CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 767 



him a 'flick' with a rubber. A narrow stall is a fertile 

 cause, but even when ample room exists a slippery floor is 

 by far the most common cause. 



Heel Galls are caused by the hind leg being got over the 

 head rope or chain ; it has been fully dealt with elsewhere 

 (p. 304), and no further reference to it is needed. It may 

 lead to a most serious accident, as horses thus caught up 

 are very liable to throw themselves down in their fright 

 and fracture the pelvis. 



A horse Cast in the box or stall is one that is unable to 

 rise owing to its position. The position is invariable, viz., 

 the animal has got so close to the wall that the forelegs are 

 bent at the knee, and in such a position no horse can rise. 

 The cause of casting is always due to rolling in either box 

 or stall, so that within certain limits a narrow stall or 

 small boxes induce this accident. 



If the horse were to lie in the middle of an ordinary box 

 he might roll from side to side with safety ; but should he 

 select some place away from the middle and then roll 

 over, he may roll so close to the wall that the fore and hind 

 legs at once double up, and such a horse is quite helpless 

 to rise without assistance. An animal fond of rolling, or a 

 clumsy roller, may be cast in a large box ; in fact, as men- 

 tioned at p. 298, a large box affords no protection in this 

 respect to some horses, for should they select to lie down 

 near the wall and then roll over, they are as effectively east 

 as if in a box half the size. 



Once the animal finds himself unable to rise, a terrific 

 struggle ensues, during which he may press his hind 

 quarters further away from the wall, which increases his 

 difficulties, as it brings the head nearer to the wall, in 

 which position he is quite lanable to rise. The noise 

 occasioned by this accident generally attracts attention, but 

 until worn out by exhaustion, the animal continues to 

 inflict injuries on its head, hip, shoulder, or other prominent 

 parts of the body, and may look a very sorry object when 

 got up. 



There are two methods of releasing a cast horse from its 



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