26o Journal of Agriculture. [8 May, 1907. 



Speedy-Cut. 



This is an injury, sometimes involving great lameness, inflicted on the 

 inner aspect of the knee. Speedy-cutting is allied to " brushing," and 

 occurs in " in-knee'd '" and " lady-toe'd '" horses with free action, the part 

 being struck by the inside or shoe of the opposite foot. The bone is fre- 

 quently injured and an abscess may form. A thickening of the skin and 

 subjacent tissues often remains permanently. This thickening increases 

 the liability of the part to be struck by the other foot, and a speedy -cutting 

 horse may become practically useless. He is very often lame, and be- 

 comes unsafe for either riding or driving. 



To PREVENT the injury a leather bout may be worn on the knee, and 

 care should be taken that the shoe does not protrude beyond the horn level 

 of the wall on the inside. 



Treatment should aim at reduction of the inflammation in the first 

 place, to be followed by red mercury blisters. In case of abscess forma- 

 tion an incision should be made at the lowest part so as tO' allow of drain- 

 age of the cavity. An injection of glycerine (8 parts) and tincture of 

 iodine (i part) may then be used and the parts bandaged moderately tight. 



Spavin of the Knee. 



This consists in a bonv formation and enlargement between the head of 

 the inner splint bone and the lower bones of the knee. Its occurrence is 

 often due to the same causes as produce splints, and the lameness which it 

 causes greatly resembles splint lameness and may be treated in the same 

 way. 



Capped Knee. 



This is a condition in which there is a chronic enlargement in front of 

 the knee. It may be brought about bv the puncture of a thorn or like 

 foreign body, but is most commonh associated with that condition known 

 as "rail rap" resulting from the ''hitting" of fences or other form of 

 violence. On this account and also because it seldom causes lameness it 

 will be more properly dealt with later on under the heading of injuries. 



Broken Knees. 



This condition of the knee has also greater claims to be considered under 

 another heading — that of wounds. 



SPRAIN OF THE "BACK TENDONS." 



This term is applied to three different conditions which for reasons of a 

 practical character it is as well to keep separate. They are: — 

 I. Sprain of the Inferior Check Ligament. 

 II. Sprain of the Tendons of the Flexor Muscles (-flexor pedis 

 ■perforans and flexor pedis, perforatus). 

 III. Sprain of the Superior Suspensory or Sesamoidean Liga- 

 ment. 

 All these structures are situated behind the cannon bone between the knee 

 and the fetlock, and during severe exertion they are subjected to a con- 

 siderable amount of strain which when over-applied results in a sprain, 

 causing lameness. There are similarly arranged structures in the hind 

 limb, but they are not so liable to^ sprain as those in the fore limb because 

 the weight of the rider on the back, which largely determines sprain in 

 the fore parts, has little or no incidence on the hind limbs. While the 



