204 CONFESSIONS OP A HORSE DEALEE. 



pose of saving the operator's hand from injury by the 

 horse's teeth. 



Drenching is a rather more inconvenient method of 

 physicing horses, but is far more beneficial in some 

 cases, gripes for instance, which is a very common dis- 

 order among horses ; and where the symptoms are 

 alarming, a proper drench will relieve the animal at 

 once, when a ball would be useless, from the length of 

 time it requires to operate. 



The best and most frequently used instrument for 

 giving a drench is the horn of an ox, the opening being 

 cut obliquely in the form of a spout. 



Bottles are sometimes used to give drenches, but they 

 are attended with danger, and should be handled with 

 caution, as if, in the struggle that takes place with some 

 horses, the tongue should slip through the hand, the 

 horse's jaws are closed upon the neck of the bottle, and 

 is is probably broken, when, not only a serious injury 

 to the mouth is caused, but it will be an extremely 

 difficult operation to drench or ball the horse ever 

 after. 



In administering a drench, the horse's tongue should 

 be held in the left hand, and when the head is a little 

 elevated the medicine is to be carefully poured down 

 the throat, immediately letting go the tongue, keeping 

 the head up until the drench is swallowed. There are 

 few persons that can give a drench properly, and a great 

 part of the medicine is consequently wasted. The 

 horse's head is generally kept too high, which, with the 



