The alleviation of "filled legs," is one of the most common problems given to grooms to solve. This condition is a chronic ailment which is brought on by stagnation of blood in the limbs from want of sufficiently continued exercise, and from food of too "heating" a nature. It occurs in both fore, both hind, or in all four legs; and presents no acute symptoms, as would be present in sprain, which nearly always takes place, only in one limb at a time. As the hind limbs are farther from the centre of circulation than the fore, they are more liable to become filled than the front pair. This passive tendency of the legs to fill comes on, as a rule, very insidiously. At first it is a temporary sign of confinement to the stable, and quickly passes off during exercise; but in the large majority of cases, it becomes increasingly difficult to dissipate, and impairs more and more the working capacity of the animal. As the defective state of the circulation, of which "filled legs" are a symptom, interferes with the due nutrition of tendons and ligaments, its manifestation by "filling" is usually "the beginning of the end," which is generally attained by means of a sprain or series of sprains. The only proper treatment is removal of the cause, which we can best effect by cotton wadding bandaging (p. 306) and attention to feeding and watering. Suppose we have a hunter which is accustomed, after a day with the hounds, to return to his stable with his legs apparently sound, but has them next morning as round as the proverbial bed-posts. Instead of waiting until his legs have filled, before treating them, we should employ the thoroughly sound preventive measure of applying cotton wadding bandages immediately after he comes back from work. If we do this, we may be fairly confident that his legs will be as fine on the following morning, as they were on the previous evening. The efficacy of this new departure which I have introduced into stable practice, has been amply proved by many who have followed my lead, as well as by myself.

With a horse whose legs fill, we should keep the cotton wadding bandages on in the stable, and take them off only a short time before he goes out, and then hand-rub the legs thoroughly. They should be again hand-rubbed and bandaged on his return. This method of bandaging is also an admirable means for reducing the inflammation caused by blows and sprains, in which case it should be a "first aid to the wounded," before calling in a veterinary surgeon.

The groom should be careful to report any change in the size or temperature of the legs and feet, especially after a hard day, or after shoeing, in the event of one foot being hotter than the others. In such cases, he should not wait until the animal is lame; for an ailment of this kind which admits of successful treatment, if taken in time, will often be the cause of permanent unsoundness if neglected. The effects of slight pricks in shoeing and of nails driven too "close," often do not show themselves until a few-days after the animal has been shod, during which time, fluid (pus and serum) due to inflammation, accumulates in the injured part, and finally gives rise to so much painful pressure that lameness is the result. The spread of the inflammation enables the abnormal heat to be felt from the outside. - Slight cuts from brushing can be treated by an antiseptic, such as Friar's balsam.

The shoes should be tested every day to see if they are loose. This is best done by holding the foot up with one hand, so as to have the foot more or less horizontal, and then tapping the ground-surface of the shoe all over with the tips of the fingers of the other hand. By this method, even the slightest play which the shoe may have, will be made apparent by the difference in the sound caused by the tapping. We should here note that the looseness in question almost always arises from the giving way, to a greater or less extent, of the clenches of the nails. Persons who endeavour to find out if a shoe is loose, by catching it between their fingers and trying to shift it from side to side, appear to be ignorant of the fact that the displacement is almost always in a vertical, and not in a horizontal direction. In any case, the plan of trying to shift the shoe with the fingers, would succeed only when the looseness was extreme. If a shoe is found to be loose, or any of the clenches started, the animal should be sent to the blacksmith before he is put to work. The groom should also be careful to see that the heels (generally the inner heels) of the fore shoes do not press on the "seat of corn." This faulty bearing of the shoe is particularly liable to occur, when the fore shoes are light and short, as would usually be the case with hunters. The groom should see that the inner edges of the toes of the hind shoes have not become sharp from wear, in which case the injury from an over-reach would be greatly aggravated.

The feet should be picked out at least three times a day, especially if the bedding is of tan, peat moss or sawdust; because neglect of this precaution will be liable to induce thrush and softening of the sole and frog, with consequent impairment of the strength of these parts. The effect of bedding on horses' feet has been discussed on page 264. The presence of thrush can be easily recognised by the foul smell from the frog, and by the open condition of the cleft of the frog, which in health is merely a depression in the middle line of the frog, and does not communicate with the sensitive structures of the foot. Burnt alum is a safe and useful application for thrush. About a teaspoonful of it may be stuffed into the cleft of the frog, which can afterwards be filled up with cotton-wool or tow, in order to keep it clean. It is an instructive fact that the drier the soil upon which horses are reared and kept, the better are their feet. The effect of moisture on horn is to make it soft and weak. Hence we find, that although horses can be moderately worked on unmetalled roads in India and other hot countries during the dry weather, they have to be shod as soon as the rains begin. Horses' feet to be serviceable, should be hard. A horse with good hard feet would be able to trot without flinching, on a road covered with freshly broken stones; he would not go lame if he picked up, even in a fore shoe, a stone which did not project below the level of the shoe; and if he lost a shoe, he would be able to go barefoot for a few miles without becoming foot-sore. It is evident that such an animal will be a much safer conveyance, either in saddle or harness, than a horse which is in any way tender on his feet. We should therefore refrain from having our horses feet washed. For purposes of cleanliness, the hoof-picker and a dry brush will be sufficient for the frog and sole, and a damp rubber for the outside of the hoof. The argument might be advanced, that it is unreasonable to object to a moderate washing of the feet and legs in the stable; because, during an ordinary day's work, these parts are often kept wet for hours without any harm being done to them. To this I would reply, that the water encountered outside is a necessary evil, the ill effects of which are obviated to a great extent by the exercise taken during the time of its action; because the increased blood supply not only warms the skin of the legs and thus helps it to drive off adhering moisture, but it also stimulates evaporation of moisture from the hoof, and especially from the frog. Besides weakening the horn, washing the legs and feet has a strong predisposing influence in producing cracked heels, mud fever, and thrush.