l>OINTINGr. 



examination of the horse under the most favourable circumstances 

 must now be considered. 



POINTING. — If possible, the animal should be seen first in the 

 stable when standing quietly, and free from all excitement. If 

 sound, he will often rest one hind leg by bending its fetlock, while 

 he keeps both fore legs firmly planted ; after a time, he will ease 

 the other hind leg, which, in its turn, will be relieved by its fellow ; 

 and so on. Although ordinarily one fore leg may be slightly ad- 

 vanced beyond the other, it will not, unless diseased, be relieved 

 of its fair share of weight, for the horse will normally stand, when 

 on level ground, with an equal bearing on both fore legs. A fatigued 

 Jiorse, though sound, may rest a near hind and an off fore, or an 

 off hind and a near fore, alternately. A horse lame in one fore leg, 

 usually stands with its pastern straighter than with that of the 

 sound one. 



A horse is said to " point " with a fore leg, if, while standing 

 still, he keeps it advanced beyond its fellow. He may thus rest 

 it with only the toe on the ^ound, with only the heel on the 

 ground, or with the foot brought flat down. If a horse points with 

 one foot, while maintaining a position which indicates that he 

 prefers to stand in a constrained attitude rather than to put weight 

 on it, it is reasonable to suspect lameness of that limb. The term 

 '' pointing " is apparently used only with reference to the fore legs. 



As a rule, when the disease is in the front of the foot, the animal 

 will be inclined to rest only his heel on the ground ; but when 

 near the back he will often raise the heel. The former attitude is 

 that adopted in cases of acute laminitis, and generally in those of 

 painful ringbone ; the latter, by horses suffering from confirmed 

 navicular disease. In most cases of pointing, when the disease is 

 not in the foot, the horse keeps the joints of the foot bent, and the 

 heel consequently raised. In very bad oases of lameness in the hind 

 leg, the animal may keep the foot off the ground (Fig. 101, p. 269). 



At the commencement of navicular disease, the horse sometimes 

 points by simply keeping the foot advanced, with the heel as well 

 as the toe on the ground ; but he soon begins to support the foot 

 only by the toe, and to " round " the fetlock joint. In some rare 

 cjtses he will stand " level." 



Lameness is often manifested by the horse frequently shifting 

 his feet when standing. 



" The pointing of elbow lameness is characteristic, the fore arm 

 being extended, the knee in a state of flexion, and the foot perhaps 

 on a level with, or posterior to, its fellow. In severe shoulder lame- 

 ness, the pointing, if it can be called such, is backwards, the limb 

 relaxed, knee bent, and the foot posterior to its fellow ; sometimes 



1* 



