DISEASES OF THE HOCK. 307 



examines, what is termed a " coarse hock," is often seen. By 

 tliis term is meant a hock with well-developed cuneiform bones, 

 giving a prominence to the articulation, very much resembling 

 spavin ; and it is generally borne out by experience that such 

 hocks are superior to those of a finer description, standing more 

 wear and tear, and remaining sound. It was laid down as a 

 rule by the late Mr. Barlow, that if both hocks were alike, and 

 the action good, joints coarsely formed should not be condemned 

 as unsound, more particularly if the enlargements were situated 

 towards their posterior aspect. 



I have made many dissections, and found that such enlarge- 

 ments were often due to disease, even in horses that were never 

 known to be lame. Wliy the presence of such deposits did 

 not cause lameness will be better understood after the pathology 

 of spavin has been discussed. 



Many horses are foaled with irregular hocks, very often with 

 one hock larger than the other ; and such are apt to be con- 

 demned as being diseased and unsound. Experience, however, 

 proves that a young horse, rough in his hocks, if put to work 

 before he has arrived at his full growth, is apt to fall lame ; 

 and that the same animal, if allowed to rest until he is old 

 enough for work, will remain sound for many years, although 

 a marked disparity may exist between the two hocks. Again, a 

 horse at four years old will look coarse in the hocks, or even 

 spavined ; but when he is six, the same horse will appear quite 

 fine and sound, provided he has been properly cared for. 



It is almost impossible to lay down a rule as to what con- 

 stitutes an unsoundness, provided the animal goes sound, and 

 has pretty good hock action. Spavins in front of the hock are 

 generally condemned, and justly so ; but even when so situated, 

 one very often finds they cause no lameness, at least during 

 the middle period of the animal's life. 



The lameness of bone-spavin is, as a rule, removeable in the 

 young and middle-aged, but incurable (with few exceptions) in 

 horses past their prime. In the two former it is due to an 

 inflammation, which of itseK brings about the reparative pro- 

 cess ; in the latter, to a degenerative disease in the bones, partaking 

 of the nature of fragilitus ossium, unaccompanied by a true 

 process of repair. 



Pathology. — Bone-spavin consists of inflammation excited in 



