HOW TO BUY AND SELL. 55 



Dropping before may be occasioned by treading on a 

 stone, by a misfitting saddle, or by accidents of any 

 kind. In eithej of the last-mentioned cases, the horse is 



SOUND. 



See the preceding three articles. 



If the dropping-bef ore arises from malformation or ten- 

 der feet, the horse is 



FLESHY HEEL. 



Fleshy heel is an abnormal structure of the frog, 

 wherein the sensitive part of the foot becomes too much 

 exposed, the horse thereby being more or less tender ac- 

 cording to the progress of the disease, and therefore 



UNSOUND. 



CUNNING LAMENESS. 



In those cases in which horses are said to sham lame- 

 ness, that is, appearing sound at one time and unsound 

 at another, there is invariably something wrong; it is not 

 a case of shamming, but of painful reality. (See the ar- 

 ticle on "Unnerving.") In such cases a reason can 

 always be found, either in a slight touch of rheumatism, 

 paralysis, or non-adjustment or misfit of the saddle. 



To illustrate these facts, I will mention one out of the 

 many cases that have come under my notice. 



A friend of mine had a delightful little mare, remark- 

 able for her height in the withers, named ' ' Brunette." 

 This mare I was requested to examine with a view to- 

 wards discovering the rationale of her continually stum- 

 bling in a very serious manner, and at uncertain and un- 

 expected times. 



She was certain, if she made one initiatory stumble, to 

 continue stumbling all day; contrariwise, if she did not 



