SWOLLEN OR CAPPED HOCKS. 87 



relating to soundness or its reverse. If we, there- 

 fore, suppose a horse to have three legs in every 

 way constituted like those of the horse who does 

 not possess high action, but the fourth endowed 

 with those attributes that cause high action, he 

 would be set down as having string-halt ; and so 

 in fact he would have ; that is, he lifts one leg 

 higher than the others, but all might be equally 

 sound. If both hind legs were thus formed or 

 constituted we should then say he had string-halt 

 in both, and so virtually he would have. 



On these premises, therefore, without diving 

 into (as it appears to me) the abstruse opinion 

 that strino;-halt has its orio-in in an affection of 

 the vertebrjs, I venture to say, that, in the ab- 

 sence of any defective indication in the limb, a 

 horse with string-halt may very safely be pur- 

 chased. 



Another peculiarity, or rather deformity, for I 

 cannot call it a disease, is often seen in horses ; 

 namely, — 



SWOLLEN OR CAPPED HOCKS. 



I have never known a horse lame from this, 

 though it is often very unsightly. It certainly 

 proceeds from injury sustained on the part showing 

 the enlargement; but, fortunately, though such 

 injury produces a blemish, it rarely produces any 

 G 4 



