108 



MODERN HORSE MANAGEMENT 



[CHAP. 



and suitable diet are necessary. Keep the horse 

 in for several weeks, and turn him out to pasture 

 afterwards for a like period. If very slight, it 

 may be cured entirely, if taken at once, by the 

 use of the mercury and iodine liniment, described 

 in Sec. 412, without laying the horse up, and 

 even while giving him steady, slow work. 



423. Sprung Hock. Is one in which the 

 binding ligaments have been severely sprained ; 

 the back tendons may be affected, too. There 

 will be much swelling, heat, pain and lameness. 



Treatment. As the horse will not lie down, 

 he must be put into slings, and the massage 

 and pressure bandage treatment resorted to. 

 (Sees. 244, 252-4.) When the worst is over, the 

 horse must be rested, if possible at pasture, for 

 from six to nine weeks. 



424. Sprain of the Shoulder. This usually 

 consists in sprains of the muscles which keep 

 the legs straight (flexor brachii, etc.), or those 

 which keep the leg close to the body (pectorals), 

 and, in rare cases, the capsular ligament, which 

 surrounds the shoulder joint itself. 



Cause. Falls or blows, over-exertion in 

 ploughing or in hunting field, landing over a 

 jump, twists and sudden turns. 



Symptoms. The horse will step short in front 

 and drag his leg on being backed. Compare 

 both shoulders. If the pectoral muscles are 

 affected, the shoulder will bulge out and the 

 foot swing out at each step. If the flexor brachii 

 (biceps) is affected, the foot will be dragged in 

 going forward. Sprains of the capsular liga- 

 ment may result in a stiff joint ; the horse shows 

 pain when the shoulder is moved passively, and 

 tries to remove weight from that limb. If these 

 sprained muscles are not attended to immedi- 

 ately, wasting may take place. Shoulder lame- 

 ness is not common. 



Treatment. Rest, and massage morning and 

 night (Sees. 209, 217-9), passive exercise. These 

 are far better than hypodermic injections and 

 blisters. Afterwards turn the horse out to pas- 

 ture for several months, and, upon working 

 again, avoid the former cause. 



425. Sprained Back. The ligaments connect- 

 ing the vertebrae together may be sprained, or 

 the large muscle on top of the back on each side 

 of the spine (longissimus dorsi), or those under 

 the spine that flex the pelvis (psoas muscles) 

 may be sprained. 



Cause. Efforts to extend or bend the back, 

 struggling when down or when being thrown, 

 slipping, falling, etc. 



Symptoms. Partial paralysis of hindquarters 

 (if horse has broken his back, but not damaged 

 the spinal cord, he will still be able to move 

 his hindquarters a little and move his tail) ; heat 

 and pain on pressure, if injury is near the 

 surface. 



Treatment. Put horse in slings, unless he is 

 very bad, when he is better kept lying down. 



Warm water enemas and laxative food several 

 times a day. The sprain must be treated by 

 energetic massaging over the part affected. If 

 no symptoms of heat or pain from pressure, the 

 deep-seated psoas muscles are probably affected. 

 Absolute rest and laxative food are essential. 



426. Bone Diseases. Bone inflammation may 

 result from mechanical injury, such as a blow, 

 concussion, fracture, or from infection or chill, 

 in rheumatic diseases. The treatment for bone 

 disease is counter-irritation by means of severe 

 blisters or firing ; the former is best, as being 

 the more certain. This irritation causes in- 

 creased blood supply to the part, and either 

 assists nature in removing the trouble, or else 

 produces more bone and seals the joint together, 

 thus preventing any movement and consequent 

 pain. (See P. 96c.) Some cures can be effected 

 by a surgical operation under an anaesthetic. 



427. Splint. Splint is a bony growth on the 

 side of the cannon bone, between it and the front 

 of one of the splint bones. Splints are more 

 common on the inside of the leg, because more 

 weight is borne on this part. (See P. 96rf.) A 

 sprain is more common in young horses, 

 especially if worked on hard roads at a fast pace. 

 It is a result of excessive concussion, causing 

 friction, and therefore irritation between the two 

 bones. This is easily caused in early age, when 

 the interosseous ligaments are not strong enough 

 to hold the two bones firmly together. The con- 

 cussion also sprains these ligaments and sets up 

 inflammation of the periosteum, and eventually 

 of the bone. A splint may not cause lameness if 

 it is well below the knee or hock, in which case 

 it had better be left alone. 



Symptoms. Generally lameness, sometimes 

 before the splint can be felt, i.e. while it is 

 growing. Probable presence of a small lump. 

 If near the knee or hock great lameness. This 

 will become worse upon exercise. Will not bend 

 knee normally. There may be more than one on 

 the same leg, and perhaps not on the same side. 

 Lameness at trot will be much greater. A new 

 splint causes greater lameness. 



428. Treatment. If no lameness, leave it 

 alone. If time is unlimited, pressure pads of 

 compressed wadding, bound on with ordinary 

 wadding and bandages over the splint, and 

 massaging the part morning and night will 

 often do much good. If this is no good, or in 

 cases of limited time or very bad splints, a good 

 blister repeated two or three times after intervals 

 of two or three weeks is best. Cutting down 

 under local anaesthetics on the splint and sever- 

 ing the periosteum around the splint generally 

 removes the lameness, but must only be at- 

 tempted by a surgeon ; this is known as perios- 

 teotomy. Surgical removal of the splint has been 

 done with success. 



Splints must not be confounded with the 

 lower head of the splint bone, which generally 



