270 Western Live-stock Management 



conditions are noticed, the horse should be stopped at 

 once and blanketed, and put under the treatment of a 

 competent veterinarian. While the veterinarian is 

 coming, it is beneficial to put blankets wrung out of hot 

 water over the loin. If the veterinarian cannot be secured 

 quickly, the horse should be given a dose of bromide of 

 potassium (four drams) and sweet niter (one ounce) ; 

 drench slowly and carefully, giving the horse time to 

 swallow. The horse should not be moved, but left 

 where one sees the first symptom. If none of these 

 remedies is available, the horse should be allowed to stand 

 until he has recovered, which usually will be in a short 

 time if stopped at the start. If the horse is not stopped 

 at once, he will usually "go down" and there is a high 

 mortality when the disease advances to this point. 



The speed and the amount of the load at which a 

 horse works influence to a large degree the efficiency of 

 the horse power produced. A draft horse working under 

 a heavy load can do the work more efficiently when 

 walking at the rate of two to two-and-one-half miles an 

 hour than at any other gait. Therefore, it is false economy 

 to speed the horse up and put on a light load, expecting 

 a larger amount of work. When the speed is increased 

 above that mentioned, the efficiency of the horse power 

 produced is decreased accordingly. When the horse 

 trots at the rate of ten miles an hour, the amount of work 

 which it is possible for him to perform is decidedly de- 

 creased, being about 10 per cent of the maximum amount 

 which can be done at a slower gait. Under usual cir- 

 cumstances, a horse should be required to exert a pull of 

 about one-tenth of his weight. When a horse is over- 

 loaded or underloaded, the efficiency is greatly reduced. 

 Under practical conditions this is of value, for it influences 



