DISEASES OF THE BOJSTES. 



761 



FIG. 652. Healthy hock 

 dissected. 



FIG. 653. Diseased hock 

 dissected. 



drive of a few miles, but appearing much worse after such a drive 

 when the blood is again cooled. The hock is observed to be less 

 freely used than 

 the other. He 

 is worse on the 

 hard road. He 

 limps consider- 

 ably when he 

 strikes his toe on 

 a stone or the 

 ground. If the 

 leg be taken up 

 and the j oint 

 forcibly extend- 

 ed or flexed, he 

 will limp quite 

 badly. Spav- 

 ined horses gen- 

 erally lose con- 

 dition, and from the pain caused by rising they frequently stand 

 for a long time. 



If it is the result of a strain, causing acute inflammation, the 



lameness will not pass off by ex- 

 ercise so readily as it will after 

 it becomes chronic. 



An enlargement usually 

 makes its appearance from the 

 fifth to the sixth week. Any 

 prominence can be seen by 

 standing in front of the horse 

 about three or four feet from 

 FIG. 654. Action FIG. 655. Action of the shoulder, and looking back 

 when natural. badly sprained leg. acrogs ^ hoc ^ Qr by gtand _ 



ing behind the horse, and looking forward across the hock. 



The effort the horse makes to relieve the heels by walking 

 upon the toe, indicates the necessity of removing the shoe, raising 

 the heel-calks, hammering down or cutting off the toe-calks, and 

 rounding the toe. 



Care must be taken not to mistake a natural f ullness, known 



