10 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



softness of the skin, and the tone of the hair. If the subcutaneous fat 

 has disappeared and the muscles are wasted, allowing the bony- 

 prominences to stand out; if the skin is tight and inelastic aad the 

 coat dry and harsh, we have evidence of a low state of nutrition. 

 This may have resulted from a severe and long-continued disease or 

 from lack of proper feed and care. ^Vlien an animal is emaciated — 

 that is, becomes thin — there is first a loss of fat and later the muscles 

 shrink. By observing the amount of shrinkage in the muscles one 

 has some indication as to the duration of the unfavorable conditions 

 under which the animal has lived. 



By constitution we understand the innate ability of the animal to 

 withstand disease or unfavorable conditions of life. The constitution 

 depends largely upon the conformation. The type of construction 

 that usually accompanies the best constitution is deep, broad chest, 

 allowing plenty of room for the lungs and heart, indicating that 

 these vital organs are well developed; capacious abdomen, allowing 

 sufficient space for well-developed organs of digestion; the loins 

 should be short — that is, the space should be short between the last 

 rib and the point of the hip ; the head and neck should be well molded, 

 without superfluous or useless tissue; this gives a clear-cut throat. 

 The ears, eyes, and face should have an expression of alertness and 

 good breeding. The muscular development should be good; the 

 shoulders, forearms, croup, and thighs must have the appearance of 

 strength. The withers are sharp, which means that they are not 

 loaded with useless, superfluous tissue ; the legs are straight and their 

 axes are parallel ; the knees and hocks are low, which means that the 

 forearms and thighs are long and the cannons relatively short. The 

 cannons are broad from in front to behind and relatively thin from 

 side to side. This means that the bony and tendinous structures of 

 the legs are well developed and well placed. The hoofs are compact, 

 tense, firm structures, and their soles are concave and frogs large. 

 Such a horse is likely to have a good constitution and to be able to 

 resist hard work, fatigue, and disease to a maximum degree. On the 

 other hand, a poor constitution is indicated by a shallow, narrow 

 chest, small bones, long loins, coarse neck and head, with thick throat, 

 small, bony, and muscular development, short thighs and forearms, 

 small joints, long, round cannons, and hoofs of open texture with flat 

 soles. 



The temperament is indicated by the manner in which the horse 

 responds to external stimuli. When the horse is spoken to, or when 

 he sees or feels anything that stimulates or gives alarm, if he re- 

 sponds actively, quickly, and intelligently, he is said to be of lively, 

 or nervous, temperament. On the other hand, if he responds in a 

 slow, sluggish manner, he is said to have a sluggish, or lymphatic. 



