FLANNEL BANDAGES. 49 



little ; or he may be shod with thick-heeled shoes, if his heels are 

 naturally weak, so that, in ajiy case, the slope of his fore feet, to 

 the front, may not be less than 50° ; r.nd that of the hind not less 

 than 55°. 



If the leg " fills '' after work, the best means to keep it fine is 

 to hand-rub (p. 675) it well when the horse returns to the stable, 

 and to apply a cotton wadding bandage (p. 44), which should be 

 removed, and the leg again hand-rubbed before the animal is taken 

 out. For further remarks on this subject, see pages 50 and 51. 



FLANNEL BANDAGES.— Flannel bandages are useful for 

 giving pressure, affording support, and keeping up the temperature 

 of the part in cases of the spr&ins which we are Considering. For 

 stable use, a bandage should be about 8 ft. long and 4^ in. wide. 

 It should be of thick, close material, similar to that used for 

 cricketing trousers. Serge should not be employed, as its texture 

 is too harsh. Bandages, specially made, with a selvedge on each 

 side, can be obtained from any saddler. They are, however, often 

 too short, too thin, and too wide. A bandage to be ready for 

 immediate use should "be wound up with tapes inside. When 

 about to put it on, unroll 6 or 8 inches of it, and lay this loose 

 portion obliquely across the outside of the leg, close to the knee, 

 with the end reaching to about the centre of that joint, and the 

 roUed-up part turned to the outside, and directed downwards and 

 forwards. The bandaging should be continued down to, and around 

 the fetlock and upper part of the pastern, and brought close up 

 below the knee. The loose end is then turned down, and the folds 

 of the bandage carried over it. The tapes ai^e tied a little above 

 the centre of the cannon bone. By this method, no tv/ists- need be 

 taken in the bandage, which will lie close. 



If a bandage is used at fast work, as in the case of a hunter or 

 race-horse, some nicety of arrangement is requisite in order to 

 prevent the inner end of the bandage working free. This accident 

 is apt to occur, especially with an elastic bandage, when the animal 

 is galloping, if it is put on in the ordinary manner. When the 

 bandage thus becomes unrolled, and remains attached to the leg 

 only by the tape, it is liable to trip the horse, by the animal 

 putting a hind foot on it, and thus preventing the leg to which 

 the bandage is attached from being advanced. To lessen the chance 

 of this occurring, thfe bandage should be put on in the manner 

 described in the preceding paragraph, except that the end of the 

 bandage, in the first instance, should be brought two or three 

 inches above the knee (Fig. 23), so as to allow a comparatively 

 long free end to be turned down (Fig. 24), and firmly secured by 

 the bandage being rolled over it. No turns should be taken round 



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