LAMENESS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1716, 18 January 1905, Page 62

LAMENESS.

One of those remarkable things which are constantly cropping up about horses is the persistency with which some people, groom© especially, will assert that a horse that is lame is lame in his shoulder, says a writer in the “Mark Lano Express.” My advice to all who hear this said of their horses is to have their horse’s foot well examined. During a pretty long experience with horses I have never had but one case of shoulder lameness, though I have had many cases of every other kind of lameness from navicular downward*—or rather upwards. The case of shoulder lameness X had was with a hunter. Hounds had run hard over a hig country for three quarter© of an hour and marked their fox to ground, and after standing a few minutes my horse was very lame when

he moved on. He got worse, too, and a friend, a good judge, said lame in his shoulder.” And there was no nujtake about it; he was dead lame, and bought 1 should ride him no more that season. I sent for a veterinary surgeon, hub before lie came I had the shoulder veil rubbed with some stimulating lmamen„. The veterinary surgeon sent me some linament of his own to rub him with, and as I passed my hand over his shoulder I felt him flinch. I made a closel examination, found the head of a thorn, and pulled it out. It was about an inch long, and must have caused excruciating pain when pressing on a nerve. The linament I had used had caused a little suppuration where the 'tuorn had entered. I need scarcely say that the horse hunted the next week. Oh one" occasion my groom insisted that a lame horse was lame in his shoulder. Curiously enough the veterinary surgeon insisted so as well. I was going from home, so could not see the horse

examined. On my return I was told that the horse was lame in his shoulder, but would be all right in a week or two. “Have you taken his shoe off?” I asked. I got a renly in the negative, and insisted on having the shoe off then and there, when I found that there was a piece of stone the size of a marble between the hoof and the shoe. The horse was sound in a couple of days. The late Professor Coleman used to say: “Wherever a horse is lame look for it in his foot first.” Words of wisdom which may he commended to every horse owner.