HOT WEATHER TREATMENT 63 



stables, and they are very useful in hot weather both 

 for stirring up a breeze and for driving away flies. 

 It is an economical way of maintaining the efficiency of 

 the work-horse. 



A driver should watch his horse carefully on an 

 excessively hot day. If the horse stops sweating sud- 

 denly, or breathes short and quick, or if his ears droop, 

 or if he stands with his legs braced sideways, as if he 

 feared a fall, he is in danger of a sun or heat stroke 

 and needs attention at once. The cessation of sweating 

 and the short and quick breathing, like the panting of a 

 dog, usually come together. So long as a horse 

 breathes naturally he is safe. Some horses sweat very 

 little under any circumstances, and these are the horses 

 most apt to have a sunstroke. 



When a horse has a sunstroke or is overcome by 

 the heat, the first thing is to get him into the shade, if 

 possible, then strip off bridle and harness, wash out 

 his mouth, sponge him all over with water, shower his 

 legs and give him two ounces of aromatic spirits of 

 ammonia in a pint of water, or two ounces of sweet 

 spirits of nitre in a pint of water, or the same quantity 

 of water with about two ounces of gin or whiskey — 

 preferably gin; or a pint of coffee warm. Most im- 

 portant of all, his head should.be cooled as quickly as 

 possible by bathing it with cold water, or, in extreme 

 cases, by applying chopped ice wrapped in a cloth. 



A horse that has once been overcome by the heat, 

 will always be less able to resist it, and should be 

 left in the stable on excessively hot days. A second 

 sunstroke is almost always fatal. 



