30 SPEAI>:S. 



should not be mistaken for strength and freshness. The condition 

 of the knees and fetlocks will aid the observer in forming a correct 

 judgment on such cases. The knees show the effects of work by 

 being bowed and shaky; the fetlocks, by being round and puffy; 

 and the pasterns, as a rule, by being abnormally upright. 



Horses are peculiarly liable to sprain their suspensory ligam.ents 

 at the gallop. 



MANNER IN WHICH THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT GETS 

 SPRAINED IN GALLOPING.— The gallop is a pace of four time 

 in which the sequence of the steps (supposing the off fore to lead) 

 is near hind, off hind, near fore, off fore, with a period of sus- 

 pension, which is terminated by the near hind again coming to the 

 ground. In the gallop and canter (Figs. 10, II, 12 and 13), the 

 leading fore leg has at each stride to bear the weight of the body, 

 and, by the straightening out of its component bones, to raise it 

 from the ground. Here, the suspensory ligament performs the 

 passive action of supporting the fetlock joint. As long as the horse 

 is untired, the muscles to which the back tendons are attached, 

 contract with such precision that the foot is " picked up " (flexed) 

 before undue strain can fall on the suspensory ligament ; in fact, 

 these tendons act as braces to it. But if the movement be con- 

 tinued, the horse will " dwell " more and more in his stride, until 

 the flexor muscles, having become fatigued, ma.y at length be 

 unable to contract with sufficient quickness to save the suspensory 

 ligament from undue tension. Besides, though the muscles get 

 tired, the ligament does not experience the sensation of fatigue ; 

 hence, towards the end of a tiring gallop, the horse will throw 

 increased weight on the ligament, in order to save the muscles. 

 We can easily imagine how great the strain on the suspensory 

 ligament must be in the case of a racehorse struggling home during 

 a desperate finish. No wonder then that these animals, when they 

 break down, generally do so in the last furlong, especially if the 

 ligament has been previously injured. We can also see why they 

 are more apt to break down, when short of work, than when in 

 good condition. 



iV striking proof that as long as horses do not become fatigued, 

 they will not be liable to sprain their suspensory ligaments or back 

 tendons, is afforded by the fact that animals which have been 

 rendered totally unfit for the turf on account of one of these ac- 

 cidents, often make serviceable chargers for ordinary parades, on 

 which a gallop is seldom required to be made beyond a few hundred 

 yards, and is executed in a well-collected style. 



The study of the gallop teaches us, among other things, the fol- 



