98 WOUNDS AND BRUISES. 



In such a case, all requirements will be met by the fact of the 

 blemish being mentioned in the certificate given by the veterinary 

 surgeon. As regards the question of soundness, it does not matter 

 a great deal how a horse got " marked ; " as it is quite possible 

 foi an animal to fall down in the middle of a road from no fault 

 of his own. Given positive proof that the injury was caused by 

 a fall over which a normal horse would have had little or no 

 control, it might be regarded with less suspicion than would 

 otherwise have been the case ; for it is incontestable that a horse 

 which has once been down, is generally more liable to stumble, 

 than one whose knees have never come in contact with the hard 

 load. Although it would be foolish to deny the fact that a blow 

 inflicted on an important joint, like the knee, has a great tendency 

 to be followed by weakness of the structures of the part ; still, if 

 after an exhaustive trial, no indication of the existence of such 

 weakness, or of any other inability can be detected, it would be- 

 manifestly unfair to reject a horse because he had suffered from an 

 iujury which might have had, but did not have, an injurious result. 

 Although a veterinary surgeon should be particularly careful about 

 giving a certificate of soundness for a broken-kneed horse, he 

 should not try to shield himself, at the expense of the owner, 

 from the possibility of making a mistake. Practically speaking, 

 only the slighter cases of " broken " or, rather, " chipped " knees, 

 should be passed. 



Wounds of the Mouth. 



These injuries are generally inflicted by the bit, especially with 

 recently broken-in animals ; the chief seats of injury being tixe bars 

 of the mouth (interdental space) and the corners of the mouth. Th(i 

 tongue may be torn by a man " hanging on " to it when giving a 

 ball. I have seen many instances of the tongue, bars and chin 

 groove cut from the cruel application of a twitch over the lower 

 jaw. The pressure of the mouth-piece of a curb bit (especially 

 with long cheeks and a tight curb chain), and even of a snaffle 

 (particularly if the snaffle be thin, twisted, made of chain, or if 

 it be violently " sawn " through the mouth), often bruises and 

 lacerates the bars. The action of a severe curb bit sometimes 

 injures the bone of the lower jaw, and even fractures it. A sharp 

 and tight curb chain not infrequently wounds the chin-groove and 

 lips. High ports have gone so much out of fashion, that nowadays 

 injuries inflicted by them on the roof of the mouth are rarely 

 seen. The liability to become wounded by the port is naturally 

 ■ncreased by the use of a tight noseband. I have seen the corners 

 of the mouth rendered very sore from a watering bridle being kept 

 on the horse for several days, and from the continued use of a 



