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The sinews and bones of the leg should be thoroughly understood by all horse owners.
Splint is a bony growth on the side of the splint bone, caused by the stretching of the ligaments that attach the splint bone to the cannon bone. It often occurs in young horses as a result of working them on ground that is too hard. It is more common on the inside of the leg than on the outside, and if well below the knee or hock may not cause lameness. It is often very difficult to detect, but when a horse goes unaccountably lame splint is frequently the cause.
Treatment: Quiet work on soft ground, and patience.
Bone spavin is a bony enlargement on the lower part of the inside of the hock. The higher it is the more it will interfere with movement. It is the result of concussion and usually occurs on young horses. When on the exterior of the bones, bone spavins are called ‘detectable’; when between the bones they are called ‘occult,’ because they are not easily discovered.
Symptoms: The horse perpetually rests the limb.
When on the move the toe is dragged somewhat, sometimes causing a stumble, and there is a slight vibration, Treatment: Very easy, judicious work on a high-heeled shoe is sometimes recommended; other authorities advise taking the shoe off. Firing or punch-firing should be avoided if possible, but may have to be resorted to; blistering is of no value.og spavin is merely a round soft swelling on the hock joint. It is a sign of weakness.
Treatment: Rest, and hand rubbing.
Thorough pins: This is much the same as bog spavin. It occurs on the upper and back part of the hock. The swelling is often on one side only, but sometimes it goes right through: hence the name.
Treatment: Judicious exercise, with hand rubbing.
Windgalls are the same as thorough pins, but appear just above the fetlock joint.
Treatment: As for thorough pins.
Curb: This is a sprain at the back of the hock, appearing especially with young horses who have been jumped.
Treatment: Rest.

Shoulder sprain is rare. Many horses are thought to have sprained a shoulder when it is the foot that is at fault.
Symptoms: The horse steps short, is more lame going uphill than going down, and drags his leg when backed or when going forward; he shows pain when pressure is applied to the part, and may object to passive movement.

Colic: Colic is a spasm and must not be confused with inflammation. If it occurs within an hour of a full meal it is usually in the small intestines; if it occurs at other times it is in the large intestine. Colic by itself rarely causes death; when a horse dies it is usually due to the added trouble of enteritis.
Symptoms: The horse is in pain and looks round at his flanks. As the pain increases he walks round his box, throws himself down and gets up again. The pain passes and then returns. There is no fever, but the belly is tense and sometimes swollen somewhat, and tender to the touch. The horse sweats. If the spasm has not passed in about six hours the case is serious. If the bowels act it is a favourable sign; lack of tension in the belly is also a good sign.
Causes: Generally, either incorrect watering or feeding, or lack of exercise. Sometimes the initial cause is crib-biting, or calcareous accretions, or insufficient mastication due to bad teeth. Sometimes colic is due to a sudden chill. In a gelding a dirty sheath may cause it. An abrupt change of diet also occasionally brings it on, as when, for example, a starved horse is overfed.
Treatment: Rub the belly with a straw wisp.   Rub
the legs and put on flannel bandages. A good colic draught is:
2 oz. of oil of turpentine, i oz. of tincture of opium,
in 12 oz. of linseed oil, or in a pint of thick gruel. If no medicine is to hand, gin, rum, whisky, or ginger may be substituted. But if the animal wants to lie down let him do so. As the pain decreases he usually wants to. The rubbing must be continued, and sometimes a little walking at intervals will ease the pain. It is, however, foolish to keep a horse continually on the move, as many grooms advocate.
Remember that the colic did not start without a cause, and it is up to the owner to ascertain what unusual treatment his horse has undergone. In slight cases, often intermittent for several days, the horse should be prepared for physic (i.e. soft food), which will probably prove a sufficient remedy.
Enteritis, or inflammation of the intestines, may be a sequel to colic.
Symptoms: Unlike colic, enteritis develops slowly. It is preceded by dullness with partial or complete loss of appetite. At first it is very similar to colic but without the intervals of ease, the pain being continuous. As it develops the horse gets cold extremities, a dry mouth, hurried respiration, and dilated nostrils; he sweats and his tail stands erect and quivering; he also looks anxiously round at his flanks.
Causes: The sequel to colic, or continued constipation, or indigestion, or the excessive action of a purgative. Usually it is a sequel of other diseases rather than a primary trouble.
Treatment: Soft food, perhaps starvation for 24 hours. Linseed jelly is good. Rug up warmly and avoid chill; give no exercise.
Staggers,   primarily   an   affection   of the   brain,   is nowadays very rare. It has two forms, mad and sleepy.
Symptoms: In mad staggers the horse is excited; in sleepy, he is drowsy and comatose. The eyes are set and the urine scanty. The horse appears to be mad but is only delirious.
Causes: An overgorged state of the stomach, as when a horse has been freely fed after a long fast.
Treatment: As the cause is indigestion, the cure is to give light soft food and to open the bowels. Large doses of purgative are wanted, as the brain has been affected. Hand rub the belly, and follow the usual careful management.