764 
DISEASES OF THE LIMBS. 
of the fetlock-joint is usually struck by the hoof of the opposite side ; less 
frequently the coronet is the seat of injury. In the fore limbs, striking 
sometimes affects the carpus and metacarpus, particularly in badly-bred 
horses. 
' The nature of the disease produced depends partly on the tissues 
affected, partly on the time during which the injury continues. Thus in 
some cases the skin is simply bruised, in others the plantar nerves are 
involved ; extravasations of blood or abscesses may occur on the inner 
surface of the fetlock-joint or splints, form on the cannon bone. Violent 
and repeated injuries cause excoriation and necrosis of the skin or 
chronic bony enlargements on the inner surface of the fetlock-joint. 
Occasionally, fibrous tissue enlargements, due to striking, and showing 
marks of injury at their most prominent point, form on the inner margin 
of the coronet. 
Interfering is serious, because the horse can never be depended on ; 
riding-horses may stumble in consequence of severely bruising the plantar 
nerve, which lies on the inside of the fetlock-joint, and is easily injured. 
But such injuries are also interesting to the surgeon, because they some¬ 
times form the origin of disease processes of a grave character. The 
most frequent of these is cellulitis, which either extends in the subcutis, 
or may seize on the subfascial connective tissue, and, taking a chronic 
course, continually suppurate. In other cases pus may break into the 
tendon sheath of the flexor pedis perforans, or into the cavity of the 
fetlock - joint, and produce incurable complications. Sometimes 
cutaneous gangrene and chronic inflammation of the cutis result. 
Finally, wounds from striking may be followed by grease, &c. Wilhelm 
describes a case in which striking was followed by severe cellulitis, 
necrosis of the skin, and, in consequence of metastasis, by pneumonia, 
inflammation of the shoulder-joint and subacute meningitis. The 
animal recovered, but very slowly. 
Causes. Want of “ condition,” faulty conformation, and large size 
and flatness of the hoofs are the principal causes of striking. The 
animal may stand with the limbs too close together, or may turn the 
toes outwards. Both these peculiarities are accompanied by faulty 
action, which predisposes to the injury mentioned. Striking is also 
favoured by travelling on rough ground, and by exhaustion. Young 
hoises often biush 01 strike while being broken in, or if, when driven, 
they are remed-up too short, especially before they become accustomed 
to work on paved streets. A very frequent cause of striking is, however, 
the mode of shoeing, the principal fault consisting in irregular paring 
of the hoof. If the inner wall be lowered and the outer left too deep, 
the fetlock-joint is thrust towards the middle line of the body when 
weight is tin own on the limb, and may be injured by the opposite foot. 
