104 CAUSES OF UNSOUNDNESS. 



carefully inspected, and the hair overlapping the 

 top of the coronet pushed aside in order to ascertain 

 whether this part is free from sand-crack. Cracks, 

 that begin at the lower border of the hoof, are not 

 of much significance. 



A purchaser might buy a horse with a general 

 warranty of soundness, say, to-day, but a day or 

 two following find that it had a sand-crack, and that 

 it was producing lameness. The question arises. Has 

 the buyer any claim against the vendor ? In the 

 writer's opinion, none, unless he can, by expert 

 evidence, satisfactorily prove that the crack was 

 in existence at the time of purchase. It has been 

 shown that sand-crack may make its appearance 

 quite suddenly, though it is, as a rule, slowly 

 developed. 



False Quarter. 



This consists of an indentation in the wall of 

 the hoof at the quarter, and it weakens the part, 

 predisposing it to sand-crack. Therefore, it is 

 customary to look upon it as a serious defect. It 

 apparently arises through defective secretion of 

 the horn from the coronet, possibly through some 

 disease previousl)' existent at the coronet, over 

 the seat of the indentation. Low-class dealers 



