600 • IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



To be sure, the poor horse can not speak in words, but, nevertheless, 

 he can show to the observant driver plain evidences of pain, and one 

 who has become expert can quickly determine the exact seat of trouble 

 in a majority of cases. In many instances he can give "first help" until 

 the veterinarian has had an opportunity of adopting more scientific 

 methods of relief. 



LOCATIXG L.\MEXESS. 



Lameness is indicated by "nodding" of the head if the trouble is in 

 a forelimb and the "nod" is aw^ay from the limb affected. In other words, 

 there is a drop of the good leg to relieve the weight upon the unsound one 

 and this dropping causes the head to nod downward on the sound side. 

 When you see a nodding horse approach, get into the habit of nodding in 

 unison with the animal and soon it will becomie an easy matter to de- 

 ■cide which leg is the lame one. Sitting behind a horse, one can nod 

 with the horse in this way and quickly determine which leg is lame; 

 then a critical search must be made for the sore spot. 



It is by nodding and flinching that the horse tells its owner that 

 soreness is present, and these actions surely should be as suggestive as 

 words. The more so when we watch the suffering animal at rest. He does 

 not rest! If the soreness is in a forefoot he advances the hurting member 

 in front of the body and constantly shifts the position as if trying to 

 escape from the pain caused by pressure. If there is real agony 

 suffered from a foot lameness the foot is held off the ground, and this, 

 too, is a marked symptom in any severe injury below the knee or hock 

 Joint. If there is great pain in both forefeet, both of them are thrust 

 <out in front of the body, the attempt of the horse evidently being to rest 

 as much as possible upon the heels. This indicates pain in the front 

 •of the feet and the trouble is pronounced "founder" by the experienced 

 horseman. Naturally, when the forefeet have to be extended the hind 

 ones must be thrust well under the lx>dy to support the weight of the 

 animal, as the horse's center of gravity is located just back of the 

 elbow joint and a;bout one-third of, the distance between the underline 

 and back at that point. The hind feet must approach this center to 

 maintain the equipoise of the body. And so we say when we see a horse 

 stand or attempt to walk with the forelegs extended under the body: 

 "There is soreness in the forefeet and he is attempting to relieve weight 

 from those parts by letting it come largely upon the hind feet." Or the 

 Iiorse may fail to stand firmly down upon his hind feet when standing 

 ■"at ease" becmise he is not at ease, and so he shifts from one foot to the 

 -other or stands with the fetlock (ankle) "knuckled over" (cocked) to 

 •ease that part or some neighboring part or because there is soreness in 

 the upper joints or muscles. 



Watch him as he tries to walk and it will be seen that the sore leg 

 is handled stiffly and carefully. If there is a shoulder lameness the foot 

 will stand down flat on the ground, but as a step is made the leg will 

 be dragged forward stifflj , not lifted easily over an obstacle and, on trot- 

 ting toward the observer, the leg will be seen to roll outward. Hip 

 lameness also may cause rolling outward of the hind leg with a dropping 

 motion of the hip away from the lame leg, and, on turning a horse 



