A BUSHMAN'S HORSE LOGIC.............
OLD BUSH REMEDIES FROM THE WEST OF QUEENSLAND..
TEACH A HORSE TO LIE DOWN
In a suitable place on a lawn or in a sandy area attempt to lay the
horse down. If the horse doesn't hurt itself in this early stage it will
cooperate more. To do so use a strap to hold his nearside fetlock bent
back up towards his upper leg, buckled in place. Reach over his neck and
pull on the (right) offside rein , so his head and neck is held in this away
from you position. Now lean on his wither with your pointy elbows and
help lower the horse down onto the strapped fetlock . At this time use your
legs against his nearside shoulder to support and brace his coming down.
You must do this again and again to reinforce the lesson , until he will
come down when you apply the firm right rein action . Each lesson should
not exceed fifteen minutes of ups and downs. Otherwise he may sour on the
When this works, from horse back pull the nearside fetlock up with a rope
and pull on the right side (offside) rein firmly. Again brace your leg on the
nearside as he comes down to assist him to lay down . Use a command to
help him remember what you want, "down" or whatever suits you.
Be firm with your horse and reward its good habits and chastise
Bot description / treatment p 103
Rheumatism p73Bush remedies p 4
Feeding p 63, 65, 69 & 70
Foals p 36, 37, 56, 70, 89 , & 102
Teeth p 59, 61, 62, 63 & 70
Tracking horses p 27, 33, 34
If you make a copy from this site
send me a dollar its alright
3 sth stn rd booval 4304
Ipswich Queensland Australia
Remedies from the back country, once used in a town with no
a hundred miles or so . With descriptions of injuries and ailments, and old time
The remedies were mainly for horses, they always manage to injure themselves at
the most inconvenient time, or so it seems!
Perhaps you will build a crush to handle your animals.
The ideal size about four panels, each nine feet long. Put the posts three feet in
ground, minimum, and six feet out. They can be held together across the tops by
crossbars for strength. The internal width of the crush is 25 inches to restrain
The two posts one panel from the end, may have a sliding gate or two slip rails, or
heavy water pipe . And be sure to make the crush out of ironbark, gidgee, mulga,
coolibah, or yellow jacket, if perhaps using the inland timber. Or heavy hardwood
inches sawn timber. Of the coastal timber ironbark seems the best, the heavier
better, use four rails per panel bolted securely to each post. Some use the Cobb &
Co doubled wire twitch to hold it in place.
Or perhaps you can use 2inch water pipe. To complete the crush, you must
solid and reliable, opening gate at the exit of your crush. Solid padding on the
and posts, eg, industrial padding of perhaps heavy duty rubber would protect your
Horses always seem to accidently tangle with barbed wire and get cut about.
When you try to doctor the injured animal you have lots of trouble with your horse
it moves away from you and the hurt.
One answer is to collar rope the horse, use a strong rope
make a loop, (make a bowline knot, non slip to join the loop preferably,) around
horses neck, and tie a non slip knot. Feed the trailing rope end through the loop.
Now pull the rope through until you have a rope loop on the ground near his
leg. Lead him forward so that he steps, bringing a back leg right into the loop.
pull on the rope till it picks up his back leg by the fetlock above his hoof. A horse
is docile, will let you pick up his back leg into the collar rope loop, if you take care
avoid a kick. Pull further on the rope till you can tie the rope off at the neck loop,
with his leg lifted well up near his body.
Now you can attend to the wound. Some horses will throw themselves down, and
usually they learn not to, it hurts them. When they have thrown themselves, if
you can tie them down. If one person holds the horses head and neck down, while
lies on its side, the other can apply separate ropes to each leg. You then tie the
horses legs out stretched, tied so it can`t get its legs back under it.
Tie each fetlock individually, so the ropes hold, and stretch the horse out so it
strike you while you operate. I never use this cruel method on a horse! Collar
horse is handy when your horse fidgets, moves from one foot to the other, lifting a
hoof, when you try to trim his hooves with a hammer and wood chisel.
Now without interference you can attempt to doctor your horse. When checking
wound have clean hands, use a disinfectant on the wound and clean it of all
Sprinkle in some antibiotic powder and check that no arteries are cut, if blood
from an artery apply pressure to the wound or tie the artery off. Tie off with a
possible, or apply artery forceps to the artery. To stop bleeding you can apply a
tourniquet above a bleeding leg wound, artery or vein . Boil up a rag, soak it in
down peroxide, or slaked lime. Gently apply it to the wound and bandage it into
If necessary stitch it into place to stop the bleeding. Ice packs when held firmly
place, will work . But some means of pressure on the bleeder is essential. Now
be a good time to give him a tetanus needle, in the neck, behind the shoulder, or
rump! Stitch large wounds if they aren't on joints, or where there is very little
movement, where the skin doesn't drag much when he moves.
Jagged, deep, torn or severely bruised wounds, usually do not stitch but bind
Use stretch bandages, change them daily.
After removing any hanging flaps, decide whether to stitch the wound, { they
usually pull out after a few days anyway } or bind it together with a stretch
If you stitch, make sure you take care to disinfect the needle, your hands, and the
wound area, and get a good grip of what you stitch. Get a firm grip into the hide
flesh with your stitches, and leave the bottom end of the wound slightly open to
Your next problem will be flies and infection, smear olive oil or vaseline or insect
repellent all around the wound to keep the flies from biting it. Use stockholm tar
a wound about the hooves area. Stockholm tar is good for leg wounds, a side effect
that the hair falls out but it will always grow back. Produce sellers usually have
help products, ask about: antibiotic powders, tetanus needles, stockholm tar, and
bluestone powder. You apply bluestone to dead flesh commonly called proud
which rises above the level of the skin. Apply the bluestone to the proud flesh
not the healthy skin. Use it twice a week, or the bluestone will slow the healing
process. Powdered slaked lime can also help the healing of such wounds, and is
commonly used by amateurs.
It is possible to cut the proud flesh away as it is dead tissue, there is very little
feeling in it. Try to bring the knife up from the bottom of the wound, so blood
not obscure your view of the wound, as you cut the granulations away.
You may want to use a rasp on the proud flesh to remove it. Clear only the
granulation above the skin surface to be effective.
Hot coal tar was often used to blister, to remove calloused skin around say an
fetlock. Or to bring a bumble foot back to near normal. Best used as warm as
and repeated several times, with breaks in between treatments of 10 days, to
remove successive layers of calloused skin.
Also used for sitfasts, dead flesh on horses backs, painted on hot it gets rid of the
A VERY GOOD REMEDY USED BY A DROVER AROUND DIRRANBANDI
Qld.1955 [ Don Johnson ] FOR OLD CUTS AND SORES. ON HORSES AND
HOOVES AND FETLOCKS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BECOME INFECTED ..
Mix one part stockholm tar, left in the sun to melt a little 2 parts phenol, or
2 parts neatsfoot oil, 2 parts venus turps, [ not paint turps ] put on every day
A light dusting of bluestone powder will eat it away apply every few days.
THIS SAME BUSHMANS TREATMENT FOR EYES..
FOR REMOVING OLD SCUM OR SCAR TISSUE, FROM HORSES EYES,
ALSO USED FOR PINKEYE IN SHEEP AND CATTLE BLIGHT IN
I have used this mixture through out my lifetime it can easily compete with the
medication on the market, particularly in the bush, where vets are not available.
It will definitely cure the above complaints, even if the eye is enlarged, and
extended to a point. You must persevere for good results.
Boil one level dessert spoon of sulphate of zinc, in one pint of rain water until
zinc is dissolved thoroughly, bottle when cooled, a beer bottle will do nicely.
squirt this solution straight into the eye, the horse will pull its head away and
become frightened. More so each time you do it.
Use an eye dropper or syringe, placed at the back and side of the eye. Now trickle
the mixture carefully, to insure it will not surprise or cause a fright to the
Also you could fill a drinking straw, or a tiny plastic tube or something of this
nature, handled this way, so it would trickle into the side of the eye. It will cure
the above complaints if adhered to.
Are caused through pressure on the skin, or rubbing friction, it can be a
harness causing it. The skin is devitalized, or rubbed raw, and round wounds
behind his elbow, where you do up the girth. For fresh girth galls, if not too
severe, use metho on it daily to harden and dry it up.
Under horse collars you get shoulder galls, and beneath the saddle on the
withers and back sitfasts appear, they can be either raw or scabbed over.
If the horse is not being ridden you can blister over the sore once, and watch
improvement using antibiotic powder or cream to heal it. Girth galls are best
prevented by keeping the girth tight enough, to move the horses hide with the
when you pull the saddle sideways on the horse. After riding a short distance get
and check the girth and saddle. ( Because horses tense up when you first tighten
girth, when you first saddle the horse,) if you check the tightness now, it may
adjustment. After your ride remember to check his back and girth up area for
And rub him down with a towel under the saddle area, or wash him with the hose
low pressure, this type of water massage really quietens some horses. For horses
consistently girth gall, try putting your girth through a motorcycle tube, this often
helps to stop chafing, preventing further galls.
*** TIP*** Don't forget when you saddle up a horse he/she will push out its
and the saddle is not as tight as you think . So after riding or 5 minutes get off
and tighten your girth/sirscingle, it may be loose and can cause a girth gall......
Sitfast is a injury to the hide killing the area of the injury, through regular
daily from saddle or harness. The round patch of skin dies, it separates from the
skin around the edge, and stays a long time attached to the hide. Caused mainly
by pressure cutting off blood flow in the area.
It can`t be cured while the horse works. Blister the area and later when the edges
cut under with a knife between the two areas and remove the sitfast. Then
again to promote healing, next day apply antibiotic powder or cream to cure.
HORSES USED ALWAYS IN HARNESS DEVELOPED A BRUISED AREA IN
THE WITHER SHOULDER BLADE REGION , OF THE NECK . IT BECAME
DEAD AND ATE A POCKET INTO THE WITHER NECK AREA .
The teamsters of the day usually got rid of this horse, as it seemed uncurable
An old Chinaman in Mungindi "Willy", showed me how to fix this problem ,
He bred maggots in some raw meat left out or that purpose, then he put the
into the open pocket on the horses' wither. After several days he removed the
from the 'horse pocket' by filling it with milk. The maggots gorged on milk and
out of the pocket to be comfortable in their bloated state. The wound then healed
as the dead and proud flesh was gone .
You generally give your horse colic, his stomach is fairly small. His stomach is
upset by spoiled food, and if you feed him mouldy, sour, or tainted food, along
Do not let him eat or drink when exhausted after hard riding, if he is still hot.
Allow your horse to cool off and rest awhile, then let him drink a gallon or so of
water, no more, until later.
A horse can not vomit to relieve an overfull stomach, his small bowel may close
fermented gases can form producing colic. A good feed of wheat will bring it
do not overfeed your horse. Colic is a bad pain in the gut for the horse, they will
usually show it by pawing, rolling , or swinging his head around to his stomach,
and stretching and straining.
If the horse is bloated and full of gas he may have had a feed of wheat or
tainted grain, give him no food and plenty of water.
To relieve the stomach pressure, you can try putting a tube into his stomach to
him, or to wash it out. If he is swelled up in the stomach, he is full of gas and may
have fever in his feet later on, Laminitis.
To stop the fermentation which is happening in his stomach, and to get his bowel
to work again, clean him out, with a stomach tube, use :
Half an ounce of lysol, or 14 grams.
Plus 2 ounces bicarbonate soda, or 56 grams, to stop fermentation in his stomach.
Mix into half a gallon of water .
ALSO, if available give as well these extra additives :
14 grams nux vomica or half an ounce.
Half an ounce carb of ammonia, in the drench, or in a ball, on the back of the
Give an oil purge six hours later of 1 pint linseed, and 1 pint of castor oil, mixed
up for a 1 litre drench, to move his bowel.
Laudanum 28 to 56 grams or 1 to 2 ounces for pain,
turpentine up to 56 grams or 2 ounces plus,
linseed and castor oils 1 litre mixture ,in a drench.
Powdered ginger 28 grams or 1 ounce,
Tea to 28 grams or 1 ounce,
a tablespoon of chlorodyne 56 grams or 2 oz,
sweet spirit of nitre up to 56 grams or 2 oz,
in the oil, or in a pint of water mixed.
The tube is smeared with glycerine and pushed gently
up his nose. The distance to his stomach is three times the
length of his head, from his nose to between his ears and
can be marked on the hose. If you push into his windpipe he will exhale through
tube. When you get the tube into the gullet or stomach, try blowing into the pipe,
tries to regurgitate you are in the stomach. Blowing into the windpipe won't
him, but you don't put fluid into his lung. Once confirmed in the stomach or gullet,
push the tube in a few inches more to relieve the gas pressure.
Mix up 56 grams or 2oz bicarbonate of soda , in a gallon of water. Then put
funnel into your 3/4 inch plastic pipe. Now tip a cup of water or so down the tube,
see if he coughs, to make sure you are not in the lung. It is very dangerous to
pour drench into his lungs.
Then put the mixture in his stomach to wash it out. Then allow the tube and his
to drain the mixture from his stomach.
( See more tubing info later p56.)
COLIC DRENCH HALF PINT OR 284 ml..
Drench him half a pint at a time, three times a day from this mixture:
1 pint castor oil , or 568 ml.
1 gallon paraffin oil well
stirred to drench the horse. You can use the tube
method . Or if preferred , you can try using a
large bottle, plastic or glass. Hold the horses head up a bit, but not too high ,
too much back tilting gags the horse, preventing swallowing of the medicine .
Put the bottle neck into the corner of his mouth. Please avoid being accidently
struck by his front legs. If he gags, he will rear back to avoid choking, be warned
This type can be intermittent colic caused by an upset liver, or over feeding, or sand
in his stomach. He may go down and stay down longer than normal, and will be
up and down give him a drench with :
Naphthalin 28 grams = 1 oz,
oil cajeput 28 grams = 1 oz,
sulfuric ether 112 grams or 4 oz,
turpentine 112 grams or 4 oz ,
paraffin oil medicinal 1 lt , or 1 quart,
568 ml or one pint of castor oil, shake well and drench him.
Try a ball with 14 grams or half an ounce each, of ammon carb and pulv nux
vomica on the back of his tongue .
If he is in pain, but his stomach is not swollen, put your arm up his rectum and feel
for an impacted mass. If none is felt, it`s probably spasmodic colic, ( water gripes
dry gripes, are other names for spasmodic colic) If he is in pain give him a drench
28 grams or 1 ounce of laudanum, OR,
56 grams or 2 ounces of chlorodyne, OR,
56 grams or 2 ounces chloral hydrate.
Use ONE of these, in a boiled starch or flour liquid, use about 284 ml or half a
a drench, repeat every 2 hours if necessary.
When inserting the tube raise the horses head, straighten the
neck a bit, push in the tube with the natural tube curve up, as you get to the
the tube curve over, so the tube will tilt up to seek his stomach entrance . Be sure
Be careful what you give, and where you place the tube, you can cause choking
pneumonia. If the horse shows signs of trouble after drenching you may have put
Bleed from the jugular vein 6 quarts of blood, and blister his ribs with a
plaster, place on the tongue one teaspoon of fluid extract nux vomica, mixed with
drops of flemings tincture of aconite in honey to sweeten, every 8 hours. Give
enemas, the salty type, 1 cup of salt to 4 gallons warm water and add some
apply every 3 hours until things improve.
When a foal is with its mother and gets diarrhoea, mainly in the hot weather, it
can be deadly to him, or a severe set back physically.
Try to keep the mare milked out. Some mares have very big udders and lots of
milk, the foal gorges on a lot of milk, then sometimes we have foals with the scours.
Getting too much milk seems to bring on the scours. If possible keep the mare in
a separate yard or paddock in a
shaded place. If scours develop in the foal, milk her out for two days and give the foal
FLUID EXTRACT OF CATECHU, 3.5 grams or 1 eighth of an ounce,
SPIRIT OF CAMPHOR, 7 grams or 1 quarter ounce,
GLUCOSE SYRUP 113 ml or 4 ounces,
Dose 28.4 mg or 1 ounce 3 times a day.
Strangles sometimes appears when young horses are brought into the stable for the
first time. They appear to get strangles all too often.
Grass eating foals can get it too. If they
recover they develop immunity to the disease for life.
The general symptom is lack of appetite. eg, the mares udder
stays full, or the meal is partly eaten.
A swelling develops under the lower jaw of the horse, and a runny nose, watery
first, and thicker later. The jowl lump will swell some more, very likely, making it
to breath. If untreated pneumonia and death may occur.
Don`t use , the feed or water buckets for the other horses, to keep the infection
from spreading to the healthy horses.
Keep him warm and covered. Later on abscesses develop in the jowl, plus glands
may swell. Abscesses may appear on other parts of the body.
Try a mustard plaster on the abscess, or a blister from the vet supplier, this
should bring it to a head. When the disease invades the blood stream abscesses
develop all over the body, and bastard strangles has command.
Antibiotic needles 20mils per dose.
Available from the vet, these needles injected deep into the rump, it seems the
place to needle. Put the needle in to the horse, and draw back a little, on the
you get blood in the needle, change your site and try again.
I DO SUGGEST YOU GET VET HELP AND MEDICATION ..
Use a mixture of combination penicillin / streptomycin,
and it can usually pull the horse through this very dangerous condition..
OLD POETRY THAT SERVES A PURPOSE..
To tell the age of any horse,
Inspect the lower jaw of course;
The six front teeth the tale will tell,
And every doubt and fear dispel...
Two middle teeth you will behold,
Before the colt is two weeks old;
Before eight weeks there two more will come,
Eight months corner teeth cut the gum..
The outside grooves will disappear,
From the middle two in just one year.
In two years gone from the second pair;
In three years corner teeth are bare...
At two the middle teeth they drop,
At three also the second lot;
At four years the corner teeth will go,
At five his bridle teeth he shoes.
The deep black spots will pass from view,
At six years from the middle teeth, two ;
The second pair at the seventh year,
At eight no spots on bottom teeth no fear...
From the middle teeth in the upper jaw,
At nine the black spots are gone for shure ;
The second pair at ten are spotless bright ,
Eleven finds the corner teeth no spot just white.
As time goes on the stockman knows,
The oval teeth three sided grow.
They grow longer and project before,
Until twenty years when we know not more...
.................anonymous.
Horses such as Australian thoroughbreds took birthdays and their age from
August 1st in the nineteen fifties, and still do so today. It can be very difficult to
judge a horses age by his teeth, as many factors can change teeth, diet and what
eat, the type of grain or grass that they chew on, and such differences can wear
teeth more or less . The horses teeth are divided into incisors
front teeth or nippers, Canine teeth [tushes] , and back teeth, premolar and
A mouth full of teeth numbers 40-42 in a
male, and a mare may have only 36. She doesn`t usually have
the canine teeth. But sometimes they do grow them.
Then replacement of the milk teeth, by permanent teeth is as below listed.
TEETH UP, IN BOTTOM JAW..
First 2 middle teeth in the bottom jaw 2.5 to 3 years. The next pair come up
between 3.5 to 4 years. Six teeth are up in the bottom jaw at 4.5 to 5 years, and
canine teeth get up also between 4 and 5.
At five all the bottom adult teeth are up and level ...
Foals are born with as many as 12 back teeth, milk teeth...
Speaking about teeth, horses who lose condition even though the feed is good,
have bad teeth. If he takes a mouthful of feed, and instead of chewing and
swallowing it normally, he rolls it round in his mouth till it collects in a sodden
which he then drops from his mouth without swallowing any;
If he slobbers when feeding; if he shows pain when feeding, like holding his head
one side, it is a safe guess to think of checking him for teeth damage, and to say
has teeth trouble. A horse that leaves grain and eats grass, does this because
hard grain hurts him. Look inside his mouth, the teeth giving the trouble should
be visible. The main cause of trouble in young horses is defective shedding of the
As the permanent teeth rise to replace them, they become jammed together
complications, and noticeable and severe pain when chewing plus occasional
cheeks and gums. Try to remove the troublesome baby tooth with forceps. With an
older horse you get trouble with different levels in the teeth, due to wear on them
chewing, producing sharp edges on some of the teeth and a cutting edge
on the molars. These can get so long that they cut the tongue or cheeks and
feeding. Use a gag [mouth opener] to keep the horses mouth open, while you rasp
file the sharp edges off any long molars.
When the permanent teeth replace the baby teeth in the first five years, the
coming through the gum eats away the root of the baby tooth which should fall
But this does not occur on some occasions, probably because of the hand feeding
he gets, away from the natural paddock conditions. . .
So we have the task of removing these obstinate teeth, usually this is not too hard
the roots are nearly gone. For instance in a two and a half year old horses
if you look you can see the center two teeth bulging a bit, and above and up
them the pernament teeth coming through, forcing through to their allotted
Feel the baby teeth to check for looseness. A pair of dentist type forceps are the
to use, to pull a loose tooth. It is possible to assist nature to insure the old front
leave, as their replacement time comes due, providing they are loose.
A gag is handy, to look at the horses teeth .
While checking the two and a half year old look at his grinders, [ back teeth pre
baby teeth.] You should see a molar or two coming up under the baby teeth, and
These baby teeth can be pulled when they loosen enough to go
Sometimes young horses damage their gums, by ripping out the top center teeth.
gum gets torn, possibly the bone broken, and the teeth injured. If allowed to go
untreated, fibres of food and grass become embedded in the gum wound, the result
infection in the jaw . If the part injured is loose and moveable with the fingers,
the piece or it may become a lump, and produce an infected discharge. Or
possibly, it may become cancerous.
If the damage is close to the roots of the milk teeth, the adult teeth will come
through in their due time. If you remove the piece of gum, bone etc, feed him
on bran and young green food nothing else.
Wash out the mouth daily, to clean the wound, with salty water.
When you break your young horse in, you are going to damage his mouth on the
inside, between his teeth and cheeks. Probably the inside of his cheeks will get
bruised. You see a bridle bit presses the cheeks onto the first bottom back teeth,
makes the horse sour, and leaves cuts which can become abscesses on the cheeks,
To avoid this while the horse is being taught to trust man, his first back tooth
bottom jaw, either side can have the sharp outside edge filed back. To prevent the
cutting his cheeks severely when he is being mouthed, use the above discussed
. While you are in his mouth feel the outside edges of his back teeth for sharp
top outside edges, and bottom inside edges, can and may, get very sharp. As he
food his cheeks are pressed against these cutting edges, and it makes feeding
Get yourself a horse tooth rasp and borrow a gag and trim the sharp edges back
to teeth level, as felt by finger or seen with a torch.
WHEN FEEDING YOUR ANIMALS, APPROXIMATE MEASURES..
1x20 litre Drum of Pollard holds about 8 kg or 18 lbs old weights pounds..
1x20 litre drum of Bran equals 5.4 kg or 12 lbs,
1x20 litre drum of Wheat meal equals 11.3 kg or 25 lbs,
1x20 litre drum of Lucerne meal 5.45 kg or 12 lb .
20 litres is about equivalent to a 5 gallon drum.
1 Litre tin of Pollard = 454 grams or 1 lb Old weights.
1 = = Bran = 8 ounces or 227 grams
1 = = Wheat meal = 1 lb 8oz or 679 grams
1 = = Lucerne meal = 340 grams or 12 oz
1 = = Maize meal = 679 grams or 1 lb 8oz
1 = = Coconut meal = 454 grams or 1 lb
1 = = Linseed meal = 454 grams or 1 lb
1 = = Meat meal = 679 grams or 1 lb 8oz
1 litre is less than a quart, 1 quart is equivalent to 1136ml.
1 Cup holds approx. 10 ounces liquid or 284 ml.
1 Litre of Salt fine = 908 grams or 2 lbs .
1 litre of Maize cracked = 707 grams or 1 lb 9 oz.
1 litre of Oats = 566 grams or 1 lb 4 oz .
1 litre of Oaten chaff = 198 grams or 7 oz .
1 litre of Lucerne chaff = 141 grams or 5oz .
FEEDING A HORSE U.S.A.STYLE RACING OR HARNESS ..
They feed no cut up chaff, lucerne or otherwise, the bulk of
roughage is fed from a good range of improved pasture.
A horse in full hard work, will require 7 to 9 quarts of oats a day. Some are fed 3
times a day, others only twice.
The top measure, would be 3 quarts of oats per meal, at 3 meals a day. 1 cup of
sunflower seed with each meal, 1 cup of linseed meal plus 1 to 2 quarts of bran, 9
ONLY, for the day. Too much cracked corn can be harmful, give one cup cracked
2 pints = 1 quart. 4 quarts = 1 gallon or 4.5litres .
**** SALT LICK BLOCKS THAT HAVE MOLASSES ETC ARE USED OUT IN
WEST QUEENSLAND WHEN THE DROUGHT IS BAD, THE BLOCK
THE STARVING STOCK TO EAT OLD DRY USELESS GRASS AND BUSHES,
EVEN WIRE GRASS TO SURVIVE.......TRY IT ...****
SALT LICK BLOCKS. (***Don't allow water to mix with the SALT BLOCK it
become poisonous if the lick ferments in water.***)
Blocks are essential so they can get salt for their requirement, or otherwise
to two teaspoons a day, of fine salt may be added to the tucker.
FEEDING AUSTRALIAN RACEHORSES.. 1960's
Roughly the same applies in Australia. We fed the roughage in good quality
or wheaten chaff, in lieu of pasture roughage, up to 2 gallons per feed 3 times a
and 1 single handful of green lucerne . BEWARE too much lucerne chaff can
the wind and may cause kidney trouble.
1 double handful of chopped up carrots is a good idea. Should you feed barley boil
Never feed him barley, raw or untreated. A damped down feed, not wet, can be
using a spoon full of molasses mixed into the water. The dampening prevents
the horses lungs. Mix vitamins from your fodder store, I have used white E with
AS A DROVER WORKING IN DROUGHT, WE FED OUR HORSES..
As the horse was ridden every day at work.
To keep their strength up when the grass was scarce.
Feed him one 2 gallon bucket of chaff, 3 times a day, 2 to 3 quarts of oats with
meal. This will definitely keep him in working condition. Any suitable additives
small quantities will be a supplement to his diet. When horses are starving, they
trying to eat through the wires of fences and over them. They will be really
when they are peeling the bark off the trees. They become compacted in the
for this reason. The Australian whitewood tree is a drug. Should your horse get
this is a slow poisoning and very deadly to all animals, especially if it is wet.
On a small acreage, it may seem to you to have horse tucker, but it may only be
with weeds, such as stinken rodger, and maybe a hundred other inedible plants
palatable to a horse. The inexperienced eye would think their horse is on good
But perhaps it`s useless, frosted old last years grass, which after winter has no
protein, so at least a supplement of OATS, to me is a necessity. Remember oats
horses, too much can make him fractious, very lively, and too little is almost
Old Brownie he used to be, a station owners horse,
But here he was down in the town, on a quarter acre course.
He used to live away out west, as he told me with remorse,
But here he was on a city block, poor starving bloody horse.
A forty acre paddock, was the home he knew, past tense,
The dogs would come to yard him up, and he`d kick them o`er the fence.
In his quarter acre paddock, of grass he was bereft,
He`d get some lucerne hay, if five dollars they had left.
When he was young ten years ago, at least then in his prime,
He never went for tucker short, scrub mulga it was fine.
Brownie stood just fifteen hands, surefooted as a flea,
When you climbed aboard he sure could root, if he dropped his head you`d see .
You only had to rouse on him, and pull his head back up,
If you stopped him pigrooting, slim, this gelding wasn`t rough.
The hungry squatter sold his hide, to a horse meat buyer crude,
This squatter couldn`t bloody ride, he`d thrown the little dude.
His owner had walked home five miles, with a mean bad attitude,
Old brownie got the stockmen`s smiles, when he`d dropped the boss so shrewd.
The dogger took him in a float, it was a semi trailer,
Just him and a few burnt out plugs, dog meat to the can wholesaler.
The mighty Aussie dollar, his life did surely save,
The dogger thought him good enough, for the townie riders brave.
So that left him here my friend, no food for him to find,
The bark off trees might fill his gut, but would his stomach mind?
Now there was no more root in him, starvation saw to that,
Green feed might just a pigroot bring, poor tucker left him flat.
So when you see your city horse feed, through his quarter acre fence,
Yes mate he`s hungry for some grass, just use your common sense!
MINIMUM FEED OF OATS PER DAY ..
1 QUART ...1LITRE ...THREE TIMES A DAY FOR HEALTH
PROVIDING there is enough grass roughage in the paddock they
need plenty of roughage, also some protein which is lacking in old winter grass,
salt, give all vegetable peels and bread to him, to keep him alive.
As a small boy during a severe drought, in the town of Dirranbandi in western
Queensland. I met 2 Indians with pack horses, I enquired from these dark men.
Why their horses were so fat and ours were a bag of
bones. They said," We feed them, mate". I asked " What on?" The answer was, "
kangaroo and damper, plus the leaves of the mulga tree." ( Mulga trees, the grey
are 14 percent protein and pretty good tucker for horses, cattle, and sheep in a
Indigestible, rank sour or tainted food can cause stomach problems, eg gas and
in horses or hoven in cattle.
An ideal feed for the working horse is a concentrated combination of oats, bran,
and chaff, plus an armful of lucerne at night . The greenstuff supplies a vitamin
balance, just like you getting your vegies.
A rock salt lick is useful if he eats a little daily, helping the balance of his diet.
Give him bran about twice a week for laxative purposes, and try 4 ounces epsom
in one feed, for the same reason. Laxative food is necessary for sick horses, to
waste and gas from his system. Water your horse from a bucket or keep the
trough clean, changing the water regularly ...
Watch his bowels keep him warm and clean,
if he hasn`t had milk from his mother, start him on the
Cod liver oil, 1 teaspoon,
Paraffin oil 1 tablespoon,
Mix and shake well, warm the mixture to body temperature
and give through a bottle with a baby teat, about 227 ml or 8 oz at a feed [ half
every four hours or so. Remember to wash the bottle in hot water between feeds,
After 48 hours you can put him on a milk diet, for every five pints of milk
At three days give cows milk straight.
But it is VERY important to DISINFECT the bucket, bottle, etc between feeds,
SCOURS and problems will be there..
After a few weeks he`ll eat grass but keep up the milk and
try a little pollard, chaff, and oatmeal, and soft greens.
Scald the feed container clean every day...
You can teach the poddy foal to drink from a bucket by
letting him suck your fingers, and putting your hand into the milk to teach
CHEWING TREES, FENCES, AND SADDLERY, MANURE?
The cause a lack of mineral salts. Get a salt lick for your friend, and check his
mouth for teeth trouble .
Eating manure is common in horses, and most animals do some times. Some
eat their own manure leaving no trace in their stable, they come to no harm from
Limestone powder 1 tablespoon each feed or a molasses lick should help his
Crib biting is when the horse holds the manger with his teeth and stiffening
muscles of his neck, repeating this action every so often, for long and short
can develop into wind sucking, where the crib is no longer necessary and he just
his head and sucks air in until his flanks are distended. Young horses pick up the
quickly from a crib biter. If you suspect the horse you are buying may be one,
for his worn down front teeth. It is possible to stop him early in the crib biter
by feeding him in a tub on the ground, and removing what he chews on after his
This vice comes from boredom usually, or it can be due to stomach trouble eg.
bots, or worms. The habit once formed, stays. The side effect is it induces gastric
troubles and makes him restless.
Sometimes called lockjaw, this awful disease is prone to horse, sheep, and
Tetanus produces a powerful poison much stronger than snake venom, which
nervous system. Nail punctures can cause it in horse or man.
en causes spasms or stiffening of the muscles, and joints. In the early stages
The mouth will not open properly, and his tail pokes out like a pump handle.
TREATMENT DO GET THE VET..
Ticks are blood suckers; they look tiny and flat and come in many types .
They attach to their host and feed on him in three stages,
Larvae, nymphs and adults.
One of the main ones is the cattle tick, which first produces tick worry and
from sucking the animals blood and secondly conveys, from one beast to the next,
organisms of the very dangerous tick fever. Different parts of Australia, and in
Queensland and the Northern Territory, plus parts of New South Wales are
ticks. Ticks could be got rid of by dipping in a arsenic dilution over a 9 day
The blue tick is arsenic resistant. A dangerous side effect of arsenic is possible
poisoning of animals due to licking each other after dipping, or eating grass that
The dog tick will cause tick paralysis and finally death.
Appearing mainly on the coast, they need humidity to survive.
If your dog seems to have shaky back legs, and has trouble
standing, rush him to the VET..
How do you find what is wrong: Check the position of the lameness by
examination of the horse. Try to find the most likely cause. Determine the
of recovery and the best treatment. Lameness is usually caused by pain in some
of a leg be it in the muscle, tendon, ligament, bone, or nerve.
Sometimes a defect in the body makes for lameness, possibly a torn chest muscle,
abdominal muscle, even a broken rib. A break in the first rib, produces lameness
radial paralysis, where it is demonstrated by the front elbow near the broken rib
dropping lower in motion as the horse moves.
Have the horse led past you and check him over for unusual leg movement, try
walking, trotting, turning, twisting, backing, and moving the neck and head, to
the problem. A lame horse, while moving uses his head and neck as a levering
take the weight off the sore limb.
If he is lame at the front, he will lift his head when the lame leg comes to ground,
returning to natural neck position as the good leg hits the ground.
When he is lame in the rear leg, he will lower his neck, when the front leg
the lame hind leg comes down.
Now, is the lameness seen when moving or standing on it. A lame hoof touches
ground, noticeably softer in sound, on a hard surface. This identifies the leg to
Feel the suspect leg with your fingers and compare each leg
as you do so, for size and thickness, possible swellings.
Pick up his foot by the fetlock and check the bottom of the foot for possible injury,
it nail puncture or bruise, crack or splinter.Twist and squeeze each joint and part
suspect. Firmly grip each section of the leg that you examine, to get a sign of pain
the area, tap the hoof area lightly with a hammer. If no evidence comes of
check the shoulder by squeezing muscle and pulling the leg about.
While walking a horse, if he is slow to pick up his foot and move it forward, it
be a shoulder injury. Another shoulder injury is Sweeney paralysis of the
supra-scapular nerve; in this case the shoulder muscles waste away.
Rheumatism is a cause of lameness in all animals. When it is in the joints of our
Knee lameness is evident, after severe exercise and disappears with rest, seen
swelling at the knee of fluid.
Shin soreness is easily found, by rubbing the fingers down the shin or by pressing
Broken down or swollen tendons or ligaments, are seen by the swelling of them,
pain on squeezing them. Individual fibres of tendons can break just like in a rope,
when this happens the area gets thicker.
Fetlock lameness, is noticed as a swollen joint, and pain with any movement. Foot
lameness shows pain when tapped or squeezed.
Most lameness occurs in the front of the horse, legs or chest, and shoulder.
Lameness in shoulder, loin, muscle, and abdomen, come good with rest usually.
Muscular types of lameness are helped with a blister application.
Put him out to grass for six months to recover.
In the hindquarters some lameness injuries include:
Hips knocked down or a fractured pelvis, are very common in horses, and cattle.
point of the hip is damaged when rushing past a gate, or falling heavily, or
while being thrown or cast, ( pulled down ) possibly, after being kicked by other
horses, or hit by car etc, These types can produce breaks of the body of the hip,
BREAK SYMPTOMS PELVIS AND HIP ..
Pelvic breaks are as follows: Look for a lot of lameness, no symmetry or balance
between the two sides of the rump.
Sometimes the bones can be heard grating together, or felt
if you put your arm up the horses rectum.
Hip joint lameness is noticed by a hop in the stride, as that leg is moved. In stifle
lameness, the horse drags the toe in the forward step of a back leg.
Stringhalt when seen, is uncontrolled spasmodic movement of a rear leg, this
held up close to the body of the horse.
Seemingly immobile, suddenly it drops with a thud to the ground.
It is possible to have it in both back legs, where both back legs are jerked up,
the horse on his two front legs balanced, a very severe case.
It mainly occurs in paddocks, and is caused by eating herbage such as dandelion.
First remove your horses, and then eat the paddock out using cattle, or sheep.
your horse in a stable and keep him quiet and undisturbed. Stringhalt can be
worms and bots, so worming him is recommended.
Feed him on chaff, bran, lucerne hay, and green stuff. Add one pint of oats to
Drench with 14 grams or half an ounce of bromide of
potassium, in a quarter pint of water, twice daily.
1 tablespoon of fowlers solution in each feed ..
Bone spavin is hock trouble, which is producing chronic lameness.
And probably shows visible enlargement of the bony inside part of the hock,
Bogspavin is a bigger hock joint, because of increased production of joint oil,
by hard work or damage, or working animals when they are too young.
It looks bad but does no harm, it may eventually clear up, mild lameness does
This is a bump on the back of the hock, where the tendons join the hock,
stays for awhile then it passes, harmless.
These are a swelling of the leg above the fetlock joint, hose this swelling, and
massage it with cold water 15 minutes daily, bandage the area.
OVER-REACHING CUTTING AND BRUSHING..
These things can happen when you are breaking in a horse, or after putting
your horse. Sometimes the hoof of one foot hits another leg or part. Brushing is
the back or front hoof, over reaches and strikes the fetlock of another leg.
This can cause injury, protect his legs with fetlock boots . Shoe him very close to
inside, and grind that part of the shoe back a bit, that strikes the fetlock. Tie
around the pastern, [ fetlock ] to make him step wider to avoid hitting himself .
Very common in trotters, damage to the inside of the hock or knee.
Caused by hitting with one of the other feet. Try lacing a boot under the knee or
or over the striking foot.
Fit the horse shoe of the striker hoof close, and bevel it on the inside, or weight
shoe, to alter the action of the horse.
If the back hoof toe over reaches hitting the heel of the front hoof, it may
the front shoe, or badly injure the front heel. Alter the front shoe, to make it
Fix the back shoe also, make it heavier, and fit the toe of the shoe a quarter inch
under the foot. Try heel boots over the injury area.
Is a crack in the hoof wall, vertical to look at in the foot but not reaching the
of the hoof, or the fetlock.
If the crack goes deep, it can be inflamed and may produce a discharge.
appears with blood coming from the crack, because of the flexing of the foot and
crack opening and shutting. Very painful for the horse.
Try to keep the crack from opening any further to encourage healing, insert
horse shoe nails across the crack to bind it together, clinching them to hold the
Or burn one or two grooves above, and below the crack, and bevel out the edges of
crack . Do not burn through the horn of the foot to avoid causing further injury.
Try taking the pressure off the crack by paring the sole and wall below it. Keep
horse shod and apply a blister to the hoof injury site. With a crack coming up
hoof sole , use similar treatment for this quarter crack type or perhaps groove
and take the corners off the split sole area, Use nails if possible to clamp the hoof
Is the separation of the hoof horn layers, outer and inner, and the
the affected area into a grey or black substance, which falls out leaving a cavity in
hoof. This hollow can be found by tapping the hoof wall .
This can be a side effect of laminitis [ fever of the feet ].
If possible remove the damaged area and keep the horse shod, then blister the
may take a few months to cure.
Lameness occurs in bad cases of this problem.
This is a bruise on the heel of the sole of the foot, between the frog and the
the hoof. Probably caused by bruising, jars, or a bad fitting shoe, perhaps too short
If lameness occurs cut back the area of the corn exposing the bruised or decayed
and remove all discolored tissue and use antibiotics to heal the wound.
Is discharge of pus usually above the hoof, its only escape route except the
band area . Quittors can be caused by nail punctures, pricks or bruised soles, plus
injuries to the coronet, [ at the very top of the hoof ] which may go untreated until
see it in this stage. Pus forms at the injury site, and looks for an exit at the top of
hoof where the foot softens.
Before quittor forms, there is a lot of pain plus swelling at the top of the hoof,
hot. At this stage if possible find the injury site and let the pus out, rather than
bring on an abscess at the coronet . If the damage is on the coronet try blistering .
Blister it to retard the pus development .
When quittor is happening it is necessary that you help the pus to exit, the pus
be in a pocket below the exit site.
Again you can, in some cases thin the sole of the foot to allow the pus to drain
It may also be necessary to remove the horn from the seat of the injury to the
coronet, and open the pus formation. Rasp back the affected area very thin from
top to bottom, then inject Cocaine into the nerves of the pastern . Throw the horse
apply a tourniquet to the leg. Remove the horn covering the infection. Do not
the coronet, treat it as a wound .
This is a frog disease The frog discharges a black smelly substance and also
away . Caused by what the horse stands in irritating his foot, be it manure or
Clean thoroughly, with a stiff brush, the injury site, and remove any horn covering
diseased parts. Then lower the heels of this hoof to bring the frog in contact with
Try a mix of tannic acid and vinegar, or alum
water daily painted on the frog area. Continue to remove dead horn from the frog
area,and put a shoe on him .
This is a bad one, catch early if possible, it is eczema of the horn which makes a
cheesy substance and causes lameness. It may start in the frog and it will spread
sole and the wall of the foot, try to remove the diseased areas and burn with a hot
the exposed diseased flesh,lightly, treat it as a wound.
Inside the foot are two bones, the foot bone or pedal, and behind it the
bone or shuttle bone. The navicular is behind the joint of the foot bone, and makes
of the joint to the foot. It can become inflamed and lameness occurs , this one is
probably hard to pick . It gets sore after work and comes good with a spell .
There was no cure. Try a blister on area of the hoof top.
Good for sprains, tip into a gallon container the following :
56 ml or 2 ounces ammonia ,
56 ml or 2 ounces oleic acid ,
112 ml or 4 ounces ammonium chloride,
112 ml or 4 ounces methyl salicylate stirred into 340 ml or 12 ounces of
Add water and shake well, fill the container for one gallon of liniment, which will
ready to use in a few days.
Use on sprains, bruises, shoulder galls, sore necks and mastitis. . . .
HANDY METHOD FOR DRENCHING A HORSE FOR MOST WORMS OR
PARASITES. ( BUT NOT FOR BOTS.)
Remove water from the horse for at least 12 hours, or after you have had a
days riding, so a thirsty horse will drink readily of the mixture .
Dissolve one knob of recketts blue in two gallons of water, and leave it until the
drinks his water medicine.
Possibly is caused by bruising to the withers of the horse or an infection with
germs from a cows contagious abortion. A blood test may prove the abortion
type exists on the withers of the horse, or possibly elsewhere on the animal.
Cow abortion contagious and fistula can go together.
Two kinds of fistula occur on the withers; running fistula, and blind fistula. The
ones burst and become running fistulas.
They can break out both sides of the withers and release a sticky pus discharge.
If not busted, blind fistula can be a swelling, hard or soft with fluid apparent
. If near bursting, open it with a wide cut across the length of the swelling, to
as much as possible of the decaying matter, and fill it with antibiotic powder . .
Or use a blister of cantharides, or iodine, do not use red mercury blister as they
Inflammation of the joints the same as we get can happen in any animal. In
and lambs it is common, through microbes that cause erysipelas in pigs. Lambs
after being marked, picked up where sheep camp by the fresh
wounds. It may be preventable if the campsites are fenced off, when marking your
The horse looks drugged, and sleeps on his feet, and has a yellow discharge
his nose and eyes. His breathing is heavy and slow. If you drive him his head
up but his back leg, will drag its fetlock wearing the toe down on the hoof.
If trotted he will sway and fall, some recover in a week, some will die, but the
hoof action stays with the back legs. Caused by a plant called
Get rid of the poisonous plant .
Symptoms puzzling. The horse is lame one day in this leg, and lame in another
within days. Sometimes rheumatism is blamed. Rest improves it temporarily and
happens again. To be sure he has the disease check his head. His face may be
swollen,the hollows along side his nose are gone. Feel the teeth sockets on the
jaw the bone seems bulgy and bumpy. A dangerous disease for the horse, death
Give daily 568 ml or 1 pint cod liver oil, and carbonate of lime 1 cup of, and
Horses get this disease after being put to work after a rest. It happens to race
in a mild form, sometimes. They may get worked hard after a restful weekend, or
few days off. Often it occurs on a very hot day, though it can even occur on a cold
Sultry weather seems to be its favourite time .
After being worked for a mile or so, he begins to stumble and cramps get him in
loins or croup. He also sweats a lot and soon has trouble moving. When seen his
is blood or coffee coloured. This is a definite symptom, and if its very severe he
go down, and have paralysis.
It is caused by two things, feed and work combined. Rich feed and no work for
a few days, and then fast exercise can create the trouble in an hour or so in most
horses. So to be safe, no work, no grain and a lighter feed should do it for him.
Give him a purge, with 1 grain of arecolin injected under the skin, which will
him inside one hour. Drench him with 1 pint of castor oil, or an azoturea drench.
goes down and can`t rise, he may die without treatment.
Those that stay upright, who sweat or stiffen up, can recover, usually sweating
can be covered with a rug to keep the sweating going.
This can be a fracture of the spine in horses, he looks as though he is paddling
his front legs, the back ones don`t move. Put him down usually, but check with
Probably caused by backing into a wall or fence, when pulling back, slamming
hindquarters. It is seen as a loss of coordination in the back legs, or the front legs.
legs seem a bit splayed and unsteady, common in the young horse.
No pain, but poor balance when he walks, a similar symptom to osteoporosis,
displaced spinal vertebrae and nerve
pinching. [ See your vet ! ]
TREATMENT OF BROKEN BONES, PELVIS..
Use a splint or plaster to above and below the nearest joints in a leg, to
When treating a break restrict the movement of the horse as much as possible,
To reduce the fracture as much as possible and set the limb, gently move the limb
its normal position. Then apply the splints made of wood or bark or any human
material. Try to align the bone properly for a better result in the end.
Apply pressure to the splints with bandages, to keep alignment of the bones right.
skin of a horse is easily damaged, so check the pressure areas daily. Shift the
points to avoid skin damage, and then re splint again. A horse sling is often used
stop a horse lying down, as he can damage the break further when he struggles to
Pelvis breaks are fairly common in horses, recognised by the unevenness of
sides of the pelvis, as they are seen from the rear.
One side is up or down, or possibly narrower than its opposite side. Lameness is
If a hip joint is not involved in the injury, recovery is usually fairly quick, with the
horse back to normal again. Apply a pitch plaster over the pelvis, it can relieve
pain and supports the area.
Include the following mixture, one part of pitch, to two parts of stockholm tar,
mixture is heated to thin it till its hot, then apply it, paint it across the back and
strips of rag or gauze, then paint again over the top, repeat for several layers in a
like manner, to give it strength . After you are finished paint liberally over the
product, and pour dry sand over it or dirt, to make the surface firm. Your plaster
sit like a small saddle over the spine above the pelvis. Leave it on for six
weeks, healing should be evident by then. To remove it, apply vaseline or grease
to between the skin and the plaster edge .
This a growth of granulations caused by some constant irritation, starting from
sore or crack, it develops into a large mass of flesh which bleeds often and is
flies constantly. It is probably caused by the flies larvae, or nematode worms,
carried by the flies, getting into the wound and irritating it.
Try benzol on the wound, to kill the worm larvae, and paint the wound with
absorbine 3 times a week. If the wound is well raised above the surface of the
cut the flesh away level with the skin and treat as above mentioned Also you can
this method, into the cancer smear arsenic paste, [ once supplied by chemists
and cover with brown paper wadding and a sticking plaster cover. Tie him up all
to stop him rubbing it off. REPEAT every three days until the growth is burnt
TO HEAL.. Paint on a pitch plaster or coal tar, keep the flies away with vaseline
insect repellent around the wound.
CURES FOR SWAMP CANCER , SITFAST, ETC..
OBSERVATIONS OF A BUSHMAN, LISTING INJURY CAUSES AND A
CURE FOR SWAMP CANCERS, SETFAST, AND OLD INJURIES FROM THE
SADDLE, CAUSED BY LUMPY SADDLES IN THE COUNTERLINING, OR
SPREADING OF THE TREE BENEATH THE POMMEL OF THE SADDLE,
These injuries can be caused by people that ride rigid in the saddle, they who
move with the stride of the horse.
The difference is, half the people have a death grip style, hold on the saddle and
The better way is balanced riding, with a light hand on the reins, and to ride in
with the horse. Called free and easy style ..
This style is less likely to cause scabby backed horses. Repetition of the same
injuries, will eventually cause proud flesh or sitfast, gangrene, etc, and thickened
tissue from old injuries.
First use warm COAL TAR, not STOCKHOLM TAR. Swab on once a week, it
eat out the dead flesh. Also use coal tar on a horse that has a thickened fetlock
stake or injury, that has thickened up with scar tissue. I`m not referring to newly
animals, only the scar tissue from old injuries, keep painting it on and the
will be reduced to normal, you will notice the blister on the skin every time until
scar tissue is removed. The fetlock becomes normal again. A very determined
should be made as some cases take longer than others, to bring about a
It occurs in horses and hereford cattle. Grey horses suffer from melanotic
on the rump. Eye cancer starts on the haw of the eye like a pimple, and grows to
size of a pea. A discharge develops which attracts flies. After awhile it attacks the
eyelid or eye ball, eventually attacking the bone around the eye. Remove it early
quickly to avoid cancer of the eye.
This disease is noticed by the colour of the eye white, now yellow and by
bile stained tissues at the mouth.
Caused by disease of the liver and blockage of the bile duct, with fever also
Drench with 568 ml or 1 pint paraffin with 28 gram or 1oz each of chalk,
soda bicarb, with 7 ml or 1/4 ounce each of bismuth, sal, glucose and mucilage.
Feed on greenstuff, hay, boiled grain, bran and chaff, or what he fancies most .
He is usually healthy for about 3 days then jaundice sets in and death follows.
problem a lack of red blood cells.
Pick a healthy horse, draw a little blood from him into a bottle, add about 1
Do the same with the mother, put it in another bottle, test the donors sample,
the dams serum to be sure that agglutination does NOT occur, Get the hospital,
to check it. If suitable take two litres of blood from the donor and citrate it. Take
1500cc of blood from the foal and dispose of it. Now put into the foal, per the
vein the donors 2 litres of blood.
CASTING A HORSE .THROWING..
The necessary gear may be a strong halter, a strong neck rope, one throwing
50 foot long, 2 small side ropes 20 foot long, and a sandbag.
The sandbag is to place over the horses neck when he is down, to stop him
his head about, and trying to get up.
The idea is to have weighted bags, each side of the neck of the horse to pin his
Throw him in a small yard. Tie the center of the throwing rope, using it
around the lower neck of the horse, use a non slipping knot, eg a bowline knot, to
the collar. Tie some of his mane to the collar, to stop the loop from being thrown
the horse, if he moves his head quickly. The two collar ropes are brought between
front legs, down the inside of the hind legs, and around both of the back fetlocks
back up through the collar. Have strong men pull on both of the ropes, to fall the
onto his haunches. Then roll him onto his side, and place your sandbag on his
Strap one front fetlock, by looping a strap or rope around the fetlock twice, bend
knee and strap the fetlock back to the same leg, forearm. This restrains one front
Adjust the top collar rope, to move his back hoof just forward of his stifle, the rope
tied in a bow and let go soon.
Tie a small rope in place on the bottom back fetlock, this rope is passed under the
and back to the hoof on the topside rear fetlock, holding firmly the two rear back
up against the horses stomach, do it while rolling him on to his back.
Strap the other front leg to its mate around the shins. Tie the back legs
the front legs, and make sure the rope under the back of the horse, is in front of
stifle. Have one man hold his head, now you are ready to operate.
CASTRATING YOUR HORSE. 1950's. STYLE.....
Have these items ready, a castrator, knife, artery forceps,
clean rags, iodine, and a container of boiled water for the
castrator, plus a bucket of boiled water cooling down, with some added dettol.
The man operating must be clean, with hands disinfected.
Clean the area you intend to operate on, but not inside the sheath. Smear the
will cut with iodine. Hold one testicle firmly by the cord, your hand squeezed in
it and make a cut the length of the testicle, with the line of the body. Cut through
layers till you expose your target.
Pull the testicle through gently, and examine it. You will see a mass of blood
one end attached, and another thinner support containing two tubes. Cut
thin part, and put the emasculator on the blood vessels section, with the cutting
the testicle and crush the cord. Don`t hurry. Keep it on for a few minutes.
Apply the artery forceps above the emasculator on the cord.
These help to hold the cord, and stop retraction of the cord as you release the
emasculators, so you can check the crushing to see if it is effective. The smaller
you cut through were the tendons of the muscle that draws the testes up.
Remove the emasculator but leave the artery forceps in place.
Take out the second testicle through a second cut, and use the same action,
emasculator slowly, so as not to start the bleeding. If bleeding occurs with the
off, put the forceps back on the bleeder, to halt bleeding. Wash out the wound
with disinfected water, previously boiled, using clean rags to remove blood.
If finished apply olive oil into and around the purse.
Some variations are, garden lime in the purse, and an optional cut between the
in the purse, for drainage purposes.
BUSH VERSION WITHOUT EMASCULATORS..
Have an open fire going with pieces of iron heating to red hot. Have an
bring the hot iron to you, then sear off the sections of the cords with the veins in
Don`t hurry do a good job of sealing them. Pick up the hot iron with fencing pliers,
horse shoe pincers or such. Treat as above .
Bushmen Stockmen and Drovers have calf cut horses over the years using only
pocket knife. A quick job with the horse let up almost immediately to trot away.
The trotting was said to have helped the healing process. Most of them survived
When the testicle is small and hard to reach, cut through where you would
and the testicle will be seen covered with his tunic. Hold it and cut through the
expose the testicle and operate in the above suggested manner.
The artery forceps are handy to bring down a testicle, by pulling its tunic or its
gently. The wound heals quicker if it doesn`t bleed much, and there is less
Bleeding wounds also heal usually, but death can occur and a few horses die .
After a week open the purse and drain any fluid build up. Disinfect the area
have the horse given exercise. Chase him around to drain his purse, to promote
healing. The sheath may swell up large, lance it on both sides to drain it of fluid.
One or both testicles may fail to come down from the bowels . If neither testis
down, he cannot usually breed but with one down in the normal area, yes he can.
Hidden testicles are best left to the Vet, as it is a dangerous operation at any
CHLOROFORMING YOUR HORSE 1950s.
Use a sponge saturated in chloroform , to dose him. Use up to 85 grams or 3oz
it. While pulling him up to a post, hold a small bag over his nose with the sponge
the bottom up against his nose. He will struggle and become drunk and fall over.
Stretch him out with leg ropes.
After one minute, remove the sponge and put 28 grams or 1oz more on it, place it
to the nostrils but do not stop some airflow to him, as he must get it mixed with
If undiluted, the vapour can stop his heart or breathing. Watch his eye as the
His eye rolls back and forth, the rolling stops and he is under. Check his
constantly. Slow and regular is ok.If it becomes shallow or stops, remove the bag
quickly to give him air and artificial respiration if necessary.
As he comes out of it his eye will roll a bit and focus again and stop. Help him up
he will be still drunk and unstable, and will need balance and your support .
Most people would like to stitch wounds in horses. Some wounds will heal
naturally, without stitching. Wounds where there is movement don`t hold stitches
On a site where there is little movement of the skin, insert a few deep strong
retain the wound edges properly in shape, plus small stitches to pull the edges
Leave a drainage gap at the low end of the wound, for any discharge .
If stitching, restrain the animal properly by crush or rope.
Local anaesthetic can be injected between the skin and the flesh at the wound
available. Move in 1 inch steps and give a few drops. Move another inch around
wound and inject again etc. You insert the needle in the wound opening, between
and the flesh or meat. This method is fairly painless, do it all around the wound
border. Be sure the wound is clear of any foreign matter, hanging flaps of skin if
too large, remove them. Clean the wound, wash it with peroxide use one part
to five parts water. Try small packing needles for stitching, get stitching thread
chemist, soak thread and needle in disinfectant.
Start your work, stitch the wound together. Start at the centre and select where
should pull it together. Start 1 inch in from the cut edge, and pull together loosely,
tieing bows, for later adjustment. Put all the stitches in and readjust the edges
Untie, tighten and retie, of the individual stitch bow knots. Have a small
soaked rag in the lower drain hole, that can be pulled out in a few days to help
Bronchitis, pleurisy, congestion of the lungs, and pneumonia and other chest
troubles are found in all animals.
They can lead to fatal pneumonia, caused sometimes by a neglected cold, or being
in a cold wind or draft. Also caused by drenching down the windpipe, quite often
to the animal. Influenza can become pneumonia.
Racehorses sometimes get it after a hard race, and die within three days. Acute
pneumonia is very quick to start and to kill horses, after over exertion.
The first noticeable symptoms are : off his tucker, standing very quiet, faster
breathing, temperature up to 105 degrees plus he appears sick.
If the disease has properly developed, don't bleed him. Give him salty enemas,
gallon three times a day, the mix 1 cup of salt to 4 gallons of water .
Rug him and keep him out of the wind, feed him good tucker, while he eats he can
possibly recover . Give him 10 drops each of the following, tincture of aconite, fluid
extract of nux vomica, plus fluid extract of digitalis, mix with some honey . Give
every four hours onto his tongue, at the back of it. Keep going until the fever
Also try 7 ml of potassium iodine, in the drinking water bucket. Dose him
daily, plus 3 ml of quinine in honey on the tongue twice a day. Glucose on the feed
also helps him. What ever glucose he will take, will warm him and build
Another mixture is as follows, 28 ml or 1 oz potassium iodine dissolved in a
of water, with 1 oz of quinine bisulphate stir well. It will make 8 doses ,so give 1
every 3 hours with 1 teaspoon of fluid extract of nux vomica per dose, on the
Don`t use all of the mixtures specified together. They are
separate treatments. After 8 doses miss a day to avoid a drug
overdose and side effects.
Foals can get it. They can appear sleepy or be comatose showing some of the
symptoms. Auromycin, given 500mg in the vein daily, can cure .
Its symptoms are weakness, high temperature, swollen legs, and the white of
eye can be reddish, and sometimes a bit yellow jaundiced. liver trouble. Rested
nursed by you, he should recover. If worked hard, or in acute
cases, pneumonia strikes with death ahead.
Enemas twice daily, of salty water a total of 4 gallons, OR 18 litres and use
drenches, diuretic powders, and sulfamide drugs.
The sulfa drugs are good for all infections of a horse such as colds, flu, pneumonia,
[ OLD STYLE ] SULFA DRUGS DOSAGE..
1 ounce solid = 28.3 grams
Try sulfanilamide internally to treat the above conditions under pinkeye
Dose him 1 grain per pound of body weight a day, eg, if a horse weighs 1000
give him 1000 grains every 24 hours. 1000 grains is nearly 2 ounces, so give 2
ounce each 2 times daily till you get improvement in the horse.
Give it in a drench to the stomach mixed with bicarbonate of soda, an equal
If it is a bad case, in a grown horse give 3 ounces, the first 2 days and come back
2 ounces, from day 3 on till improvement occurs. Don't use epsom salts, or any
by product at the same time, or sulpha poisoning may happen. Too much
sulphanilamide can cause death. It causes anaemia plus swelling of the kidneys
kill the red blood cells. Check his temperature twice a day and compare
If it rises 2 degrees in a day you are giving too much to him. Stop using it on him
One skin disease is called Aphis. It is a form of eczema and can be caused by
eating leguminous plants, that have been exposed to the sun and its ultraviolet
It can effect horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The white skin turns purple, gets
and itchy and serum oozes through the skin. The effect, yellow scabs over the area
hair loss. Sheep suffer terribly from this eczema on the face and ears and jaundice
Provide shade for the animal in daylight, keep them off the legumes and try
the white skin, by using a mixture of soot and oil or fat, or painting with condys
liquid or blue lotion or other stains. (condys crystal was used as a snake bite
remedy in the 1950s by drovers and stockmen . After applying a tornaquet
bite the bite holes were opened and the venom sucked out . Then a grain of
crystal was applied to each bite hole. One poison counteracted the other?)
If suffering the disease use blue lotion, solid absorbine ,
liniment, oil, vaseline, and definitely zinc oxide cream .
And try knob blue water, red ochre, or other stains.
Around the fetlocks after collar roping, you can have rope burns from our
struggling horse, or damage to fetlocks when he gets tangled when tethered out on
grass. If the fetlock has a blister on it, do not bust it for 2 days or more, it
Put on soothing liniment every day or zinc cream or talcum powder and olive
to heal, or perhaps tannic acid, picric acid solution, and carrion oil respectively .
Something in the ear? It may be sand, grass, seeds, or insects or even eczema
causing the itch or tickle.
It is spotted when your horse shakes his head or scratches his ear, the ear may
discharge coming from it.
Peroxide full strength from the bottle, after clearing his ear of any rubbish
soapy water. Clear any wax away, and put in a glycerine and belladonna
mixture, or basalm of gilead, brown greasy heel ointment, or olive oil.
If there is a discharge, try a piric acid solution followed by one of the glycerine etc
remedies directly above this variation.
Affecting mainly dogs, it can attack the heels of horses. In dogs it may be
weeping, or dry and scaly try picric acid solution, iodine, or sulphur ointment.
Worms can do the horse harm in various ways such as:
By sucking the blood making anaemia and weakening the animal they also eat
surface of the bowel allowing poisonous microbes into the system, the horses
resistance drops. Worms make their own poisons which get into the system, and
horses condition falls back. The worm larvae burrows through the system getting
all of the organs, through the blood, lymph, kidneys, liver, and lungs, making it
for diseases to get into the system. Worms upset digestion, producing gastric
and near starvation. Keep the worms out of horses for very good healthy animals.
is less likely also. The main worms are stomach worms
who make lumps or tumors in the stomach walls, and gastrophi lilus or bots [
see.] In the small intestine we have round worms and tapeworms. Large intestine
red worms and pin worms. In the stomach thread worms make fibre like tumors
large and round containing a nest of worms.
If these turn into abscesses, a hole develops in the stomach which bursts,
deadly peritonitis which can kill him. Bot bombs can help if it doesn`t get to the
peritonitis stage. There can be a large white worm a few inches long in the small
intestine. If there are many, chronic catarrh of the bowels may occur, or diarrhoea
foals. Sometimes they can cause a stoppage and block bowel action, and cause a
colic which can kill. Kick the worms out with bot bombs.
The bowel can have two dangerous worms the small red worm and the large
worm who looks like a large pin. If heavily infested with either or both worms
cause a fatal fever. During early stages of these worms the larvae of the
lives in the large arteries near the big one the aorta. They weaken the walls of
arteries and make large growths in
them and can cause colic which sometimes kills the horse. If enough damage
an artery he may bleed to death. So if he suffers colic often suspect worm
and treat him for it. See your local vet or vet product supplier.
So....worm your horse mate!!
A PRE WORMING PURGE DRENCH..
Prior to worming it may help to purge your horse before or during the worming
castor or linseed oil plus some of these, turpentine 56 ml or 2 ounces, and
grams, mixed with the oil and put in his stomach, by drenching him with about
of the mixture. < Do not purge mares that are heavy with foal. >
AN OLD PURGE VARIATION ..
Give every day for a week ,the daily dose:
sulphate of iron exsiccated 14 grams,
mixed as a drench in 1 pint of water with treacle.
The one to worry about is the strongyles type in the large bowel. The larvae
the trouble. Hatching from their eggs, they bore through the bowel into the glands
the blood vessels. So tumors or abscesses may develop in the vital organs, and the
large arteries of the stomach and deprive him of a healthy life. Sometimes holed
let him bleed to death . It can happen as early as 4 months of age so get in early
stop the strongyles. Country that horses live in is infested with worm eggs, on the
Worm the mare a week after she foals and every few months that follow. Our foal
be wormed at 3, 6, and 9 months old. To treat both for worms give her 4 grams of
phenothiazine in a meal, every day for 3 weeks in each month.
As the foal grows and eats it with the mother he gets dosed too. If you feed him
give him 2 grams per meal a day
for 3 weeks. Continue on past the weaning process giving separate doses of 2
phenothiazine to the mare and foal.
BOT TREATMENT FOR FOALS..
Put in milk 15cc of carbon bilsulphide, given as a drench, if he will not drink it
use the stomach tube drench method.
Bots are larvae maggots laid by bot or gad flies with 3 varieties of them
the nose, the throat, and the
common bot fly. They can cause inflammation and colic plus
abscesses which can become peritonitis. Our horse looks
emaciated and hidebound. Bots live in the stomach for around 10 months and
parasitic life is finished. They come out with the manure, then they bury
the soil and come out a few weeks later as bot flies to start the circle again.
The fly lays his eggs on the horses hair, different types lay in their selected areas.
deposit eggs on jowl or neck and some prefer legs. Each egg is laid singly on the
hairs. Depending on the weather or the sweat, hatching periods vary. They can
the horse hair a long time unhatched .
When larvae hatch from the eggs licked up by the horse. They get into the
of the lips tongue and gums and stay for about 4 weeks and moult. Returning to
mouth they are swallowed and when in the stomach they attach to the walls .
Prevent the eggs from getting into your horse. When you see them, bath the bot
they look like little yellow balls on horse hair ] with hot water. This makes the
hatch, and the bots are washed away .
Bot larvae get into the horses mouth in several ways, being licked up falling
food etc. On reaching the stomach, anal bots live for some time in the stomach,
go and move to the rectal wall. Other bots can attach to the intestine past the
and block the liver duct upsetting the bile duct, causing liver problems and
Bots are a nuisance to the horse, firstly as an irritating fly laying its eggs. He
caused to bolt wildly by the fly, and secondly the larvae cause stomach trouble in
Bot paste from your vet supplier, worm him every few months.
Double strength flukure 30 to 50 cc,
or carbon tetrachloride and paraffin,
or single strength 50 to 100 cc carbon bisulphide,
in capsules 4 to 8 drams used as a ball on the back of the tongue.
On the outside of a horse you can apply liniments, poultices, blisters, foments
ointments. Inside; by a needle into a vein or under the skin, with a suitable
a paste on the back of the tongue; powders mixed with drinking water, or feed,
balls put on the back of the tongue; or by drenching with a stomach tube or
in. When you give an injection be sure the area you needle is clean. Paint the spot
iodine before putting the needle in.
Fill the needle, without air bubbles, over full, and squirt back the excess till you
the correct mils level in the syringe. Put the needle in and wait till he stops
and draw back with the syringe plunger to check if you are in a blood vessel, if
not drawing back blood, inject the mixture. In horses and cattle inject in the side
the neck, or behind the shoulder. After injecting rub with a downward movement
assist the spreading of a big injection of fluid. Poultices are made from mixing
bread, linseed, etc with boiling water plus a few drops of disinfectant, as hot as
animal can stand, secured in place and left 24 hours on the horse. Foments,
water or blankets wrung out in hot water, and put over an affected area which
the flow of new blood through the affected area .
PHYSIC BALLS, AS THEY WERE IN THE FIFTIES..
Physic balls come in sizes between 2 and 6 .
Give a racehorses yearling size NO 2
a 2 and a half year old NO 2 1/2
aged or light barrel type NO 3
aged but solid horse NO 3 1/2
draught horses vary from NO 4 1/2 to 6
BY HORSE TYPE 2 yrs 3 yrs 4 yrs plus . . .
Hack and thorough bred 2.5 3 4
GIVING THE PHYSIC BALLS TO OUR HORSE..
First get another person to hold his head firmly by a halter and possibly by one
make the ball slippery by spitting on it. Pull the horses tongue out and hold it in
corner of his mouth. This keeps the horses mouth open a little while. Place the
the back of the tongue, from between your extended fingers, behind the thick part
back of the tongue. Let go of his tongue and pull your hand out quickly. While
his mouth shut you can watch his neck for a sign of the ball, slipping down the
side of his neck into his gullet. If you have a gag use it.
A HOME MADE BALLING GUN..
Use a piece of hose rubber or polythene, large and long enough to pass the ball to
back of his tongue. Push it through with a stick or something suitable. Remember
must pull his tongue out to its extended position, to be successful, or the ball can
THESE OLD BUSH REMEDIES ARE ONLY INCLUDED
AS A MATTER OF INTEREST, OF HOW IT WAS 50 YEARS
AGO . OLD TECHNOLOGY WILL NOT REPLACE THE NEW.
HORSE PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS FROM THE 1950's
If a Drover's horse wouldn't stand still for the Drover to get on him. (Or if the
that might kick strike or bite you when you tried to get on him.)
The horse was tied up to a tree with a stout halter, tied to a tree 5 feet off the
ground so he couldn't step
over the halter rope, and throw himself.
Then a pair of hobbles was fitted to his front fetlocks. ( Or with the vicious one a
to one fetlock. Then the hobble chain was passed around the other fetlock and the
strap was fastened to the first
fetlock above the other strap. ) Now the drover could mount and his mate could
take the hobbles off this
Done a few times the horse learned to stand to let the drover on .
If a horse refuses to move forward. Tie its head to one side and bump it on the
making it walk in circles. Do this on both sides until the horse is quite happy to
REARS OVER ONTO THE RIDER
The Drover held a horse down, after that horse had reared over on top of him . He
ground, every time it did so. The horse learned not to rear over.
CATCH A BRUMBY OR UNBROKEN HORSE
Two riders chase the horse they want to catch at the gallop, they are mounted on
sure of foot and wind. These horses have been worked hard and
conditioned and are ready for the chase. Then together these riders gallop up on
selected horse. Now when the horse is pinned between the two horsemen on the
a stirrup leather around the Brumby horses' neck to choke it down, while still on
horse goes to ground starving for air, and the riders go down with it. One man
the horse to keep it weak, while the other man saddles and bridles the new mount
with a strong halter and heavy lead rope on the new mount, controlled by the
holds his hat over its eye as he gets slowly into the saddle. The stirrup leather is
horse gets up to be led and coached in the ways of a saddle horse.
The horse gets broken in on the move and will probably be a bit hard mouthed
using this rough method on him.