AND MALFORMATIONS OF THE FEET. 93 



once to get a fair and natural bearing on the 

 ground without the hindrance occasioned by a long 

 straight toe, will diminish the liability to sprain of 

 this liofament. 



Whether the toe or heel comes first to the ground 

 in galloping is, we may remark, a matter in dispute 

 among horsemen. In horses with true level action 

 we believe that the foot, when properly shod, comes 

 down nearly level ; and that it is scarcely possible 

 to appreciate any difference between the placing of 

 the toe and heel on the ground. 



The extensor tendons, which, as their name Extensor 



tendons. 



implies, straighten and thereby bring forward the 

 leg, after it has been bent and raised by the flexors, 

 are seldom sprained, because their functions in 

 progression are only secondary. The propelling 

 power in the horse comes from behind, and the leg 

 is raised by the flexors. The straightening of the 

 leg by the action of the extensor tendons, after it 

 is once raised, is a matter of comparatively little 

 exertion. 



79- Laminitis, or inflammation of the sensitive Laminitis, 



or fever 



laminse, is the disease popularly known as Fever in in the 

 the Feet, and also as Founder. It will be necessary 

 to consider it under its two aspects of acute and 

 chronic. 



We shall first describe the course of the acute 

 attack, and next its result in chronic laminitis. 



feet. 



