52 THE FARMER S VETERINARIAN 



the animal should be made to run at the top of his 

 speed for some considerable distance — a couple 

 hundred yards or more. Practically this run or 

 gallop should be up hill, which will make the test 

 all the better. After giving the horse this gallop, 

 stop him suddenly, step closely up to him and listen 

 to any unusual noise, indicating obstruction 

 of the air passages, and also observe the movements 

 of the flanks for any evidence of the big double 

 jerky expulsion of the air from the lungs character- 

 istic of heavers." 



TESTING OF THE PACES 



No examination is complete that does not make 

 a test of the paces. You want to know how fast 

 the horse can walk, how he trots or paces or how 

 he takes some other gait. Some horses make these 

 movements very gracefully; others very unman- 

 nerly. A well-acting horse is one that moves 

 smoothly, regularly, who picks up his feet actively 

 and who places them firmly in their position re- 

 gardless of the ground or gait. Some horses have 

 a rolling movement of the legs. Avoid these. 

 Others step on the toe or heel. These, too, should 

 be avoided. They suggest some defect or bad con- 

 formation. 



The testing of the paces brings all parts of the 

 body into play and assists in catching other blem- 

 ishes or defects that you may have overlooked in 

 your previous examination. It gives you another 

 opportunity to examine the wind, to observe the 

 respiration, the heart beatings, the condition of the 

 nostril after work; it shows you also how the 

 animal takes his pace and how he stands. All of 

 this will be of value as indicating the soundness 

 and health of the individual under observation. 



