5 go The Book of the Horse. 



circumstances. The injury more frequently happens to the hind-legs of draught-horses and 

 to the fore-legs of riding-horses, the reason for which will be obvious. It may be confined 

 to the sheath of the tendon, to the tendon itself, or it may involve both. As a result of such 

 an unfortunate occurrence, lameness almost at once becomes apparent, and commonly of a 

 severe and marked character. When slowly progressing, the horse shows a decided disinclination 

 to put the heel of the foot down, endeavouring as much as possible to travel on the front 

 of it ; in a short time a swelling takes place at the back of the leg, commonly midway be- 

 tween the knee, or hock, and the fetlock ; pain is evinced on pressure at this part, and an 

 unusual amount of heat is discernible. These symptoms may sometimes be otherwise occasioned — 

 viz., by the animal having struck the fore-leg at the part described with the toe of the hind- 

 foot in galloping ; in some instances so closely do the two cases resemble each other that 

 it is almost impossible to determine whether the injury is arising from sprain or the result 

 of a blow, until a few days have elapsed ; when due to the latter cause, the symptoms more 

 quickly subside. Many of the above remarks with reference to the nature and causes of 

 sprain of the flexor tendons will apply to sprains of the principal ligament below the knee 

 and hock — the so-called suspensory ligament ; but on examining this injury, the swelling, instead 

 of being found at one particular part, extending about two inches only, a thickening in front 

 of the tendons, reaching, as a rule, from the knee to the fetlock, may be distinctly felt ; the 

 pain and lameness is generally not so acute, nor is the action upon the toe so marked as in 

 sprain of the tendons. 



In the treatment of these cases corn should be at once stopped : the horse should 

 be fed upon mash diet, and purgative medicine should be given ; the affected leg should 

 be continuously fomented — this can easily be done by placing it in a pail of warm 

 water for a quarter of an hour five or six times during the day, and placing on a warm 

 wet bandage between these periods. The animal should be put into a comfortable loose box, 

 and if it be a case of sprained tendons, a high-heeled shoe may be attached to the foot with 

 advantage. This treatment should be continued until the acute symptoms have subsided, 

 when the time has arrived for the application of cold water, which can be applied admirably 

 either by an occasional douche or by the use of cold wet bandages. If the horse can be 

 spared from work for a long rest, a careful adoption of the foregoing treatment will probably 

 so restore the parts as to allow of moderate work being performed, but in the majority of 

 cases such restoration can be brought about more quickly by having recourse to the use of 

 repeated blisters, or of firing and blistering over the scat of the injury. In some cases, after 

 the adoption of this treatment, recovery takes place to such an extent as to allow of the 

 horse galloping and jumping without return of lameness, but they are exceptional ; the animal 

 commonly recovers so that he may perform ordinary harness or hacking work, but seldom 

 more than this. 



Curb is a sprain arising from undue extension of the annular ligament at the back 

 of the hock ; its existence is indicated by a swelling at the back of the joint, about six 

 inches below the point. It commonly makes its appearance in the early life of the horse, 

 when being broken ; it frequently gives rise to lameness, but not in every instance. The causes 

 of curb are similar to those of sprained tendons. 



Tliordpiii is due to sprain of the sheath, one of the principal flexor tendons of the 

 hind-leg, as it passes over the back of the hock. It will be known by a flaccid swelling im- 

 mediately above the hock-joint, in front of the point. This enlargement bulges as a rule on 

 both sides, but occurs only on one in some cases. Its causes are alike to those of sprain 



