CAUSES OF UNSOUNDNESS. 97 



attendant upon an injury of this nature, but if 

 the lameness comes on within a few days of pur- 

 chase, and there are no signs of acute inflammatory 

 activity, one may reasonably conclude that the 

 injury was present at the time of purchase. When 

 examining a horse prior to buying it, it is necessary 

 to run the hand carefully down the course of the 

 back tendons in order to ascertain whether they 

 are " clean " (free from disease) and correct. 



The Fetlock. 



Amongst all classes of horses bony and other 

 enlargements are very common in this region, and 

 some constitute unsoundness, whereas others do 

 not. Puffy swellings, known to horsemen as wind- 

 galls, are very common at the fetlock joints, but 

 do not, strictly speaking, constitute unsoundness. 

 Swelhngs of this nature are known to veterinarians 

 as distended bursae, the result of hypersecretion 

 of lubricating fluid. Very often these swellings 

 are indications of hard wear, but many young horses, 

 prematurely put to work, develop them, and they 

 are very unsightly. They are not confined to the 

 fetlock joints by any means, but they are commonest 

 in this situation ; yet their presence is not sufficient 

 to enable a dissatisfied purchaser to return the horse, 



7 



