CRACKED HEELS 199 



the wound is ready. One abscess caused by 

 a warped saddle tree defeated me altogether 

 and put the animal out of action for four 

 months. As to sores in the starvation of the 

 northern forest, the story would be too terrible 

 to tell. 



Cracked Heels. In cold weather, if we 

 do not dry our hands before a fire after we 

 have washed them, we are liable to chapped 

 skin. Wet followed by cold, especially from 

 muddy ground, causes cracked heels. The 

 prevention by thorough drying after every 

 wetting may be impossible and this form of 

 lameness is difficult to cure. A washing with 

 soft soap, and a thorough drying, followed by 

 packing in grease is the best range practice I 

 know of, but does not always succeed. 



Feeding. In making the feed as varied as 

 possible I have fallen into error more than 

 once. A bran mash, for example, is best when 

 there is no march on the following day. I 

 made a horse dangerously ill with scouring by 

 turning him into an abandoned field of green 

 and standing maize. On another occasion, 

 turning hot, wet, exhausted horses into a shed 

 for shelter from a storm, I found out too late 

 that a sack of oats had been spilt upon the 

 floor. The result was coHc. 



