CHAPTER XV 



UNSOUNDNESSES AND BLEMISHES 



General Discussion. — The value of a horse depends largelj- 

 on the condition of the limbs and their ability to do the work 

 for which they are intended. This fact is frequently overlooked 

 by experienced horsemen, who give attention to general confor- 

 mation and action rather than to soundness of limb. 



Diseases affecting the limbs may be classed as unsoundnesses 

 and blemishes. This classification is based on the degree to 

 which the disease interferes or may interfere with the work that 

 the animal is called on to perform. Unsoundnesses interfere with 

 the use of the part or the use of the animal for a certain work ; 

 blemishes do not. Such a basis for the classification of diseases 

 does not enable us to place certain diseased conditions of the 

 limbs in tlie unsound, or the blemish class at all times. A curb 

 may, if it produces lameness, be classed as an unsoundness. If 

 it does not cause the animal to go lame, and the enlargement on 

 the posterior border of the hock is small, it is classed as a 

 blemish. A high splint may place the animal in the unsound 

 class, but usually a low splint is not considered a serious blemish. 

 This classification is based to a certain extent on the relative 

 economic importance of the disease, or the influence that the 

 disease may have on the value of the animal, as well as any inter- 

 ference with the animal's ability to work. 



Recognition of the Disease. — The seat of the disease may 

 be in a muscle, tendon, bone or ligament. The general s}anp- 

 tom manifested is lameness or pain. The local symptoms are 

 heat, pain, swelling and bony enlargements. The degree of 

 lameness and the character of the local lesions vary greatly in 

 the different cases. Wlien the animal show^s a slight lameness 

 and there is little evidence of any local symptom, it requires 



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