72 



WHAT DISEASES CONSTITUTE UNSOUNDNESS OR VICE. 



Clicking. 

 Cloudiness. 



Contraction. 



When held to 

 be unsound- 



As to clicking, see Overreach (e). 



Cloudiness of the eye is an unsoiindness, as it is almost 

 quite sure to proceed to complete opacity of the lens, cata- 

 ract and blindness (/). 



In contraction the foot loses its healthy circular form; 

 it increases in length, and narrows in the quarters, par- 

 ticularly at the heel ; the frog is diminished in width ; the 

 sole becomes more concave ; the heels higher, and lameness, 

 or at least a shortened and feeling action, ensues. It seems 

 there is nothing in the appearance of the feet which would 

 enable a person to decide when contraction is, or is not, 

 destructive to the natural usefulness of the animal ; but it 

 is indicated by his manner of going, and his capabihty for 

 work. Lameness usually accompanies the beginning of 

 contraction ; it is the invariable attendant on rapid contrac- 

 tion, but it does not always exist when the wiring in is slow 

 or of long standing. Contraction may be caused by neglect 

 of paring, by suffering the shoes to remain on too long, by 

 the want of natural moisture on account of the feet being 

 kept too dry, or by the removal of the bars, or by thrushes (g), 

 which, however, are much oftener the consequence than the 

 cause of it. The contraction, however, which is connected 

 with permanent lameness, though increased by the circum- 

 stances just mentioned, usually derives its origin from a 

 cause which acts violently and suddenly, namely, an inflam- 

 mation of the Kttle plates covering the coffin bone, and not 

 sufficiently intense to be characterized as acute founder (h). 

 The contracted heel can rarely or never permanently expand, 

 as neither the lengthened and narrowed cofiin bone can 

 resume its natural shape, nor can the portion of the frog 

 which has been absorbed be restored (i). 



Contraction of the hoof, when produced by inflammation, 

 or accompanied by disease in the foot, or any alteration in 

 its natural structure, though it may not cause lameness at 

 the time of sale, yet, if lameness be afterwards produced by 

 it, is an unsoundness. This was held in the following case, 

 which was tried before Chief Baron Pollock : — It appeared 

 that the plaintiflf, who was a horsedealer, bought a mare at 

 Lincoln Fair, warranted sound, for 371. On her way up to 

 town, she gradually became dead lame on her ofi' foreleg. 

 She was brought by easy stages to London, and examined 



{e) Overreach, post. 



(/) Blindness, ante, p. 67. 



{ff) Thrush, post. 



(/() Founder, post, 

 (i) Lib. U. K. ' 

 292. 



The Horse,' 



