LEGS OF THE HORSE, THEIR ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES. 



337 



the effects are apt to be disastrous ; for, like a railway train, the unlucky 

 animal does not have many chances to come out whole. All bones of 

 the body are liable to fracture, but the bones of the legs are more so 

 from being more exposed. In runaways, the animal often comes to a 

 sudden stop by falling or colliding with some heavy, solid object. Then 

 he is sure to suffer ; any one of the limbs may be broken, or it may be 

 the ribs, back, neck, head, jaws, hips, etc. Kicks are very often the 

 causes of fractures, especially of the legs — the cannons, thighs or arms 

 being the bones which most frequently suffer. The bone of the foot is 

 often broken by striking with great force against a stone, post, or any 

 other solid object. The pastern is sometimes split through its entire 

 length by jumping. The writer knew of a case of fracture of the can- 

 non bone of one of the hind legs by catching the toe in the girth of the 

 harness when kicking flies, breaking the bone short off. 



Fractures are divided into the following classes : Simple — when nothinf^ 

 else is broken but the bone ; compound — when the ends of the bones punch 

 through the flesh and skin ; complex— when the bone is shattered into many 

 pieces, and one or more pieces may prick through ; transverse — when the 

 bone breaks short off ; oblique — when the fracture is in an obliqe direc- 

 tion across the bone ; green stick — when the bone breaks like a green 

 stick, splitting and bending and twisting without breaking directly off. 

 The bone may be only cracked, or broken without misplacement. 

 The bones of old horses are more liable to fracture than those of 

 young ones, becoming brittle with age. 



How to know it. — ^When the fracture cannot be seen, but is suspected, 

 manipulate it a little, listening attentivel}^ at the same time, and you will 

 hear the grating of the ends of the bone together, which is an unmistak- 

 able symptom ; for grating or rubbing of rough ends toget'ier is never 

 heard in health. Great lameness is inseparable from a fracture, be it 

 ever so slight. When the bone is only cracked, there will be great lame- 

 ness, with few if any conclusive symptoms to indicate fracture, but by 

 careful examination a sore place can be felt ; the horse will not bear a 

 pound on the limb, and will keep lifting it as if in great pain. In all 

 cases there will be a rise in frequency of the pulse and respirations from 

 the nervous shock and pain ; more or less inflammation follows, and the 

 temperature will be raised a little. As the length of time increases 

 after the fracture, if nothing is done to relieve it, all the symptoms in- 

 crease, the nostrils dilate, the countenance becomes haggard, and ex- 

 presses anxiety, the eyes become injected, the injured limb swells, be- 

 comes hot, and in all fatal cases, when the inflammation reaches its 

 height, mortification begins and extends towards the body, when death is 



