1 22 EXAMINA TION OF HORSES 



situated well forward that lames a horse. And why ? 

 How is it, if the pain, and therefore the lameness, is 

 caused by the concussion which is produced when the 

 foot is brought to the ground, how is it that spavins 

 situated far back do not cause lameness ? Are the parts 

 so situated less concussed? Most certainly not, as a 

 moment's thought will convince you. But how is it with 

 the concussion of flexion ? Flex a hock-joint and you 

 will see at once where the concussion comes. You will 

 see that the bones at the back of the hock are actually 

 less compressed in extreme flexion than in any other 

 position, and that is why spavin situated well back never 

 lames a horse of itself. I say, of itself, because, if you 

 have spavin well forward at the same time, which you 

 often have, then of course you may have lameness, and 

 no doubt will have lameness, if the process before de- 

 scribed is not completed. 



These considerations lead us to the detection of 

 spavin. Upon this subject the late Professor Dick held 

 very strong opinions. I don't know anything that 

 irritated him more than to see a pupil look for spavin. 

 He trusted to the sense of touch alone, and he was quite 

 right. I believe that if hocks were never viewed at a less 

 distance than fifteen yards ; but instead, were always 

 handled by the tactus eruditus, we should have far less 

 *' Horse CaJuses " in our courts of justice than we have — 

 on this subject at least. It is the looking, and the prying, 

 and the comparing of the two hocks, that lead us wrong ; 

 that lead us to give decisions which end in an unjust 



