2i6 THE HORSE 



many a horse has gone wrong In his fore feet while he 

 was being cured of some illness or lameness. 



There should be a sling in every large stable. Lame 

 horses, afraid to lie down, often suffer excruciatingly 

 from standing on three legs, night and day, perhaps for 

 weeks and even months. Frequently the result is a 

 permanent breaking down of the sound limb which is 

 thus compelled to bear alone the weight normally borne 

 by the two limbs — fore or hind, as the case may be. 



A sling is also very useful for relieving horses that 

 from illness or weakness or any other cause are afraid 

 or unable to lie down. Moreover, in every large stable 

 there will be at least one horse that never lies down, 

 and by slinging him up once in a while, so that although 

 his feet rest on the floor the weight of his body is 

 supported by the sling, his fatigue will be relieved, and 

 his usefulness prolonged. 



TEMPERATURE, PULSE, RESPIRATION 



The normal temperature of a horse is ioo° F. 



If his temperature rises to 102° or over, he should 

 be left in the stable, and fed on hay and bran — no 

 oats or corn. One hundred and four degrees is a 

 dangerous temperature and 107° usually means death. 

 Every horse-owner should have a self-registering ther- 

 mometer. By placing this in the rectum, and leaving 

 it there for three minutes, you can tell what is the 

 temperature of the horse, and whether it Is safe to use 

 him or not. 



The normal pulse of the horse is from thirty-three to 

 forty beats a minute. The pulse can be ascertained by 



