DISEASES OF THE HORSE 163 



The treatment is to remove the cause. Rest the horse if pos- 

 sible ; if not, procure a perfect fitting collar. Rub and manip- 

 ulate the skin and muscle. Later apply a mild liniment, and 

 hand rub. Two months should be allowed for a complete cure. 

 Light fly-blisters three weeks apart may be used. 



Sore shoulders and neck, and galls are of frequent occurrence 

 among horses and are due to poorly fitting collars and harness 

 as well as to certain kinds of work when the load borne by the 

 neck is great. 



The remedy is to remove the cause. Keep the parts dry. 

 Wash in cold or hot water, depending on conditions, three times 

 daily, and apply white lotion. If nothing else is at hand, and 

 the galls not bad, wash the parts in hot or cold salt water. 

 Dust on finely pulverized air-slaked lime. Oxide of zinc oint- 

 ment is good. If the parts become calloused, apply a dull red- 

 bUster, which will absorb the callous. It will be necessary to 

 give the animal rest while applying the blister. 



Curb is a thickening or bulging of the ligament on the back 

 part of the hock, and just below the point, giving the cannon 

 a curved, protruding outline. A curb is easily noted when 

 viewed from the side. 



The cause may be a sprain of the tendon which passes over 

 the back part of the hock. Hocks of certain conformation, such 

 as overbent, coarse, thick, or those too narrow, are hable to 

 this ailment. The tendency seems to be hereditary (see dis- 

 cussion in Chapter IV). 



The treatment for curb is to give cold bath on the first 

 appearance of inflammation. Allow the animal to rest. Shoe 

 the foot of the affected leg with high-heeled shoe. This will 

 raise the heel and slacken the ligament. Apply ointments of 

 iodine. Later the application of dull red-blister repeated in 

 two or three weeks may prove beneficial. In cases in which 

 animals have a natural curby hock and it does not cause lame- 

 ness, it is best to let it alone. 



