DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE 



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pastern or coffin joints. It may affect the front legs, but is 

 more frequently found on the hind ones. There are cases 

 where the four legs are affected at the same time. 



Causes. — Like most other bone diseases, it runs in some 

 breeds of horses to be affected with ringbones, that is to say 

 it is hereditary, hence the necessity of breeding sound 

 animals. There are other well-marked causes, such as hard 

 or fast work, an injury or severe sprain of the joint, allowing 

 colts' feet to grow too long, or allowing foals to follow their 

 mother when working. Running a nail in the foot, and 

 wounding the coffin joint causes the joint to become diseased 

 and throw out a ringbone. Standing on one leg while very 

 lame in the other may cause it. 



Symptoms. — Lameness fol- 

 lowed by an enlargement round 

 the affected joint are well 

 marked symptoms. When the 

 pastern joint is affected the en- 

 largement is about half way 

 between the fetlock joint and 

 the hoof — a high-up ringbone. 

 An enlargement affecting the 

 coffin joint bulges out around 

 the top of the hoof (see Fig. 42) 

 — a low-down ringbone. There 

 is noticeable heat in the parts in 

 the vicinity of the ringbone and 

 the lameness is peculiar, the 

 step of the affected leg being 

 longer and the putting of the 

 heel down first. The lameness, too, is much more noticeable 

 at the commencement of work, becoming less after being 

 warmed up by the exercise. 



Treatment. — The treatment, in some cases, is not at- 

 tended with very great success, although, in others, it is very 

 successful, depending, of course, on the extent of disease in 

 the joint. The treatment is similar to that of spavin — the 

 main object being to set up what is known as anchylosis of 

 the diseased joint, that is, to cause the bones forming the 

 joint to become united solid to each other. As soon as this 

 takes place, the lameness and soreness leaves. This is what 

 is called a cure. Of course, after cured, the motion of that 



Fig. 42. — A Lowdown Ringbone. 



