90 
OBSERVATIONS ON SOUNDNESS. 
wise covered by these osseous deposits. The result of the case 
gave ample proof of what amount of injury had been inflicted 
by the animal himself, if the story of the servant can be 
believed, which may be received as truth, or the owner would 
have spoken out before. This was a break-down of a peculiar 
character, which would, I have no hesitation in asserting, 
have terminated in a satisfactory manner if the horse had 
received proper attention at home; unfortunately, however, for 
the horse and also for the veterinary surgeon, both the owner 
of the animal and his servant knew too much in one sense and 
not enough in another. (I would warn all young men to 
beware of these very clever horse amateurs; if all goes on 
well and safely, they are very friendly indeed, but if cases 
turn out adversely, they are the most dangerous people we 
have to deal with.) The front leg, when found in a passive 
state, is, I have said, standing almost perpendicularly, so 
that a plumb-line placed at the point of the shoulder should 
touch the point of the toe on the ground; this is allowed by 
all judges of horses to be the acme of perfection as regards 
position. These several parts outside the hoof have never 
been known to become diseased or to sustain injury by long 
standing, except in mountainous districts or in ill-paved 
stables; in either case there is liability to injury of the flexor 
tendons. It will be inferred from these remarks, together 
with some at the commencement of this paper, that most, 
indeed all the injuries to which I have given the name of 
break-down result from violence, and that, as a general 
rule, when in motion. I chose the term break-down for all 
these lesions in preference to a strain of back tendon,” 
“ sprain of the sinews,” and many others which I need not 
mention, as I consider the term sufficiently plain to be 
understood. If we will just take a glance at the limb of 
the horse during the various movements he is capable of 
producing, we shall, doubtless, commence with the walk or 
first movement. In this pace there is not much to bring 
about break-down; nor in the trot, it being so regularly 
and evenly performed, are we likely to find it, unless 
there be a hole into which a horse places his leg; nor 
does the canter afford many cases of injury of sheath 
of tendon, or anything bordering on break-down. When 
we increase the pace, and by it increase weight—for by 
increasing pace weight is increased at the same time, 
although no more weight is carried—we shall find cases of 
break-down frequently occur, and at the time the distance 
(if on a race-course) has been nearly run. I have known but 
