220 Management and Treatment of the Horse. 



fully examining the mouth, it bad six hollow 

 teeth in the top jaw, four incisor and two molar 

 teeth, and upon cleaning out the teeth, he found 

 oats that had sprouted to the extent of a quarter 

 of an inch. He cleaned all the teeth out and 

 then filled the cavities with warm gutta-percha, 

 and smoothed the surface with a hot iron ; after 

 this the horse fed well and soon got into good con- 

 dition, and remained so for two years afterwards. 

 The writer occasionally looked to the teeth, and 

 if any of the gutta-percha fell out he replaced it. 

 When horses are out of condition from bad teeth, 

 it is always advisable to put them through a 

 course of medicine, as they often suffer from 

 indigestion consequent upon swallowing food in 

 an unmasticated state, and for this purpose 

 nothing is better than that recommended earlier 

 in this work for canker in the mouth. The lips 

 of the horse are often lacerated and become sore 

 by the smallness of the bit, or by the unmerciful 

 rough hands of the rider or driver, and also from 

 the shortness of the snaffle. Some people are 

 foolish enough to gag the horse with the snaffle, 

 and will give as an excuse for such cruel treat- 

 ment that they do not like to see the bridle hang 

 loosely on the horse's head. This wretched 

 system often results in the horse having sores at 

 the angle of the mouth, and sometimes poll-evil 

 is the result of the foolish fashion. The severe 

 excoriation of these parts produces deep ulcers, 

 which cannot be removed while the animal is at 

 work. Washing the mouth with alum and water 

 is the best curative which we know ; if the sore 



