574 CrCTLOPEDIA OF MVE STOCK AND COMPLETE STOCK DOCTOB. 



bobbles. — To prevent a horse from kicking ; more especially, for use 

 m casting. (See article on casting in cliui)ter XXII of this Part.) 

 They are two strong ropes, eacn aoout twenty-five feet long, with the 

 same number of strong leather straps, doubled, each with a two inch 

 seam between and a strong buckle. It requires three or four men to cast 

 ahorse. Put a loose collar on the horse, and fasten both ropes securely 

 to the bottom of it, or, better (if the rope is long enough), loop the mid- 

 dle to the collar. Buckle one of the two leather stnips tightly on each 

 hind pastern ; through the rings or D's of the straps pass the ends of the 

 rope, carrying the same forward through the collar, for the assistants, 

 (standing well ahead) to pull away at, while a good man manages the 

 animal's head. To prevent kicking (while standing), fasten the ends of 

 the rope to the collar, after drawing sufficiently tight. 



Ligatures. — Cords or strings, most commonly silk thread, used for 

 tying arteries and thus preventing or stopping hemorrhage. Tie with a 

 surgeon's knot, made bypassing one end around the other twice and then 

 drawing tightly. 



Ifose-bag. — This should be roomy, and be kept scrupulously clean. 



Seton. — A cord or small roll of leather, tape or cloth, drawn under 

 the skin and then out again at a short distance, by means of the seton 

 needle. It is used to promote and keep up a discharge of pus, and thus 

 reduce inflammation, and, the better to secure this end, it is soaked with 

 turpentine or smeared with some other irritant, and daily turned or 

 drawn forward and backward through its channel. Setons have almost 

 entirely superseded the old-fashioned rowel, which is a ring of leather, 

 suitably prepared and pushed down into a pocket made in the skin. 



jSUngs. — These are well illustrated on pages 294 and 338. They are 

 not so difficult to make as many imagine. Take, for the 'girdle which 

 passes under the horse's belly, a broad strip of leather or strong canvass 

 twenty-eight inches wnde and about seven feet long, stiffening the ends 

 by sewing thorn around smooth sticks or chunks of wood, to which fasten 

 very strong loops of rope. Double blocks and pulleys being attached 

 to these loops by strong ropes passing through fixed pulleys over- 

 head, the animal can be nearly or entirely lifted from his feet, as may 

 be desired. This girdle is kept in proper position by suitable breeching 

 and breast-straps attached to it, as shown on page 338. 



Sponges. — From four to six of these should always be at hand, of 

 which at least one (a small one) should be very fine. Their sizes should 

 be graduated, the largest being such as are of ten used for washing car- 

 riages. 



Tents. — Like setons, these are suppuratives, but are employed in the 

 dresein^ of wounds. They consist of pledgets of tow, lint, or the like, 

 moistened with turpentine. 



