126 AMERICAN STABLE GUIDE. 



interfere with urinating, and cause the animal to wet her 

 legs. 



Bandages are familiar to most stablemen, but, like the 

 blanket, are not so well understood, though applied for 

 different purposes and in different conditions and forms. 

 Thus we have the dry, wet woollen, linen, chamois leather, 

 straw, and hay-rope bandages, all of which at times are in 

 use, and, no doubt, are of considerable importance, w^hen 

 intelligently used and applied to the legs of the horse. 

 But when inconsiderately used they are productive of 

 harm, as, for instance, the substitution of the wet when the 

 dry is required, and vice versa. 



Dry bandages, when used for the purpose of absorbing 

 moisture from the legs, should be of soft woollen, which, 

 when applied to the legs that are wet from washing or 

 from the roads, will dry them quicker than by almost any 

 other means ; at the same time, the limbs are kept warm 

 and comfortable, leaving them clean, smooth, and glossy. 

 By their application immediately after the legs are washed, 

 or when the horse returns to the stable on a wet and cold 

 day, no bad consequences need be apprehended. 



For coarse or farm horses, or where economy is to be 

 considered, the hay or soft-straw rope, loosely wound round 

 the wet or cold legs, is of great benefit, preventing scalding 

 of the heels and consequent scratches. 



When it is intended to support the tired limb, or make 

 pressure to promote absorption of effused fluids from the 

 legs, and consequent swelling, the bandage may be advan- 

 tageously made of linen and applied dry. 



