Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-26
CARE OF THE HORSE.

CARE OF THE HORSE.
Rules Laid Down by Secretary Russell OF
the Massachusetts, State Board of Agri-
culture.
Too many horses are annually sacri-
feed by ignorance or carelessness in
their management. Good horses cost
from two hundred to three hundred
dollars. and they should remain SER
viceable till twenty-five or thirty years
old; but horse is usually regarded old
| by the time he reaches half those
years. With proper care, a young
horse kept on farm should improve
on the farmers hands, so that it would
bring more than it's cost after few
years of growth and training.
The feet are the most important part
of a horse, and yet they are the SOON
est to fail. because the weakest part,
and because we interfere more with ma
ture in the treatment of the feet than
in the treatment of any other member
of the horses body. Shoeing the feet
of horses is a comparatively modern
practice, and not universal one, even
now.
Horses were domesticated and used
more or less for mans service longer
ago than we have any authentic his
tory. Indeed, the date of the domeS-
tication of all our domesticated ami
mails antedates history. Shoes with
sharp calks were used upon horses in
northern countries in Europe in the
ninth century, because it was found
that, in these cold countries, horses
could be made more serviceable in
winter when so shod. The use of
shoes has spread and been continued
partly from habit or fashion. Shoeng
is both an evil and an advantage. The
question is: Does the good overDalance
the EVIL? The lecturer believes it does.
But, in his opinion, about one til rd Of
the horses might safely 60 barefooted
all the year around; another third
might go without shoes part of the
time, while the remaining third must
be constantly shod.
Some eminent writer's and lecturers
have contended that all horses should
go barefooted; but such conclusions
result from limited experience and OBJ
servation.
Horses feet are unlike, and their
work is not alike for all. There have
been good feet and bad feet. ever since
horses were known. The old roads of
Rome. that led out from that Club of
the Tn verse; like the spokes of
wheel, were, many of them, built OF
blocks of stone that must have been
very trying to the feet of horses used
for pulling the heavy loads drawn over
them; and we know by the writings OF
the men of those days that, as now, the
foot was cons dered as the best part of
the horse.
The fore feet of horse correspond
to the hands of man, the hoof repre-
senting the finger nal. The hoof grows
downward, like the nails on our fin
gers. and any treatment to improve the
hoof must begin at the top, near the
hair, where all growth begins. Every
farmer has noticed that if a horse gets
a hoof calked near the hair. the blemish
will never disappear TIL the hoof grows
down the whole b gness of it.
The bottom of the foot, however,
grows in another way. The frog grows
from the heel, and is of entirely differ
ent material from that comprising
the hoof, or horny shell of the foot.
The growth from the heel is slow, and
the wear of the frog and heel is very
slight.
Very few farmers have ever seen
perfect frog. Shooting always changes
the character of this organ, and often
ruins it. and the whole fact with it.
Thrush always indicates bad treatment
of the feet. Some think the frog is
useless, even bad for the horse. Some
men had charged it with being poison
Gus to the foot, as though nature ever
created d sease. Nature strives to
make us healthy, never to make us
sick. That part we call the hoof is
really boot for the foot of the horse,
and most admirable boot it is when
not interfered with by man. The real
foot of the horse is inside of the boot,
but comes so near the surface as to
have sensation, and to give the animal
a knowledge of the character of the
ground trodden upon. The toe bone
is sometimes within half-inch or less
of the outer part of the foot Burning
the hoof with a hot shoe to makes seat
for the shoe, and to save using the but
tress, is practice to be severely con-
demned. as the hoof is liable to be Sc
riously injured by such treatment. The
danger is still greater when the toe
cliff is also burned in deeply, too. In
such cases the hot iron may come with
in an eighth of an inch of the real foot,
and make horse, when shOd, feel like
a cat shod w tn walnut shells.
Shoeing with high calks raises the
frog above the earth, so that little
moisture reaches it. The frog is in
tended as cushion for the foot, and to
prevent conclusion when it comes to
the ground; but a dry frog is very
poor cushion. Lifting the foot from
the earth upon high calks also prevents
the frog from keep ng the walls of the
hoof spread in their natural position.
Calks indirectly cause contracted heels,
and quarter-cracks are only Natures
efforts to get more room. to burst open
the contracted boot and relieve the
pressure upon the sens tive parts. High
calks prevent the horse from feeling
the ground he walks upon.
Bar shoes for constant use are not to
be commended. They may be used to
aid the cure of difficulty, but should
be removed as soon as practicable. Too
MANY bar shoes are recommended by
blacksmiths, because they get double
price for making and setting them.
Probably three-fourths of the team
horses in Boston are wearing them.
The term corn as applied to a
horses foot, is misnomer; for what
are called corns start from the inside of
the foot, while a true corn, like those
men have, is caused by pressure from
without.
The inf1amed spots near the heels of
horses are the result of internal intlam-
nation, caused by conclusion as the
horse brings his foot to the earth. With
q sound frog and no calks they could