176 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



Q. Should not the elbow be well clear of the 

 ribs ? 



A, Yes, it is a serious fault if the animal is 

 tied in at the elbows. Another thing that also 

 should be noticed is when the leg is bent back 

 from the knee, the foot should almost clear the 

 elbow outside. When this is the case, and the 

 elbow is well clear of the ribs, the action will be 

 quite free. 



Q. Do not the withers sometimes get galled 

 on the top ? 



A. This is caused either by the saddle being 

 too wide in the tree, and consequently pressing 

 upon the withers ; or by having ill-fitting clothing, 

 the breast-girth being too tight over the points of 

 the shoulders, and the roller so tightly buckled 

 that the rug is always taut over the withers, and 

 this is the more common cause of the two. There 

 should always be room enough to pass a finger 

 freely under the pommel when the rider is in the 

 saddle, and more room is desirable. An injury 

 here is hard to heal, there being nothing but 

 fibrous tissue over the bones. If the saddle 

 seems to be too low down, a saddle cloth, or 

 numnah, must be placed underneath, or some 

 substitute for one. 



A capital treatment for wrung withers, or a 

 galled back, is to mix two teaspoonfuls of salt 

 in a teacupful of vinegar, and apply as soon as 

 the saddle is taken off. Afterwards continue to 

 use the vinegar daily, without the salt, sponging 

 the injury freely, and finally placing a cabbage 

 leaf over it, to prevent evaporation. 



If there is a sore place, the skin being broken, 

 a little iodoform should be dusted over it, or 



