394 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



noose around the fetlock of the limb to be amputated, cut 

 the skin circularly entirely around the fetlock, then make 

 an incision on the inner side of the limb from the fetlock up 

 to the breast bone. Next dissect the skin from the limb, 

 from the fetlock up to the breast bone on the inner side, and 

 as far up on the shoulder-blade as possible on the outer side. 

 Finally, cut through the muscles attaching- the limb to the 

 breast bone and employ strong traction on the limb so as to 

 drag out the whole limb, shoulder-blade included. The 

 muscles around the upper part of the shoulder-blade are 

 easily torn through and need not be cut, even if that were 

 possible. In no case should the fore limb be removed unless 

 the shoulder-blade is taken with it, as that furnishes the 

 greatest obstruction to delivery, above all when it is no 

 longer advanced by the extension of the fore limb but is 

 pressed back so as to increase the already thickest posterior 

 portion of the chest. The preservation of the skin from the 

 whole limb is advantageous in various ways; it is easier to 

 cut it circularly at the fetlock than at the shoulder; it 

 covers the hand and knife in making the needful incisions, 

 thus acting as a protection to the womb; and it affords a 

 means of traction on the body after the limb has been re- 

 moved. In dissecting the skin from the limb the knife is not 

 needful at all points; much of it may be stripped off with the 

 fingers or knuckles, or by a blunt iron spud pushed up inside 

 the hide, which is meanwhile held tense to render the spud 

 effective, 



Amputation of the head. This is easy when both fore limbs 

 are turned back and the head alone has made its exit in part. 

 It is more difficult when the head is still retained in the 

 passages or womb, as in double-headed monsters. The head 

 is secured by a hook in the lower jaw, or in the orbit, or by 

 a halter, and the skin is divided circularly around the lower 

 part of the face or at the front of the ears, according to the 

 amount of head protruding. Then an incision is made back- 

 ward along the line of the throat and the skin dissected from 

 the neck as far back as possible. Then the muscles and 

 other soft parts of the neck are cut across and the bodies of 

 two vertebrse (neck bones) are severed by cutting completely 



