VALUABLE HINTS TO FAREIEES, ETC. 343 



HITCHING^^HOPPING 



HITCHING AND HOPPING BEHIND IN 

 TROTTING MOTION. 



This drawing accurately marks the 

 foot-prints of the horse that hitches, 

 while trotting, with his right hind foot. 

 In diagram, letter A shows front and B 

 hind foot prints. Tlie most unusual 

 cause for hitching is the malformation 

 of the offending hind limh ; that is, in 

 some cases it is shorter than the other 

 one. In all my experience, of more than 

 a half a century, as a farrier, I have 

 never found but two cases of this de- 

 scription. The method of discovery is 

 of sufficient interest to narrate. I pro- 

 cured a carpenter's leveling board, then 

 stood the horse upon a level board floor 

 with a man in front to hold his head at 

 the proper angle with the body. The 

 leveling board was then laid across the 

 hips. I then took two iron rods, stood 

 one end on the floor, placed one rod on 

 each side of the hips, and took the 

 measurement on rods under the level- 

 ing board. I then placed the spirit level 

 on top of leveling board, and then raised 

 the low end of leveling board until the 

 spirit level was accurately adjusted to a 

 perfect level, and both measurements 

 proved that one leg was just three- 

 quarters of an inch shorter than the 

 other. Subsequent examination and 

 measurements showed tliis difference was 

 in length of the hind limb. The shorter 



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B 



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B 



