TURNING HORSES OUT 65 



any length of time, every active tissue of the body 

 becomes relaxed and incapable of standing any- 

 thing like severe work. The tendons and liga- 

 ments lose their strength, the muscular fibres 

 their tone, the nervous system its power of sup- 

 plying energy for any lengthened exertion. The 

 relaxing effect of idleness on muscular fibre is 

 well exemplified in connection with the circula- 

 tion. Take, for instance, a saddle-horse that has 

 been carrying 200 pounds on his back every 

 day all winter and well into the spring, with im- 

 punity. The owner is going abroad for three 

 months and turns his horse out. When he comes 

 back he thinks that his horse has had a long rest, 

 and should therefore carry him particularly well. 

 In a short time, however, the horse begins to show 

 signs of fatigue by dropping his head, going 

 heavy in hand, and very likely by "forging." 



The next morning the owner goes to look at 

 him and finds he backs out stiffly, and is more or 

 less swollen about the fetlocks, and his feet may 

 feel a little warmer than usual. He is suffering 

 from muscular soreness, the tissues about the fet- 

 locks are congested, the coats of the blood-vessels 

 in the extremities have not tone enough to return 

 the blood with proper force to the heart, so there 

 is stagnation of a portion of it in the dependent 

 parts. That delicate and intricate network of 

 blood-vessels in the feet, from long and compara- 



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