THE ANATOMY OF THE HORSE 35 



support to the organs contained in the abdominal cavity. The 

 action, or uses, of the abdominal muscles are to support the 

 organs contained in the abdominal cavity, to flex the back- 

 bone and assist in the passing of the faeces, or manure. In 

 the mare these muscles assist her in foaling, or parturition. 



4. The Coccygeal, or Muscles of the Tail. — Here there 

 are four that are important — one situated on the upper side 

 of the tail when it is straight out, the action of which is to 

 raise the tail ; two, one on each side of the tail, have the 

 power of drawing the tail to either side ; the fourth is situ- 

 ated under the tail and is the smallest one of the four. Its 

 action is to draw the tail down. 



5. The Shoulder Muscles are very large and powerful. 

 There are only three of great importance, viz.: Two situated 

 on the outside of the shoulder blade are important as they 

 are the muscles affected in the disease called sweeny. The 

 other important one is that which passes down over the 

 shoulder joint through the groove or pulley-like surface on 

 the shoulder bone. This is a long, powerful muscle, attached 

 above to the lower end of the shoulder blade, down through 

 the groove mentioned to the upper part of the bone to the 

 fore arm, or radius, at the front side. Its chief point of im- 

 portance rests in its action in raising the front leg, where it 

 passes through the pulley-like surface mentioned, when it 

 becomes injured or diseased ; it is the seat of shoulder joint 

 lameness. 



6. Muscles of Front Leg, from shoulder down, are divided 

 into two separate kinds, viz. : the extensor and flexor muscles. 



The extensor muscles are those which bring the leg for- 

 ward. These muscles, above, are attached to the bones 

 around the elbow joint, passing down in front of the arm 

 bones. About three inches above the knee they become 

 changed into the tendinous part of these muscles, or what is 

 called the cords of the leg. Some of them are attached to 

 the knee joint, while others pass over the front of the joint 

 and are held down to their place by a band or ligament, 

 forming a loop, as it were, for this muscle to glide into when 

 the leg is in action. Each one of these loops through which 

 the muscles pass are supplied with a synovial membrane to 

 secrete the synovia, or oil, which lubricate it during action, 

 the same as in the joint. This is a point of importance, as 

 sometimes, on account of injury or strain of this part of the 



