STABLE MAKAGEMENT. 63 



the hind ones treated in the same manner. In hot weather it is need- 

 ful only to scrape and lightly blanket a wet horse, wash the legs off 

 with a sponge or water brush, and rub them dry. It is exceed- 

 ingly injurious to dash cold water on a horse's legs from a bucket, or 

 squirt it on from a hose. Violent disorders are sometimes induced 

 by such practices. If the horse comes in heated and exhausted from 

 a long or fast drive, special care is required. Shut the doors and 

 keep the horse out of the draft, give it a few swallows of water, 

 scrape off the sweat, throw on a light blanket and rub diy with 

 wisps and a cloth, "rub rag," as horsemen call them, givo a little 

 more water, and a little hay, let the horse rest for an hour in a 

 siogle stall, give the legs a good hand rubbing, groom thoroughly, 

 then lead the horse to its box stall, put on the night clothing, feed 

 and bed down, and leave it for the night. If there is no tub for this 

 purpose, the legs may be washed with a large sponge. In any case, 

 whenever the legs are washed, warm water must always be used, 

 and the legs rubbed dry as rapidly as possible. 



If the washing and drying are not thoroughly carried out, it is 

 far better to omit it. A superficial washing which will only clean 

 the ends of the hair, and leave the mud adhering to the skin, can be 

 of little benefit. StiU less will it be if the legs are not rubbed wholly 

 dry. The extremities have invariably a weak circulation, they are 

 farthest away from the center of blood supply, and there is in conse- 

 quence always a tendency to be cold, unless during movement; there- 

 fore it is obvious that leaving the hair wet must still further aggra- 

 vate the matter by chUling the skin, lowering its vitality, and dispos- 

 ing it to disease. Yet the horse must not be allowed to stand all night 

 plastered with mud. If it comes in late, or for any other reason 

 warm water and thorough rubbing dry are unattainable, remove the 

 thickest of the mud with a scraper followed by an old broom, rub the 

 legs thoroughly with hay wisps, wrap them in flannel bandages, and 

 prepare the horse for the night as indicated above. The importance 

 of bandages for horses that are required to perform fast or hard work 

 can hardly be overestimated. Windgalls are very unsightly, and de- 

 preciate the value of the animal. Horses at fast work for any length 

 of time invariably have them. Swathing the legs in bandages will 

 not only tend to prevent this, but go a long way to clear up old stand- 

 ing cases. Pressure promotes absorption of the fluid, and by these 

 means cures, while it prevents effusion by supporting the circula- 

 tion. Racehorses always stand in bandages, and there are no better 

 legs than theirs. 



In the stable, as everywhere else, the horse should be treated 

 with unvarying kindness. Harsh, ill-tempered language and treat- 



