ON THE HACKNEY AND HUNTER. 2O3 



will be fure to inform you of it, by putting his 

 leg and foot forward, in a loofe, faint, and 

 faltering way. If he fland thrufting out his 

 fore-leg boldly, as if from wantonnefs, and 

 retting on his heels, he is groggy; that is to 

 . fay, his finews are contracted, or his feet bat- 

 tered. To try how far the horfe has been in- 

 jured, let him be walked about for half an 

 hour, when the fwelling of his legs will, in all 

 probability, fubfide. If you then obferve the 

 tendo achilles, or main finew, diftincl from the 

 fhank ; if on p reding it with the finger towards 

 the bone, you find it firm, and tenfe ; if you 

 difcover by the feel, no foft, fpongy finews 

 between the fhank and the tendon, no extraor- 

 dinary pulfation, but that all is well-braced, 

 and wiry ; you may conclude the fwellings 

 not dangerous. A perfon of experience, with 

 a nice and difcriminating finger, will fcarce 

 ever fail to detecl lamenefs in the back finews; 

 but I muff declare, that I have never yet in my 

 life, met with fuch perfons among common 

 grooms, and farriers; who never attend to 

 any other fymptoms in thefe cafes, than heat 

 and tenfion; whereas thofe fymptoms may 

 have prevailed, in a very flight degree, or may 

 be pad, and the finews remain in a very lax 

 and unfound Rate. I met with a remarkable 

 example of this, very lately. Two men were 

 returning from the houfe of a veterinary prac- 

 titioner 



