BODY OF THE HORSE, ITS EXTERNAL ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES. 377 



IX. Broken Tail. 



Causes. — The tail is sometimes broken at the dock, or where it joins 

 the body, by the horse falling through floors to a floor below, or by 

 some heavy weight falling from above, or by rearing up and falling back ; 

 in fact, any accident that may break the back will break the tail if the 

 blow strikes in the right place. The place where the fracture is most 

 likely to occur is about three or four inches above where the tail leaves 

 the body, — at the point where the tail begins from the upper part of 

 the pelvis, called the sacrum. 



The sacrum being without joints and inelastic, is protected by the flat 

 bones of the pelvis, but just Avhere the protection ceases the tail begins, 

 so that in case of a fall on the rump, the tail is most likely to break at 

 ics origin. 



How to know it. — There will l)e a sudden dropping of the outline of 

 the upper and back part of the rump ; the dock will be dropped down 

 into the space between the posterior joints of the hi[)s, pressing down the 

 anus, and making it very difficult, if not impossible, for a mare to be 

 delivered of a foal. A mare with the dock broken down never should be 

 bred. 



What to do. — Nothing can be done for it except to try and raise the 

 l)Hrt by iiiiroducing the hand into the anus, but a.s nothing CiUi be fixed to 

 retain the parts in position, the attempt will not be at- 

 tended with success. It is no permanent injury fur 

 work, but is a great eyesoro. 



X. Fracture of the Skull. 

 Causes. — The skull is often fractured by kicks, blows, 

 bruises, collisions in runaways, etc. 



RIOHT-SIDED PARALYSIS OF 



LOWER LIP AND TONGUE. 



Engraved for this work from a 



Photograph. 



BONE TUMOR OF THE LOWER JAW (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH). 



How to know it. — Besides the external marks of violence, there will be 

 either stupor or delirium from pressure on the brain, and more or less 



