The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-07-20
Interfering IN Horses.

interests a good may owners OF horses
and should interest shoers to that ex-
tent that they will give it enough at
tention TO be able to overcome 1t In most
cases. There are several reasons why
horses interfere Que is particularly
with colts and young horses, too much
work in a given time. either on the
road and farm, especially in hot wealth
er another is, too little nourishlDg
food for the anims. that is asked To dc
so much work in a given time but the
greatest reason. I.t.eeely admit, says G..
ID. curry, IN the New Hampshire
Mirror. is improper shoing, for OF all
the oungling that L have ever seen in
shoeing the greatest has been in regard
to interfering. When L commenced to
shoe horses was taught to pare the
feet the lowest on the outside, the idea
being that by 30 doing the ankles would
be further to one side, SO that the oppo-
site :oot could pass it without hitting.
The first case of interfering that L had
1 adopted the above plan. The horse
struck more than ever. L then used
shoes with the inside much thicker than
the outside, so as TO tip the feet out still
more The result was that the horse
interfered more yet.
then concluded it was about time to
make use of nv own brains, and after
considering the subject 1 decided TO
pare the feet level and TO use a common
light shoe the horse Immediately stop
pea striking its ankles and never struck
afterwards. Ny judgment is that the
canting of the feet out throws the horse
off his balance each step he takes, and
the recovering of his balance causes
him to strike his ankles, and my exper-
ience of fifteen years has proven it. L
am indebted to the centennial exhibi-
tion held at Philadelphia 1875 for the
best idea to prevent interfering. In
the government building was a depart
meut devoted to the horse, showing sew
eral skeletons, great variety of horse
shoes. one of which illustrated the idea
that am 10 speak OF. The shoe was
similar TO the common ones except the
creasing and the position OF the nail
holes. The ouside crease, instead of
stopping as it usually does, con tinued
clear around the toe and stopped just
back of the first nail hole on the inside,
so that there were seven nails used,
four on the outside two at :he toe,
and one on the inside the idea being
not to have any nails on the inside of
the hoof, ard consequently no clinches
20 start up and cut the opposite ankle
with.
This form of shoe I adopt for ex-
treme cases. 1 usually make the outside
the heaviest, and have the shoe as light
as possible. The shoe must be fitted
perfectly 10 the hoot at the outside and
toe where the nails are. The inside
should be set under a little, so as to
straighten the hoof a little at the
kind of snoeing is that 1t leaves the in
side of the hoof in its natural state,
which Is, in a sound foot, perfectly
smooth surface will not cut hairs or skin
shoeing place the toe cslk just back of
the grease. For summer shoeing 1 use
no calks on driving horses, and frequent
ly cut the inside branch of the shoe off
this use thin shoes, so that the foot
will stand about level. Shoes driven on
according to the shovel plan will not
stay on as long as by the common one,
but they will stay long enough, for the
horses that interfere should be sEod
often, 80 that their feet will not get too
large, fur the wider the hoofs are the
more liable they will be 10 strike. The
shoes should be nicely filed up, so that
there will be no rough edges to come in
contact with the opposite ankles or
knees.
Fit the shoes TO the feet. with the
exception OF Strengthening the hoot a
little as above mentioned, and do not
allow the inside branch of the shoe 10
set out at the heel or to be longer than
the outside branch. If the Creator bad
designed an addition TO be built on that
part of the hoof He would have placed
it there. When 1 use common shoes on
horses that are liable to strike, 1 use
only three nails on the inside, as the
fourth nail comes at the part OF the
hoof with which tie horse strikes the
opposite ankle sometimes 1 leave out
the third, only using two on the inside.
Most of these remarks refer to shoeing
the hind feet. For horses tha. are much
given TO striking with the front feet |
use the shoe that is creased and nailed
at the toe, as know OF no other way to
prevent some horses from cutting theil
ankles.
There are classes of men whose
boIses 1 do not expect to shoe so tha,
they will not interfere. One will cal
the sooner class il / do not shoe their
horses so that they will stop striking
immediately, they will rush off to some
other shop. not thinking that it is much
harder to correct an evil than it Is tc
prevent II. The other is the wise clsss.
who assume to know all about shoeing
horses but really know very little this
class wish to dictate the shoeing and
consequently must abide the result. ]
will add that colts frequently intefere
before they are shod on account of theiI
feet being grown to an unnatural length.
This can be avoided by having them