BONE SPAVIN. 99 



a harness liorse will work well enough in a general 

 way, and probably after going some time he feels 

 but little pain ; but its influence on the elasticity 

 of the hock is of the utmost importance, in a de- 

 trimental way, to a horse for the saddle. Blistering 

 or firing, as the case may require, will generally 

 so far cure ordinary bone spavin of the last de- 

 scription as to prevent his going lame or after- 

 w^ards becoming so ; but in this case even, I only 

 can call the failing mended, for it certainly is not 

 cured, though the lameness may be so. I say 

 mended only ^ because the cure is somewhat similar 

 in effect to the mending a broken or splintered 

 lance-wood gig shaft by splicing to it a stiff piece 

 of wood or iron. The shaft is certainly mended, 

 rendered safe, useable, and as strong as ever, but 

 its elasticity, on w^hich depends its chief merit, 

 is for ever gone ; and this, in a minor degree, is 

 the effect that mending a spavined hock has on its 

 motion ; though if spavin is taken in hand as soon 

 as it is perceived, and before stiffness of the hock 

 takes place, the horse may then be nearly or quite 

 as well as he ever was ; but the severest of oper- 

 ations will not restore elasticity, if it has once 

 been destroyed. 



The inducement, therefore, to select or reject 

 a horse that has (in my new term) been mended 

 for bone spavin, would, I should consider, rest 

 on whether he went with proper elasticity on 



