UNSOUNDNESS. 361 



simiated itself there, or a wound on any other part of the sole For the 

 Sty and hunter', stopping i. indispensable After several days hard 

 work it will afford very great rehefto take the shoes oif,havni- put plent> ot 

 litter under the horse, or to turn him, if possible, nito a loose box ; and the 

 shoes of every horse, whether hardly worked or not, should be removed or 

 chano-ed once a month, 



Chapter XIX. 

 ON SOUNDNESS, AND THE PURCHASE AND SALE OF HORSES. 



There are few sources of greater annoyance both to the buyer and the 

 seller of the horse, than disputes with regard to the soundness ot the 

 animal. Although, in describing the various parts of the horse, we have 

 o-lanced at the connexion of certain natural conformations, and some altera- 

 tions of structure, and accidents, and diseases, with the question oi sound- 

 ness and unsoundness, it may not be uninteresting to those for whom our 

 work was designed, if we now bring into one point of view the substance 

 of that which has been scattered over many pages. 



That horse is sound in whom there is no disease, nor any alteration ot 

 structure in any part which impairs, or is likely to impair his natural usetul- 

 ness. That horse is unsound that labours under disease, or that has some 

 alteration of structure that does interfere, or is likely to interfere with his 

 natural usefulness. The term ' 7iatural usefulness ' must be borne in 

 mind. One horse may possess great speed, but is soon knocked up ; 

 another will work all day, but cannot be got beyond a snail's pace : one 

 with a heavy forehead is liable to stumble, and is continually putting to 

 hazard the neck of his rider ; another, with an irritable constitution and a 

 washy make, loses his appetite and begins to scour if a little extra work is 

 exacted from him. The term unsoundness cannot be applied to either of 

 these ; it would be opening far too widely a door to disputation and endless 

 wrangling. The buyer can discern, or ought to know, whether the form of the 

 horse^'is that which will render him likely to suit his purpose, and he should 

 try him sufficiently to ascertain his natural strength, endurance, and man- 

 ner of going. Unsoundness, we repeat, has reference only to disease, or 

 to that alteration of structure which is connected with, or will produce dis- 

 ease, and lessen the usefulness of the animal. 



These principles will be best illustrated by a brief consideration of the 

 usual supposed causes of unsoundness. 



Broken-knees certainly do not constitute unsoundness after the wounds 

 are healed, unless they interfere with the action of the joint, for the horse 

 may have fallen from mere accident, or through the fault of the rider ; but 

 no person would buy a horse with broken-knees until he had thoroughly 

 tried him, and satisfied himself as to his form and action. 



Capped Hocks may be produced by lying on an unevenly paved stable 

 with a scanty supply of litter, or by kicking, in neither of which cases 

 would they constitute unsoundness, though in the latter they would be an 

 indication of vice ; but in the majority of instances, they are either the 

 consequence of sprain of the hock, and accompanied by enlargement of 

 it, when they would be unsoundness. A special warranty should always 

 be taken against capped hocks. 



Contraction is a considerable deviation from the natural form of the 



