Special Dangers - Best kind of Ship - Position of Horses on Board Ship - Preparation before going on Board - Taking a Horse on Board - Slinging - Horse Boxes - Feeding Trough - Floor - Rough Cocoanut Matting - Cotton Wadding Bandages - Slings - Food - Help on Board Ship - Grooming - Exercise - Clothing - Lowering the Heels - Treatment after Disembarkation.

The chief special dangers to which horses that travel by sea are exposed are : Injury during embarkation, disembarkation, and while on board; destruction by being washed overboard or by shipwreck; diseases of the organs of breathing, from bad ventilation when the animals are carried below; and laminitis (fever of the feet) from long standing. An attack of laminitis is always a serious affair; because, even if the patient recovers, it will, as a rule, permanently impair his working capabilities. The probability of this disease being set up, greatly increases according as the duration of the voyage is prolonged. When horses used to be sent via the Cape of Good Hope on sailing vessels to India, a large proportion, I would almost venture to say the majority, of them became affected with this grave form of unsoundness as a result of the voyage.

The best kind of ship on which to take horses is one that is fast, steady, roomy, and (when the animals are carried below) well ventilated. Speed in the vessel is of course an advantage; for it reduces the length of the voyage, and consequently its bad effects on the horses. The stability (freedom from rolling) of a vessel largely depends on her width of beam, and on the manner in which she has been loaded. As the subject of loading a ship does not come within the province of this book, I will content myself by saying that shippers of horses would do well to avoid vessels which carry railway iron. When there are only a few horses, they are generally put on the upper deck, which is a position that admirably fulfils the requirements of ventilation; but it exposes the animals much more to danger from heavy seas, than placing them below. When horses are carried on the upper deck they should always, if practicable, be provided with boxes, which should be put in a well-sheltered situation. Nowadays sailing vessels are so seldom' used for conveying horses that we need not consider them here. Steamers with flush decks and but little "shear" are the worst for horses on deck, and those which are provided with high bulwarks are the best. A ship that is light, and is consequently high out of the water, will naturally be safer for animals on deck than if she were deep. Horses, when in considerable numbers, are usually carried on the main deck, and even on the lower deck. They can then be put in stalls, which should be made particularly strong, and may be arranged in two rows : one on the port side, the other on the starooard side. It is an advantage for purposes of cleanliness to have the horses' heads facing outwards, with a passage between the two rows of animals. Horses which are below are greatly exposed to diseases of the organs of breathing from defective ventilation, and from their dung and urine being allowed to accumulate under them. Hence the utmost care should be taken to provide them with an ample supply of fresh air, to protect them from chill, and to keep their abode scrupulously clean.

As regards the position of horses on board ship, we may conclude that they should be placed as near midships as practicable; because there is less motion in that part of the vessel than at either end. As the inclination of the deck is greater when the ship is rolling than when she is pitching; horses should be put athwart-ship, and not fore and aft.

For a voyage up to, say, ten days' duration, no special preparation of the animal is required; supposing that the management on board will be carried out according to correct principles. If the journey be considerably longer, as for instance to India or the Cape of Good Hope, it is well, at least three weeks before sailing, to lower the heels and put on tips, so as to strengthen the soles and frogs with the view of these parts having to bear weight; and to cool the animal down by green food. Reducing the slope of the hoofs by means of a rasp is advisable under the circumstances in question; because it takes pressure off the toes to some extent, and thus diminishes the danger of laminitis. It is as a rule better to leave on the shoes than to let the horse go barefoot, in which case he would be apt to break or unduly wear down the wall of the hoofs by pawing and other uneasy movements; and it is not always possible to find a capable blacksmith on landing. As the horse will have to do a good deal of standing, it is of course necessary that his legs and feet should be in a healthy condition.

A horse should be kept without water and food, for, say, four hours before taking him on board, in which case a drink and a feed soon after he has been shipped, will help to reconcile him to his new place of abode. Besides, when his stomach and intestines are comparatively empty, he will not be so liable to be injured, in the event of mishap, as he would be if they were full, especially if he is to be slung. He should wear a particularly strong head-collar, provided with two strong ropes as leading reins. A bridle (snaffle) is necessary only when he is to be walked on board.

Taking a horse on board is usually effected by walking him from the quay or jetty into the vessel; by putting him into a box and lifting it over the side by means of a crane; or by slinging him and lifting him in the same manner. When a horse is put into a box, previous to taking him over the side, the ropes on his head-stall should be firmly secured at a proper length to the iron rings that are respectively fixed in the posts at the entrance of the box, and the box should be covered over with sail-cloth or other suitable material, so as to prevent the animal seeing where he is going, while the box is suspended in the air. The fact of his being thus kept in darkness will greatly help in checking him from struggling to get free.