100 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



prevent it from receiving the supply of blood necessary to keep 

 it built up. If this pressure is sufficient to chafe the skin, the 

 resulting wound is very liable to become infected, as the woolen 

 blanket, impregnated with sweat, is a favorable place for the 

 growth of microbes. If the skin is not broken, when the pressure 

 is removed the spot affected will immediately become inflamed, 

 and a sore will probably result, under the skin, that will, unless 

 taken properly in hand, finally destroy the skin over it, and be- 

 come an open sore. In either case the horse is said to have, first, 

 a saddle-gall ; then, if this is neglected, it becomes a sore back. 

 If this sore back is along the ridge of the back-bone, the pus 

 cannot easily be drained; it may make sinuses along the spines 

 of the vertebrae, and a fistula results. 



Another serious result of a neglected sore back comes when 

 the sore practically heals. Active suppuration has then ceased, 

 and the wound heals over imperfectly, leaving a dead, hard 

 piece of skin over the sore, itself covered by a thick scab. An 

 inert abscess is left under the skin, which breaks out when pressure 

 is again applied to it. This is a sitfast, an obstinate, trouble- 

 some sore, that needs constant watching. 



If there is time to devote to it, the sitfast should be cut out 

 and the wound compelled to heal slowly, filling up from the 

 bottom with sound tissue. 



When the saddle is first removed, the horse's back should 

 be carefully looked over. If any chafed places or inflamed spots 

 are noticed they should be washed clean and briskly rubbed for 

 fifteen or twenty minutes to restore a healthy circulation. Fo- 

 menting the back with warm water, carefully drying it before 

 leaving it, is also an excellent treatment. The under side of the 

 blanket should be inspected, to locate the cause of the trouble, 

 and the greatest care should be taken, when the horse is next 

 saddled, to keep all pressure from the sore spot. This can be 

 affected by cutting a hole in the blanket over the sore, saddling 

 carefully, and adjusting the blanket at every halt. 



