HORSE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



63 



keep them off, and some horses have nat- 

 urally no tendency to form them ; but in 

 most cases, on examining the legs, just 

 above the fetlock joints, of horses at 

 •work, a little oval bag may be felt on 

 each side, between the back sinew and 

 the bone. If recent, it is soft and puffy; 

 but if the work is hard, and the windgall 

 is of long standing, it will be as tense as 

 a drum. The synovial gag has no com- 

 munication with the fetlock joint; but 

 there is another sac in front of the joint, 

 and beneath the tendons of the exten- 

 sors, which is often enlarged, though not 

 so much so as the seat of the true wind- 

 gall, and which is generally, though not 

 always, continuous with the synovial cap- 

 sule of the joint. The treatment consists 

 in pressure by means of bandages, and 

 the application of cold lotions, if the legs 

 are hot and inflamed. Blistering and rest 

 will remove them entirely ; but no sooner 

 is the horse put to work again than they 

 return as badly as ever. There is no rad- 

 ical cure but subcutaneous puncture and 

 scarification, and this will produce too 

 much adhesion to be advantageously ap- 

 plied. 



The form of thoroughpin in which the 

 bursa mucosa between the tendo Achillis 

 and the tendo perforatus is inflamed and 

 filled with synovia, has been alluded to 

 under the head of Horse Cartilage, and 

 its treatment is there described. (See 

 Horse, Thoroughpin.) 



Capped hock is also the result of a 

 bruise of the superficial bursa, which is 

 situated on the point of the hock, imme- 

 -diately beneath the skin. It indicates 

 either that the possessor has kicked in the 

 stable or harness; but it is more frequent- 

 ly caused in the former way than in the 

 latter. The swelling is sometimes slight, 

 being then just sufficient to show the 

 point slightly enlarged, and to give a soft, 

 puffy sensation to the fingers, where there 

 ought to be nothing but bone felt beneath 

 the skin. The bursa always rolls freely 

 on the bone, and when large it can be 

 laid hold of and shaken like a bladder of 

 water. The treatment should be directed 

 to abate any slight inflammation that 

 may exist, if the case is established ; but 

 in recent ones it is doubly necessary to 

 apply cold lotions, which, however, there 

 is some difficulty in doing, owing to the 

 prominent nature of the part. A piece 



of stout calico or fine canvas may, how- 

 ever, be shaped into a cap, carefully fit- 

 ting the point of the hock ; and this be- 

 ing tied by several pieces of tape in front 

 of the leg will allow not only of the ap- 

 plication of cold lotions, but of pressure 

 also. By this plan, continued for some 

 weeks, considerable enlargements have 

 been removed, but they are very apt to 

 return on the slightest bruise. Setons 

 through the bursa, and injections into its 

 cavity of stimulating applications, have 

 often been tried ; but they generally do 

 more harm than good, and nothing can 

 be relied on but the conjoint use of pres- 

 sure and cold applications. The best 

 lotion is the following : 



Take of Tincture of Arnica - - 3 ozs. 

 Muriate of Ammonia - - 2 " 

 Methylated Spirit of Wine - 4 " 

 Water - ----- 3 pints. Mix 



Gapped elbow is precisely similar in its 

 nature to capped hock, and must be 

 treated in the same way. It is also 

 known by the name of capulet. 



HORSE, Strains.— The fibres of mus- 

 cles, ligaments, and tendons, and the 

 fascia covering them, are liable to be 

 overstretched, and more or less mechani- 

 cally injured. This is called a strain, 

 the symptoms of which are similar to the 

 inflammation of the part occurring ideo- 

 pathically. They are heat, swelling, and 

 pain on pressure or movement, shown by 

 flinching in the one case, and lameness 

 in the other. In some cases there is 

 considerable effusion of blood or serum, 

 the former occurring chiefly in the mus- 

 cles, and the latter among the torn fibres 

 of the tendons or ligaments. The symp- 

 toms and treatment will depend upon the 

 part injured, which will be found de- 

 scribed under the following heads; but 

 in most cases an embrocation composed 

 of equal parts of laudanum, olive oil, 

 spirit of turpentine, and hartshorn will be 

 beneficial if applied after the first active 

 inflammation has subsided. 



HORSE, Strain of the Back and Loins. — 

 When a young horse has been hunted 

 or ridden with hounds over any kind of 

 fence, he is very apt to over-exert him- 

 self in his awkward attempt to clear the 

 obstacle, and next day he will often 

 show a stiffness of the loins and back, 

 which is seated in the large muscles con- 

 necting the pelvis with the thorax. He 



