 washed after a hard run with the hounds, upon the 

 ground of preventing the chances of inflammation. It is 

 not the washing that induces it so much as the neglect 

 of rubbing dry. When this complaint is accompanied 

 by excessive purging with great pain, astringent medicine 

 should not be administered. All kinds of food should 

 be denied it, and in its stead mve gruel a decoction of 

 linseed, thin starch or arrowroot, and a strong solution of 

 gum-arabic ; clysters of warm gruel should also be given, 

 in which a quarter of an ounce of aloes is mixed. Some 

 prefer from six ounces to half-a-pound of Epsom salts. 

 Those should be administered with the clyster-pipe ; 

 Heid's patent pump is by far the best, but a good and 

 cheap pipe can be made of a piece of elder and an ox- 

 bladder. Take a piece of elder about a foot long, and 

 after taking out the pith, tie the bladder on one end, 

 and pour your gruel into the bladder, then force the 

 stick of elder up the rectum and withdraw gently, the 

 suction will nearly empty the bladder. If the irritation 

 and continuation of pain continue after twelve or four- 

 teen hours have elapsed, it will be necessary to give the 

 following gruel in two quarts :— Prepared chalk one 

 ounce, catechu four ounces, opium two scruples. This 

 should be repeated every four hours until the purging 



