2 SOUNDNESS IN HORSES. 



AVhen an owner submits a horse for examination, he has a 

 right to expect that the veterinary surgeon, when giving 

 his opinion, will be guided by the principles that are 

 recognised by legal tribunals ; for it would be intolerable 

 that any private individual should attempt to constitute 

 himself a legislator, on a subject of such widespread 

 importance as this is. However much we may desire to 

 eliminate causes of dispute as to soundness, we can do so 

 only in the matter of laying down principles ; for the 

 existence of defects, and their influence on the usefulness 

 of an animal, are questions which, at times, cannot fail to 

 give rise to diversity of opinion. The fact that it is 

 impossible to define unsoundness or soundness so accu- 

 rately as to exclude all chance of cavil, is of but little 

 practical importance, so long as we can obtain a good 

 " working " definition which shall meet our everyday 

 requirements. I may mention that a similar objection 

 might be made to hundreds of universally-adopted 

 definitions, which thoroughly fulfil their purpose, al- 

 though, from their nature, they are not entirely compre- 

 hensive. . 



Having agreed as to what unsoundness is, we may 

 endeavour to classify the various diseases and structural 

 defects, under two heads, namely : those which constitute 

 absolute uu soundness, and about which, on that account, 

 there can be no dispute ; and those which cause unsound- 

 ness, only, according to circumstances. I may mention, 



