DEFECTS.] 



MODERN VETERINAEY PRACTICE. 



[defects. 



established fact, that as soon as a horso be- 

 comes a crib-biter, lie, in more than nine cases 

 out of ten, begins to lose condition. Ho is 

 not, to the experienced eye, tlie same animal 

 ho was before. It may uot lead to absolute 

 disease, or it may rarely do so to any con- 

 siderable degree ; but a horse that is deficient 

 in condition, must, to that extent, have his 

 capability for extraordinary work diminished, 

 although not so often as to be apparent in 

 ordinary work ; and so fiir, the horse is unsound. 

 Altliough the habit may have had its origin in 

 a mere trick, yet, when it has become con- 

 firmed, the animal is greatly deteriorated by it. 



The wear of the front teeth, and even the 

 frequent breaking of them, make a horse old 

 before his time, and sometimes render it diffi- 

 cult, or almost impossible, for him to graze, 

 when his state or the convenience of the owner 

 requires that he should be turned out. 



Curb constitutes unsoundness while it lasts, 

 and perhaps while the swelling remains, al- 

 though the inflammation may have subsided ; 

 for a hotse that has once thrown out a curb, 

 is, for a while at least, very liable to do so 

 again on the slightest extra exertion. Ahorse, 

 however, is not returnable, although he should 

 spring a curb five minutes after the purchase ; 

 for it is done in a moment, and does not ne- 

 cessarily indicate any previous unsoundness or 

 weakness of the part. 



Cutting, as rendering a horse liable to seri- 

 ous injury of the legs, and indicating that he 

 is either weak, or has an awkwardness of gait 

 inconsistent with safety, is rather productive 

 of unsoundness than is unsoundness itself. 

 Many horses go lame for a considerable period 

 after cutting themselves severely ; and others 

 have dropi)cd from the sudden agony, and en- 

 dangered themselves and their riders. As some 

 doubt, however, exists on this subject, and as 

 it is a very material objection to a horse, cut- 

 ting, when evident, should have its serious 

 consequences provided against by a special 

 warranty. 



Enlarged Glands. The enlargement of the 

 glands under the jaw has not been so much 

 considered as it ought, in an estimate of the 

 soundness of the horse. Simple catarrh will 

 occasionally, and severe afi'ection of the chest 

 will generally, be accompanied by swelling of 

 these glands, which docs uot subside for acou- 



siderablo time after tho c<ild or fever has ap- 

 parently been cured. To Hiiglit etdargements 

 of tho glands under tho jaw much atlentioii 

 need not be paid; but if they are of co«. 

 siderablo size, and espocially if they are teuder, 

 and tho glands at tho root of the ear j)artici- 

 pate iu the enlargement, and if the membrane of 

 tho nose is redder than it should be, we should 

 hesitate in pronouncing that horse to be sound. 

 Tho tumidity must, in our opinion, be con- 

 sidered as a symptom of disease. 



Enlarged Hock. A horse witli enlarged hock 

 is unsound. Tiie structure of this complicated 

 joint being so materially aifected, that although 

 the animal may appear for a considerable time 

 to have the capacity of doing ordinary work, 

 he will occasionally fail even in that, and a few 

 days' hard work will always lame him. 



The Eyes. That inflammation of the eye of 

 the horse which usually terminates in blindness 

 of one or both eyes, has the peculiar character 

 of remitting or disappearing for a time, once or 

 twice, before it fully runs its course. The eve, 

 after an attack of inflammation, regains so 

 nearly its former natural brilliancv, that any 

 one even well acquainted with horses will not 

 always recognise the traces of former disease. 

 After a time, however, the inflammation returns, 

 and the result is decisive. 



As the horse is being led out of the stable 

 into the light, his manner and action should be 

 closely observed. If he turns his ears so as to 

 catch whatever noises may be coming irom 

 different directions, lifting his feet unusually 

 high, hanging back on tho halter, and aj)pa- 

 rently taking every step with caution, sus- 

 picion should at once be awakened that all is 

 uot right with his eyes. When the animal is 

 given to start, it is, by many, considered a sigu 

 of some degree of defective vision. There is 

 one cause of blindness by which the initiated 

 buyer may be readily deceived : this is in the 

 case of Gutta Serena, or paralysis in the optic 

 nerve. "In this irremediable aflection," says 

 the author of The Horse, " the textures of the 

 eye appear natural and unimpaired. There is 

 no apparent alteration of structures, no cloudi- 

 ness, no opacity ; the only indication being the 

 large and unmoveable state of the pupils, whicl 

 remain equally distended in the dusk of even- 

 ing and tho glare of the noon-day sun." 



If a man buys a horse actually blind, he will 



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