FROM KNEE TO FETLOCK i% 



ample for the working of these tendons ; for when such ''tied- 

 in '' tendons happen to become damaged by work, the seat of 

 injury is very rarely behind the knee. Hence I think we 

 may conclude that when this groove — which is dependent 

 for its size on that of the bones behind the knee — is com- 

 paratively small, the tendons are also proportionately wanting 

 in substance, and consequently unduly weak. I have always 

 remarked that, in legs of about the same size of cannon-bone, 

 when the back tendons approached a direction parallel to 

 the cannon-bone (as in Figs. 270, 292 to 295, 296 and 298), 

 they were larger and consequently stronger than those which 

 were tied-in (as in Figs. 300 and 302). The parallelism of 

 the back tendons with the cannon-bone is beautifully shown 

 in Fig. 293, which represents the fore legs of a thoroughbred 

 yearling filly. We should, I may observe, regard a large 

 degree of backward projection in the trapezium as a 

 desirable ''point"; not merely as indicating the size of 

 the bone itself, but also that of the other bones of the 

 knee. The trapezium is well developed in Figs. 292 to 

 295, 298, 299, and many of the other photographs in this 

 book ; and poorly, in Figs. 300, 301, etc. 



The objectionable tying-in of the knee, which we may 

 see in Figs. 297, 300, and 302, is, I believe, due in almost 

 all cases .to an admixture of more or less cart blood. 

 Although individuals of other breeds may be light below 

 the knee, I have never seen in them this fault emphasised 

 by undue width of pastern (from front to rear), in the 

 same manner as it is in the draught animal of Western 

 Europe Experience tells us that a leg which shows the 

 form of tying-in below the knee to which I allude, is 

 altogether unfit for fast work, or for jumping, and is 

 unobjectionable only for labour which does not require the 

 animal to go quicker than an ordinary trot. The reason 

 for this is, as far as I can see, that a large fetlock is 

 characteristic of cart blood, and consequently indicates that 

 the bones of the part are unfitted for work at fast paces. 

 As bones are subordinate to muscles, we may take for 



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