308 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



by spavins to the great attention I have paid in my 

 purchases of horses to the proper form of the hinder 

 legs. I received a lesson on this point in very early 

 life, and never lost sight of it afterwards. There is a 

 particular formation of the hock joint which, in severe 

 work, will nearly ensure either spavins or curbs. 



The proper way to examine the hocks of a horse is 

 to stand in the front of him, and look at them, as it 

 were, between his forelegs, likewise view the hocks 

 in profile. 



SPLINTS 



A splint consists of a small deposit of bone, com- 

 monly situated at the back of the upper third of the 

 canon bone. Like spavin, the splinty deposit is the 

 legacy of a circumscribed inflammation of the bone, 

 or structures intimately connected with the latter 

 (ostitis and periostitis). 



At least 50 per cent, of the lighter breeds of horses 

 have splint, and its presence is a frequent cause of 

 rejection. Splints vary in their size, situation, number, 

 and shape. Veterinary surgeons attach a great deal of 

 importance to the situation of a splint or splints, 

 likewise the class of animal, its age, and the nature 

 of the work it has to perform. 



When splints are located close to the knee, few 

 veterinary surgeons would recommend the purchase 

 of such a horse. The worst forms of splint, in the 

 Editor's opinion, are those tiny deposits immediately 

 below the knee that abrade or press upon the soft 

 structures adjacent thereto. 



