SOUNDNESS. 21 



exciting cause for its development; and with such betokenment 

 before us, it is quite impossible we can, with any shew of reason 

 or equity, pronounce the horse having them, notwithstanding he at 

 the time goes free from lameness, to be virtually a sound horse. 

 For, how can we in conscience call that horse sound who we know 

 has that about him which will probably — nay, certainly — cause him 

 to become lame the first long or heavy day's work he is put to per- 

 form ? As well might we call an apple or a pear sound which we 

 know to be rotten at the core. And yet, strictly and literally 

 speaking, the animal goes sound — is as sound in action to appear- 

 ance as is the rotten apple or pear. In cases where so much diffi- 

 culty, nay, impossibility, presents itself to the drawing of a dis- 

 tinction between the two opposite and (as we may call them) ab- 

 horrent states of soundness and unsoundness, it has struck us some 

 good might arise from 



A Division of Unsoundness into actual and prospective ; 

 the latter denomination indicating a state of transient or trustless 

 soundness. Notwithstanding a horse may be free from lameness, 

 may go sound, yet, so long as he has that about him which will 

 probably or surely render him lame the first time he is put to hard 

 work, is he virtually an unsound horse, in honesty unwarrantable ; 

 and the best denomination we are able to find for such a failable 

 condition — a sort of intermediate state between soundness and 

 unsoundness — is prospective imsomidness. So far as abstract 

 action is concerned, the horse, it is true, must be regarded as 

 sound ; although that which he has upon him, making him liable 

 or certain to become lame whenever he is put to excess of action or 

 work, certainly stands in the way of any warranty of soundness 

 being given. 



Prospective Unsoundness, however, although it relieves us 

 from the necessity of doing that which no professional man con- 

 scientiously can do in very many of the subjects brought before 

 him, viz., of pronouncing the horse either actually sound or 

 unsound, yet unfortunately it opens a door through which crowds 

 of cases, really doubtful in their character or rendered so by the 

 variety of opinions given on them, are ready to be forced in, and 

 made to perplex us in coming to any proper or judicious selection 



