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LAMENESS IN HORSES. 
CAUSES, therefore, which put the sinews into such trials of 
their strength and tenacity are we to look for illustration. 
Hunters and racers, and steeple-chace horses, and such like, are 
the especial subjects of sprained legs. Horses ridden on the road, 
or as hackneys, are oftener lame from foot disease. Military 
horses are more frequently lamed in their feet than in their legs; 
though this again depends much on the exercises — or the paces at 
such exercises — to which the regiment they belong to happens to be 
put. Harness-horses experience sprains in their hind legs, in their 
fetlock joints in particular, they being the parts more exerted in 
draft. It is possible that thin-heeled shoes, by letting the heels 
down suddenly, may have some such effect, though I cannot say 
I have witnessed it. 
But sprain may be produced in another way. The muscles to 
which the tendons belong may be called into such forcible or sud- 
den action as to occasion it. Going at a tearing pace through 
deep ground is very likely, through excessive muscular action, 
to strain the tendons. Setting his foot accidentally in a rabbit- 
hole, a horse instinctively makes a sudden effort to disengage 
himself, and in that act is not unlikely to sprain his sinews. 
Should the foot happen to be set awry, or to slip on one side, a 
joint is more likely to be sprained than a tendon. 
The Symptoms of Sprain of the Back Sinews are in 
general unmistakeable ; though this will depend on the form of 
disease with which, or period of time at which, the horse may 
come to be examined. Severe sprains will develop themselves 
early ; sometimes as soon as done : slight sprains, on the other 
hand, may require several hours, and even days, to do so. This 
is another example, among many existing similar ones, to shew 
the imprudence of hasty opinions in cases of lameness. The 
horse, we will say, is lame : lameness being the usual accompani- 
ment of sprain. The hand is passed down the lame leg ; and 
swelling and heat is felt, and the horse flinches as our thumb and 
finger grasp the swollen part. The swelling ma} r consist only in 
a small, soft, puffy tumour or “knot,” as grooms call it; or it 
may be diffuse and general. The pain will be much greater in 
some cases than in others. The horse frequently stands with his 
lame foot flexed, reposing upon the toe to ease his sinews; and now 
and then will in trotting “ drop” considerably upon the sound 
limb : in other (slighter) cases, the lameness will be but trifling. 
In very severe sprains the local inflammation and pain, on occa- 
sions, are so intense, that the system even sympathises with the 
suffering limb, and symptomatic fever is the consequence. 
The Parts sprained are naturally supposed to be “ the 
sinews.” But tendons being tissues both inelastic, and (per phy- 
