Common Diseases of the Horse 175 



cases have occurred in which a horse has been bought and passed as 

 quite sound, and which, after a railway journey, on being examined 

 again, has been found to be a marked shiverer. 



The deterioration in value of a shiverer is very great. Most 

 horses that are worth when sound from ;^8o to j^ 100, would realize 

 not more than i^20 to £^0 even if only slightly affected. Those 

 showing pronounced symptoms would fetch from knackers' prices 

 to £10. 



The class of animal affected is chiefly the heavy draught horse- 

 and the disease is comparatively rare among the lighter breeds. 



Stringhalt 



Stringhalt is another disease the direct cause of which is as 

 obscure as that of shivering. 



Symptoms. — It is characterized by a sudden snatching up of one 

 or both hind limbs, and is most prominent when the horse is backed 

 or turned round, or even during ordinary progression. It is best 

 seen at the walking pace. 



It affects all classes of horses. In the writer's own experience 

 it is most common in Hackneys, but it is also fairly common in 

 cart horses, Hunters, and Thoroughbreds. 



In cart horses it is not infrequently associated with shivering, 

 the difficulty being to separate one from the other, although no 

 twitching or tremors of the muscles may occur. Upon being 

 backed the horse will snatch the limb, and at the same time shoot 

 his tail with either the quivering movement or the spasmodic 

 pump-handle action. In some cases the disease is extremely diffi- 

 cult to detect, as one has to decide between extravagant action on 

 the one hand and undue spasmodic flexion on the other. Excite- 

 ment in an extravagant mover has also considerable influence upon 

 the flexion of the limbs. A horse in a showyard, under strange and 

 exciting circumstances, will behave in a far different manner from 

 what he will when near his own stable and under ordinary conditions. 



With regard to deterioration, it affects different classes of 

 animals in diverse ways, and whilst in a cart horse it enormously 

 reduces the value, it is not regarded in so serious a light in the 

 lighter breeds. Some of our most valuable racehorses have been 

 badly affected, but it has apparently had very little effect on their 

 racing career. Indeed, winners of classic races have been most 

 prominently affected. 



To the horsy man stringhalt is variously known as "cocking", 

 " lifting ", " snatching ", or " pulling a leg ". 



