LEGS OF THE HORSE, THEIR ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES. 327 



in a healthy leg, from the point of the hock to the fetlock pad. In recent 

 cases there is lameness, heat, soreness to the touch, and, like all sprains, 

 it grows worse with exercise. 



What to do. — In a recent case when the sprained tendons and ligaments 

 are sore, swollen and hot, apply the cooling lotion. No. 12, bathing the 

 part with hot water three or four times a day for half an hour at a time. 

 Raise the heel an inch, continue this treatment till all soreness is gone, 

 about a week or ten days, then apply the blister, Nos. 9 and 10, mixed. 

 When the blister has taken well, grease it once a day for a few days till it 

 is healed, then blister again. Give three or four weeks' rest. If this 

 does not cure, or, if there is no improvement in two weeks, resort to the 

 firing iron. Draw a line down the back of the leg, over the curb, and then 

 draw lines obliquely to it in the form of a feather. The lines should be 

 burnt about half way through the skin, but in no case burn clear through, 

 for that would make abadbiemish. Rub the blister, No. 9, well in over 

 the firing. Grease that the same as in the milder treatment, and wash it 

 occasionally to remove scabs that may have pus underneath, which must 

 l)e liberated. In old, chronic cases that have been neglected or have not 

 yielded to other treatment, resort immediately to the firing iron, as rec- 

 ommended above. 



Prevention. — Avoid breeding animals that have curby hocks, for they 

 are very objectionable, and the form of the leg, in most cases, is trans- 

 mi t ted. 



VII. Ring Bone. 



This is an exostosis (bony enlargement) on the pastern, around the 

 ujiper or lower pastern joint. It usually runs clear around the leg in the 

 form of a ring, hence its name. It usually forms around the upper pastern 

 joint, but sometimes affects the lower one. In the latter case it is under 

 the coronet, and is then worse, as itcannotbe got at to be treated, and is 

 more likely to cause permanent lameness from its extension to the navic- 

 ular joint, involving it in the inflammation and anchyolsis. When the 

 ringbone comes under the coronet, it often grows so large and extends so 

 much as to make a large, ugly, stiff, club-foot of the handsome, elastic 

 pedal extremity of the horse, and gives rise to permanent lameness. But 

 when it forms around the upper joint it does not usually grow very large, 

 and is quite susceptible of treatment. 



Sometimes the bony deposit is only in front or on one side, or on both 

 sides and not in front, in either the upper or lower forms. 



Causes. — A sprain, a blow on the bone from a kick, stumbling and 

 striking it on a stone, stab from a fork tine, in fact, any severe in- 

 jury setting up inflanmiation on or near the bone, is apt to result in a ring- 

 bone. For the nutritive material sent to the legs and feet is of a bony 



