36 SPEAINS. 



SEAT OF SPRAIN OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT.— 

 From meohanioal considerations, the suspensory ligament appears 

 most liable to be sprained at the points where it is attached to 

 bones. As seen on page 28, it is connected, at its upper end, to 

 the back of the head of the cannon bone, and lower row of the 

 small bones of the knee, and, lower down, to the sesamoid bones. 

 Its lower attachment is manifestly more liable to sprain than the 

 upper attachment, because before arriving at the sesamoid bones, 

 it divides into two branches, an outer and an inner, which 

 become respectively fixed to the outer and inner sesamoid bones. 

 In comparatively rare cases, the sprain takes place at the upper 

 attachment, namely, immediately below the back of the knee, with 

 or without implication of the lower row of the bones of the kner. 

 As stated on page 23, the effect of the force causing the sprain 

 is, as a rule, manifested 'at the point of attachment of the ligament 

 to the bone, with more or less consequent inflammation being set 

 up in the bone (p. 229). The bony deposit at the back of the head 

 of the cannon, bone shown in Fig. 82 (p. 237) was evidently due 

 to sprain, causing more or less extensive tearing-away of the fibres 

 of the upper end of the suspensory ligament (or of the check 

 ligament) from the bone to which they had been attached. Owing 

 to the manner in which this paiticular seat of sprain is covered 

 by the bones and ligaments of the knee and by the back tendons, 

 the existence of sprain at that spot generally escapes notice, in 

 that it is mistaken for some other ailment. As the check 

 ligament (p. 37) has nearly the same attachment as the upper 

 end of the suspensory ligament, it is almost impossible to say 

 which structure is involved when sprain occurs at the spot in 

 question. 



SYMPTOMS OF SPRAIN OF THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT, 

 — If the injury be but slight, although there may be some lieat 

 and swelling of the part, the horse may stand level and walk fairly 

 well ; but the lameness at the trot will be disproportionately great 

 as compared to that at the walk. If the sprain be severe, there 

 will be considerable lameness, the toe only being brought to the 

 ground. When there is a very serious rupture of the lower end of 

 the ligament, the fetlock pad comes down or nearly down to the 

 ground. If only one branch of the ligament be severed, the descent 

 of the fetlock pad will be less marked than when both are torn. 

 Rupture of the suspensory ligament is termed a " break down." 



Although, after rupture of the suspensory ligament, the obliquity of the 

 pastern, when weight is put on the foot, will be greatly increased, owing to 

 the fetlock having lost the support of its powerful brace ; the " bearing " of 

 the foot will not be materially affected. MoUer points out that when the 



