590 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



a heap ; the corresponding shoe, in certain cases, presents a polish 

 which is not seen in tliat of the other members. 



• b. It is necessary now to observe the horse in action. In this pro- 

 cess he is led at a walk by the hand, with the precaution of not giving 

 him too nuich liberty, and, at the same time, without furnisliing any 

 support to the movements of the head. The veterinarian stations him- 

 self in such a manner as to see the movements successively from in 

 front, from behind, and in profile from the two sides. If the lameness 

 is slight the walk is insufficient to show it, and the animal must be 

 trotted. 



The irregularity of locomotion, in the latter gait, is rendered more 

 evident on account of the stronger concussion against the soil. It is 

 for this reason that a lameness which was not visible in the walk 

 becomes apparent in the trot. 



Having seen the animal trot in a straight line, it is sometimes well 

 to turn him around a circle, with a view of surcharging the particular 

 lateral biped. Finally, he is rapidly turned from side to side, in such 

 a manner as to see whether the elevation of the diseased member is 

 more rapid and its contact with the ground more painful than that 

 of the healthy member.^ 



c. The choice of the surface over which the horse is moved must be 

 considered. A horse which appears sound may, at times, limp if he 

 suddenly passes from a dirt road to a hard pavement. Likewise, it 

 is not rare to see the lameness augment in intensity if the test takes 

 place upon a ploughed field or some other soft surface. The horse, in 

 this case, is obliged to use greater muscular efforts, which means more 

 pain, in elevating his members and disengaging them from the soil into 

 which the feet bury themselves. 



The Manner of Manifestation of the Lameness. 



1st. Lameness in an Anterior Member. — In the case of the anterior left mem- 

 ber, for example, the contact will have a shorter duration than that of the ante- 

 rior right; the beat will also be less strong. This is not all: at each step the 

 head will be elevated and inclined to the right, to ease, in a certain proportion, 

 the diseased member and render its concussion more feeble. 



Concerning the sound member, its step will be shorter, the beat stronger and 

 louder, and the contact, more prolonged, coincides with the lowering of the head 



2d. Lameness in a Posterior Member. — As in the preceding instance, the beat 

 of the diseased member is less strong than that of its homologue ; likewise, the 

 duration of the contact is shorter and the step less long. There are, in the trot, 

 other symptoms to which it is necessary to direct the attention. According to 



' Lemichel, Le cheval et le mulot, p. 123, 2e ed., Versailles, 1872. 



