400 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



CUTTING. 



We have already mentioned " speedy-cut " as a blow in- 

 flicted on the inside and lower part of the knee-joint, when 

 the animal is urged to a very fast pace. Some carriage 

 horses (the bearing rein must with these be dispensed with) 

 strike the fetlock of the fore foot, and produce lameness, 

 often without external wound ; when fatigued or weak, the 

 lameness is increased. Mr. Morecroft advises the raising of 

 the outer side of the shoe so as to make it much higher 

 than the inside. He says : ** When a horse is at rest, he 

 supports his weight equally on both feet ; but having the 

 inner heel and quarter raised when one foot is elevated, he 

 must be supported obliquely on the other, and hence have 

 a tendency to fall outwards ; to prevent which, he brings 

 the moving foot nearer to the supporting one, by which he 

 strikes it. But by raising the outer instead of the inner 

 branch of the shoe, we necessarily give it a disposition to 

 lean inwards, which w^ll induce the horse to throw or 

 incline the moving foot farther from the supporting foot." 



Mr. Spooner says on this point: "The best boot for 

 cutting the leg is made with leather fitted to the leg and 

 laced, the leather being double at the part struck by the 

 other foot. 



In some instances it is found that a boot buckled round 

 the hoof that cuts, and softly stuffed, prevents injury from 

 the blow, when other methods fail. 



For cutting the fetlock, a piece of cloth tied round 

 above the joint and doubled down over it answers the 

 purpose." 



BINGBONE. 



This is a formation of bone surrounding the whole or a 

 part of the circle of the coronet, and involving the joinings 

 of the large and small pastern bones. From the great 

 mobility of the pastern joints, and the shocks to which, 

 despite their admirable contrivance, the ligaments are 

 exposed when man overtasks the animal machinery, in- 

 flammation is induced, followed by the deposition of bony 

 matter. Sometimes ringbone begins as high up as the 

 superior articulation of the larger pastern bone ; oftener 

 about the joint formed by the two pastern bones; and 



