Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-02-07
agricultural.
Care Of Horses Feet.


Ef@9H 1tA5s - aNE F@tF ssssssfFa
| Nine-tentLs ofthe diseases which happen
TO the hoof and ankle, Of the horse are occas-
Toned ~ Standing on the dry. plank doors OF
the stable. Many persons seem TO think, from
the way they keep their horses ;atha. the foot
Of the horse was never made for moisture,
and Tat il possible, il would be bcnefcial il
they had cow hide booots to putonevery time
they went out" Nature designed the foot for
moist ground the earth of the woods and val.
| leys at the Same time that a covering was
given 10 protect it from stones and stumps.
The human hand has often been taken TO
!. illustrate Divine wisdom-and very we'll
But have you ever examined, your horses
| foot? 1t is hardly less curious, in its way
I! It's parts arc somewhat complicated yet their
design is simple and Obvious. The hoof is
not, as itappcars to the careless eye, a Mere
solid lump of inscnsible bone, fastened to the
leg by joint. 1t is made un Of q series Of
thin layers, or leaves Of horn, about five hun
dred in number, nicely fitted to each other
and lining to the foot itself. Then there are
~ many more. layers belonging to what is
called the ''cofiin.bone,9 and fitted into this
These are elastic. Take quire Of paper, md
insert tie leaves, one by one, into those Of
another quire, and you will get some idea Of
tho arrangement of these several layers. Now
the waight of the horse rests on as many elias
tic springs as there are layers in his fore feet
about four thousand-and all this is con-
tryed, not only for the easy conveyance Of the
horses own body, but of human bodies, and
whatever burdens may be laid upon him.
In summer the feet Of horses which are lit
tie used, or those used only upon hard pave
ments or dry roads, often become very dry,
hard and hot, especially if they stand upon
wood or stone floors. The wood floors are not
only dry, but they absorb urine, which decom-
poses, evolves ammonia, and promotes this
effect. An approved rene ly for this is to take
up the wood and lay stone floor Of small
cobble-stones in cement, slanting slightly TO
the rear then to fill the stall 6 inches deep
at the rear, with sand or sandy loan, leaving
| it slanting to the front. Enough Of this should
be removed and renewed daily to give the
horse bed Of clean, dry but not drying, sand.
Little bedding will be needed, and the feet
viii soon gain a natural moistness.
Contraction ofthe feet is often caused in
stable-horses, by want of natural moistness.
Where there is strong tendency to contrac-
t;on tLa hoof aLo,ld ha ..utorpajn ~ ,,l,,~rod
with mixture Of COW dung and clay. Or
better still, piece of thick felt, cut to the
shape of the sole, and soaked in water, should
be applied daily.
4. Horses likely to become bloodhound, gener-
Jally have small, tough, horny hoofs of rapid
growth but with proper care, they may be
kept free from lameness. If tie shoe be not
properly fastened near tie heels, it causes
the toe TO incline forward, the sole becomes
hard and dead, the heels contract and the
| frog is injured. Lameness must follow from
the action of the coffin joint being retirded.
| This is not so great misfortune as some
suppose. 1t is an unnatural condition of the
| hoof, bit it does not necessarily produce un-
so4ndnees.s If horse has good action, and
is otherwise unexeeptionahle he is hsrdly
less valuable for 3 slight contraction Of 1.-THE
flot. SILL we should try to prevent it.
The blacksmith sometimes cuts away part
Of the frog, which causes it to lose some o its
moisture and elasticity. Then, again, he
makes the shoe too much inclined inward
from the outside, which prevents the natural
expansion Of tie h1of. A pressure is thereby
made upon tie tender parts Of the foot, and
hence, come fever and lameness, corns and
unnatural deposits of hoof. The shoes should
be made perfectly level ION the quarters, SO
asfo.llow honaturaIc1pahfossof .thoF!oot.
The shoes, moreover, should be forget, net
twisted into shape, as is sometimes done by
bungling workmen. As general rule, shoes
are worn too long without resetting. Every
three or four weeks, they should be taken of,
the toe shortened in, the sole thinned, and Che
heels lowered.-Steck Journal.
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