230 GROOMING. 



required to fulfil, and, therefore, which he ought en- 

 tirely to understand ; viz., drenching and physicking 

 horses. It may seem strange that I should advert to 

 such simple operations, but it is so seldom that the 

 former operation is ever performed in a reasonable and 

 proper manner by grooms, and is so often attended 

 with fatal results, that the proper method of performing 

 it had better be fully described. 



In the first place turn the horse round in his stall or 

 box, and make an attendant stand at the near side of 

 the horse, and putting his hand at the bottom of the 

 horse's jaws, elevate the nose just so much as to render 

 the top of the gullet and lower jaw straight ; but on no 

 account must the head be raised higher than this, since 

 swallowing then becomes more difficult ; then let the 

 person about to perform the operation, after having 

 filled a soda-water bottle with the drench, stand on a 

 reversed stable bucket conveniently placed, and putting 

 his left hand under the jaws proceed to open the mouth 

 with the neck of the bottle, and raising the bottom of it 

 pour about a tablespoonful on the tongue, immediately 

 withdrawing the bottle until the horse has swallowed ; 

 when the same operation will have to be repeated until 

 the whole drench has been given. 



Most horses become very tractable, and will rarely 

 ever object to the operation, if performed in this way. 



But when the drenching horn is used and the con- 

 tents (fully a pint) forcibly emptied into his mouth, an 

 unsuccessful effort to swallow is succeeded by a chok- 

 ing sensation ; the result being that the horse endeavours 



