436 



DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



pressing against the tendon, will cause considerable flinching. Tap- 

 ' ping lightly upon the bar or sole, on each side of the frog, will cause 

 flinching. Next, if the horse is taken by the head and turned short 

 round, he will show increased lameness. 



• Upon an examination of these cases by the owner or horse- 

 doctor, if no cause of trouble is discovered in the foot, the lameness 



is supposed to be in the shoulder. 

 Now, there is no lameness that 

 reveals itself, more plainly than 

 shoulder lameness ; because 

 when the muscles of the shoul- 

 der or arm are strained or in- 

 jured, the mobility is so serious- 

 ly impaired that the limb is 

 lifted and brought forward with 

 a sort of dragging motion. It 

 is easy to see if a man were 

 to injure his shoulder or arm, 

 that with the greatest effort he 

 would scarcely be able to lift 

 it to put on his coat. But were 

 the trouble in his hand, or below 

 the elbow, he could do it with- 

 out the least difficulty. The 

 effect is. the same upon the 

 horse. By moving him back 

 and forward, if the trouble is 

 in the foot, or below the knee, 

 the foot will be raised and carried forward naturally, but put down 

 tenderly, as if trying to protect it from the force of concussion ; 

 whereas, if in the shoulder, as explained, the mobility of the limb is 

 greatly impaired, which is shown by the difficulty with which it is 

 raised and brought forward. 



I would call particular attention to these symptoms, from the 

 fact that after an examination by persons who do not understand 

 the nature of the difficulty, and finding no apparent trouble in the 

 foot, the conclusion is arrived at that it must be in the shoulder, 

 which is treated with liniments, blistering, etc., as explained, without 

 doing any good, not only punishing the horse unnecessarily, but oc- 

 casioning a loss of valuable time. 



I would also remind, in this connection, that when the lameness 

 continues in one foot for some time, on account of throwing the 



Fig. 751. — Tendons and Ligaments of the Foot. 



