The object of the medicine being gained, have the horse quietly led into a stall; the stall it has been used to is the best, and the favorite neighbor need not be removed. But all other quadrupeds which might disturb the sick animal should be taken out of the building. A good, clean bed should be shaken down, and the diet must be suited to the symptoms. If the pulse is at all low, no hay should be allowed till it amends; should the arterial beat denote oppression, a rather large proportion of beans may be blended with the oats. If the breathing is short, the countenance unhappy, and the eye sleepy, while a very quick and feeble pulse only is to be detected, give four of the ethereal drinks in the twenty-four hours. Also allow two quarts of stout daily.
All horses should be accustomed to drink beer; with very little teaching they abandon their teetotal habits, and will by very expressive action signify delight at the sight of a pewter pot. The best means of introducing the beverage to their notice is, in the first instance, to break a penny loaf into pieces, to soak the pieces in the beverage, and then to offer them, one by one, from the hand of the master or the favorite attendant. Animals quickly learn to recognize their owners. The dog will bestow such a welcome upon its proprietor as is never lavished upon any stranger. The horse also learns to recognize the individual whose property it has become. See the animal which has carried the groom without excitement to the door, and which has walked before the house with pendant head and listless ears: the moment the door opens and the master appears, all dejection is cast off; the creature cannot stand still when the foot is in the stirrup; and, immediately the weight is felt upon the back, the happy quadruped prances gayly off, often at the risk of unseating him who has provoked this demonstration of excessive pleasure.
The master who is unknown has earned his fate by his neglect, and probably may live to repent his inattention to the duties which Providence has intrusted to his charge. The affections of the meanest creature that breathes are blessings which the highest and the proudest may well stoop to gain. The love of a horse is not to be despised; the noble quadruped is easier controlled by its uncultivated impulses than by all the restraints which brutes have invented or fools have adopted. It should enter into the considerations of every life assurance company, whether the man who takes out a policy is of a nature likely to be loved by the animals which he possesses.
Beer is everywhere procurable, and it is not to be altogether contemned as a medicinal stimulant. Many a horse which is now lost upon every hard field-day would have been saved if the animal had been pulled up at the nearest public house to be presented with a slice of bread and a pint of beer. Such nourishment would not load the stomach; but it would serve to keep off that utter exhaustion from which too many steeds fail.
THE MANNER IN WHICH LOTION SHOULD BE APPLIED TO AN OPEN JOINT.
The animal being in its stall, then apply the lotion, composed of tincture of arnica, two ounces; water, one quart. Use this by means of a sponge and saucer. Pour some of the liquor into the receptacle. Saturate the sponge and squeeze the fluid upon the leg, but above the injured knee. Do this after the manner which is illustrated as the proper mode of washing the wounded part.
Continue with the arnica lotion, night and day, for half a week. No periods can be named for applying the sponge, as inflammations, and therefore the drying powers, vary in different individuals; but the knee should be always wet. This should be attended to for the first three days and a half, during which the halter should be tied to the rack. At the end of that time turn the horse very gently round. Remember the condition of the limb, and allow time for the performance of an action which is always an effort to the most agile of the equine species, as few stalls are a single inch too wide.
The animal being with its face to the gangway, and fastened by the pillar-reins, place the slings before it. Leave the creature to contemplate the apparatus for half an hour. Then take the cloth and hold it up to the inspection of the quadruped. Afterward place it between the fore and hind legs—pausing and speaking kindly should alarm be displayed. Thus by degrees fix it to the pulleys and bring it near to the abdomen, which, however, should by no means be touched. Then caress the creature's head, and present some of its favorite food: eating generally tranquilizes the mind of an animal. So much being done, proceed to fix the straps upon the chest and withers. Then fondle the sufferer again, and it will permit the hind tackle to be arranged.
When all is fixed, leave a pail of water suspended from one pillar, and put an elevated trough, charged with favorite provender, in front of the horse. Let it be watched till a week from the date of the injury has expired, and never left during that period even for an instant. If any restlessness is exhibited, the attendant should approach and caress the creature. Quadrupeds—though none comprehend the precise meaning of the language—love to be praised. The hand, fondly applied to the skin, and the human voice, modulated by kindness, seem to convey a purport to animals which they will suffer pain to deserve. The writer lately had a favorite dog, whose aversion was dry bread. It would hold the detested morsel in its mouth for hours, looking most uncomfortable, but making no attempt at mastication. Yet, upon praise being lavished, the eye would brighten, and, rather than prove unworthy of so much commendation, the hardest and stalest crust would be chewed and swallowed.