AS TO SOUNDNESS. 7 
wear when they should be at rest; so that they are 
very much sooner worn out. Upon the whole, it is 
even more objectionable than crib-biting, and should 
you fail to detect it while in the stable, your chance 
of doing so is remote, as it leaves no marks that can 
be distinguished from the ordinary wear of the fore 
legs. The horse’s attitude you must pay particular 
attention to. He, like ourselves, often “stands at 
ease” with his hind legs, but never rests the fore legs 
unless from disease; so that a horse not standing 
equally on both fore legs should immediately arrest 
your attention, and arouse your suspicions. When 
lame before, and resting the limb, he will either 
“point” by throwing the foot forward under the 
manger, as in Navicular disease, or he will swing the 
limb—let it hang, as it were, from his side; but in 
any case, if he rest a fore limb, you must not only 
note the attitude, but the limb “near” or “off,” so as 
to examine it very particularly when he is outside the 
stable. ‘ 
It frequently happens that a very slight amount of 
lameness may be detected in this way, when it would 
be overlooked at any other time. In the stable there 
is nothing to excite the horse; he is doing what he 
finds most comfortable, and favouring his weak points, 
if he has any. With regard to the hind limbs, nothing 
so definite can be said. Here there are fruitful sources 
of error. It is quite natural for a horse to rest his 
hind limbs one at a time, and the attitude is familiar 
