HORSE PRODUCTION 133 



man at the animal's head and one holding each rope, slowly back the horse. 

 The men holding the ropes pull them tight and this draws the animal's legs 

 forward and up to his sides throwing him. His legs should be tied in this 

 position to hold him down. This method is especially valuable for throwing 

 young horses for castration as their hind legs are forward and out of the way. 



One-man Method. Take up the "off" foreleg with a strap. This can be 

 done by passing the strap over the animal's back and holding it on by putting 

 a surcingle on and tying the strap to this. Hold the foot up with one hand 

 and draw the horse's head to his shoulder (away from the foot that is up) with 

 the other. This throws the animal to the side with the foot raised. The 

 operator should get on the side close to the horse's head as it goes down to 

 keep him from getting up. 



Hobble Method for Old Horses. Put a strap with a ring on each leg just 

 below the fetlock joint. Pass a rope or chain through these rings and draw 

 the horse's feet together until he loses his balance and falls. Use this method 

 on horses over ten years old. If old horses are thrown with side lines they 

 are liable to injure their backs by struggling. 



Preparation for Throwing. To avoid injury to the horse pick out a level 

 place in which to throw him. Have a folded blanket ready to put under his 

 head while down. 



CARE OF THE SICK AND INJURED. 



A sick or injured horse should be put in a box stall if one is available. In 

 case there is no box stall put the animal in a wide, comfortable stall as far 

 away from the other horses as possible, where he can be made comfortable 

 and it will be quiet. His stall should be clean, and free from drafts. 



Making Patient Comfortable. The patient should be made as comfort- 

 able and contented as possible. The stall should be kept clean and tidy. The 

 floors should be scraped often. The stall should be well ventilated as pure air 

 is essential to a speedy recovery. It should be kept at a comfortable tem- 

 perature and should be dry. All disagreeable odors of medicine should be 

 eradicated. If the patient can lie down he should have a good bedding of dry, 

 fine, loose litter. If he eats this bedding he can be bedded with moss or saw- 

 dust. Unless it is necessary from the nature of the disease to have the stall 

 dark, enough light should be admitted to make it cheerful. A horse suffering 

 from a nervous disease must not be excited. One person should do all the 

 doctoring to avoid frightening him. After the patient is fed any food that 

 remains should be immediately removed or it will make him lose what little 

 appetite he may have if it is left. He should always have pure clean water 

 where he can get it without effort. Even when he is not thirsty he enjoys 

 washing his mouth out with the water. If hay is fed it should be the best 

 and should be clean. If a horse has colic he should have plenty of space in 

 which to roll over. 



Blankets and Bandages. It may be necessary to protect the patient from 

 drafts with blankets. This can be done by putting blankets on him or by 



