THE HORSE. 31 



Splents. 



Splents are hard bony lumps at the inside of the 

 leg, towards the back of the cannon bone, anywhere 

 below the knee and above the pastern joint, but mostly 

 midway between the joints named, in which situation 

 they are of the least consequence. 



They are occasioned by breaking the colts too young, 

 by blows from the fork to make him lift his legs off the' 

 straw when his bed is being made, kicks from the groom, 

 blows from each other, or received in leaping, from 

 strains, from being over- weighted, and from cutting the 

 inside heel too low, whereby too much weight is 

 thrown upon the sesamoid bone, which is the small 

 bone at the back of the leg or cannon bone, and 

 between it and the tendon. 



While forming, they frequently occasion great lame- 

 ness, on account of the inflammation going on while 

 nature is uniting the small bones (sesamoid) behind to 

 the cannon (or large bone of the leg), that they may 

 strengthen one another. Generally splents are only 

 found on the legs of young horses ; for, although 

 nature does not again disunite the bones, she absorbs 

 those lumps which are conspicuous in the young horse. 



After this union, it is presumed that the horse is 

 not as springy as before : I must say, however, I never 

 discovered any difference in elasticity. But, as they do 

 not inconvenience him after they are completely formed, 



