196 SWIMMING FOR STRAINED LIMBS. 



Strain lower down by the animal's drawing his toe along the ground, from m 

 ability in the part to lift it off the ground ; but when he throws out the foot in 

 a semicircle, described by the segment at page 11, this shows that the hurt is 

 chiefly confini^d to the lower part of the shoulder near the elbow. Taking up 

 the foot and bending the limb will further prove the existence of strain in the 

 shoulder, if the animal evince pain ; whereas, if it lie in the foot, and not in 

 the shoulder, the lame leg can be moved as supple as the sound one. The 

 difficulty of ascertaining the real seat of lameness is sometimes so very 

 great, being entirely invisible, as to put us upon all sorts of expedients to find 

 out the real seat of the disorder. For this purpose, hold up his head high, 

 and after comparing and finding no difference in the shape of his two shoul- 

 derj, let go the head, when he will be observed to flinch upon bringing it to- 

 wards the affected side. Let a person rattle some corn in a sieve at a distance 

 behind, now on this side, now on that, and he will be observed to evince pain 

 at turning the neck so as to strain the affected side; not so it the pain be in 

 the foot, of course. As the horse will step short, and also throw out his leg 

 somewhat in a semicircle, when he has received a prick in shoeing, this latter 

 rgn is not to be taken as finally indicative of " strain in the shoulder," until 

 the foot has been examined, and the shoeing -smith questioned as to his skill 

 and carefulness. 



Cure. — If the injury be considerable, as when the horse has been thrown 

 down, he should be bled at once, in the plate vein when it is local, but in the 

 neck when the injury has been more general. A laxative ball, or a purgative, 

 must follow as a matter of course, proportioned to the actual state of his bodj 

 at the time. A fotnentation of camomile flowers, or of scalded bran, should 

 be applied largely and assiduously at the chest and inside the elbow, and these 

 remedies, with rest from all labour and exercise, generally perfect the cure. 



When the swelling is great, but not extensive, as in the case of a kick, spi- 

 rits of wine, in which a fourth of its weight of camphor has been dissolved, 

 should be rubbed in. This will supersede the necessity of walking the horse 

 too early, with the hope of recovering the '* use of his limb," by promoting the 

 lymphatic absorption. A rowel is sometimes employed, when the heat and 

 swelling are very high, v^ith good effect ; but the old system of previously 

 boring and blowing, and laying on " a charge," is exploded as barbarous and 

 inutile. On the symptoms abating, let the convalescent horse have a loose 

 stall, and in proportion as his action may be free from lameness, so should be 

 regulated his return to walking, to exercise, and to work. Before he can be 

 fit for his former occupation, it generally is found best to give the horse a run 

 at grass; but previously he may try his powers in a contracted plot of ground 

 in the homestead, to prevent his indulging too freely in exercise, seeing that 

 he is very liable to a relapse, which is generally more difficult to overcome than 

 the original attack. 



Swimming the horse "for strain in the shoulder joint," was a favourite re- 

 medy formerly, but is deservedly exploded, although we could be certain that 

 the joint intended to be cured were the elbow. This accident, however, does 

 not happen often : 1 never saw a marked case, and merely deem it pt^ssible ; 

 yet has the practice still its advocates. And it may be serviceable in other re 

 spects, as the muscles are thus brought into play, and the whole limb employ 

 ed in quite different kind of action to that of walking on terra firma. Some 

 persons submit their horses to bathing, by entire submersion ; an operation 

 that was performed most adroitly, about thirty-five years ago, by a stableman 

 named Denis Lawler, in the bay of Dublin. His manner was to ride his horse 

 to a convenient depth of water, and then jumping forward suddenly on the 

 animal's head, thus souse it head foremost to the bottom. The feat caused 

 great marvel at the time ; but not so the total disappearance, upon one occa 



