DISEASES OF BONES 191 



ticularly at the fetlocks. The part is unable to stand the 

 strain, and the tendons very often also give way. Bursal 

 swellings are very unsightly, more especially if they are 

 large. They seldom produce lameness, but materially 

 interfere with the selling price of a horse. Capped elbow, 

 capped knee, and sometimes capped hock, are of this 

 nature, but may be complicated by subjacent structures 

 becoming implicated in the abnormal process. "Bog- 

 spavin " and " thoro-pin," though not the same, are of an 

 allied nature, but neither of these need have much 

 significance attached to their existence, as they seldom 

 cause the animal any inconvenience, and still less often 

 any lameness. " Thoro-pin " appears as a bulging at the 

 back of the hock on its inner side — and sometimes on its 

 outer as well — just above the point of the hock. Bog- 

 spavin, on the other hand, may consist of a slight disten- 

 tion or a very puffy swelhng at the front and sides of the 

 hock, more especially on the morning following active 

 work, due to a hyper-secretion of the lubricating fluid 

 of the joint, and the significance attached to it is as 

 previously stated. Wind-galls and other puffy swellings 

 of an allied nature may either be blistered, fired, or what 

 is better still, smeared over with ordinary gas tar. This 

 produces pressure and contraction of the surrounding 

 tissues, whilst its action is allied to both blistering and 

 firing. Operative interference beyond this is seldom 

 advisable. 



Curb 



Curb consists of a sprain of one of the ligaments just 

 below the point of the hock, but lying in the same straight 

 line with it. V/hen viewed in profile it appears as a 

 variable-sized swelling, being sometimes nothing more 

 than a shght undulation, but at others as a distinct 

 convexity, free from either heat or pain, and usually the 

 animal shows no indication of lameness. Curb is sup- 

 posed to be associated with " over-bent " or " sickle- 



