f
refreshing himself by drinking at a brook or trough on his homeward way.
No harm can arise from a horse drinking cold water when at work, however
hot he may be, if his exercise be continued at a slow pace for a short
time.

A lady's hunter should always be examined, if possible by his mistress,
or by one of the male members of her family, on his return from a day
with the hounds, and his back and legs should receive special attention.
The chief accidents which are liable to happen by such work, are sprains
of tendons and ligaments below the knees, over-reaches, cuts, punctures
from thorns, and injuries from the saddle. It is not within the province
of this book to deal with such subjects, and few ladies would go through
the bother of studying them. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions, as
we may see by the comparatively large number of lady doctors, and by the
fact that only the narrow-minded policy of the Royal College of
Veterinary Surgeons prevented Miss Custance, who had studied at the
Edinburgh New Veterinary College, from obtaining her diploma, to which
she was fully entitled by her scientific attainments and practical
experience. Those of my readers who wish to understand the treatment of
horses in health and disease, cannot do better, as far as books are
concerned, than to study my husband's _Stable Management and Exercise_,
and _Veterinary Notes for Horse-owners_.

One point about the examination of a hard-ridden hunter which is within
the comprehension of even an inexperienced girl, is the detection and
proper treatment of lumps on his back which have been produced during
the ride by hurtful pressure of the saddle, and which almost always
appear on the off side of the withers, and on the off side of the back,
near where the cantle rested. If these swellings be neglected, they will
probably become developed into abscesses, which will incapacitate the
animal from work for a month or longer. An admirable way of treating
them, as soon as the saddle is removed, is to pour some whiskey, brandy
or other spirit into the hollow of the hand, apply it to the lump, and
rub the swelling briskly with the palm of the hand for at least five
minutes. I have often seen a large swelling of this kind visibly
decrease in size during this process, which, in the many cases I have
witnessed, always caused the lump to disappear by the following morning.
In applying this form of massage, no delay should occur, after removing
the