108 



MANUAL FOR STABLE SERGEANTS. 



385. Lame in both fore legs. — Should there be lameness in 

 both forelegs, the action is stilty (stiff); the natural, elastic stride is 

 wanting; the steps are shortened, and the feet are kept close to the 

 ground. The hind legs are invariably picked up higher than usual, 

 the shoulders appear stiff, and the head is carried rather high, while 

 the lumbar region is arched. 



386. Lame in one hind leg. — Lameness behind is detected by 

 trotting the horse from the observer, the croup being the part to be 



watched , since it drops with the 

 sound leg and rises with the 

 lame one. 



387. Lame in both hind 

 legs. — ^^'hen lame in both hind 

 legs, the stride is shortened and 

 awkward ; the fore legs are kept 

 back of the vertical line, and 

 are apt to be raised higher than 

 usual while the head is low- 

 ered. Backing is difficult. It 

 is almost impossible to keep 

 the animal at a trot when it is 

 lame in more than one leg. 



Horses lame in both fore or 

 both hind legs show a waddling 

 gait behind, often mistaken for 

 lameness in the lumbar region. 

 This peculiar motion is simply- 

 due to the fact that the hind 

 legs are unduly advanced under 

 the body for theh own relief or 

 that of the front legs. 



Close attention should be 

 paid to the animal's action as 

 he turns while being trotted to 

 and from the observer, as at this moment — that is, while he turns — any 

 hitch becomes visible, as, for instance, in spavin or stringhalt lameness. 



Diseases of Bone. 



388. Ringbone (fig. 41). — A ringbone is a bony enlargement 

 occurring in the region of the long and short pastern bones. It 

 occurs more frequently in the front legs than in the hind ones. 



Fig. 41.— Ringbone. 



