DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 185 



battle. Granted you do this correctly, it is 

 comparatively easy to treat the disease. 



What is the disease my horse is suffering 

 from ? Shall I send for a vet ? These are 

 common enough questions. Now how, in dif- 

 ferent instances, should they be answered ? Did 

 you breed the horse ? Yes. Then you have a 

 better chance of knowing his defects than if you 

 had bought him at a repository a few days before. 

 You have something to go upon. Another point 

 to remember is environment. Town horses get 

 diseases in their feet resulting in lameness from 

 hard going. Therefore navicular disease, which 

 is due to caries of a tiny bone in the foot, is 

 common in countries where horses have road 

 work, and much less common in countries such 

 as up-country in India, our colonies, or on the 

 prairies. 



Hereditary diseases are extremely common, 

 and therefore a breeder should avoid using a 

 mare with a broken wind, no matter how well she 

 may be bred. In fact many a high-class racehorse 

 that has turned roarer or whistler has become 

 virtually worthless for the stud on this account. 

 But should a mare wrong in her wind never get 

 the chance of being served ? It may be worth 

 while to endeavour to correct this predisposition 

 in the offspring by using a small and sound- 

 winded pony-sire, the progeny being probably a 

 smart cob, perhaps a valuable polo-pony. 



Bad hay and mouldy oats, and quick work 

 when out of condition, all help to send a horse 

 wrong in the wind ; whereas cleanliness, regular 



