AS TO SOUNDNESS. 



wear when they should be at rest ; so that they are 

 very much sooner worn out. Upon the whole, it is 

 even more objectionable than crib-biting, and should 

 you fail to detect it while in the stable, your chance 

 of doing so is remote, as it leaves no marks that can 

 be distinguished from the ordinary wear of the fore 

 legs. The horse's attitude you must pay particular 

 attention to. He, like ourselves, often " stands at 

 ease " with his hind legs, but never rests the fore legs 

 unless from disease ; so that a horse not standing 

 equally on both fore legs should immediately arrest 

 your attention, and arouse your suspicions.' When 

 lame before, and resting the limb, he will either 

 " point " by throwing the foot forward under the 

 manger, as in Navicular disease, or he will swing the 

 limb — let it hang, as it were, from his side ; but in 

 any case, if he rest a fore limb, you must not only 

 note the attitude, but the limb "near" or "off," so as 

 to examine it very particularly when he is outside the 

 stable. 



It frequently happens that a very slight amount of 

 lameness may be detected in this way, when it would 

 be overlooked at any other time. In the stable there 

 is nothing to excite the horse ; he is doing what he 

 finds most comfortable, and favouring his weak points, 

 if he has any. With regard to the hind limbs, nothing 

 so definite can be said. Here there are fruitful sources 

 of error. It is quite natural for a horse to rest his 

 hind limbs one at a time, and the attitude is familiar 



