ANATOMY, UNSOUNDNESS, AND AGE OF A HORSE 49 



Forging and overreaching. — When the shoes of the 

 hind feet strike those of the fore feet, the horse is said to 

 forge. Overreaching is the striking of the fore and 

 hind feet in such a way as to injure the horse. 



Interfering. — When the horse strikes his fore or hind 

 feet in such a way as to injure himself he is said to 

 interfere. 



Locating lameness. — When standing, a horse troubled 

 with a sore foot will extend it forward. When the lame- 

 ness is in the shoulder, the leg will be flexed at the knee. 

 When in motion, the horse puts down the sound foot with 

 confidence and makes an effort to ease the ailing one by 

 throwing the head up as it strikes the ground. 



Unsound wind. — There are three defects of the wind — 

 thick wind, roaring and heaves. To detect these drive 

 the horse rapidly a half mile, then stop and quickly note 

 the breathing by placing the ear near the lungs, or the 

 neck. If the horse gets his breath with difficulty, he is 

 thick winded ; if he wheezes and whistles, he is a roarer ; 

 and if the breathing is irregular, he is likely troubled with 

 heaves. 



A horse that has passed through many hands in a short 

 period should be carefully examined, for it is likely that 

 he possesses some whim, vice, blemish or unsoundness 

 that is not easily discovered. 



ESTIMATING THE AGE OF A HORSE 



The value of a horse depends largely upon his age. 

 Familiarity with the characters that indicate age are, 

 therefore, often extremely useful. A knowledge of these 

 characters is easily secured, but skill in their application 

 depends much on continued practice. 



General characters indicating age. — The teeth furnish 

 the best index to the age of a horse, yet there are other 

 general characters that play an important part, especially 

 in young and old animals. In estimating the age of 



