48 Stable 3Ianagement and the Prevention of Disease 



for their own use at night. Colic is therefore more frequent 

 in the cold than the hot weather. 



It will be seen that all the above causes are as a rule 

 preventible, except in stations where, under the present 

 arrangements, wholesome grass cannot be obtained in the dry 

 season. If the mounted corps in every garrison had their 

 own tracts of good grass-land set apart by Government, colic 

 ought rarely or never to occur. As a proof of this I may 

 mention that at the Government Stallion Depot in the 

 Punjab, where there were always from seventy to one hundred 

 and fifty horses and twenty to fifty donkeys, I had the advan- 

 tage latterly of a very careful Scotch overseer (who was the 

 only European assistant at the stables), and there was not a 

 single case of colic during more than twelve months before I 

 left India, although the animals were in a station where frost 

 and snow were frequent in the winter season. The stable 

 management differed in some respects from that practised 

 with troop-horses. Exercise was given twice daily for fully 

 an hour and a half in the morning and an hour in the even- 

 ing. Shelter was afforded from cold winds by the thick 

 screens called jhamps. Great care was taken to supply good 

 gram, barley, bran, and grass. In that part of the year when 

 all the grass on the ground was completely dried, the animals 

 were fed upon hay made in the English fashion during the 

 preceding summer. They also received a daily ration of salt 

 throughout the year. To the last practice may, partly at 

 least, be ascribed the fact that there were no cases ever known 

 of horses acquiring the habit of eating earth. 



Treatment of Colic. 



Opinions vary greatly as to the best method of treating 

 colic. My own belief is that sedatives or anti-spasmodics 

 should never be trusted to alone, excepting where the attack 

 is simply due to spasm caused by cold. 



In the great majority of serious cases, the spasms are 

 brought on by some agent which is irritating to the stomach 

 or intestines, and which ought therefore to be removed as 

 quickly as possible. While, therefore, a sedative may be 



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