THE HORSE. 57 



SECTION X. — Oslets, Splents, Spavins, 



Curb, Ringbone, Thorough Pin. 

 These bony excrescences, differently situated, either 

 upon the fore or hinder legs, all originate in the 

 same cause, extravasation of the lymph or synovia, 

 forming a lump or swelling, which gradually becomes 

 ossified. Oslets are near the knee joints within side 

 the leg, a species of splent. Splents are found, both 

 by sight and touch, upon the fore legs, sometimes 

 immediately below the knee joint, in which case they 

 may impede the action of the joint, and occasion 

 lameness : otherwise, and when they do not affect 

 the tendon, they have no ill consequence, unless in 

 their early stage, when, the horse being worked, they 

 may be liable to inflammation. The bone spavin af- 

 fects the hinder leg, and is found in the inside of the 

 hock ; it is not always visible, but must be searched 

 for by the finger. It always occasions lameness, 

 periodical or constant. Bog spavins are situated in 

 the hollow of the hock, and consist of that bulb or 

 swelling which in the other parts of the legs is termed 

 a windgall, but usually larger. When this malady 

 is not very apparent, and the horse does not seem af- 

 fected by it, the same, that is, no attention is paid to 

 it, as in the common case of windgalls "; but I once 

 had a fine five year old gelding, master of sixteen 

 stone in the field, with bog spavins so large as to 

 impede action in so considerable a degree that the 

 animal, although right in other respects, was utterly 

 useless. The curb is an osseous tumour on the back 

 part of the hock, immediately below the bending or 



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