VERTEBRAE — VETERINAR Y EXAM IN A TION 



of the stable may be left open without injury to the occupants 

 of the stable, but this should not be permitted when the wind 

 blows keenly, especially when the animals come in heated 

 from work. In short, the object of the owner should be to 

 obtain a sufficiency of fresh air, without lowering the tempera- 

 ture of the stable below 55 or 50 degrees, and at the same 

 time protecting his horses from draughts. 



Vertebrae. — The vertebrse form the ridge of small bones 

 through which the spinal column runs from the back of the 

 poll to the end of the tail. They number — seven, known as 

 the cervical vertebrae, in the neck ; eighteen, called the dorsal 

 vertebrae, in the back ; six, named the lumbar vertebrae, in 

 the loins ; five, sacral vertebrae, on the croup ; and about 

 sixteen in the tail, the number varying. The vertebrae 

 of the tail, moreover, are not all hollow, as the bone towards 

 the tip becomes solid. (See Bones.) 



Vetches form a much appreciated food for horses, 

 especially for the heavier breeds, but they should be given 

 with discretion, and not too liberally, on all occasions, and 

 especially in the case of animals which are not working, else 

 they are liable to produce Monday Morning Evil. Vetches 

 are at their best as a food when in flower, as after the 

 pods have ripened they become woody. As they possess 

 a tendency to heat if stored in heaps, it is best that they 

 should be given as soon after they are cut as possible. (See 

 Feeding, Monday Morning Evil.) 



Veterinary Examination. — The average man who buys 

 a horse without first having the animal submitted to a 

 veterinary examination, excepting, of course, in cases where 

 a warranty of soundness is forthcoming from a responsible 

 person, is to be congratulated upon his courage, though 

 condemned for his rashness. Many infirmities are difficult 

 of detection, and especially so in their transient stages, and 

 it is too much to expect a layman to diagnose the symptoms 



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