Or Mismanagement of Farm-IIorses. 525 



•paribus^ more frequent visitants of stables where horses are over- 

 worked than Vi^here the work is moderate and judiciously regu- 

 lated. And when disease attacks the overworked horse, his 

 debiUtated state of body often leads to untoward complications, 

 interferes with the action of necessary remedies, diminishes the 

 efficacy of the vis medicatrix naturw, retards recovery, and hastens 

 death. 



The limbs of the horse exhibit most exquisite arrangements of 

 parts and curious modifications of structure ; powerful, solid, and 

 unyielding levers; muscles condensed into the smallest bulk con- 

 sistent with strength, or replaced by ligaments and tendons, of 

 more compact and denser structure, and of untiring vigour ; car- 

 tilaginous pads beautifully adapted for sustaining pressure and 

 obviating concussion ; joints Avhose perfect form excites the 

 admiration of the most accomplished mechanicians, and from the 

 study of which they have derived several valuable contrivances ; 

 an extensively distributed apparatus, to elaborate and contain an 

 oily Huid for lubricating this wonderful machinery, for preventing 

 friction in joints and facilitating motion of tendons ; and at the 

 base of all, supporting the whole weight of the frame, and often 

 exposed to violent concussion, an agglutinated mass of hair, form- 

 ino; the strong, inelastic, non- vascular, and insensible hoof, and 

 affording perfect protection to the highly vascular and sensitive 

 structures contained within it. 



But although this locomotive apparatus is of great strength, and 

 adapted to sustain with impunity a great amount of exertion, yet it 

 is often quite inadequate to those tasks of strength or fleetness to 

 which it is sometimes subjected, in ministering to the avarice, 

 wants, or pleasures of man. Indeed, there is scarcely a disease 

 of the extremities which is not produced either directly or indi- 

 rectly by excessive or long-continued overwork. 



In violent exertions the bones are sometimes fractured, parti- 

 cularly the bones of the fetlock ; but this seldom occurs, except 

 during more rapid work than usually falls to the lot of farm- 

 horses. Laceration of muscular fibre is occasionally met with. 

 The best illustration of this occurs in the disease generally termed 

 shoulder- slip ^ which consists in a tearing of some of the muscular 

 fibres of the antea or postea spinatus, or the teres externus — 

 muscles lying on the outer part of the shoulder-blade. We shall 

 notice this accident somewhat in detail, as it does not seem to 

 have attracted that attention which it deserves. It appears to 

 be more common in Scotland than in England. It generally 

 occurs in young horses, shortly after they are put in the plough, 

 or in older animals not previously accustomed to such work. The 

 consequence is, that, from a false placing of the feet, and the horse 

 being hurried on by his companion, the muscles of the shoulder 



