SPANISH FLY— SPAVIN 



place there are very few horses indeed which could pass an 

 examination if the person making it was anxious to detect 

 some latent infirmity, and secondly, a horse may be quite 

 up to some sort of work, whilst he is unfitted for another. 

 Thus a hunter must be sound in eye, but a stone-blind horse 

 may do very well in harness ; or the former's joints may just 

 be able to stand a day's hunting if the going is soft, but if they 

 belonged to a trapper they might not take him a mile on the 

 hard road. Of course there are certain things, such as broken 

 wind, roaring, whistling, cataract, spavin, false quarter, and 

 ring-bone amongst others, which constitute undoubted un- 

 soundness, and in addition to such there are minor forms 

 of infirmity, the existence of which should cause a purchaser 

 to ponder seriously before he buys. 



Spanish Fly. — A very useful ingredient of a blister, also 

 known as cantharides. (See Blistering, Prescriptions.) 



Spanner. — A short, metal instrument used for turning 

 bolts. A spanner should be carried in every vehicle for 

 use in case of accidents. 



Spavin, or, to be more explicit, bone spavin, is an 

 enlargement of the inner and lower part of the hock, and 

 may be hereditary, or the result of concussion and hard 

 work, which may set up inflammation and lameness. Rest 

 may reduce the latter somewhat, but a spavined hock is 

 always a stiff one, and the horse will generally be unsound 

 for life. 



Treatment. — Rest, a purge, and cooling food. The spavin 

 may have cold bandages applied for a few days to reduce 

 the primary inflammation, after which the hock should be 

 blistered two or three times, allowing at least a fortnight 

 between each. Failing an improvement, the hock must be 

 fired. (See Blistering, Firing.) 



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