VICES AND UNSOUNDNESS OF THE HORSE. 559 



cases of bad eyes examined by us during the past month, 

 August, 1866, in Petersburg, Ky., the lachrymal openings 

 were very small indeed. Ou the contrary, in almost ever}^ 

 case of large, full, clear eyes, these openings are proportion- , 

 ably large. This is an almost unvarying rule, that the ' 

 strength of the eye to resist disease, and its liability to go 

 out, will be indicated by the size of these openings. 



DEFECTS OF THE TEET. ' V 



There are more horses unsound from defects of the feet 

 than from all other causes together. Many of these* defects 

 arise from bad shoeing, but more of them from bad stabling, 

 which compels the horse to stand in wet and filth. Plank 

 floors are very hurtful to horses' feet, especially in summer. 

 The diseases most likely to attack the feet first are hoof-rot, 

 corns, thrush, grease, scratches, and these are the exciting 

 cause of many others. Hoof-rot is a condition of the foot 

 that has excited but little attention, and yet it lies at the 

 foundation of almost all the other foot difiiculties. Hoof-rot, 

 also called pumice feet, has already been described. It is in- 

 dicated by a soft, rotten state of the bottom, of the hoof, 

 permitting its substance to be easily dug or cut out with a 

 knife or a chisel. The soft matter will be thickest at the 

 back part of the foot, and has a white, chalky, scaly appear- *. J|% 



ance. When the feet are in this condition, the horse will be 

 what is called tender- footed, a condition indicated by his pe- 

 culiar manner of stepping. The joints^will swell, and many 

 troublesome if not incurable diseases ensue, l^ever forget 

 that hoof-rot is a serious disease, and, consequently, a positive 

 and deplorable condition of unsoundneag. 



DEFECTS OF THE SKIN. 



Many horses are afflicted by a scurviness of the skin which 

 fills the hair with a brownish dust. Such horses can never 

 be kept clean. You can hardly rub your hand over one of 

 them without its becoming smeared with this gummy scurf. 

 K you curry out all you can in the morning, it wiU be just 



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