>76 Journal of Agriculture. [8 June, 1907. 



walking, the horse mav lake a step of the ordinary length with the lame 

 limb but -will step short with the sound one on account of the quickness 

 with which he desires to relieve the lame foot of the weight of the body. 



The lameness from pricks in shoeing, gathered nails &c., may le 

 detected bv gently tapping the sole and wall all round the nail holes with 

 a hammer. The horse flinches palpably when the foot is tapped at the 

 part oyer which the pain is. 



Sidebone. 



This consists in an ossification of the lateral cartilaofes of the pedal 

 bone, evidenced bv the formation of a hard knorr\ unvielding enlargement 

 above the hoof at the sides. 



t 



1 



Fig. 4v Showing the Literal cartilage and its relations, a, os suffraginis or long 

 pastern bone; b, os corona or short pastern bone; c, os pedis or coffin bone; </, 

 lateral cartilage; c, os naviciilare or shuttle jione ; /, pastern joint; g, coffin joint; 

 h, hornv wall of hoof ; /, sensitive lamimie. (After Dollar.) 



The lateral cartilages are structures peculiar to the horse tribe. They 

 are not present, ncr is there any remnant or sign of them, in any other 

 animal. They are flattened and somewhat quadrilateral plates of gristle 

 or cartilage springing from and resting ujjon the wings or lateral parts of 

 the bone of the font {os pedis or coflin bone), one on the outside and the 

 other on the inside of the hoof. (See Figs. 45 and 46.) Thev are partly 

 inclosed in the liorny hoof box but ex::end upwards to above the coronet 

 at the sides, where they may be felt as yielding elastic prominences. The 

 superior extremity is incurved and has fibrous attachment to the plantar 

 cushion which lies be:: ween them and the frog, and which acts as a buffer 

 between the horn\- frog and the bones of the foot and pastern. The func- 

 tion of the lateral cartilages is. by their springiness, to modify concussive 

 shock during progression and so lessen the jar transmitted to the bonv 

 cdhimii of the limb. 



