BREEDS OF HORSES 101 



part involved. When sidebones are absent the cartilages can be 

 grasped between the fingers and thumb and moved or bent from 

 side to side as if they were formed of stout rubber. Sidebones are 

 common in draft horses and constitute unsoundness. Horses having 

 wide, flat low heeled hoofs are most subject to this unsoundness. 

 Horses afflicted with sidebones and ringbones should not be used for 

 breeding purposes. Quittor, a fistulous abscess, is also a common 

 urLsoundness of the coronet. 



Feet. Xavicular disease causes hardening and contraction of 

 the hoof and chronic lameness. The affected horse points his lame 

 foot forward when standing at rest, starts off lame and warms out 

 of the lameness. The tendency to the disease is deemed hereditary. 

 It constitutes a grave unsoundness for all purposes. Other common 

 unsoundnesses to be looked for are founder, indicated by rings and 

 ridges on the hoof wall, abnormal projection at the toe, convexity at 

 the sole (dropped sole) and lameness; sand crack (in wall at front of 

 toe) ; quarter crack (in wall at quarter) ; corns, in the sole at the 

 angle of bar and heel; and "thrush," a diseased condition of the frog 

 characterized by a bad smelling discharge from its cleft. 



Hips. Examine for fractures of the point or shaft of the hip 

 (ilium) indicated by distortion, on comparing one hip with the 

 other from the rear; also examine for similar distortion on haunch 

 at side of tail (from fracture of the tuberosity of the ischium). 



Tail. The black skin of the under side of the tail and nearby 

 parts often is the seat of cancerous, malanotic or pigment tumors 

 in aging white or grey horses. The disease is incurable and consti- 

 tutes unsoundness in both work and breeding horses. Examine end 

 that the tail is not artificial and joined on. 



Stifle. Should be free from dropsical swellings and the knee 

 cap (patella) should remain firmly in place during motion. 



Hocks. These important joints should be free from bone 

 spavin, bog, spavin, thoroughpin and curb. Each constitutes an un- 

 soundness in both work and breeding animals; tendency to them is 

 considered hereditary. Bone spavin is a bony growth upon the sur- 

 face or among the small bones, on the inner, lower part of the hock 

 joint, or may involve the true joint higher up. A bony growth 

 appearing upon the outer part of the joint is called a jarde. In 

 spavin lamenass the horse starts out lame and improves or recovers 

 with exercise. Bog, or so-called blood spavins, are soft, fluctuating 

 distensions of the capsular ligaments (synovia! or joint oil sacs) of 

 the hock joints, and give a bulging appearance to the front of the 

 part involved. Curb appears as a bulging, calloused enlargement 

 upon the rear portion of the hind leg, just under the hock joint, in- 

 volving the tendons and ligaments and sometimes the bone of the 

 part. Crooked or sickle hocks are most prone to curb which follows 

 undue strain when at play or work. Actual unsoundness, implicat- 

 ing the hock joint and objectionable conformation, rendering the 

 joint liable to contract disease or become unsound, should be care- 

 fully avoided in the selection of breeding stock and work animals. 



