28 THE PRACTICAL HORSE KEEPER, 



Thickening of the tendons among horses sold at fairs is, 

 as a rule, very rare, or if present very slight, as no horse could 

 be sold if it were marked; as with the thickened ligament, 

 when it is present it is very small. However this may be, a 

 horse should be at once rejected for either thickened tendons 

 or ligaments, as it is a grave defect ; for if the animal at any 

 time subsequently, and especially in hunting, is made to undergo 

 very severe exertion, he will probably give way in this, his weak 

 part. To find out these defects, it is necessary to compare both 

 legs by passing the hand first down the tendons of one leg and 

 then those of the other ; and if the ligament or tendon in one 

 feels thicker than its fellow, then the examiner may feel quite 

 sure there is something wrong, and should have nothing to do 

 with the horse. 



" Broken knees " are, as a rule, not of so much consequence 

 to a hunter as to a hack or harness horse, and do not affect the 

 price so much as with the latter class. In a stone- wall hunting 

 country, it is very common to see really good hunters with 

 blemished knees. If the action is good, square, and clear, and 

 there is no " brushing" or "speedy cutting," it may, as a rule, 

 be concluded that the blemish was the result of an accident. 

 If the blemish is noticed, and the dealer says the horse hit the 

 knee against the manger, then have nothing to do with the 

 animal, as no honest dealer would make such a statement. 

 Horses generally get broken knees by falling, and sometimes 

 in jumping ; but cases are so rare as to be almost unknown in 

 which injury was caused by knocking the leg against the 

 manger. 



Some horses will rub the hair off their knees in the stable, 

 but the hair roots can always be seen, and there is no scar. 

 To find out whether there is a scar or not, the hand should be 

 rubbed against the hair, and the hair may be slightly damped. 



Horses with the point of the hip knocked off are often 

 seen at fairs. The injury depreciates the animal's value. It 



