THE HORSE 63 



small bones themselves ; but in cases of serious 

 injury, the cuboid bone may actually get out of its 

 normal position, may press the ligamentous brace 

 outwards, and in this way cause a bad curb. 

 Again, the seat of injury may be the head of the 

 spUnt bone, or the cannon bone, in which case en- 

 largements i^not technically called curbs) will ap- 

 pear in corresponding positions. 



It is obvious that to cause a serious injury to 

 structure such as have been described a horse 

 must either have been put to an unduly severe 

 strain, or, if this is out of the question, must have 

 hocks of a shape and constitution which predis- 

 pose him to throw out a curb with very little prov- 

 ocation. 



We have abeady mentioned that it is necessary 

 to stand square to a horse's hind leg to judge 

 Tvhether it has a curb. On no point, perhaps, in 

 equine conformation does so great a diversity of 

 opinion exist as to the presence or absence of this 

 unsoundness. Some horses have what are called 

 " cur by " hocks, that is, hocks which are not well 

 let down, and which have very prominent heads 

 to the splint bones. From any other point of 

 view but the orthodox one, they are often mis- 

 taken for curbs, owing to their " lumpy " appear- 



