94 THE HORSE 



affected in the manner indicated would, under similar 

 circumstances, be passed as sound. 



Lameness is more frequent in the fore than in the 

 hind limbs, probably because the degree of concussion is 

 greater, more weight being borne by the fore than the 

 hind limbs. One fore or both fore, or one fore and one 

 hind may be implicated in the lameness. Quite commonly 

 the seat of the lameness is in the foot, in fact the majority 

 of lame cases arise in the region last named. Although 

 experience is one of the best schoolmasters in the diag- 

 nosis of lam^eness, it is an everyday occurrence amongst 

 those who are expert at this particular kind of work to be 

 unable to determine the nature of the trouble, or to 

 locate the cause operative in the production of the lame- 

 ness. That some horses are lamed during the time that 

 they are being shod is indisputable, hut the farrier is 

 often blamed for that for which he is not responsible. 

 No skilled craftsman has been more dictated to than 

 the farrier as to how he should or should not shoe horses, 

 and the writer has known some of the most expert shoeing- 

 smiths instructed as to how particular animals should be 

 shod by those who knew nothing whatever about the 

 matter. 



The amateur commonly finds it difficult to recognise 

 the limb upon which the horse is lame unless there is 

 obvious indication of the seat of the trouble. Greater 

 difficulty, however, exists when the animal is lame in 

 both the fore and hind limbs simultaneously. Some 

 horses are lame when they walk, others only when they 

 are trotted. Again, lameness is often most obvious 

 directly the animal comes out of the stable, but frequently 

 decreases when the horse is put to work. On the other 

 hand lameness may increase with exercise. If a horse 

 or mule is lame, say in the near fore hmb, it follows that 

 it will, when putting the foot to the ground, endeavour 

 to take off the pressure as much as possible, consequently 

 additional weight being thrown upon the off fore limb, the 



