x AILMENTS AND DISEASES 119 
young horse is reason for anxiety, as the spavin is 
liable to grow. The disease can be detected by the 
eye, the hand, and by noticing the flexion of the 
hock. A horse with bad spavin may, when warm, 
walk into a stable sound, but if he is brought out 
cool an hour after he will be certain to betray his 
unsoundness. 
Cause—The result of a strain or injury; or 
heredity. 
Treatment.—The best cure for incipient spavin 
is complete rest, good mourdture, and blistering. If 
there is inflammation, apply hot fomentations or 
poultices. In worse cases a seton may be tried, or 
firing, or punching. 
Curb 
Nine horses out of ten with curb can be made 
perfectly sound for practical purposes. Curb is, 
whatever its cause or nature, observed by a bulging- 
out or filling on the back of the hock. 
Cause.—Strain ; formation; heredity. 
Treatment——Complete rest. Remove hind shoes 
and replace with high-heeled shoes to relieve 
tension on the back sinew ; keep plenty of cold water 
going on the affected part ; cold bandages ; and cold 
hose pipe. When swelling is reduced and heat gone, 
blister ; if one blister does not remove the curb repeat 
it up to four or five times. If this treatment fails, 
fire. Personally, in any serious case of curb, I 
would fire at once, my experience being that firing 
has never failed to remove all future liability to 
lameness. Firing is the most certain remedy. 
