RELATING TO HORSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2403, 22 March 1900, Page 7

RELATING TO HORSES.

SHOULDER CONFORMATION.

The possession of a long sloping shoulder is of great importance in a horse intended for riding purposes. Such a conformation gives the animal an easy springy stride which renders it very pleasant for the rider, and is a great improvement on the short, abrupt motion of animals possessing straight, upright shoulders. There is no more objectionable form of shoulder than one which is too vertical in its position and long from the point of the shoulder to the upper part of the forearm ; horses possepsing such shoulders have their legs too much -under them, and are never as safe to ride or drive as those with the conformation so well known among practical horsemen as a "well-laid blade." !

ACTION AND HOW TO TEST IT. |

Too much importance cannot be attached to the possession by a horse of straight, level action. Horses that cross theii legs in walking or in trotting should be regarded with suspicion ; such horses are invariably unsafe, and can never be depended on. As a rule, it may be taken that a horse that walks well will also trot well ; on the other hand, plenty of horses trot fairly well, though they may walk but indifferently. This show, the importance of examining horses carefully both

is regards their walking and hotting movements before purchase. Jn examining horses in case.- of this kind the buyer should always

j staad directly behind the horses, so as to haA c j a, clear view of the u?e of ail four legs. It is only from this position that t^.e movements of .' a hor.se can be properly observed ; a side view or a view from any oi the four cornel's is of j very little use in deciding a.- to whether a ! horn) carries him=elf well or otherwise: I Though a good u=e of the kr.ces and hocks is ' most essential in a horse, exlra\agant action is objectionable rather tlnui otherwise, and should be avoided except by i,ho»a on the lookout for fashionable park hr.clc- . ! BREEDING OF LIGE7 HORSES.

It cannot be too strongly impressed upon breeders of horseflesh thai there is a scarcity of all classes of horses — moie particularly light,

herj-es — in

New Zealand

at the present

time. The large withdrawal- every year from I this colony for remounts in India alone is very coiir-iderabie, and this year, owing to the war in the Transvaal, the export Las increased very largely. The breeding of the right stamp of light horses at any time always pays, and

we would strongly advise owners of maie-3 to ■ at ail* themselves of the opportunity of utilising- them lor breeding purposes before the seapon closes. We have no hesitation in saying

that before long if there are not more .light

horses bred in the colony we \rill have to ' go outside for our supplies— a ptep which would be very regrettable, seeing we have the means at our disposal of supplying any demand that may arise. — Timar j Morning Post. j LET THE HARNESS FIT. ' All those who have horse--' under their care

should see to it that the horne«s fits the animal

to which it is applied. It ir- necessary that the fit be a good one at all tiir.es ; but in- cold weather the Jiids of the horse will put up with a good deal of chafing without becoming sore, wkceas in hot weather it frays very easily. Then, in changeable temperature, the sweat dries, the salty exudation? become dry and encrusted on the edges of the galis produced, and sores that are obstinate enough about healir-g' are the result.

Collars and saddles: get very wet with sweat, and if both they and the skin on which they rest ore not properly attended to, trouble quickly ensues. Crupper galls are not uncommon, and a throat latch that does not fit well often makes a nasty sore.

It is so very easy to make harness fit well, down to the least important stiap, that there is no excuse for any part of the gear chafing the horse. When one sees a horse's shoulders all raw, one may make up hU mind that the groom in charge is a ploienly fellow that merits hia discharge richly, and so with all harness galls.

Owing to faulty formation, sometimes it is very hard to keep a horse's shoulders from getting galled. In this case the only thing to be done is to have a maker construct a collar of ppecial pattern.

STRANGLES

Strangles is one of the many di-eases which it was at one time thought horses would r.eceddarily have to become victims of at one period or another of their live-*. There are many, even at the present day, who believe that it is necessary for a hor.se to have "strangles, just as they imagine it is essential for dogs to ha\e distemper, or for children to have measles. These ideas are, however, giadually being exploded. It is now a well-estab-lished fact that it is possible for animals to pass the whole of their lives in the most perfect health without ever having attacks of these disorders.

Ihe diecp&e known as strangles is due to the presence in the animal's system of a microbe which pels up an inflammation in the glands of the litck. The symptoms of the disease are very decided, and are well known to all having experience of horse?. When first attacked, the animols begin to lose their appetite, and become very dull and listless; after a time a discharge begins to flow from one n- both nostrils, then a swelling is noted behind the jaws, and after a time the enlargement in this part develops to such, an extent that it seriously interferes with the breathing. In advanced stages of the diseas-e an abscess is formed between the jaws, and when this bursts there is an exudation of purulent matter. The disease does not often prove fatal, but is most dangerous when it attacks foals and very young horses.

The best treatment consists in feeding liberally during attack, to give warm comfortable boxes or other quarters, and to keep them a safe distance from other horses which Mould be liable to contract the disease if allowed to come into contact with them. With the object of bracing up the system, po as to enable it to withstand the weakening effects of the disease, the administration of tonics is advisable, and for this purpose there is nothing better than a powder consisting of two drachms of sulphate of iron and one drachm each of ground ginger and gentian, given in the food morning and evening.