Ruptures V7 
tail to the opposite side and to retain it in that posi- 
tion by tying to a girth until the wound has partially 
or wholly healed. 
Switching the Tail 
Some mares of a nervous disposition have a bad 
habit of switching the tail while being driven, espe- 
cially when spoken to or touched with the whip. In 
some cases, breeding the mare and allowing her to 
raise a colt will correct the habit; in other cases, 
spaying the mare through the vagina will stop the 
vice. But in extreme and persistent cases the only 
treatment is to cut the muscles from both sides 
of the roots of the tail. 
Hernia 
A hernia, commonly called a rupture, in most 
cases is caused by external violence, such as a kick 
or a blow, that breaks the muscular walls of the 
abdomen, or belly, and allows some of the contents— 
usually the omentum, a thin curtain of fat, or a loop 
of the intestines—to protrude through the opening and 
press outward against the skin. 
There is a rounded, rather firm mass that cates 
the skin to bulge out as if the part were badly 
swollen, but there is a well-defined line of separation 
between the swelling and the other tissues. The hernia 
is not tender to the touch, and seldom causes the 
animal any inconvenience. By carefully manipulating 
the bunch, the protruding mass can gradually be 
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