Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-08-31
Pare the Toes of Colts.

1t is not generally recognized how
much harm comes to horses from tn,
simple overgrowth of the toes; and vet
In the case of young and unshod horse
especially. hardly anything is more de
structive to their soundness and perma
nent utility. Judging from the number
OF colts turned out everywhere with the
whole winter growth on their toes, Their,
seems to be surprising amount of ig
norance on this matter; and it become.
tne more necessary to draw special at
tention to the need of pairing.
A good average slope for the front O.
healthy hoof is one forming an angle
OF forty five degrees with the ground or
which it rests. In other words, if 8
perpendicular line were drawn upward
from the toe, the line of the front of the
.hoof would be midway between such
vertical line and the fiat surface of the
sole or ground. But the average foot
grows far more rapidly at the toe than
the heel, and wears off much more slow
~. The heel, too, as it grows, turns in
ward, so that even with an equal growth
it never projects as does the overgrown
toe. As the foot increases in length,
therefore, the effect is shown and felt
especially at the toe, and with addition
to the length of the toe, the front of the
foot and of the pastern recedes further
from the vertical position, and ap-
proaches nearer to the horizontal. So
much is this the case, that an increase
of one and half to two inches at the
toe will often diminish the angle formed
by the front of the hoos and the ground
by one-third. In other words, the an
gle formed by the front of the hoof and
the ground becomes about thirty degrees
instead of forty-five degrees.
This increasing obliquity of the foot
and pastern throws greatly increased
strain on the cords supporting the fet-
lock and pastern joints, and gives them
an enormously increased predisposure
to sprain and injury. But this evil of
increased obliquity in the pastern is
seriously aggravated by the length of
the toe. An increased length of two
inches, as suggested, together with the
greater obliquity, throws a line rising
vertically from the point of the toe at
least three inches further forward from
the shank, and increases the leverage
exerted by the toe to an equivalent
amount. If we now consider that this
lever is acted on by the weight of the
body, and that the fulcrum is at the fet-
lock and pastern joints, we can see
plainly enough how overgrown toes so
constantly determine ruinous ringbones
in young animals. The extra strain
consequent on the increased length and
obliquity must be borne by the posterior
and lateral ligaments of the fetlock and
pasterns; and as these latter come from
the sides of the pastern bones, the con-
sequent injury determines Inflammation
and bony deposits on the sides of the
pasterns. Similarly, the back sinews,
which act as supports to the joints be-
hind, become sprained, thickened,
and shortened, inducing knuck-
ling over at the knee, and general I'M
steadiness of the limbs.
In pairing, remove the whole project
ng lower border of the hoof wall down
% the junction with the sole. The great
,st danger is from the toes; but the
heels curled in on the sole
mprison masses of hard, flaky horn,
,ruise the sole and determine corns and
/ train of evil consequences. The pro-
less should be attended to in winter as
veil; but it is especially in summer,
when the colt is running at liberty in !
he fields, that the effects of undue |
ength are to be feared. Chicago Herald.