FIBING. *. 663 



skin will have undergone when he regains his feet. HoldiDg up 

 one fore leg, and applying a twitch will generally be sufficient for 

 control. 



I trust none of my readers will be guilty of the not uncommon 

 barbarism of firing a horse " all round;" of firing a sound leg to 

 make him " stand level/' when an unsound leg has to be operated 

 ujDon; or of firing a sound limb as a preservative measure. The 

 precautions (p. 641), as regards health and climate, which should 

 be observed before blistering, apply equally well to firing. The 

 back tendons and suspensory ligament, as I have already said, 



Fig. 167. — Wedge-shaped firing iron. 



should not be fired unless all unusual heat and other signs of in- 

 flammation are absent from them. 



There are two forms of firing, — (1) by lines; (2) by puncture. 

 For the first method, the ordinary wedge-shaped iron (Fig. 167) is 

 employed. It is pointed, and has a convex and moderately sharp 

 edge, which is about 3J inches in extent. Cast-steel irons are the 

 best, as they are not apt to " scale." When making several parallel 

 lines, it is convenient to lightly mark them with a double iron 

 (Fig. 168), which consists of two ordinary irons welded together, 

 so as to have their edges parallel and at a distance of about 

 half an inch from each other. By using this we can ensure that 



Fig. 168. — Double firing iron. 



all the lines shall be exactly the same distance apart. After the 

 double iron has done the scoring, the lines should be deepened 

 with the single one. If the double iron is applied too strongly, 

 the skin between the lines will be liable to slough. Generally, the 

 operator should have a couple of spare irons heating, while he is 

 firing with the one in use. If an iron is rusty, or has scales on it, 

 it should be filed clean before being employed, 



The hair should be closely clipped off the part to be fired. The 

 iron should be used at a bright red heat, obtained from a charcoal 

 fire for preference. To render the subsequent blemish as little as 

 possible, it is generally advisable, when firing the legs, to draw 

 horizontal lines, which should be about half an inch apart. If the 



