GROOMING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT 



55 



of clothing does not last, but on exposure to cold 

 rapidly disappears and the coat stands "on end." 

 The amount of clothing required to counteract 

 the loss of coat when a horse is clipped would 

 generally be equivalent to a thick woollen 

 blanket. 



216. A tail-guard consists of a cloth case or a 

 leather case that fastens in various ways around 

 the tail and is attached at the top to the crupper 

 or blanket. The best and cheapest way to pro- 

 tect a tail from being rubbed on a train journey 

 or to keep it tidy is to use an ordinary three- 

 inch flannel bandage. (See P. 24c.) The band- 

 age will be started about six inches from the 

 root of the dock and wound upwards ; two or 

 three short hairs of the tail should be doubled 

 into the folds to prevent the bandage from slip- 

 ping down. It is then brought right down the 

 tail, and two or three more hairs near the end 

 of the dock are turned in under the folds. In 

 this way there is no danger of the bandage 

 coming off. The bandage must not be put on 

 too tightly. The tail may be protected by 

 plaiting. (See Sees. 243, 244.) 



217. Bandages. Bandages are used for 

 various purposes, but most commonly for apply- 

 ing pressure to the legs below the knee or hock. 

 This is done while exercising, jumping, racing, 

 etc. They may be used as a preventive or as a 

 partial cure for strained tendons. For the 

 former, massaging is far better. Excessive use 

 of bandages does a great deal of harm. Again, 

 they may be used surgically, which use will be 

 dealt with in Chapter IX. Sound legs which are 

 bandaged during exercise are benefited chiefly 

 by the mechanical support rendered, whilst un- 

 sound legs are benefited chiefly by the pressure 

 which causes increase of blood to the part, and 

 therefore increased repair of the damage and 

 resistance to further damage. In either case 

 benefit is very marked from the mechanical 

 pressure and from the physiological action due 

 to pressure. For this reason bandages must be 

 soft and strong. The softness is required next 

 to the skin and the strength outside. The best 

 method of obtaining this is to wind cotton wad- 

 ding around the leg thickly, and then to bandage 

 tightly outside. By this means the pressure can- 

 not arrest the circulation, as is so easily done 

 with ordinary bandages, and the pressure will 

 be evenly distributed over the legs. To ensure 

 this the best method is as follows (see P. 22e, f) : 



218. Cotton wadding, measuring about 20 

 inches in width, which can be procured very 

 cheaply, is cut lengthways into strips 10 inches 

 wide. A strip of this is wound round the leg 

 from knee to fetlock, starting from the front and 

 winding outwards and backwards. Then a 

 cotton bandage, 3 inches by 2 yards, is wound 

 loosely over the wadding. Finally, a regular 

 woollen bandage is wound tightly over the 

 whole. It is practically impossible to stop 



circulation by this method. The cotton bandage 

 may be dispensed with, but it is not so easy to 

 make a good job of it. If the horse is not being 

 exercised, the bandage should extend from just 

 below the knee or hock to just below the fet- 

 lock ; if he is going to be exercised, it must not 

 extend below the fetlock. For ordinary exercis- 

 ing, a flannel bandage, 9 feet in length and 4 

 inches wide, is quite suitable. The best kind of 

 bandage I know is the Sandown fleecy wool 

 bandage ; one half of this is made of soft 

 woollen material, which is wound around the 

 leg from the knee downward ; the other half is 

 made of flannel, and is wound up over the out- 

 side of the soft part. This takes the place of the 

 cotton-wadding bandages described above. 



Cotton bandages are of little use when used 

 alone, except for surgical purposes. Cotton-wool 

 may be used instead of wadding (batton), but it 

 is more expensive. Medicated cotton-wool is 

 very expensive and is not sufficiently elastic. If 

 the wool irritates the coat at all, which is un- 

 likely, a flannel bandage could be put on first. 



219. Bandages should not be left on at night, 

 and they do the most good when put on for 

 two or three hours after exercise ; if left on too 

 long they weaken the legs. When used on the 

 metacarpal and metatarsal regions, i.e. from 

 knee or hock to fetlock, they support the deep- 

 seated suspensory ligament, the flexor pedis 

 perforans, and the back tendon (flexor pedis per- 

 foratus), known as the tendon of Achilles. If 

 continued over the fetlock, they support the liga- 

 ments of that joint. If bandages are left on 

 over-night they must not be allowed to interfere 

 with the flexion of the knee, fetlock or hock, or 

 the horse cannot lie down comfortably. The 

 arteries of these portions of the limbs are well 

 protected, so that there is little danger of arrest- 

 ing blood circulation, and there are no muscles 

 below the knee or hock except very small acces- 

 sory ones, which are remains that go to prove 

 the horse's three-digited ancestry. The frequent 

 use of bandages is, as a rule, a great mistake. 



The best way to put on any bandage is, 

 firstly, to roll up the bandage with the tapes 

 inside, and to commence a few inches below the 

 top part of the bandage, leaving six inches free, 

 to start rolling round the leg from the front out- 

 wards and to the rear, winding it downwards ; 

 upon reaching the lower extremity it is rolled 

 upwards ; the free end which was left at the top 

 is turned in under the bandage that is rolled 

 upwards outside. The tape is then tied in a 

 bowknot, with the knot at the side of the leg. 

 On no account must the knot be in front of the 

 leg or at the back. The tape should be about 

 two feet in length, the centre of it being sewn 

 to the end of the bandage. 



220. Rolling. Rolling is a most beneficial 

 form of exercise for any horse, and still more 

 for one that is idle in the stable. Horses love 



