THE HUNTER AT HOME. 179 



should be thorouglily well searclied for thorns, and 

 when the skin is wet they are much more easily 

 discovered than when the hair is dry. When found 

 they must be taken out whole if possible, and a pair 

 of tweezers will usually effect this. Sometimes the 

 skin will have to be slit up a little to get at the 

 thorn ; this can be done easily enough as a rule, but 

 there are localities, such as the knee, where a groom 

 must not run risks of this kind. When the point of a 

 thorn is deeply seated and inaccessible, it will be got rid 

 of by suppuration ; but sometimes it will be a long time 

 first, and I should not rest the horse if he can work — by 

 which I mean if, as in the case of spavin, he '^'' works 

 sound.-'^ Work will hasten suppuration. Bran poultices, 

 too, should be applied to the place where a thorn is sup- 

 posed to be, if it can be done ; but of course there are 

 places where they cannot be kept steady. If the thorn 

 be in the knee, and the pain and swelling great, hot 

 fomentations are advisable, and rest until suppuration 

 begins. After a hard day, when gruel cannot be had, 

 water with just the chill taken off is most refreshing to 

 the tired hunter, but if it be too warm it will produce 

 scouring. When the day has been so hard as really to 

 distress the horse, he should be ^' done up '' as quickly 

 as possible, have his gruel and plenty of mash, but little 

 com ; and it will be wise, if his feet have been knocked 

 about by jumping into roads or otherwise, to place them 

 in poultices for the night . His legs will be benefited by 

 being enveloped in hot bandages, and some more gruel 

 last thing will not hurt him if he will drink it. Next day 

 fifteen or twenty minutes^ leading in hand, with plenty of 

 water, not too cold, and perfect quiet in his box, ought to 

 set him to rights, unless he has sustained any accident. 



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