HUNTERS 183 



man, for the hock joint, in anatomy, corresponds 

 to the human heel. A great deal depends on that 

 tendon ; and its strength depends on the develop- 

 ment of the aforesaid muscles. 



Q. Now that we have arrived at the hocks, 

 please state how they should be formed. 



A. They must be large, wide, and well- 

 developed, with a prominent " point," which is 

 the lever to straighten the leg. An increase 

 in the length of the lever adds considerably to 

 the force of the spring. The diseases they 

 chiefly suffer from are spavin, bog spavin, curbs, 

 and thorough-pins. 



Spavins are the same sort of bony formation, 

 on the inside of the hocks, as are splints and 

 ringbones in their respective places. If a spavin 

 does not interfere with the working of a joint, 

 when it is once fully developed the horse may 

 work for a long time without much, if any, 

 detriment ; but usually there is more or less 

 stiffness in the joint. There are various w^ays of 

 detecting its presence. If sufficiently large to be 

 visible, a good method is to stand in front of the 

 horse, stoop down, and look between the forelegs 

 at the hocks, when any deviation from the 

 normal can be seen plainly. Sometimes one of 

 the small bones has an extra development, which, 

 at first sight, appears like a spavin ; but the touch 

 should diagnose if this is the case, as well as the 

 fact that both hocks are alike. Such hocks are 

 termed "strong hocks," and are usually very 

 sound ones. The touch, when educated, is a 

 surer guide to the detection of spavin than sight. 

 If a horse is apt to resent his hocks being felt, 

 a foreleg should be held up whilst the examina- 



