SPRAIN OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT. 357 



remedy to be relied upon. Blisters may answer in certain cases 

 of first sprain, and that not of the worst character, and where the 

 subject of it is not likely to be called on in the capacity of hunter, 

 racer, steeple-chaser, &c. ; but the firing-iron, and nothing short 

 of it, painful though it be to the feelings of the operator, and 

 torturing to those of the operated on, is, I feel regret at being 

 compelled to affirm, the sole means we have at present at com- 

 mand to save the " broken down" horse from the slaughter-house. 

 By the firing-iron, have horses, originally worth their hundreds 

 of pounds sterling, been raised from knacker's price to their former 

 value. By the iron, has many a broken-down hunter, and many 

 a racer, been joyously restored to his station and rank in the field 

 where his proudest laurels have been won. 



Sprain of the Suspensory Ligament. 



The " Suspensory Ligament," as it is called, is one of those 

 peculiar structures which are introduced into particular parts of 

 an animal body as aids to muscle, by sustaining weight in a state 

 of inaction, and counter-acting concussion at the time of action, b}^ 

 virtue of the property they possess of elasticity. This property 

 enables them to act after the manner of springs. When weight to 

 a given amount comes to be thrown upon them, they yield and 

 elongate, and when it comes to be removed, they contract and 

 shorten : and all throua^h virtue of their elasticitv. It is not to be 

 wondered at that textures like these should be occasionally out of 

 order ; indeed, our only matter of surprise is, considering how they 

 are used and tried, that, as antagonists as well as aids to muscle, 

 they are not much oftener out of order than they prove to be. The 

 suspensory spring, whose disorders we are about to consider, is 

 one of the most important, if not the most important, of this class 

 in the horse's body. It is of great length, and very elastic, and 

 patently exhibits to our view, when in operation, its beautiful 

 action and counter-action. Gallop or canter an Arabian or Spanish 

 horse, or any well-bred horse of our own country who happens to 

 possess long and oblique pasterns, and the fetlocks may be ob- 

 served at every successive stride, owing to the force of action, 



