132 EXAMINATION OF HORSES 



you have two odd hocks. In such cases, however, you 

 ahvays have — so far as my experience goes — distinct 

 coarseness of the fellow bones on the opposite hock. 

 That is to say the horse has coarse, odd hocks, with 

 which he neither goes lame nor stiff. Where spavins 

 occur on hocks that are coarse to begin with, they must 

 be larger than they need be on clean hocks before you 

 can say positively that you have spavin ; because in the 

 one case all is coarseness together, but in the other 

 you have the spavin standing out clearly to be defined 

 on a clean, flat surface. When we have clean hocks 

 to do with, we can easily say for certain that we have 

 spavin, however small or however large ; the enlarge- 

 ment is a sign of itself; but with coarse hocks any 

 enlargement not common to the two hocks, unless it is 

 very pronounced indeed, is at best only a symptom, and 

 as such requires other symptoms of spavin — such as 

 lameness or stiffness, or wearing of the toe of the foot 

 before you can be sure about it. 



Then, again, suppose your opinion to be asked where 

 sravin in some form is known to exist. Of course, in 

 this case, your opinion is asked regarding a " sound 

 screw,'' as these blemished but practically sound horses 

 are called. In such cases much depends on the evi- 

 dence you may have as to the consolidation of the 

 bones involved, and this is more likely to be completed 

 if the hock has been fired, or punched and bhstered, — 

 which latter, I ought to have before told you, frequently 

 leaves a mark over the seat of spavin similar to and 



