The Treatment of Horses 



channelled bricks laid down in a bedding of cement 

 six inches deep. Another trouble in many stables 

 is cracked heels, which arises in the first instance 

 from moisture lodging in the heels not being care- 

 fully dried out. If a horse shows signs of having 

 hard, cracked heels — the scars and thickening of the 

 skin are very perceptible — it is a good plan to put 

 a little glycerine into the heels before he goes to 

 work. This is a simple and effective preventive. 

 Again, when a horse comes in with its legs 

 wet and muddy after a long journey, they 

 should neither be washed nor dried by hand. 

 Clean flannel bandages may be neatly put on 

 and left on for two or three hours. When 

 removed the legs will be found dry and warm, 

 and the dirt can be easily brushed out. Another 

 complaint is mud fever, and this is seldom or 

 never seen in horses whose legs are dry. In 

 the many years I have kept horses I have only 

 had one case. In the above cases the horses 

 food should be looked to, the corn reduced, 

 and bran and linseed mashes given. There is 

 nearly always a little fever in all these cases, 

 and the horse should therefore be cooled down. 

 If after a hard day's work we find the horse's 

 legs are hot, and especially if one leg is more hot 

 and puffy than the others, we may suspect injury. 

 Possibly a strain of a ligament or joint. At all 

 events it is a warning to us to be careful. The 

 first precaution is to rest the horse entirely, to cut 



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