562 
llEVIEW—DISEASES OF THE FOOT 
the worst; and when we see it we may prophecy, with some de¬ 
gree of certainty, that the legs will not last out the constitution. 
A good fetlock, to be deserving of the name, must have the flexor 
tendons strong and well developed, the suspensory ligaments cor¬ 
responding, and presenting to the eye a flat leg, with three convexi¬ 
ties formed by the bone, the ligament, and the tendons. 
‘‘The joints, too, should be large in proportion to the other parts; 
for, by thus having a large articulating surface, concussion is con¬ 
siderably diminished. 
“Every one knows that the fore legs should not be placed too 
much under the body, for, when this is the case, we have generally 
a bad conformation of the whole extremity, beginning with low 
and upright shoulders, and ending with knuckling knees and up¬ 
right fetlocks and pasterns, exhibiting altogether a disposition to 
fall forwards or come down. It is, however, sometimes the case, 
that good legs and strong well-shaped fetlocks co-exist with low 
and upright shoulders; and, when this is the case, the good quali¬ 
ties in a great degree compensate for the bad, for the two faults do 
not invariably accompany each other; but it is their united evil 
that is chiefly to be deprecated. For hunting, riding on the road, 
or for harness, the fore extremities cannot be too good ; but as the 
tendency of this angular formation and high withers is to bestow 
high action, we often And that horses are not so fleet in their gallop 
as others whose fore extremities are more faulty, but who, from 
going nearer the ground, have their stride greatly extended. It is 
this circumstance, I imagine, that has led to the fact (for the fact 
it undoubtedly is), that the fore extremities are altogether disre¬ 
garded in the breeding of thorough-bred horses; and thus we find 
that three-fourths of them have bad fore legs and weak fetlocks, 
and, consequently, break down, either in the first or second year 
of their appearing on the turf. I freely acknowledge that the 
performances of a thorough-bred stallion are his chief recommenda¬ 
tion ; but I should, at the same time, suggest that more attention 
should be paid to the state and structure of his fore legs, for, although 
this might not influence the speed, it will greatly affect the power 
in his progeny of sustaining severe training, or lasting long on the 
turf. 
“ Where, we may ask, are the winners of the Derbys and St. 
Legers of the last seven years ? After blazing away like meteors 
through the sporting world, like meteors, too, they have sunk into 
comparative obscurity. Nearly all of them are broken down and 
lame; and, I would venture to assert, from disease existing within 
a few inches of the fetlock joint. 
“ It would be an interesting circumstance, as affecting the com¬ 
parative qualities of stallions, if, in addition to their own perform- 
