AS TO SOUNDNESS. 129 



this time, so they fire both, that he may not unduly rest 

 upon the sound Hmb. That horses throw out spavins in 

 their sound hocks during the few days or few weeks that 

 first elapse after the spavined hock has been fired, is 

 matter of common observation. Professor Dick used to 

 condemn the practice, in the early part of his career, 

 of firing a sound hock at the time its spavined fellow was 

 undergoing the ordeal. His motto was, " Let sleeping 

 dogs lie." Now, gentlemen, that is just what one would 

 like to do, only they woji't lie when trodden upon. 

 When a spavin is thrown out upon a hock, it is not 

 necessarily because that hock is inferior in form and 

 quality to its fellow, neither is it on account of its having 

 been more used than its fellow, but rather that the lower 

 bones of each hock are in the transitmi (functionally 

 active) state I have before pointed out to you. The 

 lower bones of each hock are alike preparing to become 

 glued together ; and in this sensitive state, the least extra 

 weight thrown on them wakes up a process which at best 

 is only lightly sleeping. This being so, the custom of 

 firing what, to all outward appearance, is a sound hock, 

 is an empirical proceeding based on true observation, 

 but which is, after all, a scientific, as it most certainly 

 is a most useful, proceeding, which can only be con- 

 demned on the plea that firing is an extremely painful 

 operation, or that we have no physical evidence of the 

 hock being on the verge of disease. I cannot leave 

 this subject without adverting to the rather prevalent 

 notion that is abroad among horsemen in many parts. 



9 



