THE END OF THE SEASON. 113 



may be needful; but^ in any case but tlie mildest^ tbe 

 opinion of a qualified practitioner will be useful. Grooms 

 are always very fond of using blisters^ the stronger tlie 

 better (not for tbe horse); and many horses have been 

 ruined by this predilection of theirs. 



Next we will consider the subject of curbs. " Springing 

 a curb '' is a most annoying accident^ and the best-shaped 

 hocks are liable to it. By good rights,, a horse which 

 has been thus unlucky should be thrown up out of work ; 

 but it is seldom that this treatment is pursued when the 

 mishap occurs in the middle of the season. Almost all 

 veterinary surgeons in hunting countries have some 

 preparation in which they believe for application to a 

 curb; and usually the horse is to be worked during the 

 period of cure. Now^ this is of course wrongs to start 

 with j still; I must confess that I have followed the plan, 

 and my horse has become sound ; and I have seen the same 

 result in many other cases. At the end of the season 

 the question of firing or not will arise. In ninety-nine 

 out of every hundred cases I should vote against the 

 actual cautery. It is a certain blemish — a thing I dis- 

 approve of, unless it be accompanied by a certain cure. 

 This is not always the case. I have had a horse who 

 had been fired for curbs in my own stable, who sprung 

 curbs afresh two years after the operation. Mild blisters, 

 applied as often as possible, are in every way pre- 

 ferable. Occasionally firing may benefit horses which 

 have naturally curby hocks, but even then it may be 

 managed so as not to make the usual blemish. There 

 are degrees of curbs. I know a hack mare with de- 

 cidedly curby-looking hocks. She has never been lame 

 with a curb, but after severe work the seat of curb 

 exhibits heat and a barely perceptible swelling. A 



