280 DISEASES OF BONE. 



animals, as they will probably become better developed in the 

 former than in the latter. 



The shape of the feet is a very important factor in the gravity 

 of this disease; because sidebones, even in the fore feet of cart 

 horses are, as a rule, of little consequence, provided that the feet 

 are well-shaped and the heels open ; but if the feet are narrow and 

 their heels contracted, the presence of sidebones in" them should 

 be regarded as a serious defect, even if the horse goes sound; for 

 in this case, he will in all probability become lame later on, from 

 the ossified condition of his lateral cartilages. Fig. 108 shows the 

 presence of largely developed sidebones in a draught horse which 

 had good open feet, and which remained free from lameness up to 

 the time of his death by an accident. I obtained the particulars 

 of this case from Mr. J. S. Barber, M.R.C.V.S., who had charge 

 of it. 



The case is different with saddle and light harness horses; 

 for the faster the pace, the more objectionable will be the 

 stiffness which is inseparable from the fact that the once elastic 

 cartilages have become transformed into bone. Such animals 

 will, however, be often able to do a good deal of useful work if 

 kept on soft ground, and are not exposed to the effects of con- 

 cussion, as in jumping or in fast trotting on a hard road. It fre- 

 quently happens that although a horse with sidebones may go de- 

 cidedly lame after extra work, a few days' rest will set him all 

 right, for the time being, except for the chronic stiffness. 



HEREDITARY PREDISPOSITION is well marked in this dis- 

 ease. During the seventies, eighties and early nineties, there was 

 a steady increase in sidebones among cart horses in England, but 

 since then, an equally steady decrease has set in, owing to the 

 disfavour with which the authorities of Eno^lish aofricultural so- 

 cieties regard this ailment. Tlie more lenient view taken in 

 Scotland has been productive of very disastrous results. 



TREATMENT.— With the object of relieving the lameness, we 

 should stop work; lower the heels, so as to obtain frog pressure; 

 and thin the horn below the sidebone, by the rasp and drawing 

 knife. We may blister so as to hasten the process of ossification, 

 on the completion of which the inflammation will cease. Neuro- 

 tomy is indicated if the lameness proves incurable by other means. 

 When working a horse with sidebones, it is well to use a heart- 

 shaped bar shoe (Fig. 52), so as to obtain pressure on the frog. 



Colonel F. Smith recommends the practice of giving mechani- 

 cal relief from the pain of sidebones, by isolating the por- 

 tion of hoof which covers the inflamed cartilage, from the 

 remainder of the horn. This he does by making a groove through 



