Ill 



horse sufficiently tight to prevent its coming off. and not too tight to 

 cause unnecessary pain. The assistant then holds the twitch in one 

 hand and the leg in the other, always taking care not to allow the 

 twitch stick to strike against anything, as that will cause great sen- 

 sation to the horse, and probably make him rear and wage war with 

 you. While the twitch is on always be as expert as possible, and 

 finish the flanks and inside the thighs, &c., then at once commence 

 at the head, having first placed a strap two feet in length, with a 

 billet and buckle at each end, round each fetlock ; this will prevent 

 the horse from striking you with either of the fore feet while clip- 

 ping his head. Begin at the cheeks and work gradually towards the 

 ears, w^hich are generally most troublesome to clip ; the assistant 

 then takes hold of the tip of the ear, and pulls it out straight, while 

 you clip it, holding the twitch in the other hand at the same time. 

 Always treat the horse quietly, and in time he will yield when he 

 finds you have no intention to injure him. Care must be taken not 

 to allow the twitch to slip off the lip, as it may cause great trouble 

 to replace it. If the head require to be singed after clipping, do it 

 before removing the twitch. 



FEET, MANAGEMENT OF. 



An able correspondent of the Field thus writes on this important 

 subject. He says : " Sick horses habitually maintain the standing 

 position, and this in itself is injurious to the feet, which require to 

 be carefully watched and frequently examined during the progress 

 of any constitutional disease. If any unusual warmth is detected 

 in the feet of a horse suffering from influenza, or bronchitis, or 

 other disease bordering upon the inflammatory, immediate action 

 must be taken, or an attack of fever in the feet is inevitable. The 

 first thing to do is to remove the shoes and well pare out the soles, 

 after which the feet may be soaked in warm water, and then covered 

 with warm poultices of bran and linseed-meal, and kept moist by 

 being occasionally dipped in warm water. Should this treatment 

 not be found sufiiciently active, bleeding from the toe will be neces- 

 sary ; and the warm applications must be continued. In any case, 

 when a horse has been ill for some time, it is desirable to remove 

 the shoes and well clean out the feet, using tar dressings occa- 

 sionally, and, if necessary, applying wet swabs, at least during the 

 day, when they can be kept wet. When the disease from which 

 the animal suffers is likely to be followed by a long period of con- 

 valescence, it is good practice to remove the shoes altogether after 

 the first fortnight or three we-eks, and allow the horse to ' lie 



