496 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
HARNESS GALLS (SITFASTS). 
Wounds or abrasions of the skin are frequently caused by ill-fitting 
harness or saddles. When a horse has been resting from steady work 
for some time, particularly after being idle in a stable on a scanty 
allowance of grain, as in winter, he is soft and tender and sweats 
easily when put to work again. In this condition he is liable to 
sweat and chafe under the harness, especially if it is hard and poorly 
fitted. This chafing is likely to cause abrasions of the skin, and 
thus pave the way for an abscess or for a chronic blemish, unless 
attended to very promptly. Besides causing the animal considerable 
pain, chafing, if long continued, leads to the formation of a callosity. 
This may be superficial, involving only the skin, or it may be deep- 
seated, involving the subcutaneous fibrous tissue and sometimes the 
muscle and even the bone. This causes a dry slough to form, which 
is both inconvenient and unsightly. Sloughs of this kind are com- 
monly called “sitfasts” and, while they occur in other places, are 
most frequently found under the saddle. (See also p. 475.) 
Treatment.—Abrasions are best prevented by bringing the animal 
gradually into working shape after it has had a prolonged rest, in 
order that the muscles may be hard and the skin tough. The harness 
should be well fitted, neither too large nor too small, and it-should be 
cleaned and oiled to rémove all dirt and to make it soft and pliable. 
Saddles should be properly fitted so as to prevent direct pressure on 
the spine, and the saddle blankets should be clean and dry. Parts 
of the horse where chafing is likely to occur, as on the back under the 
saddle, should be cleaned and brushed free of dirt. 
The remedies for simple harness galls are numerous. Among them 
may be mentioned alcohol, 1 pint, in which are well shaken the whites 
of two eggs; a solution of nitrate of silver, 10 grains to the ounce of 
water; sugar of lead or sulphate of zinc, 20 grains to an ounce of 
water; carbolic acid, 1 part in 15 parts of glycerin, and so on almost 
without end. Any simple astringent wash or powder will effect a 
cure, provided the sores are not irritated by friction. 
If a sitfast has developed, the dead hornlike slough must be care- 
fully dissected out and the wound treated carefully with antiseptics. 
During treatment it is always best to allow the animal to rest, but if 
this is inconvenient care should be taken to prevent injury to the 
abraded or wounded surface by padding the harness so that, chafing 
can not occur. 
BURNS AND SCALDS. 
These wounds of domestic animals are fortunately of rare occur- 
rence; however, when they do cccur, if at all extensive, they prove to 
be quite troublesome and in many cases are fatal. According to the 
severity of the burn we distinguish three degrees: First degree, 
