Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1882-11-18

1t Is not generally recognized how
much harm comes to horses t om ill.,.
simple oyergro1tn OF the toes a..i vet,
III the case Of young and unshoi horses
especially. hardly anything is more de-
s.ructlve to their soundness and perma-
nent utility. Judging from the number
Of colts turned outzeverywhere with the
whole winter growth on their toes, there
seems To be a surprising amount OF ig-
norancc on this matter /: and i; becomes
the nore necessary to draw special at
tenton to the need Of pairing. A good
average slope for the front OF healthy
hoof Is one forming an angle of forty
tive degrees with the ground on which
It rests. In other words, If n perpcn-
dlcular line were drawn upward from
the toe, the line of the front OF the koof
would be midway between such vertical
line and the hat surface Of the sole or
ground But the average foot grows
far more rapidly Mt the toe than the
heel, and wears off much more slowly
The heel, too, rs it grows, turns inward,
so that even with an equal growth 1T
never projects as does the overgruwn
toe. As the foot increases Ill length,
therefore, the effect is shown aud :eit
especially at the toe, and with addition
to the length Of the toe, the front of the
foot and of the pastern rccedes further
from the vertical position, and approaches
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 10y the
| front OF the hoof alld the ground by one
third. In other words, the angle formed
by the front of the hcof and the ground
becomes about thirty degrees instea1 oi
forty five degrees.
This increasing obliquity of the foo,
and pastern throws a greatly increased
strain on the cords supporting the fet
lock and pastern joints, aud gives them
an enormously increased predisposurt
to sprain and injury. But this evil o
| increased obliluity in the pastern l.
seriously aggravated by the length o.
the toe. An increased length of tive
inches, as suggested, together with til,
greater obiiquity, throws a line rising
vertically from the point Of tue toe al
least three inches further forward from
the shank, and increases TIE Ieverag,
exerted by the toe TO an equivalen
amount. If we now consider that thi
lever is acted on by the weight of til,
body, and that the tucrum is at the fet
lock and pustern Joints, we can -se
plainly enough how ov srgrown toes 81
constantly determine ruinous ringbone
in young animals. The extra strail
consequent Oh the increased length All
obliquity must be borne by the posterio
and lateral ligaments of the fetlock an
pasterns; and as these latter come iron
the sides Of the pastern bones, the con
segment injury determines inflammation
ttand bony deposits on the sides of tn
pasterns. Similarly, the back sinews
which act as supports to the Joints be
hind, become sprained, thlchened, an
shortened, inducing knuckling over a
the knee, and general unsteadiness {
the limbs. In par.ng, remove the Who'll
projecting lower lorder of the hoof wa
down to the junction with the sole. Th
greatest danger Is from the toes bu
the overgrown heels curlel III Oh th
sole inprison masses of hard, tiaky horn
brulse the sole and determine cor,is an
a train of evil consequences. The pre-
cess should be attended to III winter :
well but it is especially III summer
when the cot is running at liberty i
the fields, that the effect, Of undu
length are to be feared.