HORSE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



67 



cumstance it so often happens in the last 

 few strides of a race. The symptoms are 

 a partial or entire giving way of the fet- 

 lock joint downwards, so that the back 

 of it either touches the ground or nearly 

 so, when the weight is thrown upon it. 

 Usually, however, after the horse is pulled 

 up, he hops on three legs, and refuses 

 altogether to put that which is broken 

 down to the ground. In a very few min- 

 utes the leg " fills " at the seat of the ac- 

 cident, and becomes hot and very tender 

 to the touch. There can, therefore, be 

 no doubt as to the nature of the mischief, 

 and the confusion to which allusion has 

 been made is one of names rather than 

 of facts. Treatment can only be directed 

 to a partial recovery from this accident, 

 for a horse broken down in the sense 

 in which the term is here used can 

 only be used for stud purposes or at 

 slow farm work. A patten shoe should 

 at once be put on after bleeding at the 

 toe to a copious extent, and then fomen- 

 tations followed by cold lotions should be 

 applied, as directed in the last section. 

 As there must necessarily be a deformity 

 of the leg, there can be no objection on 

 that score to firing, and when the severe 

 inflammation following the accident has 

 subsided this operation should be thor- 

 oughly performed, so as to afford relief 

 not only by the counter-irritation which 

 is set up, and which lasts only for a time, 

 but by the rigid and unyielding case 

 which it leaves behind for a series of 

 years. 



HORSE, Hip Joint, Stifle, and Hock, 

 Strains of the. — The hip joint, or round 

 bone, is liable to be strained by the hind 

 feet slipping and being stretched apart, or 

 by blows against the side of the stall, 

 when cast, which are not sufficient to dis- 

 locate the femur, but strain its ligaments 

 severely. The consequence is an inflam- 

 mation of the joint, which is evidenced 

 by a dropping of one hip in going, the 

 weight being thrown more upon the 

 sound side than upon the other. This is 

 especially remarkable on first starting, the 

 lameness soon going off in work, but re- 

 turning after rest. The case, however, is 

 a rare one, and its description need not, 

 therefore, occupy much of our space. 

 When it does happen, it is very apt to 

 lead to a wasting of the deep muscles of 

 the haunch, which nothing but compul- 



sory work will restore to a healthy condi- 

 tion. The only treatment necessary in 

 the early stage of strain of the hip joint 

 is rest and cooling diet, etc.; but, after 

 six weeks or two months, a gradual re- 

 turn to work is indispensable to effect a 

 cure. 



Strains of the stifle, independently of 

 blows, are rare ; but the latter often are 

 inflicted upon this joint in hunting, leav- 

 ing little evidence externally, so that it is 

 almost always doubtful whether the injury 

 is the result of a blow or strain. The 

 symptoms are a swelling and tenderness 

 of the joint, which can be ascertained by 

 a careful examination; and on trotting 

 the horse, there is manifested a difficulty 

 or stiffness in drawing forward the hind 

 leg under the belly. The treatment must 

 be by bleeding and physicking in the 

 early stage, together with hot fomenta- 

 tions to the part, continued every hour 

 until the heat subsides. After a few days, 

 if the joint is still painful, a large blister 

 should be applied, or, what is still better, 

 a seton should be inserted in the skin ad- 

 jacent. 



The hock itself is liable to strain, inde- 

 pendently of the peculiar accident known 

 as " curb." When it occurs, there is some 

 heat of the part, with more or less lame- 

 ness, and neither spavin, thoroughpin, 

 nor curb to account for them. The injury 

 is seldom severe, and may be relieved by 

 fomentations for a day or two, followed 

 by cold lotions, as prescribed for Strain 



OF THE BACK SINEWS. 



HOESE, Curb.— The lower part of the 

 posterior surface of the os calcis is firmly 

 united to the cuboid and external meta- 

 tarsal bone by two strong, ligamentous 

 bands, called the calcaneo-metatarsal lig- 

 aments. The centre of these ligaments 

 is about seven or eight inches below the 

 point of the hock, and when a soft but 

 elastic swelling suddenly makes its ap- 

 pearance there, it may with certainty be 

 asserted that a "curb" has been thrown 

 out. The accident occurs somewhat sud- 

 denly; but the swelling and inflammation 

 do not always show themselves until after 

 a night's rest, when the part is generally 

 enlarged, hot, and tender. The precise 

 extent of the strain is of little conse- 

 quence ; for whatever its nature, the treat- 

 ment should be sufficiently active to re- 

 duce the ligaments to their healthy con- 



