PAWING— QUIDDING— ROLLING— SHYING. 365 



which has been worn by a stumbler for a fortnight, and, perhaps, a little to lower the 

 heel of the fore foot, 



A blow received on the heel of the fore foot in this manner, has noi (infrequently, 

 and especially if neglected, been followed by quittor.* 



The heel most frequently suflers in overreaching, although the pastern is sometimes 

 injured. It usually, or almost always, occurs in fast paces on deep ground. The 

 injury is inflicted by the edge of the inner part of the shoe. The remedy is the cut- 

 tincr away the edge of the shoe. An account of the most successful treatment of 

 overreach has been given in page 312. 



PAWING. 



Some hot and irritable horses are restless even in the stable, and paw frequentl 

 and violently. Their litter is destroyed, the floor of the stable broken up, the shoes 

 worn out, the feet bruised, and the legs sometimes sprained. If this habit does not 

 exist to any great extent, yet the stable never looks well. Shackles are the only 

 remedy, with a chain sufficiently long to enable the horse to shift his posture, or move 

 in his stall ; but these must be taken off at night, otherwise the animal will seldom 

 lie down. Except, however, the horse possesses peculiar value, it will be better to 

 dispose of him at once, than to submit to the danger and inconvenience that he may 

 occasion. 



QUIDDING. 



A horse will sometimes partly chew his hay, and suffer it to drop from his mouth. 

 If this does not proceed from irregular teeth, which it will be the business of the vete- 

 linary surgeon to rasp down, it will be found to be connected with sore-throat, and 

 then the horse will exhibit some other symptom of indisposition, and particularly, the 

 swallowing of water will be accompanied by a peculiar gulping effort. In this case, 

 the disease (catarrh, with sore-throat) must be attacked, and the quidding will cease. 



ROLLING. 



This is a very pleasant and perfectly safe amusement for a horse at grass, but can 

 not be indulged in the stable without the chance of his being dangerously entangled 

 with the collar rein, and being cast. Yet, although the horse is cast, and bruised, 

 and half-strangled, he will roll again on the following night, and continue to do so aa 

 long as he lives. The only remedy is not a very pleasant one to the horse, nor 

 always quite safe ; yet it must be had recourse to, if the habit of rolling is inveterate. 

 " The horse," says Mr. Castley, " should be tied with length enough of collar to lie 

 down, but not to allow of his head resting on the ground ; because, in order to roll 

 over, a horse is obliged to place his head quite down upon the ground." 



SHYING. 



We have briefly treated of the cause of this vice at page 91, and observed that 

 while it is often the result of cowardice, or playfulness, or want of work, it is at 



* Mr. Simpson relates an interesting though unfortunate case of this interference, after the 

 operation of neurotomy: — "An old but splendid horse had been sadly lame in the off fore- 

 foot during some months. Many plans of treatment were adopted, without the desired effect ; 

 and at length it was determined to have recourse to neurotomy. A portion of the metacarpal 

 nerve was excised on both sides, just above the fetlock. Three weeks afterwards, the horse 

 being quite free from lameness, he was put into harness, and driven about twelve miles. He 

 appeared to go very well, but, on arriving at his journey's end, it was found that the off hind- 

 foot was covered with blood, and the heels of the neurotomised foot were dreadfully bruised 

 and cut, from repeated blows from the corresponding foot behind. In order to remedy this, 

 the toe of the hind-foot was ordered to be shortened as much as possible. 



" Four days afterwards, he was driven again with the same contusions, but did not appear 

 to feel the slightest pain, either when the blows were inflicted, or when he was examined again 

 some days afterwards. 



" There was not the same activity in this foot that there had been before the operation, and 

 it could not get out of the way of the hind-foot, a circumstance that would hardly have been 

 expected, for it is the general belief that, although sensation is destroyed in the foot, the loco- 

 motive powers of the leg are unimpaired. This deserves future inquiry." — The Veterinarian, 

 vol. viii. p. 242. 



