404 BROKEN KNEES. 
to stable a horse; but the constant motion of the legs, as the field is 
traversed, is injurious to the punctured vein of the limbs, while the pen- 
dulous state of the head and the perpetual movement of the jaws are 
most prejudicial when venesection has been performed upon the neck. The 
stable is, in every point of view, the cheapest and the best residence 
The head of the animal must be tied to the rack throughout the day; 
while, at night, the halter may be lengthened, permitting the creature 
to lie down; but the floor should be littered with tan, as straw might 
be eaten. 
Let the horse remain thus for six weeks subsequent to the completion 
of a cure. Then give gentle exercise to the extent which it can be 
borne—the quantity being small, and the pace very slow at first, but 
gradually augmented. This exercise should be maintained for three 
months. The animal may afterward return to slow work; but if the 
neck is the place affected, it must not wear a collar or be harnessed to 
the shafts for the next six months. At the end of that time the horse 
may return to its customary employment; but, if ridden or driven, it is 
always well to bear in mind the late affliction, and to grant more than 
the usual time for the performance of the journey. At the expiration 
of the year, the smaller veins, having become enlarged, have adapted 
themselves to the loss which the circulation has sustained, and the horse 
may resume full work. 
For the first year, gruel, crushed and scalded oats, with two bundles 
of cut grass per day, should constitute the diet. The manger should be 
heightened, and the halter be so arranged as to prevent the head being 
much lowered. Do all in your power to render useless violent mastica- 
tion; and, as the horse never chews when the operation is unnecessary, 
the animal will obviously second your endeavors. 
At the expiration of twelve months the animal which has lost a vein 
may be sold, and, 7n law, has been accounted sound. Such a blemish, 
however, is far from a recommendation ; in this case Jaw and common 
sense may be at variance. The reader, therefore, is advised never to 
purchase a nag in such a condition without insisting upon a special war- 
ranty, in which it is provided that the animal is to be taken back should 
the loss of a vessel be productive of any evil effects within the space of 
one twelvemonth. 
BROKEN KNEES. 
These accidents affect the exterior of the central joint of the fore legs. 
They may be very trivial or very serious: they may simply ruffle the hair 
or scratch the cuticle covering the integument; the same cause may, 
however, remove the hair and lay bare the cutis. Moreover, the wound 
