Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-26
HEREDITARY DISEASES OF THE
FEET AND LEGS.

IL IS q perfectly well ascertalned fact that
the progeny Of some horses inherit constitu-
tional tendency to certain diseases Of the legs
and feet, such as spavins, ringboues and other
bony deposits, as well as curbs windgalls, and
the navicular diseases. But, on the other
hand, this hereditary predisposition moro
commonly depends on faulty or peculiar
conformation. Thus horses most dis
posed to spavins are those possessing
short, pointed hooks, deficient in width and
breadth below, and disproportionately small
compared with the upper portion Of the joint
Those most disposed to ringbones are horses
with upright pasterns and high action /;
and those most disposed to ossilied cartilages
are the heavy draught breeds, so much so
that it is not an uncommon case TO find the
cartilages of the feet Of horses Of this char
acter changed into bone at four or FIVE years
old. The reason Of this is evident enough /.
Conclusion is easily produced in the Joints
Of horses of the character described, inAam.
nation of slow chronic kind follows as n
natural consequence, and bony effusion is the
result. Curbs are generally produced by
injury to ligaments from over-exertion, pro.
ducing swelling and inflammation about three
inches below the point Of the hook formed by
the os calciS. The peculiar form Of this
bone appears TO be connected with the cause
of the disease. Its chief purpose is to act
as lever for very powerful muscles, the
tendons Of which are inserted into its extrem-
ity, and in proporten to the length Of this
bone will the muscular energy be increased by
which the joint is moved. On this account
| its length is matter Of considerable impor-
tance. When the os ealcis is short, forming
a short, pointed hook, the leverage or me.
chanical power is injuriously diminished,
leaving too much for the other parts of the
joint to perform conclusion is the common
consequence, followed by the inflammation
and lamoness, sometimes connected with
curbs, at other times spavins and throughpins,
aud it is not an uncommon case to see all
three of these diseases in the hook at one
time.
Most persons acquainted with the feet of
horses will recognize their strong tendency
to disease arising from faulty formation.
Sometimes the hoofs are disproportionate to
to the frame thay may be too snall-with-
out sufficient base to support the weight
above-rendering the footing insecure, or too
large and unwieldy, rendering tho action
slow and awkward. At other times the
crust Of the hoof is naturally weak, arising
from faulty secretion Of horn. Such hoofs
are generally uneven, indented and wrinkled
and have invariably flattened soles with a
disposition to become pumiced Feet Of
this character are particularly disposed to
sand-cracks.
All these defects in horses feet are found
to exist not only in different but in the same
breed and are most certainly propagated in
breeding.
The navicular disease is another striking
example Of hereditary di seases to which
horses are liable, arising from pecuiarity Of
structure. Those most disposed to il have
slender bodies, low action, strong upright
hoofs, narrow heels and great concavity oi
soles. Lameness is soon produced in horses
Of this description when the hereditary ten.
dency exists, from exciting agents of variou.
kinds, such as exposure to heated, fermented
litter, imperfect shOeing, fast road work
whilst animals free from this hereditary pro,
clivity are capable Of withstanding all
these influences The contraction usually
seen in diseased feet Of this kind is perhaps
more COMMONLY the consequence than the
cause Of the lamoness but sometimes il
may act as predispOsing agent, the former
when inflammation precedes the contraction,
the latter when a manifest alteration in the
form of the foot precedes the lamepess
Hence, breeders should at all times look
with very considerable suspicion on stall.
ion exhibiting narrow, contracted, upright
hOofs, for although we may occasionally oh.
serve old horses having contracted feet and
otherwise out of shape, performing their
work without lameness, yet such horses
should be invariably avoided in BREEDING
Western Farm Journal.