EXAMINATION OF THE EYES, NOSE, AND MOUTH 367 



indicating lameness, is nevertheless a posture almost invariably assumed 

 where disease exists in the foot, and sometimes also in the course of the 

 leg. If the feet be alternately advanced arid withdrawn, the animal first 

 resting one and then the other at frequent intervals, or if, as it is said, the 

 horse " points " his feet, both will require to receive special attention in 

 the course of the examination, since this change of attitude, or "pointing" 

 of the feet as it is termed, may imply some defect in both. 



Similar observations require to be made with regard to the hind- 

 limbs, and any habitual tendency to rest one more than the other should 

 be a matter for further enquiry. Horses suffering from spavin stand 

 with the hock flexed and the weight removed from the limb, and when 

 moved over from side to side a halt in the gait will be evinced. 



If the horse's head is tied up short to the rack it should be let down. 

 The crib, however, will be more or less frayed if he has been in the 

 habit of biting it, and the partitions and stall -posts will reveal any 

 propensity to kick in the stable, as some horses do. This, of course, is 

 a vice, but the purchaser should not overlook anything that is likely 

 to interfere with the horse's well-being, and the act of kicking in the 



O ' O 



stable not only tends to bring about injury to his legs but to damage 

 the stable fittings and give annoyance to the grooms. 



It sometimes occurs that stringhalt will reveal itself in moving a 



o o 



horse over in his stall, or turning him in a narrow box, when it cannot 

 be provoked in the open. 



EXAMINATION OF THE EYES, NOSE, AND MOUTH 



Having proceeded so far, a snaffle -bridle may now be put on and 

 the horse's head brought round to the door, where a careful examination 

 of his eyes and their appendages should be made. Before, however, 

 proceeding with this branch of the inspection, the examiner should 

 assure himself as to the suitability of the light. A door facing an 

 open space is the most suited to the purpose, so long as it is not exposed 

 to bright sunlight. Too much light falling upon the eyes causes the pupils 

 to contract, and the crystalline lens, which is of special importance to the 

 enquiry, to be hidden from view. Having provided a suitable light, the 

 form and disposition of the eyelids should first be noted. When paralysed 

 they droop and give the eye a closed appearance, but another condition 

 affecting them is that resulting from repeated attacks of specific ophthal- 

 mia, when the upper eyelid, instead of describing a graceful arch over the 

 globe, is drawn up into an angular condition, as shown in Fig. 593. Of 

 course the haw, or third eyelid a thin triangular piece of cartilage in the 



