468 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



The disease may be defined to be a bony tumor, situated, as a rule, 

 on the front and inside of the hock-joint. Some have described the 

 disease as existing in the fore leg, confusing it with splint; but 

 this is not admissible according to the general acceptation of the term 

 spavin, at the present day. These tumors are sometimes found high up, 

 and involving the upper bones of the joint, while others will be found low 

 down, their influence not extending, perhaps, beyond the head of the cannon- 

 bone; the former is very serious, giving rise in most instances to very 

 troublesome lameness, while the latter may grow to a considerable size with- 

 out causing any apparent inconvenience to the animals, and is often called, 

 for some reason unknown to me, "Jack spavin." 



The causes of this disease are looked upon as constitutional or hereditary, and 

 local or exciting. The first is the result of breeding from unsound animals. 

 This cause is now, happily, on the decline, but it is within the recollection of 

 nearly every horseman that many thought anything in the shape of a mare 

 would do to breed from, and it is a notorious fact that the get of some stallions 

 is conspicuous from the number of their colts affected with bone disease of 

 some sort, often spavin; but as breeders are, in the majority of instances 

 now, so well aware what can be done by breeding from selection, it is to be 

 hoped that this course will, ere long, be among the things of the past. 

 Conformation is also thought to be a common cause, and those hocks that 

 are narrow from before backward are thought by the supporters of this 

 theory to be prone to the disease ; but who is there of experience who has 

 not seen the disease in every variety of shape of hock? The exciting cause 

 is hard work, such as will cause undue strain upon the hock-joint, often the 

 result, for instance, of compelling light horses to back very heavy loads, 

 especially when they are young and the joint has not fully matured. Over- 

 training of young race-horses (trotters or runners), military evolution, 

 when the halts and turns are sharp, is a fertile source of this complaint ; in 

 fact, anything which tends to produce concussion, or strain the ligaments 

 between the wedge bones. 



The symptoms of this disease are various. The first generally noticed m 

 lameness, with a peculiar rising and falling of the croup. When spavin has 

 existed for a variable time, the animal will be observed to rest on its toe 

 while standing, and if compelled to move its hind quarters, over a step or 

 so, will do so with a kind of hop. This is one of those varieties of lame- 

 ness which improves on progression, and it will be noticed that when the 

 animal is first led from the stable, especially in the morning after a long 

 drive, it will be quite lame; then drive it a mile or two and the lameness 

 will begin to subside, if it does not pass off altogether; now let the animal 

 rest for an hour or so, and the lameness will return to again pass off with 

 exercise. It will be noticed, in cases of long standing, that the toe of the 

 shoe of the affected leg will be much more worn than that of the opposite 

 limb. If both legs are affected, the animal, while standing, will be observed 

 to rest first on one toe, then on the other, and will travel in a peculiar, short, 

 stilty sort of way. It will be often noticed that the muscles of one hind 

 quarter will appear smaller than the other, the difference, in many instances, 

 being very perceptible, so much so that this is often thought to be the seat 

 of the lameness, and the unfortunate animal put through various forms of 

 treatment for hip joint affection, when the ailment is somewhere else; bat 

 those persons who have followed and closely observed spavin throughout all 



