LEGS OF THE HORSE, THEIR ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES. 343 



How to know it. — There will be a contused, lascerated, ragged wound ; 

 the skin hanging in shreds, hair bruised off, the ends of tendons protrud- 

 ing and curling like bands of white tape. A discharge of synovia (an 

 oily looking, aml)er colored liquid) takes place, and in bad cases the Avhite 

 glistenii^g bones of the joint can be seen and felt. 



What to do. — If the wound is dirty with sand, gravel or other sub- 

 stance, wash gently to remove it. If the ends of tendons or ligan»ents 

 protrude, clip them off with scissors close down to the edge of the wound ; 

 draw the ends of the skin together and bind on a soft piece of old linen 

 to keep the i)arts in place and the air from ii:, wetting the wound and 

 linen with lotion No. G. Then proceed to have the l)race made as seen in 

 the illustration on page 340, for it is absolutely necessary to keep tbe 

 knee stiff and perfectly quiet, so as to get as small a secretion of synovia 

 EiS possible. Splints arc generally used, but they always irritate the log 

 where they come in contact, and fail in a great measure to jirevent motion ; 

 but when Baker's brace is used, neither the knee nor any joint below it 

 c;an be flexed a particle. 



To make the brace, take a rod of good iron half an inch sipiai'e, and of 

 ii length sufficient to reach from the ground to at least three inches 

 above the knee ; rivet a band two inches wide and six inches long on to the 

 upper end of the bar, and bond it to fit the fleshy part of the arm ; then 

 bend the rod in its passage down the ])a('k of the leg to fit a healthy limb 

 in its natural position when the weight is on it ; make a three-quarter 

 book at the bottom, bending backward, to hook into the eye in the bar of 

 the shoe, so that it can be inserted and removed at pleasure without re- 

 moving the shoe. Insert two rivets or a staple at the top, and another 

 set midway between the knee and fetlock, to receive the strai)s that bind 

 the leg to the brace. Let the straps be an inch wide, and pad between 

 them and the leg, especially over the shin. Pad the band well to prevent 

 abrasion of the skin. The shoe may be an old one that fits the foot, with 

 the heels carried out at least an inch beyond the heels of the foot, and 

 turned upward a little ; weld on across the heels of this shoe a bar 

 three quarters of an inch wide, with an eye in the center to receive the 

 hook. The shoe needs to be nailed on very strongly, or the horse will 

 tear it off in his efforts to flex the leg, Avhich he v/ill try to do at first, 

 but he will soon get accustomed to it, and walk around, lie down and get 

 up the same as a man with a stiff leg. The strap at the top wants to be 

 buckled tight enough to keep the brace in place, the one at the center of the 

 cannon tight enough to keep the leg well straightened back in its natural 

 position. The shorter brace is used in the same way in case the fetlock 

 or pastern joint is cpsaed ; then it is not necessary to stiffen the knee. 



