210 
OBSERVATIONS ON SOUNDNESS. 
examinations to what class the abnormal deposit belongs, it 
will guide us in a great measure in our opinion, and we shall 
be likely to gain some credit for our discernment. 
That renowned writer in his c Hippopathology*—Mr. 
Percivall—has not made mention of the quality of the deposit in 
his remarks upon ringbone; he merely describes its situation, 
size, and form. Too much stress cannot be made as to the 
equality of the growth. I am convinced, however, that situa¬ 
tion has much, indeed almost everything, to do with its 
influence in causing lameness. If the exostosis commences 
immediately underneath a ligament or tendon, the pain will 
of necessity be much greater than when isolated. The ten¬ 
sion produced upon the periosteum is bad enough, which, 
if added to by the interference of ligament or tendon, will, 
of course, cause an augmentation of the pain, and consequent 
lameness. 
The causes of ringbone are said to be threefold—heredi¬ 
tary, structural, and incidental. If we could ascertain the 
soundness or otherwise of the parents of our patients, it 
would lessen the difficulties we sometimes meet with. I 
knew a horse with ringbone who was used as a sire. It was 
stated when the horse was introduced into the locality, that 
the enlargement upon the limb was not ringbone, but, as he 
was racing, it was contended, he met with an accident, and 
that the swelling was produced by it, which ought to be a 
guarantee of its innocuousness. The horse was excessively 
lame, which was readily accounted for from the fact of the 
abnormal growth of bony matter occupying so much space 
so as to implicate the ligaments and tendons passing over 
the pastern joint; the animal, however, was in the possession 
of a very popular man, which was enough to gain a good in¬ 
troduction for him. Some of his produce have come under 
my notice, and have been pronounced anything but sound 
ones; lameness has been a characteristic feature in some, 
although it is difficult to state in a positive manner that 
idngbonewas the cause; at the same time the rigid state of parts 
in connection with the coronary ligament favored the idea that 
the cause of lameness was in the immediate vicinity, as there 
was an absence of any symptom by which I could fix upon 
any other part as the source of evil. The reply given by a 
horsedealer in Percivalks f Hippopathology,’ when asked how 
it happened that but few ringbones were now met with com¬ 
pared to the numbers that attracted notice in times past, 
deserves to be known, “ Because no breeder of horses nowa¬ 
days will send a mare to a horse having ringbones.” This 
seems to direct oner’s attention more especially to an here- 
