386 DISEASES OF THE HORSE, 



local trouble of the cyst or of the abscess, the bones become diseased 

 and the periosteum inflamed ; perhaps the superior ends of the bone 

 and its fibro-cartilage become affected, and a simple lesion or bruise, 

 whatever it may have been, becomes complicated with periostitis and 

 ostitis, and is naturally accompanied with lameness, developed in a 

 greater or less degree, which in some cases may be permanent and 

 in others increased by work. These complications, however, are not 

 common or frequent. 



Treatrnent. — Capped hocks are in many cases amenable to treat- 

 ment, and yet they often become the opprobrium of the practioner 

 by remaining, as they frequently do, an eyesore on the top of the 

 hock; they do not interfere, it is true, with the work of the horse, 

 but fixing upon him the stigma of what, in human estimation, is a 

 most unreliable and objectionable reputation, to w^it, that of being 

 an habitual " kicker," and, worse than all, one that kicks when fed. 



The maxim that " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of 

 cure " fits the present case very neatly. A horse whose hocks have a 

 somew^hat puffy look and whose skin on the front of the hock is loose 

 and flabby, justly subjects himself to a suspicion of addictedness to 

 this bad habit, but a little watching will soon establish the truth. 

 If, then, the verdict is one of conviction, precautions should be imme- 

 diately adopted against a continuance of the evil. The padding of 

 the sides of the stall with straw mats or mattresses and covering the 

 posts with similar material, in such manner as to expose no hard 

 surface with which to come in contact, will reduce the evil to its 

 minimum. The animal may jar his frame when he kicks, but even 

 then there will be less force in the concussion than if it impinged 

 upon the solid plank, and cuts and abrasions can not be inflicted by 

 a properly made cushion. Hobbles are also rightly recommended 

 with a view to the required restraint of motion, so applied as to se- 

 cure the leg with which the kicking is performed, or even both hind 

 legs, in such manner as not to interfere with the movement of lying 

 down and rising again and yet preventing that of kicking backward. 

 Boots similar in pattern to those which are used for the prevention 

 of shoe boil are also prescribed. These are placed above the hock 

 and retained by straps tightly fastened. We apprehend, however, 

 that the difficulty of retaining them in the proper place without the 

 danger of chafing from the tightness of the straps may form an 

 objection to their use. Notwithstanding all precautions, hocks will 

 be capped in the future as in the past, and the study of their treat- 

 ment will always be in order. 



The mode of dealing with them will, of course, be greatly influ- 

 enced by the condition of the parts. When the inflammation is 

 excessive and the swelling large, hot, and painful to the touch, the 

 application of warm w^ater wall be very painful. The leg should be 



