lis 



7I0RSE WAUKSNTY, 



Spavin not 

 .ilways 

 easily de- 

 tected. 



which is, as has been often said in tlioso papos, the 

 tost of sonndncss or otherwise. Many good racers 

 and almost all seasoned hunters have spavins, 

 which neither detract from their speed or jumping 

 qualities. A good judge will perhaps guess a 

 horse is spavined by the action of the hind leg, 

 even without feeling the hock, and on examination 

 of the liind foot will find the too unfairly worn, 

 as is the case with spavined horses generally ; but 

 to an ordinary observer the action is all that is 

 necessary or wanting. Still, if a spavin causes 

 actual lameness, or makes the horse come still out 

 of the stable, or when starting, especially if such 

 a spavin be high up and near the joint, such a 

 horse must be said to be unsound. Another defect 

 in a horse, occasioned by spavin, when near the 

 joint, is that the animal does not like to lie down. 

 However diseased a horse may bo in his forefeet, 

 it will lie down and rest ; but a horse with a stilf 

 hock is afraid to rest on its side, the strain on the 

 liock joint in rising, no doubt occasioning great 

 l)ain, and ])roventing the animal getting that relief 

 which rolling and lying give. For this reason, a 

 team of coach horses with diseased forefeet will 

 do half as much work again as a team spavined, 

 and with still hind legs. Tlie place to look for a 

 spavin is inside the hock, and as many horses do 

 not like a stranger lingering them about that part 

 of tlu' hind h'g, a iktsoti wisliing to satisfy himself 

 thiit tlie iiiiiiiial he is rejecting really has a bone 



