SORE BACKS, THEIR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 29 
CHAPTER V. 
SICKNESS AND CASUALTIES, 
Sore backs; their prevention and treatment—The feet; attention necessary— 
Thrush and its cure—The legs; signs of disease ; treatment—Bandages not 
recommended—Cracked heels and cure—Treatment of warbles—Quittors, 
sand-crack, and cutaneous diseases are signs of neglect; their treatment— 
Coughing and strangles—Treatment of the latter—Cleanliness and air neces- 
sary—Colds and their prevention—Sore shins; curious instances—Mr. Cop- 
perthwaite on sore shins, and my objections—Swollen joints and ruptures, and 
their results—Ringbone, splint, and spavin—Treatment of ringworm—Crib- 
biting, &c., are tricks—Lameness ; how frequently caused ; attention to the 
head-collar and stirrup-irons—Roaring ; instances of cure. 
I HAVE no intention to attempt to write at length upon the 
diseases of the horse. The subject has often been ably 
handled by veterinary surgeons and other persons duly 
qualified for the task. There are, however, certain ailments, 
the result often of improper or careless supervision, which 
come prominently before the principal of a large racing 
stable; and a word on the causes, often preventible, the 
symptoms, and some simple remedies, may not be thought 
out of place. 
Sore backs, for one thing, are frequently the source of 
infinite trouble. These are oftener caused by pressure of an 
over-tight roller than by the saddle. With the latter, if the 
saddle-cloth be properly adjusted, they will not occur. But 
