308 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



nine times out of ten it would be slurred. Windgalls 

 occur far more frequently in hot weather than in cold 

 weather, and by way of preventing or reducing them 

 I think it well to wash the horse's legs on very hot 

 days, provided that he is perfectly cool at the time 



But no matter how muddy the going may be, the 

 legs ought not to be washed on that account. My 

 method is to brush off so much of the mud as will 

 come off, and then to have the legs bandaged, but not 

 tightly, with flannel or woollen bandages, to be left 

 on, usually half an hour or more, till the hair is per- 

 fectly dry. Then they are taken off, and the legs 

 brushed and rubbed clean. 1 Care should be taken to 

 have the bandages come down low, so as to cover 

 the hollow place back of the fetlock joint where 

 •'scratches" appear. If this method be pursued, 

 and if plenty of vaseline be used on the heels, and 

 in the spot just mentioned, reinforced occasionally 

 by glycerine, say once a week, scratches and mud 

 fever can be avoided absolutely. 



From the legs of the horse, it is a natural transi- 

 tion to 



The Foot. 



Extreme dryness and extreme moisture are the chief 

 enemies of the equine foot, and they both produce 

 thrush, which is a kind of white decay, indicated by a 

 peculiar and offensive odor. Commonly it attacks the 

 frog, and sometimes the sole of the foot. If taken 

 in hand early, it can be cured by the application of 

 common salt saturated with petroleum ; and the most 

 severe case will yield to a solution of blue vitriol and 



1 This is the plan recommended by Major Fisher. 



