COMPARATIVE UNSOUNDNESS. 717 



should be thoroughly assured ; and ajiy slight fulness which may be 

 present, should have no appearance of having been caused by 

 constitutional disease or weakneiss. When a young horse shows 

 signs of work, the case is, however, very different. All such 

 questions of soundness' as those of filled or worn legs can, naturally, 

 be decided only by the examining veterinary surgeon. 



Firing, marks of. — Some owners, as a preservative measure, 

 make a practice of firing the hooks of their young horses, in the 

 event of their considering that these joints show signs of weakness. 

 Arabs and other Eastern nations employ the hot iron in a rather 

 indiscriminate manner as a remedy for various ailments, some of 

 which, such as colic, may be but of a temporary nature. In all 

 cases where marks of the firing iron are found, we should redouble 

 our efforts to discover if there exists in the part anything which 

 might militate against the soundness of the animal ; but if un- 

 successful in our search, the horse should not be rejected because 

 of the existing blemish, which in itself does not come under the 

 definition of unsoundness. 



Galls, harness and saddle. — See remarks by Mr. Baron Parke 

 (p. 706). 



Grunting (p. 388). 



Herpes. — See " Skin Diseases.'' 



Hoof, split.— See " Split Hoof." 



Hoof, weak. — See " Sole, weak.'' 



Ischium, fracture of tuberosity of (p. 306). — In any case, the 

 defect should be mentioned in the certificate. 



Knees, broken (p. 94). 



Legs, filled or worn.- — See " Filled Legs." 



Mud fever. — See " Skin Diseases." 



Nettle-rash. — ^See " Skin Diseases." 



Odd feet. — See " Contraction of the Foot" (p. 715). 



Parrot mouth (p. 762) would, naturally, be an unsoundness or 

 not, according to its degree. 



Prurigo. — See " Skin Diseases." 



Bat tails. — See " Skin Diseases." 



Ringworm, non-parasitic. — See " Skin Diseases.'' 



Sitfasts (p. 102). — ^Whenever (which would be almost always) 

 the sitfast occupies such a position as would render it liable to be 

 irritated by the gear, it should be regarded as an unsoundness. See 

 following paragraph. 



Skin diseases and woimds. — Cases under this heading should be 

 decided according to the principles laid down by Mr. Baron Parke 



Sole, weak. — ^When this condition is a result of disease, it is an 

 unsoundness ; but when it is a congenital defect which does not 



