SOUNDNESS IN HORSES. 
m 
case or infirmity, which may tend to a growing incapacity to 
perform the services required from a perfect animal, the horse 
shall not be held unsound.” At the same time, this rule must 
be taken with some reserve: it is one to which we may with ad¬ 
vantage apply the standard by which we have been estimating the 
other and less ambiguous cases of soundness and unsoundness. 
Crib-biting t for example, the worst of these “ habits,” I should 
say, certainly ought to be ranked among the causes ot unsound¬ 
ness, whenever it was known to give rise to frequent cholic, or so 
affect digestion that the animal could not be got into condition in 
consequence of it. So, likewise, would I regard wind-sucking 
and quid ding. The law on this point stands thus—“ Where it 
(crib-biting)°exists in any great degree, it will properly constitute 
unsound ness ; but where the habit is only in an incipient state, it 
has been held not so.” 
“ Vices,” as are called shying, starting, tripping, biting, kick¬ 
ing, restiveness, See. do not, any of them, come into the catalogue 
of unsoundnesses: a certificate of warranty, stating that the 
horse is “ sound,” has no reference to these tricks or evil pro¬ 
pensities; to be insured exempt from the latter, the clause “ and 
free from vice,” must be added. 
1 have but a few words to add on the subject of 
Blemishes, 
And then I will conclude a paper which I fear has already occu¬ 
pied an unwarrantable share of the Society s time and attention. 
Dr. Johnson synonymises a blemish to be—“ a mark of defor¬ 
mity ; a scar; a diminution of beauty.” Conformably to the 
subject before us, I would define it to consist in an alteration of 
the natural external appearance oj a part: it has nothing to do 
either with altered structure or function; although it may exist 
(and very frequently does) concomitant with both. It does not 
amount to unsoundness. 
A blemish of the most common occurrence and serious con¬ 
cernment is (what is called) “ broken knees ;”— concernment, 
not to the horse, but to his owner, from the imputation which 
custom or prejudice has, with no more truth than falsehood, 
attached to the animal, of being a stumbler. However large the 
scars may be, as simple blemishes, they do not warrant the denun¬ 
ciation of “ unsoundness.” 
Neither do scars upon the back or shoulders, or withers, on any 
other part of the body: unless there exist open wounds or tumours 
in an active stage of disease. 
Such, Gentlemen, forms the amount of my crude thoughts on 
the subject of “soundness:” I hope to have them freely purged 
and greatly amended bv your united discussions. 
