68 SOUNDNESS IN HORSES. 



near elbow is not "capped"; that the horse is free from 

 girth-galls, and is not otherwise chafed. The amount of 

 *' wear " shown by the near leg ; any " standing over " at 

 the knee ; or undue uprightness or unusual obliquity of 

 the pastern, should be carefully considered. The knee 

 should be examined for signs of injury ; the front of the 

 cannon bone, for sore shins ; the fetlock, for any 

 swelling or undue roundness ; the pastern, for ringbone 

 or split-pastern ; and the front of the coronet, for disease 

 of the pyramidal process of the coffin bone, or for a 

 diseased state of the coronet itself. Going to the back 

 of the leg, we may see if the animal is free from 

 mallenders ; injury of the check ligaments, back tendons 

 and suspensory ligament ; splints; marks of " unnerving," 

 speedy-cutting, or of the use of a speedy-cutting boot ; 

 windgalls, a puffy condition of the fetlock ; marks of 

 " brushing "; thoroughpin of the fetlock ; sessamoiditis ; 

 sprain of the ligaments at the back of the pastern ; over- 

 reaches on the back tendons or heels ; side-bones ; 

 cracked heels and grease. We may now examine the 

 coronet for quittor ; carbuncle of the coronet ; marks of 

 bleeding and firing ; villitis ; recently *' sprung " sand- 

 crack ; tread ; and false-quarter. If marks of firing be 

 present, they will also be, as a rule, on the pastern. 

 We may now feel the coronet and hoof to see that there 

 is no unnatural heat in them, and that no throbbing or 

 unusual fulness in the blood-vessels of the former, can be 



