With respect to the loss of Ossory and Prince Io, I read in The Spirit of the Times that the man who had charge of them said that he could not keep either straw or sawdust under them, as it got washed away by the water which was shipped. It is evident that no amount of wave-washing could remove properly-placed cocoanut matting. When horses get killed in this outrageous manner, any insurance company that had taken the risk on them, would be right to resist all claims for compensation; because proper precautions had not been taken for the safety of the animals.

I believe I was the first to advocate the use of rough cocoanut matting as a floor for horses on board ship, which I did as far back as the 30th March, 1889, in Hayes"Sporting News, which I owned and edited in Calcutta. Also, in the 5th Edition of Training and Horse-management in India, published in 1893, I recommended this kind of matting for the purpose in question.

Rough cocoanut matting not only gives a horse firm footing, but also saves him to a great extent from the danger of getting laminitis, by enabling him to stand on a substance which is a bad conductor of heat, and which causes the pressure on the ground surface of his feet to be well distributed. By using cotton wadding bandages (p. 306) we may further diminish the danger of laminitis; for they are a very efficient help in maintaining the normal rate of blood circulation in the legs and feet. Unfortunately, the idea of employing this method of bandages on horses at sea, did not occur to me until within the last three years, and consequently, I have not been able to give it as extended a trial as I would have wished. On two sea trips, of ten days' duration each, I put, prior to embarkation, these bandages on the legs of five or six horses I had with me, and did not remove them until we had arrived at our destination; the result being that when the bandages were taken off, the legs of the animals were free from the slightest suspicion of "fulness," and the feet were cool.

Slings may be placed under the horse in fine weather. They should be so loose as not to press against his belly when he stands up; but tight enough to enable him to rest his weight on them if he chooses. If the sea gets at all rough, the slings should be at once removed. If the slings are so tight as to take any weight off the horse's feet, their pressure on his abdomen will have a more or less injurious effect on his digestive organs, and the security of his foot-hold will be endangered.

As regards food I have found the following daily ration to be well suited to the requirements of horses on board ship : -

If carrots cannot be obtained, we may double the allowance of bran, and utilise a part of it for a bran mash about every three days. I consider the slightly laxative effect produced by carrots on horses is far superior to that caused by bran mashes. As bran soon becomes musty, it should be obtained direct from a miller and not from a corn chandler.

If any help on board ship be required for the horses, arrangements for obtaining it had best be made with the Captain of the ship prior to starting. Liberally paying one's footing on the forecastle has generally a good result.

The grooming of the horse may be limited to sponging out his eyes, nostrils, dock, etc, and picking out his feet, except when the weather is so fine that he can be taken out on deck; for accidents with horses on board ship are very liable to occur. Neglect to groom an animal that takes little or no exercise is, as I have shown (p. 319), an evil; but as a rule it is a lesser one on board ship than risk of accident.

When taking horses between England and India, I have always managed with safety to lead them out of their boxes from time to time, and give them a little exercise by walking them on ordinary cocoanut matting which I had provided for the purpose. A horse should on no account be allowed to walk on the deck without matting if the deck is at all wet or greasy.

If practicable, the box should be opened morning and evening to enable the attendant to clean it out. On all other occasions it should be kept closed.

If clothing be used, attention should be paid to keeping it straight, so that it may not inconvenience the animal.

If the voyage extends to over three weeks, and there is a blacksmith on board, the shoes should be removed and the heels lowered after the horse has been out for about that time. An experienced man, who is neither a veterinary surgeon nor a blacksmith, might be able to lower the heels properly if the horse was barefoot, or had on tips.

In Veterinary Notes for Horse-Owners, I have alluded to the advisability, on landing a horse after a sea voyage which has extended, say, over eighteen days, to keep him in a loose box and on green food for a few days, so that he may recover the use of his feet before he is gradually brought on to work. A walk of even two or three miles immediately after disembarkation is apt to set up laminitis; although previously no symptom of that disease may have been apparent.

From a considerable experience in Calcutta with dealers, horses freshly landed from Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, I can say with confidence that, as a rule, it takes such animals about three months to recover from their voyage of from four to six weeks' duration, and even then they have to be worked with special care. This statement is in accordance with the remarks on this subject in the Veterinary Record, 26th May, 1900, made by Mr. E. E. Martin, who is Remount Veterinary Officer in Calcutta. The horses in question are generally brought over in cargoes of from 200 to 400 at a time; have to stand on bare boards; are packed close together; and get no exercise. The time necessary for recovery of soundness after a voyage, would not be more than a quarter as long, if the management on board ship was conducted according to the principles laid down in this chapter.