SELECTING THE HORSE. 



21 



expirations are accompanied with a peculiar bellows-like heaving of 

 the flanks, particularly after rapid or violent exertion. It is an 

 unsoundness, and can neve/be cured. 



Crib-biting, or cribbing, is a vicious habit, which greatly impairs 

 the value of a horse. It consists of seizing the manger or any object 

 within reach by the teeth, violently extending the neck, and then, 

 with a grunt, sucking in air. It has long been a disputed point 

 whether the habit of cribbing alone constitutes legal unsoimdness, 



Fig. 24. —1, THOROCGHPiN ; 2, spavin ; 3, curb ; 4, capped hock. 



but it is unquestionably a serious vice. The effects of the habit are 

 plainly seen in the condition of the front teeth. The outer angles 

 will be found to be rounded off, and in a horse which has long 

 indulged the habit the front teeth are greatly worn down. 



Broken knees are caused by falling. If the knees show white 

 spots or extensive scars, it is never safe to buy the horse as sound. 

 A horse which has gone down once and wounded its knees so 

 seriously as to leave scars, is liable to do it again. Navicular dis- 

 ease is located in the lower part of the foot, and shows itself by 

 lameness, which often disappears after the horse has gone half an 



