38o HORSES ON BOARD SHIP. 



Captain of the ship prior to starting. Liberally paying" 

 one's footing on the forecastle has generally a good result. 



The grooming of the horse may be limited to sponging out 

 his eyes, nostrils, dock, &c., and picking out his feet, except 

 when the weather is so fine that he can be taken out on deck; 

 for accidents with horses on board ship are very liable to 

 occur. Neglect to groom an animal that takes little or no 

 exercise is, as I have shown (p. 319), an evil ; but as a rule it 

 is a lesser one on board ship than risk of accident. 



When taking horses between England and India, I have 

 always managed with safety to lead them out of their boxes 

 from time to time, and give them a little exercise by walking 

 them on ordinary cocoanut matting which I had provided for 

 the purpose. A horse should on no account be allowed to 

 walk on the deck without matting if the deck is at all wet 

 or greasy. 



If practicable, the box should be opened morning and 

 evening to enable the attendant to clean it out. On all other 

 occasions it should be kept closed. 



If clothing be used, attention should be paid to keeping 

 it straight, so that it may not inconvenience the animal. 



If the voyage extends to over three weeks, and there is 

 a blacksmith on board, the shoes should be removed and the 

 heels lowered after the horse has been out for about that 

 time. An experienced man, who is neither a veterinary 

 surgeon nor a blacksmith, might be able to lower the heels 

 properly if the horse was barefoot, or had on tips. 



In Veterinary Notes for Horse-Owners, I have alluded 

 to the advisability, on landing a horse after a sea voyage 

 which has extended, say, over eighteen days, to keep him 

 in a loose box and on green food for a few days, so that he 

 may recover the use of his feet before he is gradually brought 

 on to work. A walk of even two or three miles imme- 

 diately after disembarkation is apt to set up laminitis; although 



