THE HORSE IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE 369 



obstruction, in which case the head itself must be removed. 

 When the head has been dissected off and brought away, it 

 will be necessary probably to contract tlie volume of the 

 chest, which will not be difficult, by cutting the cartilaginous 

 portions of the ribs, detaching the thoracic viscera, and 

 then crushing or kneading the empty chest together ; after 

 which, the rest of the body will offer little obstruction. 

 When the head cannot be got at, the limbs must be 

 detached ; after which the body, and at last the head, may 

 be drawn out entire, or reduced for that purpose. 



CASTRATION. 



In England the practice of castration may be said to be 

 almost universal, the exceptions being a small number of 

 horses kept for racing purposes and covering, and a few 

 entire horses used in draught and for " black jobs," where 

 the stallion crest is considered to add to the majestic appear- 

 ance of the animal. Length in the arras and wider-spread 

 angles of the limbs are asserted to be obtained by early 

 castration ; certainly the docility and steadiness of the 

 animal are vastly improved. Hernia, founder, and some 

 skin disorders are less frequent with geldings than entire 

 horses. 



The best period for castration depends much upon the 

 breed of the horse and the class of work for which he is 

 intended. If there is no object in obtaining a heavy and 

 arched neck and a prominent crest, then the earlier the 

 animal is castrated, the safer and simpler is the operation. 

 From the fifteenth day to the fourth month is the most 

 eligible period, and " foals castrated early grow larger than 

 those cut later," says Mr. Brettargh, a veterinarian of exten- 

 sive experience. He adds : " Colts are foaled with their 

 testicles v/ithin the scrotum, which remain there, in ordinary 

 cases, until the fifth or sixth month, when they are taken 

 up between the internal and external abdominal rings, and 

 there they remain until the eleventh, twelfth, or thirteenth 

 month, all depending upon the degree of keep, as in some 

 that are particularly well fed the testicles can at all times 

 be found within the scrotum," 



Colts, therefore, can be castrated any time between the 

 first and fourth month ; and this period is preferred by 

 some persons from the little disturbance it occasions to the 



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