26o SOUNDNESS AND UNSOUNDNESS 



with his fore-feet and injure his rider from such 

 an act caused by insensibiHty to all pain in his 

 feet through having been unnerved. 



Occasionally a horse is thought to be suffer- 

 ing from navic when, in reality, he is painfully 

 and very apparently lame from blood corns 

 deeply seated. Now, by carefully paring the 

 hoof and letting out some of the blood — and this 

 had better only be done under the direction of a 

 vet, the operator being a skilled shoeing-smith — 

 then the supposed subject of navic, when shod 

 with leather and comfortable shoes, trots happily 

 henceforth to the pleasure of his owner, who may 

 have got a dead snip or a first-rate bargain if he 

 can so manage to make a handsome horse sound 

 which a few days before was supposed to be 

 chronically and even worthlessly unsound. 



Supposing it had been navic. How can a very 

 imperfectly trained amateur vet tell that a screw 

 is suffering from this incurable disease? The 

 sufferer usually points one of his toes in a manner 

 which would excite the suspicion of a practical 

 vet. There is a good deal of heat in the feet, 

 Another sign which is well worth noting is a 

 difference in the shape of the hoofs. Again, if 

 there is no other apparent cause for lameness, 

 and all these symptoms are present when the 

 horse is in his stable, and not trotting sound from 

 being roused out of pain by excitement, then 

 avoid buying that screw, for it is ten to one he is 

 a " wrong 'un " of the deepest dye. 



