36 SPEAINS. 



of the fetlock joints, when the fore legs are stretched out to the 

 front, with the heels resting on the ground. 



SEAT OF SPRAIN OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT.— From 



mechanical considerations, the suspensory ligament appears most 

 liable to be si>rained at the points where it is attached to bones. 

 It is connected, as we have seen on page 28, at its upper end, to the 

 back of the head of the cannon bone, and lower row of the small 

 bones of the knee, and, lower down, to the sesamoid bones. Its 

 lower attachment is manifestly more liable to sprain than the upper 

 attachment, because before arriving at the sesamoid bones, it 

 divides into two branches, an outer and an inner, which become 

 resjDectively fixed to the outer and inner sesamoid bones. In 

 comj)aratively rare cases, the sprain takes place at the upper 

 attachment, namely, immediately below the back of the knee, with 

 or without implication of the lower row of the bones of the knee. 

 Agreeably to the remarks made on page 23, we find that the effect 

 of the force causing the sprain is, as a rule, manifested at the point 

 of attachment of the ligament to the bone, with more or less con- 

 sequent inilammation being set up in the bone (p. 230). The bony 

 deposit at the back of the head of the cannon bone shown in Fig. 82 

 (p. 237) was evidently due to sjDrain which caused more or less 

 extensive tearing-away of the fibres of the upper end of the sus- 

 pensory ligament (or of the check ligament) from the bone to which 

 they had been attached. Owing to the manner in which this par- 

 ticular seat of sprain is covered by the bones and ligaments of the 

 knee and by the back tendons, the existence of sprain at that spot 

 generally escapes notice, in that it is mistaken for some other 

 ailment. As the check ligament (p. 37) has nearly the same 

 attaclmient as the upper end of the suspensor}^ ligament, it is 

 almost imi3ossible to say which structure is involved when sjjrain 

 occurs at the spot in question. 



SYMPTOMS OF SPRAIN OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT. 



— If the injury be but slight, although there may be some heat and 

 swelling of the part, the horse may stand level and walk fairly well ; 

 but the lameness at the trot will be disproportionately great as 

 compared to that at the walk. If the sprain be a severe one, there 

 will be considerable lameness, the toe only being brought to the 

 ground. When there is a very serious rupture of the lower end of 

 the ligament, the fetlock pad comes down or nearly down to the 

 ground. If only one branch of the ligament be severed, the descent 

 of the fetlock pad will be less marked than when both are torn. 

 Rupture of the suspensory ligament is termed a " break down." 



Although, after rupture of the suspensory ligament, the obliquity of the 

 pastern, when weight is put on the foot, will be greatly increased, owing to 



