297 
REVIEW—LAMENESS IN THE HORSE. 
up’—as the saying is—go hopping along upon three legs. A 
horse with acute pain in both fore feet will stand with his hind 
feet advanced underneath his belly, resting first one fore foot then 
the other, and every time he moves will rear up his head and stretch 
out his neck, in expression of the pain he suffers: on the other 
hand, should his hind feet be in pain, he will stand with his fore 
limbs extended backward, towards the central line of gravity, 
with his head hung down, lifting first one hind leg and then the 
other.” 
Then we have to see him move; but before doing so, we are 
put in possession of the peculiar action to indicate the lameness. 
“ In respect to the leg upon which a horse ‘ drops,’ any man 
who has been lame himself—who has had (and who has not had?) 
a painful corn,” will feel that “ he lifts his weight as much as he 
can off his ailing foot, to let it down or ‘drop’ upon his sound 
foot. The same thing happens in the lame horse. Flinching 
from the pressure or concussion of the lame leg or foot against the 
ground, he suddenly lifts the lame side of his body to ‘ drop’ the 
weight of it upon the sound side. Should the lameness be in one 
of his fore limbs, the head with the body is elevated and depressed, 
the latter motion giving to the head that significant ‘ nod’ by which 
we distinguish at once which is the lame leg: on the other hand, 
if the lameness be in a hind limb, the croup will ascend and de¬ 
scend, the head being kept steady the while, or else jerked up 
every tim acute pain is experienced. It is by observing the 
elevation and declination or ‘ nodding of the head,’ and the raising 
and sinking of the croup, that we in general are enabled to say at 
once which is the lame leg: we watch the rise and the fall or 
‘ drop,’ sometimes nodding our own head in concert with the nod 
of that of the lame horse, by way of setting up a sort of memoran¬ 
dum or note in our own mind to guide us to a sure diagnosis. I 
remember the late Professor Coleman was in the habit of doing 
this; and so are many excellent veterinary practitioners of our 
own day.” 
And when he is taken out, how is it to be done? 
“ I. Let the horse to be examined for lameness be led out of the 
stable in a snaffle bridle, the rein of which is already carried over 
his head; and let the man who is to run the horse hold the bridle- 
rein at that distance from his mouth that will permit the animal to 
trot without any check or restraint whatever of his head, the ob¬ 
ject being to suffer or induce him to shew, bv the up and down 
motions either of his head or of his croup, as well as by his manner 
of going altogether, any limping or lameness he may have to com- 
