LAMENESS IN THE HORSE 95 



head and fore quarter is dropped on the sound side during 

 movement. In other words the animal " drops " on the 

 sound side. 



On the other hand lameness in the hind limb is indicated 

 by elevation of the quarter on that side of the limb 

 affected. In order to deceive, an unscrupulous vendor, 

 having a horse to dispose of v/hich is lame in one fore limb, 

 will make it lame on the opposite limb in order to counter- 

 balance the original lam.eness. A horse lame in both fore 

 limbs without any obvious injury to account for this 

 lameness is less likely to be detected than when the lame- 

 ness is confined to one side. 



Lameness is much more pronounced on hard than on 

 soft ground. It may be continuous or intermittent, 

 slight or severe. Intermittent lameness is that which 

 comes on at irregular intervals, persists for a variable 

 period, and then disappears. 



There is a diseased condition known as thrombosis, in 

 which the circulation of the blood in a blood-vessel, or 

 some branch of it, becomes suddenly arrested with the 

 result that an acute paroxysm of lameness occurs, so painful 

 that it may cause violent sweating and other signs of 

 acute suffering. This may last only a few minutes and then 

 pass off. In every case of lameness the first thing to do, 

 even when the cause is obvious, is to remove the shoe and 

 search the foot, because, as stated elsewhere, the majority 

 of horses go lame through some form of foot trouble. It 

 is impossible to emphasise this too strongly, otherwise 

 all sorts of mistakes are liable to occur. The foot must be 

 thoroughly searched in every case, the nail holes pared out 

 and the sole pressed with the farrier's pincers aU around 

 the nail holes. Unless this is properly done even the 

 farrier may overlook the cause of the lameness. 



A multipHcity of troubles in connection with the Hmbs 

 are responsible for lameness in the horse, so that having 

 examined the foot with negative results the remainder of 

 the limb or limbs should be critically examined and 



