A DICTIONARY. 



259 



double membrane, containing witliin its 

 folds a considerable quantity of fat, in the 

 human body and many animals. But in 

 the horse this is never seen ; nor does the 

 omentum contain much fat ; what there is 

 lies in the region of the stomach. 



Opacity. — A want of transparency in 

 those parts of the eye named pupil, or 

 cornea. 



OPERATIONS. 



Op surgical operations,* and the vari- 

 ous RESTRAINTS IT IS SOMETIMES NECESSARY 

 TO PLACE THE HORSE UNDER FOR THEIR PER- 

 FORMANCE. — " When it is necessary to per- 

 form any painful operation on so powerful 

 an animal as the horse, it is of consequence 

 to subject him to a restraint equal to the 

 occasion. Horses are very dissimilar in their 

 tempers, and bear pain very differently ; but 

 it is always prudent to prepare for the worst, 

 and few important operations should be at- 

 tempted without casting. Humanity should 

 be the fundamental principle of every pro- 

 ceeding, and we ought always to subject 

 this noble animal to pain with reluctance ; 

 but when circumstances absolutely call for 

 it, we should joyfully close our hearts to aU 

 necessary suffering. The resistance of the 

 horse is terrible, and it is but common pru- 

 dence to guard against the effects of it. The 

 lesser restraints are various : among them 

 may be first noticed the tiuitch. The twitch 

 is a very necessary instrument in a stable, 

 though, when frequently and officiously 

 used, it may have the ill effect of rendering 

 some horses violent to resist its application. 

 In many instances blindfolding will do more 

 than the twitch ; and some horses may be 

 quieted, when the pain is not excessive, by 

 holding the ear in one hand, and rubbing 

 the point of the nose with the other. A 

 soothing manner will often engage the atten- 

 tion and prevent violence ; but it is seldom 

 that either tlnreats or punishment render an 

 unruly horse more calm. Inexperienced 

 persons guard themselves only against the 

 hind legs ; but they should be aware that 

 some horses strike terribly with their fore 

 * Blames' " Outlines." 



feet: it is prudent, therefore, in all opera- 

 tions, to blindfold the animal, as by this he 

 becomes particularly intimidated, and if he 

 strikes he cannot aim. When one of the 

 fore extremities requires a very minute ex- 

 amination, it is prudent to have the oppo- 

 site leg held up ; it may, in some cases, be 

 tied : and when one of the hinder feet is the 

 object of attention, the fore one of the same 

 side should be held up, as by this means the 

 animal is commonly prevented from strik- 

 ing. If this precaution be not taken, still 

 observe to keep one hand on the hock, while 

 the other is employed in what is necessary ; 

 by which means, if the foot become elevated 

 to kick, sufficient warning is given, and the 

 very action of the horse throws the operator 

 away from the stroke. Without the use of 

 these arts the practitioner will expose him- 

 self to much risk. The trevis is the very 

 utmost limit of restraint, and is seldom used 

 save by smiths, to shoe very violent and 

 powerful horses : whenever recourse is had 

 to it, the greatest caution is necessary to 

 bed and bolster all the parts that are likely 

 to come in contact with the body. On the 

 Continent we have seen horses shod in this 

 machine, and apparently put into it from no 

 necessity greater than to prevent the clothes 

 of the smith from being dirtied. Horses 

 have been destroyed by the trevis, as weU 

 as by casting ; or their aversion to the re- 

 straint has been such, they have died from 

 the consequences of their own resistance. 

 The side-line is now very generally used, not 

 only in minor operations, but also in those 

 more important. Many veterinarians do not 

 use any other restraint than this, in which 

 they consider there is safety both to the 

 horse and to the operator. It is applicable 

 to such horses as are disposed to strike be- 

 hind ; and consists in placing a hobble strap 

 around the pastern of one hind leg, and then 

 carrying from a web collar passed over the 

 head the end of a rope through the D of the 

 hobble, and back again under the webbing 

 round the neck. A man is then set to pull 

 at the free end of the rope, by which the 

 hinder leg is drawn forward without elevat- 

 ing it from the ground. By this displace- 



