Reported Cases.—­1.  ’The subject was a four-year old hunter.  While at exercise in the morning of August 10 he bolted, got rid of his rider, and ran about in a mad fashion, came into contact with a wheelbarrow in a narrow passage, and finally came into violent contact with a wall, which had the effect of throwing him down.  The rider stated that the animal suddenly put down his head and managed to get off the bridle; he then bolted, and the only chance for the rider was to throw himself off.

’On examination I found the horse unable to place any weight on the off fore-leg, the pastern was swollen and painful, the hollow of the heel was also swollen, and there was marked constitutional disturbance.

’After a short time he would place the heel on the ground and elevate the toe to a slight degree.  On manipulating the pastern slight crepitation could be discovered, and there was abnormal mobility in the corono-pedal articulation.  On the near fore-leg there were extensive wounds in the region of the knee, and great laceration of the tissues.  The animal was destroyed.

’On examining the leg I found the subcutaneous tissues infiltrated from below the knee to the foot, large masses of gelatinous blood-stained material being present along the flexor tendons and in the hollow of the heel.  The inferior articular surface of the os suffraginis was denuded of cartilage anteriorly; the os coronae was fractured into eight moderate sized, irregular fragments, and ten minute pieces.  The surface of the perforans tendon as it glides over the smooth surface at the back of the os coronae was lacerated, and minute portions of the bone were found embedded therein.’[A]

[Footnote A:  E. Wallis Hoare, F.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Record, vol. xiv., p. 133.]

2.  ’Here, again, fracture was the result of the animal bolting with his rider.  Trying to avoid collision with a conveyance coming towards him, the animal slipped on a wooden pavement, sliding along until his near fore-leg came in contact with the wheel of a standing cab.  There was considerable swelling from the knee downwards, great pain, and evidence of fracture in the region of the pastern.

’Post-mortem revealed the os suffraginis broken into about thirty pieces, and the os coronae with a piece broken off the inside of its proximal end.[A]

[Footnote A:  A.F.  Appleton, M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Journal, vol. xiii., p. 411.]

3.  ’The patient was a brown mare used for heavy van work in London.  About January 10 she was lame, and as she had a cracked heel, was treated by poulticing for a day, and then by antiseptic lotions.  In a week she was sent to work, but the following day lameness returned, and continued till about February 15.  No special symptom was detected which indicated the exact position of any cause of lameness.  Then the lameness increased in severity, and some swelling around the coronet began to show itself.