OF FARRIERY. 



499 



Neurotomy. A. question has arisen how 

 far a Horse that has undergone the operation 

 of the division of the nerve of the leg, and has 

 recovered from the lameness with which he 

 was before affected, and stands his work well, 

 may be considered to be sound. In our 

 opinion there cannot be a doubt about the 

 matter. A Horse on whom this operation has 

 been performed may be improved ; may cease 

 to be lame, may go well for many years ; but 

 there is no certainty of his continuing to do so, 

 and he is unsound. 



Piimicecl-foot. When the union between 

 the horny and sensible lamellae, or little plates 

 of the foot, is weakened, and the coffin-bone 

 is let down, and presses upon the sole, which 

 yields to this unnatural weight, and becomes 

 rounded, and comes in contract with the 

 ground, and gets bruised and injured, that 

 Horse must be unsound, and unsoiuid for ever, 

 oecause there are no means by which we can 

 lift up the coffin-bone again into its place. 



Quidding. If the mastication of the food 

 gives pain to the animal, in consequence of 

 soreness of the mouth or throat, he will drop 

 it before it is perfectly chewed. This, as an 

 indication of disease, constitutes unsoundness. 

 Quidding sometimes arises from irregularity 

 in the teeth, which wound the cheek with 

 their sharp edges ; or a protruding tooth 

 renders it impossible for the Horse to close 

 his jaws so as to chew his food thoroughly. 

 Quidding is unsoundness for the time ; but 

 the unsoundness will cease when the teeth are 

 properly filled, or the catarrh relieved, or the 

 cause of this imperfect chewing removed. 



Qutttor is unsoundness. 



Ring-bone. Although when the bony tu- 

 mour is small, and on one side only, there is 

 little or no lameness, and there are a few 



instances in which a Horse with ring-bone 

 has worked for many years without lameness ; 

 yet, from the action of the foot, and the stress 

 upon the part, the inflammation and the for- 

 mation of bone have such a tendency rapidly 

 to spread, that we must pronounce the slight- 

 est enlargement of the pasterns or around the 

 coronet, to be a cause of unsoundness. 



Sandcrack is manifestly unsoundness ; but 

 it may occur without the slightest warning, 

 and no Horse can be returned for one that is 

 sprung after purchase. Its usual cause is too 

 great brittleness of the crust of the hoof; but 

 there is no infallible method of detectinff this, 

 or the degree in which it must exist to con- 

 stitute unsoundness. When the horn round 

 the bottom of the foot has chipped off so 

 much that only a skilful smith can fasten the 

 shoe without pricking the Horse, or even when 

 there is a tendency in the horn to chip and 

 break off in a much less degree than this, the 

 Horse may probably be returned as unsound, 

 for this brittleness of the crust is a disease of 

 the part, or it is such an altered structure of it 

 as to interfere materially with the usefulness 

 of the animal. 



Spavin in unsoundness, whether the bony 

 or the blood-spavin. In the first, lameness is 

 produced, at least at starting, in ninety-nine 

 cases out of a hundred, and there is enlarge- 

 ment of the hock, which rapidly spreads with 

 quick and hard work, although the Horse 

 may be capable of, and may even get better 

 at slow work. If there be no lameness, we 

 would yet reject a spavined Horse, because 

 the bony enlargement is too near a very im- 

 portant and complicated joint, and on the least 

 injury or sprain of that joint, would spread 

 over it, and materially interfere with its mo- 

 tion. 



