CHAP. II.] RINGBONE. 461 



or the joint, much care should be taken not to 

 injure either with knife or caustic, for a bad-looking 

 seam is then left behind, with lameness that ter- 

 minates in anchylosis, or stiffening of the tendon, 

 or in growing together of the small pastern (i) and 

 the coffin-joint (a) and the shuttle-bone (h) as seen, 

 in the cut at p. 443. 



2. Ringbone, 



Causes. — At times a badly-cured quittor, at others 

 ill-shapen foot ; which occasions that concussion of 

 the hoof and small pastern bone at their conjunction 

 which causes the hoof to swell at the coronet. Cart 

 and waggon horses with short upright hoofs, that 

 do not sufficiently guard the articulation of the 

 coffin and pastern bones against injury, are most 

 liable to this disease. See what is said of short 

 upright hoof in Chapter I. Sections 9, 10, &c. 



Symptoms. — Enlargement of the small pastern at 

 the coronet, in front, extending laterally and some- 

 times occasioning a stiffjoint. Lameness is com- 

 monly the first intimation we have of the existence 

 of ringbone, an intimation that is usually neglected, 

 and only ascertained by passing the hand down 

 over the part. As usual with most diseases of the 

 foot, the attendant commonly ascribes the lameness 

 to a strain higher up — of the hip generally, as 

 ringbones afflict the hind foot oftener than the fore 

 one. In the fore foot it consists in the ossification 

 of the cartilage, just above the quarters, at ff. fig. 

 % plate 2. 



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