PASTERN. 



293 



The defect of uprightness of pastern in the fore hmb 

 (want of " play " in the joints of the fetlock and pastern) 

 not onlv militates against the speed of a horse by causing 

 him to suffer to an undue extent from the injurious effects 

 of concussion ; but also tends to decrease his power of 

 raising his fore-hand by the straightening of the fore limb, 

 as we see done by the horse in Figs. 184 to i8g. It is 



Pholo bii] 



Fig. 370.^1Ieavily topped hunter. 



[M. It. H. 



evident that if the fetlock and pastern joints possess 

 but little mobility, there will be only a slight descent of the 

 fetlock joint, and consequently their " play " will affect 

 but little the length of the limb. We have seen (p. 61) 

 that propulsion is accomplished by the straightening out 

 of the limb, to effectually do which, the joints in question 

 must possess the ability to be freely flexed and extended. 

 Every experienced trainer will have noticed that as a 

 race-horse's fore pasterns become more and more up- 

 right from work, the more will he lose his speed and his 



