20 PURCHASING FROM THE STABLES. 



allude to a thickening of the skin and cellular stuff 

 beneath, quite independent of the bone is produced 

 by nothing but sheer hard work. Some few blood 

 horses, exceptions, are born rather rounder in the 

 shank-bone itself than others, yet it is bad ; and even 

 this roundness in the bone itself is very ugly, and 

 looks like work ; but even one whose shank bones are 

 naturally rather round, will become rounder still much 

 sooner than one whose shank bones are naturally 

 flatter. Plenty of muscle above, large back sinews 

 below, but small flat shank bones, solid like ivory, is 

 the blood horse, and horse for endurance or speed. 



A splent, if situated about the middle of the shank 

 bone, is of no great harm, save that the price of a 

 horse, if bought for appearance, is much diminished 

 by the unsightliness of a piece of bone on the side of 

 the leg, a lump there, from its prominent situation, 

 offending the eye more than a large spavin. If found 

 just below the knee, it may interfere with the motion 

 of the joint, and if on the inside, it may be the cause 

 of the speedy cut. If near the suspensory ligament, 

 it also sometimes affects the free action of the leg ; 

 and if extending on to the back sinews, it too often 

 causes lameness. In all clean fresh blood legs, there 

 are three different parts distinctly visible : the small, 

 round, flat-looking shank bone, the suspensory liga- 

 ment, and the back sinews ; and these are clearly 

 free from all lumps, and bumps, and bony excre- 

 scences whatever ; the only natural prominence being 

 the end of the splent bone, about the size of a pea, 

 two inches above the fetlock. 



The hair about the sides of the fetlock is sometimes 

 a little ruffled : if you feel carefully, you will proba- 



