68 SPRAIN. CERVICAL LIGAMENT. [BOOK I. 



when the animal is tired, and occasionally to sprain. 

 This accident takes place when the horse steps aside 

 upon uneven ground, and the ends of the bones 

 press laterally upon the ligaments. It follows, of 

 course, that mis-shapen horses, whose feet are 

 always constrained to take an uneven tread, must 

 be subject to a constant strain, and must be more 

 liable than others to incur permanent accident, — 

 every step forming a trivial one. 



But the ligament demanding the student's most 

 serious attention is that which suspends the neck 

 bones, on the same principle as our old-fashioned 

 lamp-irons are suspended by a small one from above, 

 only that the ligament lies closer, and covers the 

 bones on the upper side, as at a — b of the annexed 

 sketch. It is called " cervical ligament." In ope- 

 rations for the poll-evil this ligament is frequently 

 divided by the unskilful farrier cutting it across 

 rather than lengthwise, which is the only right 



practice. So placed, and 

 l passing from the skull (at 



4.) to the blade bones, to 

 both of which it is fastened, 

 has the power — at the 

 will of the animal, of bending down or drawing up 

 the head, which would, in fact, but for this support, 

 fall to the ground. Horses in their last moments, 

 when that will may be supposed to have left them, 

 always cast back their heads considerably, by reason 

 of the contraction of this strong ligament during 

 the paroxysms of departing life. At a, however, 



inww it 



