HOW TO BUY A:SD SELL. 55 



Dropping before may be occasioned b}' treading on a 

 stone, by a misfitting saddle, or by accidents of any 

 kind. In either of tlie last-mentioned cases, the horse is 



Soujq"D. 



See the preceding three articles. 



If the dropping-before arises from malformation or ten- 

 der feet, the horse is Uksound. 



FLESHY HEEL. 



Fleshy heel is an abnormal structure of the frog, 

 wherein the sensitive part of the foot becomes too mncli 

 exposed, the horse thereby being more or less tender ac- 

 cording to the progress of the disease, and therefore 



Unsound. 



CUNNING LAMENESS. 



In those cases in wliich horses are said to sliam lame- 

 ness, that is, appearing sound at one time and unsound 

 at another, tliere is invariably something wrong; it is not 

 a case of shamming, but of painful reality. (See tlie ar- 

 ticle on ''Unnerving.") In such cases a reason can 

 always be found, either in a slight touch of rheumatism, 

 paralysis, or non-adjustment or misfit of the saddle. 



To illustrate tliese facts, I will mention one out of the 

 many cases that have come under my notice. 



A friend of mine had a delightful little mare, remark- 

 able for her height in the withers, named ''Brunette." 

 This mare I Avas rerpiested to examine with a view to- 

 wards discovering the rationale of her continually stum- 

 bling in a very serious manner, and at uncertain iind un- 

 expected times. 



She was certain, if she made one initiatory stumble, to 

 continue stumbling all day; contrariwise, if she did not 



