16 THE DISEASES OP HOUSES, 



more liable to them than others of a belter shape. The animal with thick 

 and upright shoulders and legs standing far uniler him, and with a short, 

 pottering movement, is more likely to be the possessor of broken 

 knees than one with good obliquo shoulders, high withers, and strong fore- 

 arm. Accidents, however, will happen to the best of horses, particu- 

 larly if ridden or driven carelessly; and, again, the rider or driver who is 

 always jerking at bridle or reins, and who cuts with a whip for a stumble — 

 as unavoidable as if the wiseacre had stumbled himself— is quite as likely 

 to " throw the horse down " as the most careless. Such accidents are of 

 grave importance, as they often cause unsightly blemishes and permanent 

 injuries, greatly reducing the value of the horse, and sometimes render- 

 ing him almost or entirely useless. There is no end to the gradations 

 of injury thus inflicted, and when the fall results in a clean cut of 

 the skin only, nothing is to be feared ; and after sponging with luke-warm 

 water to remove any dirt that may possibly have lodged in the cut, the skin 

 can be drawn or rather pressed together till the two lips of the wound 

 exactly meet, and kept so by a few strips of sticking plaster. If this is 

 done neatly and well no blemish will be left discoverable by ordinary ex- 

 amination, and in such a case the animal would not be a pin the worse 

 practically. Bruises, which may injure the bones, and contused wounds, are 

 the greatest source of danger. As the horse falls on his knees, the force 

 with which he was going carries him along the ground, and if the road is 

 hard the skin is severed, and the lower lip of the wound in scraping along 

 collects sand and grit, and as he rises the elasticity of the skin brings it back 

 and forms a pouch which holds the dirt, and from which it is most difficult 

 to remove it; if the joint is injured by the capsular ligament being 

 penetrated, so as to permit of the escape of svnovia or joint-oil, the 

 injury is indeed serious. On the occurrence of the accident the horse 

 should, as soon as possible, be quietly led to the stable, and there, with 

 the utmost gentleness, the extent of the injury should be examined into. To 

 effect this object the first thing to do is to remove all foreign bodies, as 

 gravel, sand, and dirt, and this is best effected, not by direct application of 

 the sponge to the tender wound, but by the water out of it by pressure on 

 the leg above the hurt, and thereby washing or swilling away the diit 

 without giving needless pain. The water used should be lukewarm, as 

 cold water would tend to leave a larger and more apparent scar. A largo 

 poultice should next be applied and renewed when cold, on which, 

 when taken off, the joint oil will be seen as a glairy yellowish trans- 

 parent fluid, should the joint have been opened by the accident. In 

 such a case the skilled veterinary surgeon should be at once consulted, 

 who will take the proper means to close the orifico, and stop the flow 

 of synovia, which lubricates the joints, and prevents the bones from 

 grating against each other, which, if permitted, would cause inflamma- 

 tion of the delicate membrane which covers them. If the examination 

 shows that the injury is not of so severe a character, the poultices may be 

 continued for a day, and afterwards apply arnica lotion, of the strength 



