438 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



cyst would be only momentarily emptied ; for its capacity 

 would commonly remain the same, and it would almost 

 immediately fill up again. Such an operation is, therefore, 

 not only useless, but usually produces such inflammation as 

 either destroys the horse, or ends in stifihess and anchylosis 

 of the joint." 



RUPTURE OF THE BACK SINEW. 



This, which in racing parlance is called " breaking down," 

 is a tearing asunder of the suspensory ligament, causing the 

 fetlock to come to the ground. A patten shoe, rest, and 

 a good constitution have got over this frightful lesion in 

 valuable animals. The treatment will be found under 

 Fore Leg and Pasterns. 



IV.-The Hind Feet. 



CHAPPED OR CRACKED HEELS — TREAD — INJURIES IN 

 SHOEING. 



Chapped or Cracked Heels are, like grease, penalties 

 suffered by the poor horse for man's mismanagement or 

 neglect. They are most prevalent in winter, and with 

 horses that are entirely denuded of Nature's hairy cover- 

 ing (the " fet-lock ") by fantastical, or oftener lazy, grooms, 

 who fancy that because thoroughbreds have clean (not 

 naked) legs, they must trim up their roadsters or harness 

 horses equally fine. The skin does not get dirty under 

 this small mat of hair ; and if masters would see that the 

 servant rubs the horse's fetlocks dry, instead of drenching 

 the poor brute's heels with water, and leaving them to 

 chap in the wet and cold, prescriptions for chapped heels 

 would be out of date. The milder remedies for Grease are 

 resorted to in this disorder. Forbear exercise ; give bran 

 mashes ; and, should ulceration come on, the advice given 

 under the head just referred to will need to be carried out. 



If in lower bred horses — or, in better animals, from 

 laziness or unpardonable neglect — an ulcerative process 

 should have been set up, creosote or permanganate of 

 potash must supersede the chloride of zinc for a time ; 

 this must be mixed in proportions of half an ounce 

 of creosote, or permanganate of potash, with two ounces 



