SPAVIN. 
185 
the horse was brought to me again, and on this occasion it was in 
the morning, prior to his having had any exercise. The case was 
now evident enough. The horse went limpingly lame in the near 
hind limb, and I had hardly cast my eye upon it before a large and 
prominent spavin caught my observation. This could not have 
existed — at least in any such prominent form — at my first examina- 
tion of the horse : the inevitable conclusion was, that the exostosis 
had attained its prominency — although it might have, and pro- 
bably had, existence before — in the short space of five days. 
In the next case I shall relate it will be seen that lameness for 
some weeks preceded the detection of spavin. 
In March, 1843, Lord T requested my opinion of a bay 
horse, for which, if found sound by me, he was to give £130. 
The horse was brought out of his stable and run before me, when 
scarcely had he proceeded half-a-dozen yards from me before it 
seemed to me he went lame, and particularly in the turn ; though 
when he came to trot back again he appeared to go quite sound ; 
nor could I afterwards, at any moment on this occasion, detect that 
which I fancied I had seen during his first run from me. Unsatis- 
fied, however, with this examination, I ordered that he be left 
standing in his stall until the following morning, when I would 
see him out again. I did so, and again imagined something amount- 
ing to lameness in the near hind leg, but which, as before, became 
by exercise so speedily dissipated that doubt was renewed in my 
mind. I resolved on seeing him a third time, and a third time had 
the same impression made on my mind ; the result of which last 
examination was counsel to his lordship not to purchase. It so 
happened, however, that the horse had, at the very strong recom- 
mendation of a friend, been sent for from Ireland especially for his 
lordship’s purchase, with an assurance that he was sound; and 
this friend hearing of my opinion, which had caused him no little 
displeasure, one day, about three weeks afterwards, came to me 
with the horse, begging I would then look at the horse once more, 
and say whether I really determined him lame or sound. On this 
occasion, after seeing him ridden a trot, I pronounced him sound . 
“ How, then, could you say he was lame three weeks ago ?”■ — • 
“ Why, sir ! a horse may be lame at one time and sound at another 
— be that, however, as it may, all I can say now is, that the horse, 
at 'present, trots sound; whereas, three weeks ago he went, in my 
opinion, lame." A month after this, the horse, which in the in- 
terval had been sold at a reduced price, on account of lameness 
having manifested itself, to a dealer, was brought for my opinion 
a third time, he having been purchased of the dealer, at the strong 
recommendation of his former laudator, by a Captain in my own 
regiment. He was now lame enough in the near hind leg, and a 
