THE HOCK. 115 



are ill-formed. As there is no starting of the sinews, 

 or sprain of the ligaments, they are not really cm-bed ; 

 but their formation renders them natm-ally liable to 

 it, and then- capabilities for standing work are un- 

 certain. 



I have already said the bones of the hock should be 

 large, strong, and coarse-looking. Those which lie at 

 the seat of spavin should not be an exception to this 

 rule. They are certainly much less liable to disease 

 when they are large, than when they are small. The 

 main point is, to see that they are precisely the same 

 size and form in each leg. Joints which are uniformly 

 strong and coarse-looking, are not very likely to go 

 astray; whereas the smooth, neat, small, and tidy- 

 looking joints, generally stand very little work without 

 becoming diseased. The diseases of the hock are nu- 

 merous and interesting ; but they are altogether foreign 

 to my present pm'pose, and therefore cannot be dis- 

 cussed. They are treated of in a very lucid manner 

 in the writings of Mr. Percivall, to which I have much 

 pleasure in refeiTing my readers. 



I believe it has been shown by Mr. Percivall, Mr. 

 Goodwin, and Mr. Youatt, that it is a mistake to ima- 

 gine a horse is never spavined without exhibiting an 

 external enlargement of the joint. Theoretically, this 

 opinion is very probable, because there can be no reason 

 why inflammation, ulceration, or bony deposit might 

 not take place at any one point of the whole hock-joiiit. 



