470 Journal of Agriculttire. [8 August, 1907. 



apart, the ligament usually injured or torn being the fubio-femoral. When 

 this happens the seat of the injury is obvious, for the horse cannot draw 

 the limb to his side. An animal to which such an accident has happened 

 is described as being " spaldered." 



Treatment. — For the rheumatic condition general treatment with anti- 

 rheumatic medicines must be followed and a blister may be applied. 

 Beyond rest, little can be done for joint injuries. Counter-irritants in 

 the form of blisters or strong liniments may be useful and in some cases 

 point firing has been resorted to with good effect. For the " spaldered " 

 condition slinging may be necessary if, as is justifiable in the case of 

 valuable breeding stock, treatment is decided on, and the limb may be 

 kept in position by strapping it to its fellow. 



Fracture of the Pelvic Bones. 



The character of the lameness will vary slightly according to the par- 

 ticular part of the pelvis that is fractured. In most cases however, while 

 the horse may be able to bear weight well on limb when at rest, during 

 movement a difficulty in advancing it is evident. 



The different kinds of fracture of the pelvis and their causes and 

 treatment will be dealt with in the Chapter on Fractures. 



STIFLE LAMENESS. 



Apart from dislocation of the fatella or stifle-cap, lameness in the 

 region of the stifle usually results from an injury to some part of the stifle 

 jomt in which the articular surfaces become inflamed (arthritis) or from 

 a wrench of the joint causing sprain of some of its ligaments. 



The Symptoms are pretty much the same in either case and are 

 these : — • 



{a) Avoidance of motion in the joint ; 



{b) the limb is carried in a stiff extended manner sometimes in 



advance of its fellow and the toe is dragged on the ground ; 



(c) stepping short and bringing the foot forward with a swinging 



outward movement ; 

 {d) an inclination to "knuckle over" at the fetlock; 

 {e) pain on manipulation, and perhaps swelling and other local 

 signs. Lameness in the stifle never disappears or lessens 

 with exercise but in hock lameness this frequently happens. 

 Treatment. — In the acute stages of the lameness hot fomentations 

 should be applied and rest enjoined. Later on blistering the part at in- 

 tervals of three weeks or a month will be most likely to promote recovery. 



It should be mentioned that lameness in the stifle is not by any means 

 so common as is usually supposed. The part is often wrongly credited 

 with being the seat of lameness of obscure character and blister patches 

 in the region are seen so often as to raise a smile on the part of those 

 who know how infrequently blistering is necessary. 



Dislocation of the Patella or Stifle-cap. 



The fatella or stifle-cap corresponds to the knee-cap of man and, like 

 it, is liable to dislocation or partial dislocation (luxation) by accident. 

 The condition is a rare one and occurs principally in foals or young im- 

 mature horses when galloping or curvetting on hilly side-bank ground. 

 It may also occur however in horses of any age through a bump of the 



