ADMINISTEKING MEDICINE. 209 



when the fingers leave the ball there, and the hand is with- 

 drawn quickly yet smoothly, while at the same moment 

 the tongue is released, and the head is held up till the ball 

 is seen to pass down the gullet on the left side of the neck, 

 after which the head may be released. When the balling- 

 iron is used, the oval ring of which it is composed is passed 

 into the mouth, so as to keep it open, being first well 

 guarded with, tow or cloths wrapped round it; the handle 

 is then held in the left hand, together with the halter, so 

 as to steady the head, and yet to keep the horse from 

 biting ; and while thus held the hand can freely be carried 

 over the tongue, and the ball be deposited in the pharynx. 

 When a horse is very determined, it is sometimes neces- 

 sary to keep the iron in the mouth by means of the check- 

 pieces of an ordinarj^ bridle buckled to the sides of the 

 oval ring ; but this expedient is seldom required if the 

 halter is firmly grasped with the handle of the iron. In 

 the usual Avay the horse to be hailed is turned round in his 

 stall, which prevents his backing away from the groom ; 

 and if the latter is not tall enough, he may stand upon a 

 sound stable-bucket, turned upside down. Balls should be 

 recently made, as they soon spoil by keeping ; not only 

 losing their strength, but also becoming so hard as to be 

 almost insoluble in the stomach, and frequently passing 

 through the bowels nearly as they went into the mouth. 

 When hard they are also liable to stick in the horse's 

 gullet. If ammonia, or any other strong stimulant, is given 

 in this way, the horse should not have his stomach quite 

 empty, but should have a little gruel or water just before ; 

 for if this is put off till afterwards, the nauseous taste of the 

 ball almost always prevents his drinking. When arsenic 

 forms an ingredient of "the ball, it should be given soon 

 after a feed of corn ; or a quart or two of gruel should be 

 given instead, just before the ball. 



