ANTERIOR MEMBER. 



233 



FIG. 70. 



it is no longer compatible here with a uniform distribution of the body- 

 weight upon the metacarpal region, because the articular surfaces in the 

 horse's carpus have a slant different from that of 

 the carpal bones in the ox. The inward deviation 

 has a tendency to increase in the state of rest and 

 at the time of contact with the ground during loco- 

 motion ; the outer half of the bones is overloaded, 

 while the internal lateral ligament is stretched to 

 its utmost. Hence, for this reason, first and fore- 

 most, do we look upon this anatomical conforma- 

 tion as a vice of the greatest importance in car- 

 riage- or in saddle-horses, the latter in particular. 



Moreover, during the act of flexion, it exag- 

 gerates the movement of abduction of the meta- 

 carpus, which, on the contrary, under ordinary 

 normal conditions, is always very slight. At 

 every step the animal throws the canon outside of 

 the vertical axis, wastes a certain amount of time 

 in bringing it back to its normal attitude, and uses 

 his limb in a most ungraceful style, described by H. Bouley as " a 

 kind of all-over-the-shop gait, displeasing to the eye of the true con- 

 noisseur." Finally, the necessary consequence of 

 this form of the knee is the outward deviation of 

 the inferior part of the member, notably the hoof. 

 \e will return to this in speaking of the outboiv- 

 footed horse. (See Axes.) 



When the region of the carpus deviates to the 

 external side of the vertical axis it is the seat of a 

 grave defect, which is denoted by the limb being con- 

 vex on the external side and concave inwardly, as 

 well as by a convergence of the two hoofs (Fig. 71). 

 This conformation is not common, but, like the pre- 

 ceding, it causes unsteadiness in the " grip" of the 

 ground and a straining of the ligaments. In this 

 case it is the internal surface of the articulations 

 which is overloaded, and the external lateral liga- 

 ments that are subjected to the abnormal tension ; 

 and for this reason blemishes are the speedy result of this form of the 

 knee. Besides, as the toe of the hoof is turned inward, the horse is 

 pigeon-toed and exposed, consequently, to all the evils of this defect, 

 particularly interfering. 



FIG. 7L 



