102 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[chap. 



network of arteries and veins that also supply 

 blood to the outer portions of the bone. The 

 periosteum thus nourishes the bone, protects it, 

 and gives attachment to muscles and ligaments. 

 Bones are classified into four classes: long, 

 as the thigh ; flat, as the shoulder-blade ; short, 

 as those of the knee and hock ; and irregular, as 

 the vertebrae. Most of the thirty-three bones of 

 the horse's head are flat bones. 



403. As stated above, in foetal life the foal's 

 bones are at first entirely cartilaginous ; at the 

 sixth or seventh week after conception the car- 

 tilaginous bones begin to form. In the adult all 

 the bones are properly ossified. 



In speaking of the various sides or surfaces of 

 the various parts of a horse's anatomy the follow- 

 ing terms are used : 



The upper surface is the proximal, superior, 

 or dorsal. 



The under surface is the distal, inferior, or 

 ventral. 



The front surface is the anterior. 



The hind surface is the posterior. 



The internal surface is the surface nearest to 

 the median line, which is an imaginary vertical 

 plane drawn through the centre of the horse from 

 head to tail. Thus the internal surface of a 

 foreleg would be that surface nearest to the other 

 leg. The external surface is that farthest from 

 the median line. 



404. Sprains. — The commonest sprains are 

 those of the muscles of the shoulder and hind- 

 quarters, the back tendons of the forelegs, the 

 suspensory ligaments of all the legs, and the back 

 ligament of the hock joint (curb). Tendons are 

 more often sprained than muscles. Ligaments 

 and tendons may possibly break, but are more 

 liable to tear, especially small portions of them 

 here and there, so that the whole thickness is 

 not broken across at any one point, but they will 

 not stretch, except under prolonged strain. 



When a tissue is sprained, the blood vessels 

 become gorged with blood, and the circulation 

 becoming impeded, there is more or less com- 

 plete stagnation of blood. There is also, as a 

 rule, blood and other fluid which has escaped 

 from vessels which were ruptured at the time 

 that the fibres were broken. The presence of 

 this blood and other fluid renders the part tense, 

 hot, and painful, by interfering with the circula- 

 tion, or later, by giving rise to adhesions (fibrous 

 bands which will more or less interfere with the 

 movement of the part). In the treatment of 

 sprain, therefore, our first efforts should be 

 directed to checking the accumulation of the 

 fluids and hastening their removal. For this the 

 best treatment that can be applied is the com- 

 bination of pressure and massage. Pressure must 

 be even and equally distributed. An ordinary 

 bandage between the knee and fetlock does little 

 good, because it only applies pressure to the front 

 of the bone and to the back of the tendon. The 



method of applying pressure bandages has been 

 described in Chapter V., Sees. 217-9. The im- 

 portance of applying pressure bandages and 

 giving much massage must be fully realised to 

 treat sprains with success. However severe the 

 sprain or other injury may be, if even pressure 

 is applied immediately, it will do a great deal of 

 good. Bandages should be taken off every 

 twenty-four hours, and the part vigorously mas- 

 saged for at least twenty minutes with a suitable 

 lubricant, such as compound liniment of cam- 

 phor (powdered camphor 5, oil of lavender ^, 

 strong ammonia 10, alcohol 40, parts by weight). 

 The legs should then be raised, i.e. bent, and 

 straightened alternately for at least six times to 

 remove stiffness and to stimulate blood flow, 

 which is essential to encourage rapid healing. 

 Then the pressure bandages must be put on 

 again. If this is done morning and evening the 

 cure will be more rapid. As the sprain improves, 

 the joints must be passively worked for a longer 

 period without requiring any muscular effort 

 from the horse. 



405. The most valuable cure for mechanical 

 injuries is that described above, i.e. massaging 

 with hand or fingers and passive exercise ; the 

 time needed for repair of the injury will be 

 greatly shortened by assisting Nature in her 

 efforts. Purgatives act beneficially by diminish- 

 ing the congestion in the blood vessels and 

 lymphatics, in that they remove much watery 

 fluid and foreign substances, drawing the blood 

 to the intestines, and therefore away from the 

 congested part. A free supply of good cold water 

 assists greatly by keeping the blood in a pure 

 state and by removing foreign substances from 

 the system. Horses cannot be given too much 

 water. Small doses of nitre, by stimulating the 

 action of the kidneys, which are the filters of 

 the body, cause removal of much foreign matter. 

 Nitre should be given very seldom in cold 

 weather. 



Laxative foods, such as green food, carrots, 

 etc., by cooling the system (as they contain very 

 little albumen, which heats the system), and by 

 increasing the action of the bowels and improv- 

 ing the tone of the blood, do much good. Hence 

 if a horse is in gross condition he should be given 

 only a little food for several days. 



406. External Applications. — External applica- 

 tions are sometimes of use. Any chemical or 

 drug that causes stimulation or irritation when 

 applied to a part will increase the blood flow to 

 that part. This is the functional use of massag- 

 ing. Hence if we wish to remove inflammation 

 from an internal part of a leg or the body, we 

 apply an irritant to the external part and draw 

 the blood away from the inflamed part to the 

 surface. Hot-water applications will cause in- 

 creased blood flow to the surface, but should not 

 be applied for more than a few minutes at a 

 time. The old system of several hours' hot-water 



