252 THE SHANK AND PASTERN. 



very fast work, as it puts an injurious strain and friction on the 

 back sinews. No trainer would attempt to train a horse with 

 such a defect. 



THE SHANK. 



604. — Below the knee, we have the parts of the horse's 

 structure most liable to injury from fast work. We have seen 

 that for mechanical reasons, nature could not be prodigal with 

 material here, whilst the accumulated speed increases the danger, 

 both from strain and concussion. No matter what you hear to 

 the contrary, you may take it for granted that under all 

 ordinary conditions, when your horse is lame, he is lame from 

 some defect below the knee. He will not go lame because his 

 bones are too small, but he may go lame because his back sinews 

 are either too small, or not of sufficiently good quality, or are too 

 closely tied in to the bone, so as to work at a disadvantage and with 

 too much friction. You should therefore seek large sinews, 

 standing well back from the bone, and feel that they are perfectly 

 smooth and hard, with no gummy or soft deposit about them. 

 Have nothing to do with them if they have been fired or blistered- 

 They may be none the worse, and will certainly be none the better 

 for the operation, but it will prove to you that they have failed, 

 and will therefore probably fail again. 



PASTERN. 



G05. — In the short space below the shank bone, and above" 

 the hoof, there are no less* than three joints, all more or less out 

 of the perpendicular, and consequently throwing more or less of 

 the weight of the horse on to the strong, though small ligaments 

 that surround them. If the short bones between these joints 

 are too short, or too upright, the horse will stand slow, heavy 

 work well, but will be rough, and may break down at fast work 

 from too much concussion. If they are very oblique, and the 

 bones long, the action will be springy and pleasant, but great strain 

 will come on the ligaments that sustain the weight in that direc- 

 tion, and unless very good they will fail. It is obvious that a 

 medium length and slope is best here, and that the shorter the 



