646 OPEEATIONS. 



if he succeeds in doing, might not only be inconvenient to the 

 operator, but might also be the cause of the animal seriously 

 hurting himself. The horse should not be fixed tightly, and no 

 " back ropo " should be used to bind him ; lest he may injure him- 

 self during his struggles. He should be kept fasting for five or 

 six hours previous to being thrown. 



An admirable and well-known plan for keeping a horse's head 

 down after he has been cast, is to place over his neck, a sack half 

 filled with sand, and tied round its middle with cord. The sack, 

 by its weight, will prevent the animal from raising his head off 

 the ground ; and, by its employment, the presence of at least one 

 assistant, can be dispensed with. It is compressed at its middle, 

 so that it may conform to the shape of the neck. 



4. The easiest way of throwing a horse for operations about the 

 fore part of his body, or for giving him chloroform, is one which 

 I hav© fully described in " Illustrated Horse Breaking," and which 

 can be done by one man. It consists in tying up a horse's fore 

 leg and pulling his head round to the other side. Fig. 164 shows 

 a horse ready to be thrown in this way, with the necessary gear 

 on him. My readers will observe that the fore leg which is tied 

 up, is suspended from the surcingle. When the horse is made to 

 lie down in this manner, the fore leg which has been free, can be 

 strapped up by its pastern to the surcingle, so that both fore legs 

 are secured (Fig. 165). By this method, a horse can be soon 

 taught to lie down, by merely pulling his head round to his side. 



One great advantage of this method is the power it gives us over 

 the animal's head, in, for instance, operating on or examining his 

 mouth, and in drenching him ; for we can easily pull the head up 

 and secure it with the rope (Fig. 166). 



Castration. 



EFFEiOTS OF CASTRATION AND GENERAL REMARKS.— 

 The effects of castration on young entires are both mental and 

 physical. This operation tends to make them quiet and to render 

 their future conformation more or less similar to that of mares, 

 which, in the course of time, do not become heavy in the neck and 

 shoulders, like stallions. This muscular and fatty increase of 

 weight of the forehand is undoubtedly the cause of entires not 

 being able, as a rule, to retain their galloping and jumping powers, 

 as long as geldings. The structural change in question is more 

 pronounced in entires which are used for stud purposes, than in 

 those which are kept at work. Cagny and Gobert state that this 

 increased development of the forehand is accompanied by a corre- 

 sponding " falling away " of the hind quarters, which is certainly 



