UNSOUNDNESS. 363 



if he should sprino; a curb five minutes after the piirjhase, for it is done in 

 a moment, and does not necessarily indicate any previous unsoundness or 

 weakness of the part. 



Cutting, as rendering a horse liable to serious injury of the legs, and 

 indicatino- that he is either weak, or has an awkwardness of gait inconsis- 

 tent with safety, should be considered as unsoundness. Many horses go 

 lame for a considerable period after cutting themselves severely ; and 

 others have dropped from the sudden agony, and endangered themselves 

 and their riders. As some doubt, however, exists on this subject, and as it 

 is a very material objection to a horse, cutting, when evident, should have 

 its serious consequences provided against by a special warranty. 



Enlarged Glands. — The enlargement of the glands under the jaw has 

 not been so much considered as it ought, in our estimate of the soundness 

 of the horse. Simple catarrh will occasionally, and severe affection of the 

 chest will generally be accompanied by swelling of these glands, and which 

 does not subside for a considerable time after the cold or fever has appa- 

 rently been cured. To a slight enlargement of the glands under the jaw 

 much attention need not be paid ; but if they are of considerable size, and 

 especially if they are tender, and the gland at the root of the ear partakes 

 of the enlargement, and the membrane of the nose is redder than it should 

 be, we should hesitate in pronouncing that horse to be sound. We should 

 fear the commencement, or the insidious lurking of disease. 



Enlarged Hock. — A horse with enlarged hock is unsound. The struc- 

 ture of this complicated joint being so materially affected, that although 

 the horse may appear for a considerable time to do ordinary work well, he 

 will occasionally fail even as to that, and a few days' hard work will 

 always lame him. 



The Eyes. — That inflammation of the eye of the horse which usually 

 terminates in blindness of one or both eyes, has the peculiar character of re- 

 mitting or disappearing for a time, once or twice, or thrice, before it fully runs 

 its course. The eye, after an attack of inflammation, regains so nearly its 

 former natural brilliancy, that a man well acquainted with horses will not 

 always recognise the traces of former disease. After a time, however, the 

 inflammation returns, and the result is unavoidable. A horse from four to 

 six years of age that has had one attack of this complaint, is long after- 

 wards unsound, however perfect the eye may seem to be, because he car- 

 ries about with him a disease that will agahi break out, and eventually 

 destroy the sight. Whether, therefore, he may be returned or not, depends 

 on the possibility of proving an attack of inflammation of the eye, prior 

 to the purchase. Next to direct evidences of this are appearances about 

 the eye, of which the veterinary surgeon at least ought not to be igno- 

 rant. They have been described at page 114. They consist chiefly of a 

 puckering of the lids towards the inner corner of one or both eyes — a differ- 

 ence, although perhaps only a slight one, and not discovered except it be 

 looked for, in the size of the eyes ; a gloominess of the eye, a dulness 

 of the iris, a little dulness of the transparent part of the eye generally, — 

 a minute, faint, dusky spot, deep in the eye, and generally Vv'ith little radia- 

 tions of white lines proceeding from it: if these symptoms, or the majo- 

 rity of them, were observed at the time of purchase, the animal had 

 assuredly been diseased before, and is unsound. Starting is an equivocal 

 proof. It is usually an indication of defective sight, but it is occasionally 

 a trick. Connected, however, with the appearances just described, it is a 

 very strong corroborative proof. 



If a man buys a horse actually blind, he may repent of his bargain, but 

 he cannot get rid of it. He should be more careful, and the law will not 

 protect him if he does not use common precaution. 



