MINOR DISEASES 151 



out — this should be done twice or three times a 

 day — there will be no thrush in the stable if the 

 horses' feet are normal. If there should be a 

 case of thrush the ragged part of the frog must 

 be cut away, the pus wiped out of the cleft with 

 a piece of tow on a stick and the foot thoroughly 

 cleaned. Then a piece of tow should be thor- 

 oughly smeared with a mixture of Tar (6 oz.) and 

 Sulphate of Copper (2 oz.) and inserted in the cleft. 

 The horse will soon be all right and when he is it 

 would be as well to point out to your groom that 

 a recurrence of the disease will bring about his 

 dismissal. 



Saddle galls and sore shoulders are amongst 

 the small troubles of the stable, but they are very 

 real troubles for all that. The subject will be 

 gone into more fully when saddlery and harness 

 are discussed. Wherever the saddle or harness 

 presses on a horse should be carefully examined 

 when he comes in from work and if there are any 

 moist or tender - looking places they should at 

 once be attended to. When the skin has risen 

 what is known as a laundress's blue-bag may be 

 dabbed on the place a few times a day for perhaps 

 a couple or three days. Then it should be bathed 

 with alum water or salt and water. Care must 

 be taken to brush the back well before the saddle 

 is put on again or the cure may turn out as bad 

 as the disease. Sometimes when a sore back 

 has been mismanaged what is known as a set 

 fast will become estabhshed. More than one 

 infallible plan has been given for their eradica- 



