Examining a Horse 65 



chorea, or stringhalt. A comraon symptom of this dis- 

 ease is the apparent inability of the horse to lift the 

 foot of the affected hind leg, — the foot is seemingly 

 glued fast to the floor. After a considerable effort, the 

 horse gets the foot loose, lifts it high and mov?s over 

 with a kind of straddling hop. These symptoms are 

 not shown when the horse is made to jump suddenly by 

 the cut of a whip or slap of the hand; therefore such 

 actions about a horse should be looked upon wdth sus- 

 picion. It should also be noticed w^hether the horse 

 stands squarely on his feet, or "points" a foot to get 

 relief from lameness or soreness in the part. Halter- 

 pulling is another vice which it is difficult to detect. A 

 sudden movement about the horse's head, which startles 

 him, will usually cause him to fly back on the halter, if 

 he possesses this vice. Horses that are very strongly 

 tied by ropes or similar arrangements about the head 

 should be regarded with suspicion. 



EXAMINING OUT OF DOORS 



After the horse has been examined in the stall, he 

 should be led out on level ground where the light is 

 good, and every part of the body should be examined 

 for defects and disease. It is usually a good plan to 

 begin at one nostril and to go over the whole side of the 

 animal; then, returning to the opposite nostril, to ex- 

 amine the other side. The nostril should be examined 

 for any sign of glanders, or other suspicious discharges. 

 The mucous membranes lining the nostril should be of a 

 healthy rose -pink color, free from ulcers, scars or dis- 



