274 THROUGH STABLE AND SADDLE-ROOM. 



size of a large orange, and dripping with matter. 

 In such cases there is nothing for it but to have 

 them removed by excision. It is commonly and 

 ignorantly supposed that capped elbow is caused by 

 the toe of the hind-foot rubbing against the elbow 

 when a horse is lying down. This is altogether 

 wrong. It is really caused by the heel of the shoe 

 which is on the foot of the leg itself of which the 

 elbow is capped. It is true it is done when the 

 horse is lying down, but the shoe of the hind foot 

 has nothing whatever to do with it. Capped elbow 

 is rarely found in other than big, heavy horses, 

 whose feet are large and whose shoes are heavy, 

 especially amongst cart and big carriage horses. 



It is very easily prevented by the use of a 

 leather bolster stuffed well with horsehair, and pro- 

 vided with a buckle at one end and a strap at the 

 other, and made lono- enough to fit round the fet- 

 lock. It should be made circular, and should be 

 sufficiently large in diameter, so that when a horse 

 is lying down it is thick enough to keep the heel of 

 the shoe well away from the elbow. It answers 

 most perfectly. If prevention is better than cure, 

 in the present instance it is most certainly half 

 way to it, and when once you have stopped the evil, 

 it is possible to reduce the enlargement. 



I have before made mention of cracked heels, 



