270 OBSERVATIONS ON INJURIES; ETC.; AMONG ARMY HORSES. 
fore leg over the neck of No. 60. Though No. 60 was fas- 
tened by two head chains; he was forced to his left; and by the 
successive efforts which he made to dislodge No. 28; he partly 
drew the right head chain peg. No. 28 was secured by the 
left hind leg only by a heel chain, and was extended as far 
as his chain would admit of ; as he scrambled off the neck 
of No. 60, his left hind foot slipped backwards, on which 
account he fell over on his left hip. He rose immediately 
after falling, and stood resting his toe on the ground with the 
leg flexed.” All this may be true, but we are of opinion that 
the horse did not slip backwards. In all probability he was 
standing on the off hind leg only, his fore parts being sup- 
ported on the neck of the other horse, whilst the near hind 
leg was elevated and stretched to its utmost. In this position 
he was unprepared to assist himself when he became disen- 
gaged from No. 60, and thus it occurred that he twisted 
himself down and over by the left hind leg, which acted from 
the heel-chain as the fixed point. Had there been no heel- 
chain, the fracture would not have happened. This is the 
fourth case of fracture of the hip-bones, caused by heel- 
ropes, in a period under three years. This horse is a hand- 
some studbred, five years old, and is a loss to Government of 
something over IH20. 
From the excessive lameness, disinclination to move, the 
method of standing with the injured leg advanced, and foot 
planted flat on the ground, the flattened condition of the left 
quarters, and the history of the case, we suspected that frac- 
ture of the os innominata existed. A careful examination by 
manipulation, externally and per rectum, gave no conclusive 
evidence until the fourth day, when a very distinct crepitus 
could be heard under the head of the femur, that is, in the 
acetabulum, from which the fractures extend in various direc- 
tions. This is the eighth day after the accident, and, as the 
case is now very clear, we have recommended that he should 
be destroyed, being incurable. We may remark that the 
horse can bear slight pressure on the left leg, but only for a 
second, when he wishes to move in the box. There are no 
constitutional disturbances at present ; his appetite is as 
usual. His mode of standing now is with the leg advanced, 
and the toe only resting on the ground. 
The mail closes in a couple of hours, so we cannot wait to 
give th q post-mortem appearances, which we shall not be able 
to get till to-morrow, when a committee will condemn the 
animal. A special report to Government on heel-ropes and 
chains would seem to be the next suggestion to carry out. 
We wonder if it would be appreciated ? 
