DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE ^75 
pastern or coffin joints. It may affect the front legs, but is 
more frequently found on the hind ones. There are cases 
where the four legs are affected at the same time. 
Causes. — Like most other bone diseases, it runs in some 
breeds of horses to be affected with ringbones, that is to say 
it is hereditary, hence the necessity of breeding sound 
animals. There are other well-marked causes, such as hard 
or fast work, an injury or severe sprain of the joint, allowing 
colts' feet to grow too long, or allowing foals to follow their 
mother when working. Running a nail in the foot, and 
wounding the coffin joint causes the joint to become diseased 
and throw out a ringbone. Standing on one leg while very 
lame in the other may cause it. 
Symptoms. — Lameness fol- 
lowed by an enlargement round 
the affected joint are well 
marked symptoms. When the 
pastern joint is affected the en- 
largement is about half way 
between the fetlock joint and 
the hoof — a high-up ringbone. 
An enlargement affecting the 
coffin joint bulges out around 
the top of the hoof (see Fig. 42) 
— a low-down ringbone. There 
is noticeable heat in the parts in 
the vicinity of the ringbone and 
the lameness is peculiar, the 
step of the affected leg being ^ig. 42.— a Lowdown Ringbone, 
longer and the putting of the 
heel down first. The lameness, too, is much more noticeable 
at the commencement of work, becoming less after being 
warmed up by the exercise. 
Treatment. — The treatment, in some cases, is not at- 
tended with very great success, although, in others, it is very 
successful, depending, of course, on the ex-tent of disease in 
the joint. The treatment is similar to that of spavin — the 
main object being to set up what is known as anchylosis of 
the diseased joint, that is, to cause the bones forming the 
joint to become united solid to each other. As soon as this 
takes place, the lameness and soreness leaves. This is what 
is called a cure. Of course, after cured, the motion of that 
