THE HORSE ON A JOURNEY 165 



horn (if the wound is in the foot) should be pared away, and 

 the place poulticed. Lameness occurring soon after shoeing 

 should always excite a suspicion that the sensible sole has 

 been pricked, and in such a case it is obviously impolitic to 

 consult the smith by whom the horse was shod. In apply- 

 ing a poultice, it is a common practice to tie it tightly round 

 the foot or leg with strings. This is injurious ; a worsted 

 stocking is a ver}^ convenient bag, and may easily be kept on 

 by applying another stocking to the other foot, and passing 

 a roller over the withers to connect the two. Any tight 

 ligature round the leg is injudicious, if it can be avoided. 



Where any place is galled or swelled by the saddle or the 

 harness, fomentation is the best of all remedies ; should any 

 abscess be formed, it should be opened and kept open by a 

 seton, till the matter is entirely discharged. A kick or a 

 bruise should receive the same treatment, if the contusion is 

 considerable ; and especially in the case of broken knees. 

 In this case a horse is often more blemished by the treat- 

 ment than by the accident itself. If the joint is much 

 injured, a cure is generally hopeless ; it would be more 

 humane, as well as more prudent, to destroy the animal at 

 once. But if the wound does not affect the joint (and on 

 this point the farrier alone can give certain information), it 

 should be carefully and tenderly washed out with a sponge 

 and warm water, and then poulticed for two or three days ; 

 after this the inflammation will probably have subsided, and 

 ointment should be applied ; not gunpowder and grease — 

 every country blockhead recommends this, to promote the 

 growth of the hair. It has no such efrecfc ; on the contrary, 

 it often irritates and retards the cure of the wound. Lard 

 alone, or with a little mixture of alum, will be much better ; 

 care, however, should be taken to apply the ointment in the 

 direction of the hair, otherwise, when the cure is effected, 

 the hair will grow in an uneven or reverted form, and will 

 make the blemish more apparent. 



In all cases of strains, local bleeding and rest are indis- 

 pensable. Where the back sinews are affected, rest can only 

 be secured by a high-heeled shoe : after all inflammation has 

 disappeared, absolute rest, even for a considerable time, is 

 requisite to a cure. If the part is enlarged, stimulating 

 lotions, such as hartshorn and oil in equal proportions, and 

 even blistering, may be beneficially applied. Tliis, of course, 

 is incompatible with continuing work. Indeed, some strains, 



