100 THE STUD. 



his hocks, and of course on his going quite 

 sound; if he does both, he may safely be pur- 

 chased, for after having been properly fired, the 

 disease seldom gets worse, or comes against him; 

 that is, if the spavin was of a description in which 

 firing could take effect. This may, in fact, be 

 decided on by the horse going sound, for if the 

 complaint was not of this kind, firing would take 

 no effect as relates to the lameness it occasioned, 

 or, indeed, as to the complaint itself. 



Another description of spavin frequently shows 

 itself on the hock : indeed, fortunately much more 

 commonly than those above mentioned, for it 

 seldom lames to any great degree ; this is the 



BLOOD, OR BOG SPAYIN. 



There is a professional difference between these 

 complaints, but that difference is so slight, and 

 the effect of both so similar, that it would be 

 quite useless to enter on the subject here ; suffice 

 it, for our present purpose, that blood or bog 

 spavin is a comparatively soft swelling on the 

 inside front of the hock. This is not, however, 

 caused, as the term blood would imply, by any 

 accumulation of blood, but of a fluid technically 

 termed sinovia, or, in farrier phrase, joint oil. 

 Exertion causes an undue secretion of this fluid ; 

 this causes a distention of the ligament of the 



