Fair play., 1882-11-25
How to Locate LamanesS iu q Horse.

III eNJfllutuN II tstNt Va ttilCitSN. We
should; if possible, first See the horse in
the stable, and without disturbing him.
observe whether he points q foot. and i'll
what particular manner he SO favors it.
We should then have him led from the
stable and trotted gently in hand on a
hard road or pavement, giving him his
head at the tune. Having thus, ascer-
tanned what leg he is amcin. we should
proceed to discover the actual seat ot
the mischief. For this purpose. the
finger and thumb should bc carefully
passed down. the leg. from the knee TO
the foot. to :tsccgtain ii 1here be any I'M
due heat, or enlargement, or tenderness
from pres sure; we should also feel care
fully the front and sides of the pat
terms. as well as round the coronei. Ii
a splint be the cause of lamencSS, the
horse will evince considerable pain when
it is pressed, and so likewise will he in
LESSONS of the sinewS.
Surprising that We have found no SUI
ficicnt carIse of lameness above, we
must now direct our attention to the
feet. In nearly every case. unless the
mischief should be Very clearly eN-
hibited elscw here. it would be advisable
to remove the shoe; the foot should then
be paired out. to ascertain if there he
any wound or brllise in il. The nail
holes should be carefully examined and
pressed with pincers. or gently struck
with hammer. to discover any Symp-
tens of tenderness: the heels of the sole
should be pared down. and the parts
struck gently with hammer: thi> Is
preferable to presSinysthe bar and er!ls,
with the pincers. ~ il usually done. for
this often proluces pain in some fcni.
WI there is no disease, and often fails
inA Aausing pain in others, when there Is
SEeps seated corn.
14ffNf pairing awhile. the smith Will
verv probably say there is no corn: but
we must not be sitistied until We have
pared almost to the quick. If the horse
be very lame from corn, he will almost
always favor the foot: but in so doing he
will not. however. eNteri,l his limb out
straight toi its full length. but will elevate
the heel without extending the foot very
far. which will give a knuckling appear
ance to the limb. Should none of these
symptoms be exhibited. we must con-
slider the disease to be deep-seate.i. and
then it is all-import:.nt to ascertain il the
animal points his foot. for. If such is
the case. in all probability. the cause OF
'lameness exists in the navicular Joint,
supposing it was q fore foo. we were eS-
amining.
1t will seldom be necessary to 60
through these various manipulat!ons
an
upon the seat of lamenesS at once. and
very often detect II after u moderate ex-
amina,ion; but there are cases s.that
will demand our utmost attention and
experience. and will often put to Sc
we're test the professional talents and
tact even of the most skilled veterna-
rian. .f-f@ .'S rt< 'is.N =
Horses sometimes exhibit 4. Sigh,
lameneSs Immediately after being >hod.
though quite sound before. Such cases
NAV arise from the shoe being nailed on
too tight. and are often relieved By re-
moving the shoe and re- applying it more
gently: this lanaenxs MostyErssen'k
occurs in horses with very thin horn.
and is ascertained By the manner in
which it comes on. and the absence Of
auy other visible causes. The shoe in
such case may also have an improper
bearing. pressing severely on weak spots.
or on the sole or heels: or the heels or
sole may have been pared too much. or
unevenly.
Persons unaccustomed to horses. will
more frequently pronounce the wrong
limb than the right in cases OF slight
lameness. The cause Of their blunders
may then be easily explained They
perceive that q horse drops the moment
one foot comes 10 the ground. and they
Immediately conclude that that must be
the lame one. fancying that ne drops
from the pain received when it meets the
ground: whereas the fact is. he treads as
lightly As he can on the lame foot. and
bears his whole weight on the sound one.
-PrQiTjS E0rukE