For chafes and cracked heels I have found the follow- 

 ing treatment the best : take a little castile soap and 

 warm soft water and a soft sponge and cleanse thorough- 

 ly ; then thoroughly dry the same, and if very bad put 

 on a little vaseline ; then apply a powder made of the 

 following ingredients, viz : calomel, one ounce ; borax, 

 one ounce ; pulverized alum, one ounce ; pulverized 

 camphor gum, one ounce ; pulverized orris root, one 

 ounce ; fuller's earth, one ounce ; gum of myrrh, one 

 ounce. If vaseline or other salves are properly used 

 they are beneficial ; but the trouble is, most grooms 

 will use several times more than is necessary, and this 

 excessive use keeps the part to which it is applied so 

 soft that it does more harm than good, and, therefore, 

 I think it advisable to use the powder alone, except in 

 extreme cases, which rarely occur. When it is found 

 necessary to use vaseline or other salves, as I have 

 indicated, it should be applied very sparingly. When 

 the heels are rough and more chapped than cracked, 

 glycerine is a good remedy. To properly apply this : 

 wash the af^icted part with castile soap and warm 

 water ; dry thoroughly, and apply a small amount of 

 glycerine, and this will often be all the treatment the 

 horse will need ; for thrush keep the foot dry and 

 clean, and use creoline or calomel. 



It frequently happens that a campaign will develop 

 curbs and other forms of weakness in a horse's legs, 

 hips and shoulders that will require treatment. I have 

 used a great many different kinds of liniment to cure 

 these ailments, but have had the best success with 

 iodine. To properly use this remedy the following 

 method should be observed : Clip the hair off the 

 afflicted part ; bathe with warm water, to open the 

 pores; then dry thoroughly with cloths ; put on iodine 



127 



