244 THE HORSE 



between the fetlock joint and the hoof, can all be seen 

 easily from the side when the horse is viewed by the 

 trained eye. If in this general inspection the horse is 

 not condemned for the purposes desired, a more critical 

 inspection should next be made of the legs and feet. 

 By bending down while standing in front of the horse, 

 one may see clearly the contour of the inside of all 

 the legs. Splints, spavins, wind -galls, ring- and side- 

 bones, if of any considerable size, are immediately 

 discovered. In this position comparison is easy, since, 

 if one limb is enlarged at any point, the other serves 

 to call attention to it. Only in rare cases is more than 

 one limb affected in the same way and to the same 

 extent. Not infrequently a blemish may be incipient 

 and slight, and hence likely to escape detection; there- 

 fore the limb should be examined by passing the hands 

 downward over two legs at a time, pressing hard and 

 keeping the hands opposite to each other. A blemish 

 which could not be seen may be discovered by the sense 

 of touch. A horse may pass all of these examina- 

 tions successfully and yet be unsound; therefore, if 

 any doubt remains, other tests should be made. Stand- 

 ing in front of the horse, force him to move backward 

 slowly and quietly. If he picks up his forefeet and 

 steps backward without dragging the toe of the foot, 

 he may be pronounced sound in the shoulders; but if 

 the foot, instead of being lifted fairly clear of the 

 floor, is moved back with a dragging motion, the horse 

 is not normal. (For practice, observe a horse when 

 backed that is known to be unsound.) 



If not fully satisfied with the inspection already 



