2 DETECTION OF LAMENESS. 



reasonably infer that the lameness is accompanied by little or no 

 pain. Depriving the foot of feeling by neurotomy (p. 669), or by 

 the injection of cocaine (p. 608), in old cases of foot-lameness, as 

 from ringbone, is so often followed by removal of the defect in the 

 gait, that I am inclined to think that purely mechanical caucies, 

 especially in foot-lameness, give rise to lameness much less fre- 

 quently than might be supposed. 



Lameness may be shown : (1) when the foot of the lame leg is 

 on the ground, as when the horse is suffering from a painful corn ; 

 (2) when the foot is raised, as in the case of stiffness of the knee, 

 without pain ; and (3) when the foot is on the ground and when it 

 is off the ground, as in acute pain of the fetlock joint. 



Under the heading of lameness we may include for convenience 

 sake, " pointing" (p. ',]) of a foot. 



CONDITIONS OF EXAMINATION FOR LAMENESS.— In the 



examination of a horse for lameness, we should first try to find out 

 the affected leg, and then should endeavour to discover the seat, in 

 that limb, of the disease or inability. 



Cases of slight lameness behind, especially those of spavin and 

 stringhalt, are often best seen when the horse is made to turn on 

 his forehand to one side and then to the other in the stall or box. 

 We may then observe that he will shift the weight on to one hind 

 leg, quicker than he will do on to the other, which we may con- 

 sequently regard as the unsound limb. 



We may consider the detection, during movement, of lameness 

 under two heads : (1) When the man who " shows " the horse en- 

 deavours to make him stand or move in as sound a manner as 

 possible. (2) When the examination is under our own control. 



In the first case, an unwary purchaser may be easily deceived 

 by a clever " coper,'^ whose usual dodges are as follows: — Before 

 the horse is brought out of the stable he is " warmed up " by being 

 threatened with the whip and voice, so that he may forget the pain 

 in his feet and legs, and be ready to dance and prance about at the 

 slightest sign from his master. 



The softest ground is chosen on which to show off his action. 



He will be led in a curb or Pelham — not a snaffle — and be held 

 tightly by the head, which will be kept in a raised position, so as to 

 prevent him from " nodding" it, or throwing it up. Some excuse 

 will be framed for not letting him trot; but if that pace be insisted 

 on, he will probably be led on the lame side, if lame in front, with 

 his head turned towards the affected limb. Or he may be ridden 

 with a sharp bit and a tight curb chain. 



If the horse is lame on one fore leg, and it is feared that a 

 somewhat strict examination will be made, the coper may pare 



