Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/262

HORSE. out by the use of moist sawdust, occasional poultices of boiled turnips, and a free use of greasy hoof ointments to the sole and walls of the feet. Careful shoeing, however, will he found to be one-half of the cure. Sand-cracks may happen on any part of the wall, although usually they appear directly in front and are called toe-cracks, or on the lateral parts of the walls, and are known as (q.v.). The latter usually affect the fore feet, and the former the hind feet. A sand-crack, which is a solution of continuity or fissure in the horn of the wall of the foot, may be superficial, involving only the outer parts of the wall, or it may be deep, involving the whole thickness of the wall as well as the soft tissues beneath. The disease is most serious when it involves the coronary band; and may be further complicated by hemorrhage, inflammation of the laminæ, suppuration, and gangrene. The predisposing cause of sand-cracks is the relative dryness of the horn, although excessive dryness is not more dangerous than alternate changes from damp to dry. Other predisposing causes are heavy shoes, large nails, and bad shoeing in general, together with such diseases as canker, quittor, and suppurative corns. Very little can be done in the way of prevention, but the suppleness of the horn may be maintained by the use of ointments, damp floor, bedding, etc., as well as by proper shoeing. After the fissure has made its appearance, all efforts should be directed to prevent its growing longer and deeper, the usual method being to arrest all motion in the edges. A very simple appliance for holding the borders of a toe-crack together is the vachette clasp. They are made of stiff steel wire and are strong enough to prevent all motion in the borders of the crack. Where these instruments cannot be obtained a good substitute is to drill a hole through the horn across the fissure, and close the crack by means of a thin nail made of tough iron and neatly clinched at each end.

. Careless and improper feeding and watering are responsible for most of the digestive disorders with which the horse may be troubled. With the horse, digestion takes place principally in the intestines, and in selecting food for a horse the anatomical arrangement of its digestive organs and the physiological functions they perform should be carefully studied. All food should be wholesome and clean; the animal should be fed regularly, and because of his small stomach, in small quantities, and frequently. A horse should never be fed too soon after a hard day's work. He may be given a small quantity of hay, but one or two hours should elapse before he gets his regular meal. When it is contemplated to change the food, care should be taken to make the change very gradually, and in any case, the quantity of food given must be in a direct proportion to the amount of labor performed. Should the horse stand several days in the stable, his food should be of a more laxative nature. The following foods are considered the best: The best hay for horses is ‘timothy,’ but care should be taken that it is about one year old, of a greenish color, and possessing a sweet aroma. A horse fed on grain should be allowed from ten to twelve pounds of good hay a day. Straw should not be fed unless cut and mixed with hay and crushed grain. Wheat and rye chaff should never be used. Of the grain foods, oats easily take the precedence. The best oats

are one year old, plump, short, hard, bright, and sweet. They are given either whole or crushed. A fair allowance for the average horse is about twelve quarts of good oats a day. Wheat and rye should not be used except in small quantities and mixed with other grains or hay. The bran of wheat is the one most used, although its value is variously estimated. It is always fed with other grains and tends to keep the bowels open. Maize or corn is not suitable as an exclusive food for young horses, owing to its deficiency in salts. Corn on the cob is generally used as food for horses affected with ‘lampas.’ It is better given ground, and fed in quantities of from one to two quarts at a meal, mixed with crushed oats or bran. Linseed is occasionally fed with other foods to improve the condition of the skin and keep the bowels open. It is of particular service during convalescence. Steamed or boiled roots and potatoes are frequently used as an article of food, but carrots make the best diet, particularly during sickness. Grass is the natural food of the horse, but it is not sufficient to keep it in condition for work. The amount of water required by the horse varies according to the character of his food; but roundly stated, about eight quarts a day will be a fair average. When resting, water should be given three times a day; when at work, more frequently. The very prevalent impression that when a horse is warm he should not be allowed to drink is very erroneous. No matter how warm a horse may be, it is always safe to allow him from six to ten swallows of water. The danger is not in the water, but in the excessive quantity that the animal will take when warm, if not restrained. It should never be given when ice-cold. A water-trough should always be placed in such position that the sun may shine on it during the winter mornings.

. Janssen, Die Pferderassen der Gegenwart (Wandsbek, 1881); Flower, The Horse, a Study in Natural History (London, 1891); Simonoff and Moerder, Les races chevalines, avec une étude spéciale sur les chevaux russes (Paris, 1894); Schwarznecker, Rassen, Zuchtung und Haltung des Pferdes (3d ed., Berlin, 1894).

Varieties: Du Hays, The Percheron Horse, translated (New York, 1890); Des Farges, Race Horses, translated (London, 1890); Bruce, The Thoroughbred Horse (New York, 1892); Tweedie, The Arabian Horse, His Country and People (Edinburgh, 1893); Wallace, The Horse of America in His Derivation, History, and Development (New York, 1897); Hayes, Among Horses in Russia (London, 1900); Wasser, The Horses of the World's Armies, United Service, series 3, vol. i. (New York, 1902).

Points: Goubaux and Barrier, L'extérieur du cheval (Paris, 1882-84); Rueff, Das Aeussere des Pferdes und seine Fehler (Stuttgart, 1885); Müller, Lehre vom Exterieur des Pferdes (5th ed. Vienna, 1895); Hayes, Points of the Horse (London, 1897).

Breeding, Care, and Training: Leisering and Hartmann, Der Fuss des Pferdes in Rücksicht auf Bau, Verrichtungen und Hufbeschlag (Dresden, 1870; Clarke, Horses' Teeth (New York, 1886); Day, The Horse, How to Breed and Rear Him (n. p., 1890); Sanders, Horse-Breeding (Chicago, 1893); Hayes, Illustrated Horse-Breaking (London, 1889); Merwin, Road, Track, and Stable (Boston, 1892); Marvin, Training the Trotting