3886 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
local trouble of the cyst or of the abscess, the bones become diseased 
and the periosteum inflamed; perhaps the superior ends of the bone 
and its fibro-cartilage become affected, and a simple lesion or bruise, 
whatever it may have been, becomes complicated with periostitis and 
ostitis, and is naturally accompanied with lameness, developed in a 
greater or less degree, which in some cases may be permanent and 
in others increased by work. These complications, however, are not 
common. or frequent. 
Treatment.—Capped hocks are in many cases amenable to treat- 
ment, and yet they often become the opprobrium of the practioner 
-by remaining, as they frequently do, an eyesore on the top of the 
hock; they do not interfere, it is true, with the work of the horse, 
but fixing upon him the stigma of what, in human estimation, is a 
most unreliable and objectionable reputation, to wit, that of being 
an habitual “kicker,” and, worse than all, one that kicks when fed. 
The maxim that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of 
cure ” fits the present case very neatly. A horse whose hocks have a 
somewhat puffy look and whose skin on the front of the hock is loose 
and flabby, justly subjects himself to a suspicion of addictedness to 
this bad habit, but a little watching will soon establish tha truth. 
If, then, the verdict is one of conviction, precautions should be imme- 
diately adopted against a continuance of the evil. The padding of 
the sides of the stall with straw mats or mattresses and covering the 
posts with similar material, in such manner as to expose no hard 
surface with which to come in contact, will reduce the evil to its 
minimum. The animal may jar his fianic when he kicks, but even 
then there will be less force in the concussion than if it impinged 
upon the solid plank, and cuts and abrasions’can not be inflicted by 
a properly made cushion. Hobbles are also rightly recommended 
with a view to the required restraint of motion, so applied as to se- 
cure the leg with which the kicking is performed, or even both hind 
legs, in such manner as not to interfere with the movement of lying 
down and rising again and yet preventing that of kicking backward. 
Boots similar in pattern to those which are used for the prevention 
of shoe boil are also prescribed. These are placed above the hock 
and retained by straps tightly fastened. We apprehend, however, 
that the difficulty of retaining them in the proper place without the 
danger of chafing from the tightness of the straps may form an 
objection to their use. Notwithstanding all precautions, hocks will 
be capped in the future as in the past, and the study of their treat- 
ment will always be in order. 
The mode of dealing with them will, of course, be greatly influ- 
enced by the condition of the parts. When the inflammation is 
excessive and the swelling large, hot, and painful to the touch, the 
application of warm water will be very painful. The leg should be 
