656 CASTING. 



and to the off side of the animal, and at a given word the men 

 all pull. The animal's hind legs are thus drawn under hira, and 

 he falls on his hind quarters, the ropes at the same time slipping 

 down into the hollow of the heels {K) ; the animal is pushed on 

 to his side, and both legs are drawn tight up near the neck. The 

 rope is then passed round the fetlock, and a hitch drawn over 

 the foot on to the fetlock and pulled tight. The fore leg on that 

 side is then secured, and the foot brought near, and outside of 

 the fetlock of the hind leg, the position then being, the fore leg 

 outside, its foot opposite the fetlock of the hind leg, and the foot 

 of the hind leg being oj)posite the fetlock of the fore one. A 

 hitch or two of the rope is then cast over the fore fetlock, thus 

 making it secure, and the remaining end of the rope wound 

 round the two pasterns. A similar process is gone through on 

 the legs of the opposite side. 



The second method by the hobbles is as follows : — 



Hobbles are obtained like those shown in Plate VI., Z. They 

 are nothing more nor less than four leather straps (capable of 

 being lengthened or shortened to fit different animals), three of 

 them having an iron link at either end ; the one link (Y) being 

 longer and narrower than the other (JT), so as to pass through 

 it (P) ; and a fourth one — the main hobble (Plate VI.) — having, 

 in addition to the link Y, a socket for a screw-bolt, called the 

 key, with which to secure the chain. 



Also a chain capable of passing easily through the links 

 is obtained, about ten feet long, having its first sixteen links 

 sufficiently large to allow the insertion of " the D" and on its first 

 link having attached a screwed socket {S), fitted to the space T 

 To the other end of the chain is attached a strong rope about 

 ten feet long. 



The animal is led on to the bed twitched and blind folded, 

 and, if about to be cast on the off side, a flat rope or ivcb (Plate 

 v., Fig. 1, a) looped round the near fore arm, and passed to the 

 off side, to be held by an assistant. 



" The key " and "D " are taken charge of by an assistant. 



The main hobble is applied to the near fore pastern, and the 

 other hobbles to the other pasterns, taking care that the buckles 

 (Plate VI. and Plate V., h, b) are to the outside, the points of the 

 straps of the fore buckles pointing backwards, and the points of 

 the straps of the hind ones pointing lorwards. 



