130 HISTORY OF THE 



or pully-like heads of the tibia (see page 104) and 

 the astragalus, received deeply into each other, 

 and confined by powerful ligaments, admit of a 

 hinge-like motion, but if no side motion, to which 

 the joint might be exposed in rapid action, or on 

 an uneven surface. The hock is, from its compli- 

 cated structure and its work, the principal seat of 

 lameness behind. Nine-tenths of the lamenesses 

 that occur in the hind leg are to be traced to this 

 joint, and when, after careful examination, we 

 are unable to find any other seat of lameness, we 

 shall usually be justified in affirming that the hook 

 is affected. 



ACTION, SPEED AND WIND OF THE RACE HORSE. 



The great proportion in the limbs and moving 

 levers of the race horse give him, as we have pre- 

 viously remarked, a great stride in his gallop ; but 

 to render this stride effective in producing speed, 

 it is necessary that it be quickly repeated, other- 

 wise the racer would lose in time what he gains in 

 space. Accordingly it is stride and quickness united 

 that constitute fleetness in the race horse. Eclipse, 

 as will be shown when we come to treat of that 

 celebrated horse, is generally believed to have 

 covered 83 feet of ground in a second, when at the 

 top of his speed ; which, by the calculation by M. 

 Sainbel, which we have given elsewhere, amounted 



