246 THE HORSE 



and thus prevent fever and contraction, whether the 

 lameness Is in the foot or leg/ 



4. If the horse becomes painfully lame, and you do 

 not know why, put the lame foot and leg into a soak- 

 ing tub with water as hot as your hand will bear, and 

 keep them there for three or four hours, maintaining 

 the heat of the water. There is nothing like hot water 

 to take out pain and inflammation. This treatment 

 will relieve the suffering from almost every form of 

 lameness, and cannot do any harm. Repeat the process 

 until the horse is relieved. 



5. Do not use a lame horse except by advice of a 

 veterinary surgeon. 



6. If the horse is lame forward, the chances are that 

 the trouble is in the foot. Tendon lameness is not in- 

 frequent, especially among light horses. Shoulder 

 lameness Is possible, but extremely rare. If there is lame- 

 ness in the foot, the muscles of the shoulder will shrink 

 from disuse — ^ because the horse has thrown most of his 

 weight on the sound leg and foot. This Is why we 

 hear so much of lameness In the shoulder. In shoulder 

 lameness, the leg is swung outward. 



SPAVIN 



Spavin is a disease of the hind legs only. There are 

 two kinds of spavin, bog or blood spavin and bone 

 spavin. Bog spavin is like a windgall. It Is a large, soft 

 swelling Immediately In front, and to the Inside of the 

 point of the hock. It Is caused by a sprain of the large 



1 Paragraphs 2 and 3 are taken mainly from the valuable booklet 

 issued by The Reducine Company. 



