During these changes the animal is very lame; yet wind-galls are so lightly esteemed by horsemen as scarcely to lessen the price of a steed; they are, in general, accounted hardly worth mentioning, although men have been known to be strangely anxious to have them removed. This, however, is not easy to bring about; all the common methods are worse than useless; the only treatment which promises any benefit is the application of pressure. Fold a piece of soft rag several times; saturate the rag with water; lay upon the wetted rag one drachm each of opium and of camphor; put these upon the enlargement. Upon the moistened rag place a piece of cork big enough to cover the wind-gall, and of such a thickness as may be necessary; above the cork lace on a vulcanized India-rubber bandage. Constant and equal pressure will by these means be kept up; however, mind the groom be strictly ordered to take the bandage off the leg the last thing when the horse leaves the stable, and to put it on again immediately on the animal's return; otherwise, the proprietor may chance to enter the building and find his steed without an application, which, to be beneficial, should be perpetually worn.
Such is the history and the occasional termination of wind-galls. What kind of man is he who, when purchasing a horse, can confidently assert the animal will not exhibit the worst stage of the affection? A horse displaying wind-galls is prepared for the advent of the more serious form of disease; still, horsemen will persist in deeming synovial enlargements a trivial affair, when seen in the body of a creature whose utility resides in its power to move the limbs with agility.
BOG SPAVIN.
Bog spavin is a mark which man makes to signalize his authority over breathing flesh; man, in his stupidity, will form notions of what animals should be; he will not learn from nature. Thus the horse, which is made up of timidity and affection, he loves to chronicle as fierce, fiery, noble, and courageous; he talks largely of having mastered such or such a creature; he boasts highly of having laid whip and spur to a "brute" which, had he courted with gentleness, and wooed with sympathy, might not have been subdued so quickly, but assuredly would have been attached to him for life.
The hocks suffer severely through such erroneous opinions. These convictions are widely spread and influence every horseman; they control the breaker, who acts as though he had a wild beast to conquer into a show of submission, not to train a living animal which is naturally willing, only afraid to submit. Instead of courting such a being, the bit, the lash, and the cold steel are brought to bear upon a frame every fiber of which already quivers with alarm; many a colt, consequently, is ruined by the breaker. The creature is pulled up with a tug at the reins; and pain never yet enlightened an understanding; the horse is forced to do what he would cheerfully perform, if man would only take necessary trouble to communicate his wishes to a creature which, not comprehending words, is naturally somewhat slow to interpret heavy chastisement.
BOG SPAVIN, OR DISTENTION OF
THE PRINCIPAL SYNOVIAL
MEMBRANE OF THE HOCK-JOINT.
The breaker, however, is considered equal to his office, if he be a light weight and a very resolute man. The young colt is sprained and jarred in every possible manner; it is at last returned to its master more than half broken—in the literal sense—for the seeds have been sown which, in time, will assuredly crop into a host of virulent diseases.
This affection is an increase of synovia in the upper or chief joint of the hock; it lies upon the most inward and forward portion of that part. The increase of the contents causes the membrane to bulge out after the manner represented in the wood-cut on page 318.
It is produced by repeated shocks to the limb, and in this respect resembles wind-galls; though situated in a different locality, it is also liable to the same changes. In short, the affections are the same, and are dissimilar only with regard to their relative situation.