EXAMINATION OF HORSES 



to every stableman. But he may be lame on a hind 

 leg j and what is more, he may be standing upon it, 

 and resting the sound leg, on account of his having 

 stood so long on the latter as to tire it and make it 

 painful, so that nothing short of an unusual attitude 

 or some visible defect can justify your coming to any 

 definite conclusion with regard to the hind legs, seen 

 merely in the stable. 



If you have spent ten minutes very quietly watching, 

 and, provided there is no disturbance, have seen nothing 

 unusual, you may now make the horse "stand over" 

 briskly in his stall, and watch for evidences of "spavin" 

 or " stringhalt." It is not the best situation for seeing 

 either; but we can frequently detect them in this way, 

 and we should resort to all tlie means of detecting 

 disease we know. There are sources of error here 

 which have to be attended to, with regard to this test 

 ior " stringhalt." If a horse has been used to standing 

 deeply in new straw, he will get into the habit of 

 catching up his feet higher than usual when "standing 

 over," even though there should be at the time no 

 straw at all. Of course, such an occurrence is rare ; 

 but it is these rare occurrences that are so apt to be 

 overlooked. "Spavin" is by no means rarely detected 

 under these circumstances, and when it can be detected 

 under no others. You will read of, and be told of, 

 such a thing as " latent spavin." We all know what 

 latent disease is, but latent " spavin," I may tell you, 

 is that form of lameness referable to the hock, when 



