94 THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 



at once. For instance a horse sometimes ricks itself in 

 getting up in the stable or sprains its leg or foot while at 

 work. When this occurs, do not work the animals, but 

 give them a little exercise each day. Let them have but 

 very little corn, as their blood wants keeping cool when 

 they meet with an accident in the way I have described. 

 Sometimes a horse will get mud fever. This usually 

 comes on through a sudden chilling of the blood, and 

 little spots rise up in the skin. If the horse is not kept 

 cool for a week or two, these little spots or lumps usually 

 break out into sores. There is no danger with these, only 

 the animal should have but very little corn and no beans, 

 peas or maize : at such times as these it should have 

 nothing but bran and oats. Corn, beans, peas, and 

 maize are all more or less heating to the body. If a 

 horse has poll evil, fistula, or any complaint of that 

 kind, it is far better to call in a veterinary surgeon at 

 once. Some horses are very subject to sore shoulders, 

 and it is well for the attendant to always notice the 

 shoulders when a horse is working hard. It is possible 

 for one to be working all its life and never have a sore 

 shoulder, at the same time many horses are subject to 

 this, especially when wearing a new collar, or when the 

 animal has not been working for a week or two. For 

 instance, in bad weather, if a horse has not been doing 

 anything for say two or three weeks, when it is put in 

 harness it is rather fresh, and the shoulders are a little 

 tender, sometimes they become very sore ; should this 

 escape the eye of the attendant, the next time the 



