34 THE HORSE. 



the knee and above the pastern joints, but mostly mid- 

 way between the joints named, in which situation they 

 are of the least consequence. 



They are occasioned by breaking the colt too young, 

 by blows from the fork to make him lift his legs off the 

 straw when his bed is being made, kicks from the groom, 

 blows from each other, or received in leaping, from 

 strains, from being over- weighted, and from cutting the 

 inside heel too low, whereby too much weight is thrown 

 upon the sesamoid bone, which is the small bone at the 

 back of the leg or cannon bone, and between it and the 

 tendon. 



While forming, they frequently occasion great lame- 

 ness, on account of the inflammation going on while 

 nature is uniting the small bone (sesamoid) behind to 

 the cannon (or large bone of the leg), that they may 

 strengthen one another. Generally splents are only 

 found on the legs of young horses; for, although nature 

 does not again disunite the bones, she absorbs those 

 lumps which are conspicuous in the young horse. 



After this union, it is presumed that the horse is not 

 as springy as before; I must say, however, I never dis- 

 covered any difference in elasticity. But, as they do not 

 inconvenience him after they are completely formed, and 

 all inflammation has ceased, so that he goes free from 

 pain (and as it is allowed that his legs are stronger and 

 less liable than formerly to injury) it is a blemish of the 

 least consequence only, and the animal can be warranted 

 as SOUND. 



As the horse gets older, these excrescences disappear, 

 although the union of the bones is asfirm as ever. 



SPEEDY cur. 



Speedy cut is seen on the inside, and rather on the 

 hind edge and lower corner, of the knee. Sometimes the 



