62 The Diseases of Animals 
UNSOUNDNESS IN HORSES 
A horse is considered practically sound when it 
possesses no disease, deformity or vice that will in- 
terfere with its general or special usefulness. Soundness 
is important, not only to those who deal in horses, but 
to those who raise and own them, because its sound- 
ness, together with the general appearance of the animal, 
indicates its relative commercial value. A person who 
contemplates purchasing a horse, if he is not thoroughly 
familiar with the subject, will usually find it a matter of 
economy to employ an expert to assist in the selection, 
or he will purchase of some well-known dealer whose 
judgment and whose “word” are worthy of dependence. 
The ordinary individual is likely to pride himself 
upon his ability to judge horses and to determine their 
soundness or unsoundness; and yet there is probably 
no one experience in which individuals are more likely 
to be deceived than in this. Horse-dealers of wide ex- 
perience usually make allowances in their judgment of 
a horse for defects which cannot be determined by an 
ordinary examination, but are likely to show themselves 
only after a thorough acquaintance with the animal. As 
au general thing, the purchaser sees a horse at its very 
best, as regards appearance, condition, speed and free- 
dom from defects and vices, and should take this into 
account in estimating the value of the animal. In 
examining animals as to their soundness, experienced 
judges do not allow themselves to be misled, or their 
attention to be distracted from any part of the animal, 
either by the owner or by bystanders. An excellent 
