348 



SpriDHj l:)iee.s. — Tliougli not positively the result of diseases of the 

 tendous acting upon the knees, we venture to consider this deformity 

 in connection with that which we have just described. It consists in 

 such an alteration in the direction and articulation of the bones which 

 form the various carpal joints that instead of forming- a vertical line 

 from the lower end of the forearm to the cannon bone they are so 

 united that the knee is more or less bent forward, presenting a condi- 

 tion due to the retraction of two of the j^rincipal muscles by which the 

 cannon bone is flexed. 



Tliis flexion of the knee may also be a congenital deformity and 

 have continued from the foaling of the animal. Or, like clubfoot, it 

 may be the result of heavy labor which the animal has been com- 

 pelled to j)erform at too early an age. It may also be due to other 

 diseases existing in parts below the knee joint. 



This change of direction largely influences the movement of the 

 animal by detracting from its flrniness and practically weakening 

 the entire frame, even to the extent of rendering him insecure on his 

 feet, and liable to fall. This condition of weakness is sometimes so 

 pronounced that he is exposed to fall even when standing at rest and 

 unmolested, the knees being unable even to bear the jjortion of the 

 mere weight of the frame Avhicli belongs to them. This results in 

 another trouble, that of being unable to keep x)ermanently upright. 

 He is apt to fall on his knees, and by this act becomes presently a 

 sufferer from the lesion known by the term of broken knees. 



Whatever may be the originating cause of this imperfection it 

 detracts very largely from the usefulness and ^■alue of a horse, dis- 

 qualifying him for ordinary labor and wholly unfitting him for serv- 

 ice under the saddle without jeopardizing the safety of his rider. If, 

 however, the trouble is known from the start, and is not the result of 

 congenital deformity or weakness of the knee joint, or secondary to 

 other diseases, rest, with fortifying frictions, may sometimes aid in 

 strengthening the joints; and the application of blisters on the pos- 

 terior part of the knee, from a short distance above to a point a little 

 below the joint, may be followed by some satisfactory results. But 

 with this trouble, as with knuckling fetlocks, the danger of relapse 

 must not be ignored, but kept in mind as a contingency always liable 

 to occur. 



Curl). — This lesion is the bulging backwards of the jjosterior part 

 of the hock, where in the normal state there should be a straight line, 

 extending from the uj)per end of the point of the hock down to the 

 fetlock. The cause may be a sprain of the tendon which passes on 

 the posterior part of the hock, or of one of its sheaths, or of the strong 

 ligament situated on the posterior border of the os calcis. This con- 

 dition, if not commonly the result of malformation, is often seen in 

 hocks vdiich present the peculiar condition of being curby. It often 

 occurs, also, as the result of violent efforts, of heav}' pulling, of high 



