TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 491 



In the front feet they may or may not cause lameness, usually 

 the latter; however, they always lessen the natural expansion 

 of the heels and often result in shortening of the stride. When 

 lameness is present, the horse comes out of the stable stiff and 

 sore, but with exercise the gait shows improvement. Sidebones 

 are caused by sprains, bruises, blows, and other injuries; and by 

 high-heeled shoes, high calks, and short, upright pasterns. The 

 size and prominence of a sidebone is not an index to the damage 

 it may produce. Treatment is not of much account. It con- 

 sists in using cold-water bandages, then blistering or firing. 

 Neurotomy (nerving) is often practiced to relieve lameness. 

 This is classed as an hereditary unsoundness. It is a serious 

 form of unsoundness, but is not so serious as bone spavin, ring- 

 bone, roaring, or blindness. 



Splint. A splint is a variable-sized bony enlargement on 

 the cannon bone, usually on the inside of the upper two-thirds 

 of the front cannons. The button-like enlargements at the 

 lower end of the splint bones should not be mistaken for splints. 

 Splints occasionally cause lameness; if so, they constitute an 

 unsoundness. They are more detrimental in horses used for 

 fast work than in heavy horses used for slow work. In the great 

 majority of cases, splints are only minor blemishes. Many 

 horses have them. Splints often appear in young horses and 

 may be absorbed shortly afterwards without treatment. The 

 chief cause of splint is concussion. Other causes are sprains 

 and injuries or blows on the cannon bone. No treatment should 

 be given, as they but rarely cause trouble. Blistering and firing 

 are sometimes practiced. 



Sprung knees or buck knees. This defective conformation 

 may be congenital or the result of heavy labor at too early an 

 age, there being retraction of the flexor tendons of the parts 

 below the knee. While not an unsoundness, it detracts from 

 the usefulness and value, especially in saddle horses. Horses 

 with badly sprung knees may fall even when standing at rest 

 and unmolested. (See D in Fig. 120.) 



Stringhalt. This disease comes under the general head- 

 ing, chorea, or St. Vitus dance. It is manifested by a sudden, 

 involuntary jerking up of one or both hind legs when the animal 

 is walking or trotting. It may be very slight in some horses, 

 but increases with age. In some the affected leg is caught up 

 very violently and high, and then lowered equally sudden and 

 forcible. It is more often associated with a nervous disposition 



