258 THE HORSE. 



bony cup may give way ? No I provision is made against this : all three of 

 the haunch bones unite in the formation of this cup, and the sutures by which 

 these bones are held together are of such a nature, that one would think no 

 shock, or exertion, or accident, could disunite them. There is even some- 

 thing more added to make the attachment doubly sure. Besides the usual 

 capsular and other ligaments, a singularly strong one rises from the base of 

 the cup, and is inserted into the head of the upper bone of the thigh, 

 and would seem to render separation or dislocation altogether impossible : 

 and yet such is the amazing power of the muscles of the hind limb, that 

 with all these attachments, sprain of the ligaments of the haunch joint, or 

 the round hone, as horsemen call it, and even dislocation of the head of the 

 thigh-bone, are occasionally found. 



The upper bone of the thigh we should expect to be, from the powerful 

 muscles that are attached to it, a very strong bone, and it is both the largest 

 and strongest in the frame. It is short and thick, and exhibits the most sin- 

 gular prominences, and roughnesses, and hollows, for the insertion of the 

 immense muscles which belong to it. Four prominences, in particular, 

 called by anatomists trochanters, two on the outside, one on the inside, 

 and one near the head of the bone, afford attachment to several im- 

 portant muscles. The head of the bone is placed at right angles with 

 its body, by which this important advantage is gained, that the motion of 

 the thigh-joint is principally limited to that of bending and extending, 

 although it possesses some slight lateral, and even some rotatory or round 

 action. The lower head of the upper bone of the thigh is complicated in 

 its form. It consists of two prominences, which are received into corre- 

 sponding depressions in the next bone, and a hollow in front, in which 

 the bone of the knee plays as over a perfect pulley. 



A short description of the muscles of the hinder extremities may not 

 be uninteresting to the horseman. The next cut will give a few of them. 



The muscles of the hind extremity are more powerful in action than 

 those of any other part of the frame, therefore there is a provision made 

 to hold them down in their respective situations, and thus contribute to 

 their security and strength. When the skin is taken from the hind limb, 

 we do not at once arrive at the muscles, but they are thickly covered by 

 a dense, strong, tendinous coat, which reaches over the whole of the 

 haunch and thigh, and only ceases to be found at the hock where there are 

 no muscles to be confined. If the power of the muscles be sufficient to 

 dislocate and fracture the thigh-bone, they need the support and confinement 

 of this tendinous coat. When this tendinous band is dissected off", another 

 is found beneath, which is represented at f/, raised and turned back, 

 larger than the former, thicker and more muscular. It proceeds from the 

 haunch-bones to the stifle, upon the fore and outer part of the haunch 

 and thigh, and is intended to tighten and strengthen the other. 



Under the part of this flat and binding muscle, which is represented in 

 our cut as raised, is a large round muscle proceeding from the ilium, not far 

 from the cup which receives the upper bone of the thigh, and running straight 

 down this bone, and thence its name rectus, it is inserted into the bone 

 of the stifle. An inspection of the cut, p. 63, will shew that it is so situated 

 as to be enabled to exert its great power in the most advantageous way. 

 It is a very prominent muscle, and forms what we may term the edge of the 

 thigh forward. It terminates in a tendon, which is short and very strong, 

 and which is, before its insertion into the patella, united with the prolongation 

 of the tendinous substance at g", in the cut, p. 260, and also with the tendon 

 of the muscle at i, in that cut, and at c, in the following cut, and which is 

 properly called tJ«s^Ms, from its great bulk. Some have divided this into two 



