GOING OVER THE ANIMAL IN DETAIL
After making these general observations you are now ready to examine the animal. Begin with the head. How is the eye? Dull, weak, without animation? If so, be on your guard. The good eye shows brightness, intelligence, and it must be free from specks. By placing the hand over the eye for a few moments you will be able to detect its sensitiveness to light. Do you find any discharge of any kind from the eye? If so, some inflammation is present. Try to ascertain the cause.
The Nostril As An Index.
—A large, open nostril is desirable. Look for that character first. Now observe the color of the lining. To be just right, it should be healthy-looking, of a bright rose-pink color, and it should be moist. A healthy nostril is one free from sores, ulcers, pimples, and any unpleasant odor. Be careful here; an unscrupulous dealer can very easily remove discharges and odors by sponging and washing, and you may be deceived.
EWE NECK
The neck is one of the beauty points of the horse. In purchasing animals look carefully to conformation and quality. Let these also be guiding principles in breeding.
Looking In the Mouth.
—Always look in the mouth; you have the tongue, teeth, jaws, and glands to see. Naturally, you, like every other person, consider the teeth first; you want to be certain of the age. This feature is discussed elsewhere in this book, and all in addition that needs to be said is in reference to the shape of the teeth, whether or not they are diseased or worn away by age or by constant cribbing of the manger. Of course these facts you will think of as you examine the mouth.
Give the tongue a second of your time. If it is scarred and shows rough treatment a harsh bit is likely the cause, due to its need in driving and handling.
Then give a thought to the glands while here. Enlarged glands may indicate some scrofulous or glanderous condition of the system.
Neck and Throat.
—A beautiful neck and throat is an absolute beauty in the horse or cow. The skin should be thin, mellow, and soft, and the hair not over thick nor coarse. Look for poll-evil at the top of the neck and head. See if swellings, lumps or hard places are to be found at the sides of the neck, or underneath joining the throat. I have found such very frequent with dairy cattle; and cases are not unusual with horses.
Frequently scars are to be found on the sides or bottom of the neck. These may be due to scratches caused by nails, barb-wire or some similar accident, and again they may have been caused by sores, tumors, or other bad quality of the blood.
Body and Back.
—Passing the side, look over the withers for galls or fistulæ, the shoulders for tumors, collar puffs, and swellings. Observe at the same time if there is any wasting of the muscles on the outside along the shoulder.
Now the back. Is it right as to shape? Do you find any evidence of sores or tumors? Look for these along the sides and belly. Now stoop a bit and look under; do you find anything different from what is natural? In males look for tumor or disease of the penis; do the same with the scrotum, and, in case of geldings scrutinize carefully to see if they be ridgelings.
While making this examination, if the animal is nervous and fretful, you can help matters along if an assistant holds up a fore leg. Take the same precaution when examining the hind quarters and legs. By doing so, you will avoid being kicked and can run over the parts more quickly and satisfactorily.
Before leaving the body observe if the hips are equally developed, and the animal evenly balanced in this region. Both horses and cattle are liable to hip injury, one of the hips being frequently knocked down. Make sure that both are sound and natural.
Fore Legs and Front Feet.
—Now step to the front again for a careful examination of the front legs and feet. Starting with the elbow, examine for capped elbow; now the knee. It should be wide, long, and deep, and at the same time free from any bony enlargements. The knees must stand strong, too. Is the leg straight? Do you observe any tendency of the knee to lean forward out of line, showing or indicating a “knee sprung” condition? Just below the knee, do you find any cuts or bunches or scars due to interference of the other foot in travel? Look here also for splints; follow along with the fingers to see if splints are present—on the inside of the leg.
Be particular about the cannon. The front should be smooth—you want no bunches or scars. Just above the fetlock feel for wind puffs; and note if about the fetlock and pastern joints there are any indications of either ringbones, bunches, or puffs. Now look for side bones; if present, you will find them just at the top of the hoof. They may be on either side. Sidebones are objectionable, and are the lateral cartilages changed into a bony structure.
ANATOMY OF THE FOOT
The delicate nature of the foot is readily recognized when the various parts are considered in their relation to each other.
Give the foot considerable attention. The old law of the ancients, “no feet, no horse,” is certainly true in our day. You can overlook many other imperfections and troubles in the horse, but if the feet are bad you do not have much of a horse. A good foot is well shaped, with a healthy-looking hoof and no indication of disease either now or ever before.
See that the shape is agreeable. A concave wall is not to be desired, and the heels are not to be contracted. The wall should be perfect—no sand cracks, quarter crack, or softening of the wall at the toe of the foot.
Examine for Corns.
—These are both troublesome and cause much lameness. A healthy frog, uninjured by the knife or the blacksmith or other cause is very much to be preferred.
Hind Legs and Feet.
—In examining these regions give the hocks of the horse special attention. No defect is more serious than bone spavin. You can, as a rule, detect this by standing in front of the horse just a little to the side. If there is any question about the matter, step around to the other side and view the opposite leg. This comparison will let you out of the difficulty, as it is very unusual that this defect should be upon both legs at the same point and developed to the same degree.
A spavin is undesirable for the reason that it often produces serious lameness, which frequently is permanent. As it is a bone enlargement, it is something that cannot be remedied. If you are seeking good horses, better reject such as have any spavin defect.
In this same region between the hock and the fetlock curbs troubles are located. They appear at the lower part of the hock, directly behind. You can readily detect any enlargement if you will step back five or six feet. The curb, while it may not produce lameness, is altogether undesirable. It looks bad; it shows a weakness in the hock region and often is caused by overwork, consequently the animal with curb disease is one that has not measured up to the work demanded of him.
Just above and to the rear of the hock the thorough-pin disease appears, and just in front of and slightly toward the inner side of the hock bog spavin is sometimes to be found. Lameness may come from either of these diseases. Small tumors, puffs and other defects frequently show themselves on the hind legs and the best way is to reject animals having them. While some of these may be caused by accident, the most of them are the result of bad conformation, due to heredity, unimproved blood and bad ancestors.