COMMON UNSOUNDNESSES. 



161 



Fig. 22. 



a horse with well-shaj)ed hocks naturally, but which 

 has put out a curb. The second is of a horse with 

 naturally curby hocks, but which 

 have not developed into a de- 

 cided curb. The third is the leg 

 of a curby-hocked horse loith 

 curbs. 



It will be seen that in my 

 drawings the hind leg is more 

 bent under the horse's body in 

 the two curby-shaped hocks 

 than in the good one. 



The reason for this is, that 

 as far as my own observation 

 has gone, I have found that 

 curby-shaped hocks are almost always (when they 

 exist), found in conjunction with a bent formation 

 of hind leg. 



And this I think is likely to be the case, for the 

 strain on the back sinews of the horse's hind leg 

 must be much greater in proportion to the weight 

 imposed on it when the bone of the hind leg is in a 

 slanting position than when it is vertical. 



In one case the bone will sustain the whole 

 weight, if required, without the assistance of the 

 sinew. In the other case the bone by itself would 

 practically not support any weight at all. I will 

 endeavour to make this clear by a diagram, in which 

 the bone is represented as a single column, and the 



