82 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[CHAP. 



the better the condition the horse is in (the 

 harder his muscles and the better his general 

 health) the better will he be able to resist being 

 galled. For this reason we see so many appall- 

 ing sores on old, ill-fed horses. Horses in poor 

 condition or in soft condition are liable to be 

 galled very easily. The fantails of the colonial 

 saddle are, unless well fitted, very liable to rub 

 the loins when ridden by a poor horseman. (See 

 P. 740.) 



322. Remedy. In looking for a remedy when 

 a horse has been galled the cause must be sought 

 for and immediately removed. For instance, if 

 the withers are being pinched, the stuffing or 

 blanket over that part must be reduced in thick- 

 ness, or perhaps the saddle raised higher by an 

 extra blanket, etc. If the spine is being rubbed 

 or pressed upon, the numnah must be strapped 

 or forced higher into the arch, or a thicker pad- 

 ding put under the side-bars. Injuries from 

 burrs or fans can be eased by folding the blanket 

 shorter or thicker, or by increasing the stuffing 

 and raising these parts farther off the back. 



Injuries from the inner edge of the side-bar 

 can be eased by using a wider tree ; injuries due 

 to the outer edge of the side-bar pressing into 

 the back can be relieved by padding the inner 

 edge with strips of felt or by increasing the 

 thickness of the blanket, etc. ; injuries due to 

 uneven pressure can be cured by readjusting the 

 side-bars or the stuffing in the pannels, or by 

 increasing the thickness of the blanket. 



Girth galls are generally due to the girth 

 working forward, and are commonest under the 

 breast-bone. The advantage of raw hide or 

 string girths, and leather girths with splits in 

 them, is that they do not tend to shift forward. 

 The girth must be properly adjusted and tight 

 enough to prevent slipping. Some horses blow 

 themselves out, so this must be guarded against 

 by waiting until the horse is tired of holding his 

 breath and expires a long breath, when the 

 girth should be tightened sufficiently. On no 

 account must the girth be done up too tightly. 

 A horse with round, wide ribs and with elbows 

 close to the sides is a difficult horse on which 

 to prevent the girth from working forward. On 

 such a horse the girths must be attached farther 

 back on the saddle, or the use of a surcingle over 

 the rear of the saddle, as explained in Sec. 318, 

 may be resorted to. 



323. Cure of Galls. When an injury is 

 discovered on the horse, the exact spot on 

 the saddlery that causes the same must be 

 ascertained. This is best done by placing 

 a little white powder on the sore, then 

 placing the saddle on the horse in its correct 

 position, and allowing the rider to sit in the 

 saddle. On removing the saddle the spot will 

 be clearly shown by the white mark left on the 

 saddlery. Having discovered the cause, it must 

 be removed. If none of the above remedies 



will effect a cure, it may be necessary to cut a 

 hole in the numnah round the gall, or remove 

 the stuffing over and around the gall, sewing a 

 ring around to keep the pannel at this spot 

 empty. After the gall has healed, the stuffing 

 may be put back or the numnah piece sewn into 

 the hole. It is better to keep old numnahs for 

 this purpose, as any stitches in a numnah will 

 tend to cause a gall if the horse is in bad con- 

 dition. The best cure for sore backs is rest. 



If the sore is not broken, it should be 

 fomented every four hours with cold water, and 

 an astringent applied, such as a strong solution 

 of common salt, or Professor Dick's white lotion, 

 which consists of 1 oz. each of lead acetate and 

 zinc sulphate, in a quart of water. If it is 

 broken, it must be kept thoroughly aseptic with 

 creolin, etc., and bathed every four to six hours 

 with white lotion. 



The following gall ointment is most excellent 

 for all kinds of harness and saddle galls, and 

 may be applied morning and night after the 

 wound has been made aseptic: 



Lead subacetate 1 oz. 



Zinc sulphate 1 oz. 



Bismuth subnitrate ... J oz. 



Carbon (powdered) \ oz. 



Lard or lanoline, sufficient to make a 

 paste. 



Good gall ointments of various kinds are pro- 

 curable on the market. 



324. Seats. A great deal of nonsense is 

 written and spoken about different seats, some 

 saying that the military varies from the hunt- 

 ing seat, etc. There is only one seat, and 

 that is when the rider is sitting over the centre 

 of gravity in a perfectly balanced position, so 

 that, in whatever position the horse may get, 

 the rider is still in perfect harmony with the 

 horse without using the reins or legs below the 

 knee to maintain his balance. P. 58 shows 

 the seat which is acknowledged by the best 

 modern authorities to be the only correct one. 

 Of course, a certain latitude must be allowed, 

 as the physical formation of two men is not the 

 same. Unfortunately, very few riders can or 

 ever will have a really good seat. A good seat 

 and good balance are rare gifts, and there is one 

 other rare qualification that a good horseman 

 must possess, and that is good hands. The 

 latter cannot exist without the former, and if 

 one possess a good seat and good balance one 

 is pretty certain to possess fair hands as well. 



325. For hunting, military riding, or any 

 other kind of riding except flat racing and 

 broncho-busting, the correct hunting seat is 

 essential if the rider wishes to become an expert 

 at his art. But it is necessary that the rider 

 does not ride with his stirrups too short or too 

 long, for in the former case he will be greatly 

 handicapped in using his weapons in war, and 



