LECTURE XLIII. 

 SOUNDNESS. 



If at the time of sale a horse has any disease which either 

 actually does diminish the natural usefulness of the animal so as 

 to make him less capable of work of any description, or which 

 in its ordinary progress will diminish the natural usefulness of 

 the animal, this is unsoundness. Or if the horse has, either 

 from disease or accident, undergone any alteration of structure, 

 which either actually does at the time or in its effects will diminish 

 the natural usefulness of the horse, such a horse is unsound. (An 

 old English-law definition). 



Unsoundness. — The above is a very comprehensive definition 

 but soundness is usually relative, rarely if ever absolute or per- 

 fect. What we mean in passing a horse as sound, is that he is 

 practically sound. 



Definition. — To be theoretically sound a horse must have no 

 disease or other condition that interferes or is likely to interfere 

 with his usefulness, or injure his selling value. For instance, a 

 horse may have a spavin which both lessens his ability to work and 

 injures his selling value. The same would be true of heaves. A 

 horse may have a disease from which he will recover. At the 

 time of the examination he will be technically unsound. 



Unsoundness may be temporary or permanent. Temporary 

 unsoundness may be illustrated by an influenza, from which a 

 horse would probably recover, or light sprains, or a bruised ankle 

 - — from interfering. In the latter case the question would arise at 

 once as to whether the interfering was due to faulty conformation 

 or to faulty shoeing for the latter could be easily remedied. In 

 the former case the condition would be serious ; in the latter con- 

 dition it would be unimportant. 



Normal conditions.' — It is necessary first of all to get familiar 

 with the usual normal and unusual normal conditions and appear- 

 ances for comparison. For instance, the hocks may be perfectly 

 sound, and yet have peculiar bony development. J^i such cases 



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