880 CURB. 



or, perchance, firing, the limb recovers its action,. and the horse 

 becomes fit for ordinary work. 



The swelling, however, does not always subside. Enlarge- 

 ment, spread over the whole of the hock-joint, remains. A horse 

 with an enlarged hock must always be regarded with suspicion. 

 In truth, he is unsound. The parts, altered in structure, must 

 be, to a certain degree, weakened. The animal may discharge 

 his usual work during a long period, without return of lameness ; 

 but if one of those emergencies should occur when all his ener- 

 gies require to be exerted, the disorganised and weakened part 

 will fail. 



CURB. 



There are often injuries of particular parts of the hock-joint. 

 Curb is an affection of this kind. It is an enlargement at the 

 back of the hook, three or four inches below its point. It is rep- 

 resented at d, Fig. 44, and is either a strain of the ring-like liga- 

 ment which binds the tendons in their place, or of the sheath of 

 the tendons ; oftener, however, of the ligament than of the 

 sheath. Any sudden action of the limb of more than usual vio- 

 lence may produce it, and therefore horses are found to ' throw 

 out curbs' after a hardly-contested race, an extraordinary leap, 

 a severe gallop over heavy ground, or a sudden check in the gal- 

 lop. Yoimg horses are particularly liable to it, and horses that 

 are cow-hocked (vide Fig. 44), — ^whose hocks and legs resemble 

 those of the cow, the hocks being turned inward, and the legs 

 forming a considerable angle outwards. This is intelligible 

 enough ; for in hocks so formed, the annular ligament must be 

 continually on the stretch, in order to confine the tendon. 



Curbs are generally accompanied by considerable lameness at 

 their first appearance, but the swelling is not always great. 

 They are best detected by observing the leg sideway. 



The first object in attempting the cure is to abate inflamma- 

 tion, and this will be most readily accomplished by cold evapo- 

 rating lotions frequantly applied to the part. Equal portions of 

 spirit of wine, water, and vinegar, will afford an excellent appli- 

 cation. It will be almost impossible to keep a bandage on. If 

 the heat and lameness are considerable, it vsoU be prudent to give 

 a dose of physic, and to bleed from the subcutaneous vein, whose 

 course is represented at r. Fig. 42 ; and whether the injury is of 

 the annular ligament, or the sheath of the tendon, more active 

 means will be necessary to perfect the cure. Either a liquid 

 blister should be rubbed on the part, consisting of a vinous or 

 turpentine tincture of cantharides, and this daily applied until 

 some considerable swelling takes place ; or, what is th? prefer 



