The Skeleton. 15 



If the bones or tendons immediately below the knee 

 are lacking in size (substance) the limb is said to be 

 "tied in" ! 



The joints of the knee belong to the hinge variety, the 

 extent of movement getting less from above down. If, 

 as the result of inflammation of the parts, bony deposits 

 are thrown out and the joint movement limited or 

 arrested, the condition is known as knee-spavin. The 

 cannon bone has attached to it on its hinder surface two 

 small bones commonly called splint bones. These splint 

 bones often terminate at their lower ends in little knobs, 

 which are apt to be mistaken by the novice for splints. 

 Bony deposits thrown out between the cannon bone and 

 a splint bone constitute splints. The knobs are normal, 

 the splint is abnormal. The cannon articulates with the 

 long pastern bone below and thus forms the fetlock joint, 

 which is of the hinge variety, behind this joint are two 

 rounded bones, the sesamoids. The long pastern bone 

 forms a hinge joint, the pastern joint, with the os corona. 

 This bone, the short pastern bone, also articulates with 

 the bone of the foot, os pedis. The coffin bone is semi- 

 circular in outline, somewhat the shape of the hoof; 

 at its back extremities are the wings, so-called, to each 

 of which is attached a half moon-shaped piece of gristle 

 (cartilage), known as the lateral cartilages. The round, 

 upper borders of these cartilages can be felt quite readily 

 at the upper and back part of the hoof, they should be 

 movable, if not they have become bony (ossified) and 

 are henceforth known as sidebones; in some horses the 

 cartilages are naturally firmer than in others, such cases 

 must not be mistaken for side bones. 



