OBSERVATIONS ON SOUNDNESS. 
727 
iiig the foot towards the elbow ; if the point of the toe cannot 
be placed so as to touch the olecranon, it must be inferred 
that some derangement has taken place in the carpus, or 
lovv^r joints, and this will require some nice manipulation— 
in some cases —so as to form a correct opinion. Presuming 
the carpus is the seat of derangement; we must hesitate in 
pronouncing the part sound until we have satisfied ourselves 
that the horse is capable of undergoing all the work he will 
be called upon to perform. When we take into considera¬ 
tion the circumstances which occur in the hunting field, 
' more especially in a loall-countrij, it will be at once apparent 
how necessary it is that a horse should have free use of the 
carpal joints. It is of less moment in a hank-country j as the 
style of jumping is different to that of the former. I allude 
to a five feet wall, or even less. We will suppose a case : A 
horse is brought for examination with a blemished knee; Ave 
find tliat the toe of the foot cannot be got near the elbow—say 
from four to six inches—unless great force is employed, and 
we are certain the stiffness is situated in the knee-joint. We 
have to take into consideration the fact of the horse being a 
liunteTy and likely to be put to a high leap, either stone or 
timber, no matter which ; the rider has no fear of the jump 
himself, as he has had ample opportunities of testing the 
capabilities of his horse over all kinds of fences up to a certain 
height; he puts him at a four foot rail or wall, believing the 
animal can do it well (and so he can with the sound limb; 
but how fares it with the stiff one?) The horse is unable to 
flex the leg sufficiently— an inch short is enough —the result is a 
cropper, which may possibly cause some serious injury to the 
rider, perhaps even to break his neck; and all this produced 
by the defective state of the carpal joint of his horse. 
T have deemed it advisable to dwell a little upon this part of 
the subject, trifling as it may appear at the first glance, hav¬ 
ing more than once known an awkward fall from knees of 
this kind. Up to the present time I am unaware of the real 
cause having been mentioned. I believe there are more rolls 
over a wall or timber country to be explained in this manner 
than credit is given, and we ought to be very precise in our 
observations upon the lower limbs of hunters and roadsters. 
I have never hesitated to reject an animal with such a defect 
as that I have attempted to describe. 
{To he continued 1) 
