SECURIKG A HORSE FOR OrERATIONS. 355 



double the force they wouhl at a distance of four yards, their 

 power then having a tendency to draw the legs off the ground 

 and upwards, which causes him to fall more quickly. One man 

 should stand at the rump, on the left side, to push him when 

 the legs are drawn up together; and another should hold him 

 steadily by the head, standing in front of him ; and as soon as 

 the horse is down that man should throw himself on the neck, and 

 incline the nose upward by lifting the halter ; thus he can keep 

 the head and neck down without difficulty. 



JNL Girard, in his Traite du Pled, has proposed an improve- 

 ment in throwing horses, which is very simple, and should always 

 be employed. If the horse is to be thrown on the right side, a 

 long piece of web or a rope is to be fastened round the right fore 

 arm, close up to the elbow. The other end is then to l)e i)assed 

 over the withers, and held at a little distance by one or two 

 men. The force which is applied in this way will cause the 

 horse to fall more readily, and with more certainty, and exactly 

 in the situation where he is required to be thrown. This con- 

 trivance, therefore, is extremely useful in confined places, where 

 there is just room enough to throw a horse, and no more.* The 

 horse being thrown down, and his legs closely drawn together, 

 tlie end of the hobble rope is to be passed under the hobble 

 rings, between the fore and hind legs, and secured with a hitch 

 as it is termed, so that he cannot separate them again until the 

 hobbles are unbuckled, and then they all may be taken away at 

 once, and the horse suffered to get up. f 



In letting the horse get up again the hobbles must be un- 

 buckled cautiously, beginning with the imdcr fore and hind one. 

 These should be unbuckled gently, and not jerked, as that 

 would cause the horse to struggle, and render it difficult to 

 take them off, or the leg might get loose, and he may thus hurt 

 one of the assistants who happens to be standing incautiously 

 Avithin the stroke of his fore or hind leg. | I have seen hobbles 

 in which the tongues were moveable, so that by drawing them 

 out with a pair of pincers the hobbles were all taken off at once. 



In performing operations upon the horse it is not only necessary 

 to throw him down as I have described, but in firing the out- 



* A roller round the horse's body and a piece of web attached to its upper 

 part is sti'' better. One man, unless the Jiorse is very heavy, is quite suthcient 

 to pull this web. It' hands are scarce the operator himselt'can ])ull the web ; 

 and he will then rerpiire only four other men to assist him in casting a horse, 

 and two only after the horse is down. — Ed. 



j This trouble is obviated by having a chain at one end of the rope to pass 

 through the rings, and a hook at the otlier end of the rope, which, being 

 inserted into one of the links of tlie chain, firndy secures it. — Ed. 



I By the improved hobbles, all this trouljle and danger is obviated ; all 

 that is necessary being to remove the screw which loosens all tlie hobbles 

 at once. — Ed. 



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