166 HORSES AND PJDIXG. 



carefully examined for this particular unsoundness, 

 as it is very probable that it will be found to exist. 

 In addition to examining the horse's legs carefully, 

 there is another method of ascertaining the existence 

 of a bone spavin, particularly of the last kind, and it 

 is this. 



If you ride a horse up to a flight of sheep hurdles 

 at a slow trot, and he jumps them without dwelling, 

 and without touching them with his hind feet, he is 

 probably free from bone spavin, but if he hits them, 

 and when you continue to try him backwards and 

 forwards, still at a trot, he continues to hit them, it 

 is highly probable that he is affected with bone 

 sp>avin. The reason of this is, that a horse with a 

 bene spavin cannot bend his hocks and tuck his hind 

 legs under him so well as a sound horse. They can 

 get over a flight of rails easily by galloping at them, 

 and taking off a long w^ay from them, but they 

 cannot lift their hind feet over them when ridden 

 slowly. 



BOa OR BLOOP SPAVIN. 



The other sort of spavin is called a bog or blood 

 spavin, or, if it goes through the hock from one side 

 to the other, it is called a thoroughpin. It is less 

 common and of less importance than a bone spavin, 

 and is I believe nothing more than wind-gall seated 

 in the hock instead of in the fetlock. It does 

 not interfere much with a horse's value for work ; 



