62 THE HORSE 



the space from the point of the hock between the 

 bones and the perforatus tendon. This ligament 

 is bound by fibres to the edges of the small bones, 

 and acts, in conjunction with other parts, as a 

 lever to aid in propelHng the horse forward. Kow, 

 in certain cases the fibrous ligament may be torn 

 away from its attachments, or otherwise unduly 

 strained or stretched, with the result that the 

 subsequent disorganization will lead to a swelling 

 which will be broadly called a curb. 



A simple sprain or twist of the ligament may 

 give rise to a curb, but om^ best modern authori- 

 ties are more of opinion that the most frequent 

 accident is an actual tearing away of the fibres 

 from some of their attachments. The consequent 

 inflammation leads to an abnormal thickening and 

 partial ossification at the seat of the injury ; hence 

 at the point where the ligaments are torn away 

 from their contact with the bones, a lump will 

 form which will, by pushing out the adjacent 

 structures, cause a curb of greater or lesser di- 

 mensions, according to the extent of the injury. 

 Thus a curb may be briefly defined as a thickening 

 or other abnormal condition of the ligament due 

 to its injury. As a rule, the tearing away is in- 

 sufiicient to cause an actual displacement of the 



