The Stable Handbook 



off his corn, to give bran mashes and linseed. 

 Then the hot bandages may be applied and the 

 inflammation reduced. After this cold water may 

 be applied by means of a hose, or by the simple 

 method of standing the horse near the tap and 

 letting a stream of water run over the affected part. 

 A horse should not be worked as long as there is 

 heat or swelling, however slight, for these are 

 signs of mischief still remaining. Even after the 

 leg is perfectly cool and firm to the touch, and all, 

 even the least sign of lameness, has departed, the 

 horse should be brought into work very slowly. 

 It is obviously most unwise to take a horse that 

 has been suffering from even a slight sprain out 

 for a day's hunting. The best plan is to put him 

 gently into work, increasing his food gradually, 

 and keeping him in steady work for a week or ten 

 days, when if the legs remain cool and hard we 

 may assume that the danger has passed. Many 

 serious cases of lameness have had neglected 

 symptoms for some time before. I once had a 

 very excellent Irish mare, she hit herself in jump- 

 ing a fence, and there was a good deal of swelling 

 and lameness. She was getting on well when I 

 took her out hunting, and paid the penalty of im- 

 patience by not being able to ride her again that 

 season. Brilliant willing horses are particularly 

 liable to these troubles, because they do not show 

 us that they are tired until long after their more 

 sluggish stable companions would have cried 



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