312 ON THE TREATMENT OF HORSES' FEET, 



relaxed by the means which I have described as having 

 been applied for that purpose to the feet of troop 

 horses. The former must not have their work stopped 

 when in regular ti-aining. They can scarcely be al- 

 lowed to miss a single gallop, which by the training 

 groom may be considered necessary. They must also 

 have their beds to lay and rest on by day as well as by 

 night ; and under these circumstances, clay and water 

 could not be conveniently applied, nor do I approve of 

 the patent boots for the reasons I have already given. 



My own horses and those of other officers of the 

 regiment, stand in the stables much in the same way 

 as horses in training do, — that is, their bedding is kept 

 under them day and night. Whenever any of those 

 horses have been amiss in their feet, either from con- 

 traction or from the horn becoming dry, hard, or brittle, 

 and some parts broken away, I have recommended to 

 relax and promote the growth of such feet, the moisture 

 being applied to them by means of a piece of common 

 coarse sacking, long enough to go round the wall or 

 crust of the foot, and soaked in water previous to its 

 being tied on round the hoof with a piece of string. 

 This application should be wetted every stable hour. 

 This is generally my method of applying moisture to 

 my own horses' feet. Pads made for the purpose are, 

 of course, more convenient; they may be made of 

 coarse canvass doubled to the breadth of the hoof, 

 stuffed with a sufficient quantity of tow or any other 

 material that may answer the purpose better, with 

 pieces of broad coarse tape fixed at the ends of each 



