the field artillery journal - Fort Sill - U.S. Army

THE FIELD ARTILLERY JOURNAL
trains make camp. The organization and its train should march
smartly and without hesitation to designated places, promptly
line up, halt and melt away on the lines.
The girths of all saddles should be loosened slightly on
reaching camp and the saddles themselves allowed to remain in
place for at least ten minutes with the object of gradually
restoring the circulation of the skin of back which has been
interfered with by pressure. When the saddles are at length
removed a dry fold of the blanket should be placed on the
saddle bed of the back and retained there by means of a
surcingle so that the sweat may be absorbed and the skin
protected until it has regained its lost tone. When saddle
blankets are removed the side intended to be placed next the
skin on the following morning should not be exposed to the sun
for drying purposes as when thus exposed and dried it takes up
a number of particles of clay and sand, becomes hard and may
irritate the back. Should the blanket appear to be hard and stiff
it should be well shaken out and switched.
The shoulders of all horses in draft should be washed off so
that dust, sand and dandruff may be removed and in addition to
this it is a good plan to bathe the shoulders of young, soft
horses with salted water with the object of toning the skin; salt
solution being a refrigerent, tonic and disinfectant. Collars
should be cleaned thoroughly by means of water and sponge
and all harness cleaned and softened. All animals should now
be inspected closely for abrasions, galls and shoe replacements.
If camp is made before the noon hour, and as a rule it
should be if the start was made early, the animals should be
watered and the mid-day feed of oats and about three pounds
of hay for each animal offered. If the men's dinner is ready
before it is time for the horse to have finished the grain it may
be that nose bags are allowed to remain attached to the horses'
heads long after the oats have been consumed. Horses become
impatient with this state of things, their impatience being made
manifest by pawing at, trampling on and wasting the hay that
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