The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-27
The HOOP of the Horse.

At the last annual meeting OF the Ohio
Draft .and Coach Horse Breeders assoeia-
ton DR.. d, s. White dean of the vetorina-
ny college, Ohio State university, road an
excellent paper on the above subject, of
which the following is brief summary;
The hoof Is separabe into thrSe dis
tnct parts. First, the wall. which is that
portion forming the front and sides OF tne
shell Second. tho continuation OF the
former reflected inwardly at the heel and
extending forward In conyerging lines AS
two strengthening bars OF bone, and
known Hs the bars" Third, the sole.
which Is the floor OF the hoof ocup! ing
the eIace between the wall aud bars
Tho hoof horn is seureted by the continu-
alton of the skin OF the body which cx-
tends beneath the hoof and covers the ton
dons, homes and ligamt nts like tie soel.
on the human foot. Horn IL smpli mud-
1ied hair Though to the casual observer
the hoof may appear simple piece OF
anatomy, we find 1t To be one OF the most
complex and beautifully arranged appa-
ratusCs OF the whole body About % pei
cent OF the cases OF iamoncss IN the horse
find their seat In the hoof. and us neari,
one half our horses become iano after
years OF age, 1t Is seen that the care o.
the hoof Is second in Importance only &c
proper feeding and stabing.
The care OF the honf shoull begin WIZ
the loal, In case OF irregular wearing away
OF the boofs. they should be raspcd Int
proper shape. With colts kept In the sta
| bile The wall horn becomes too long thigh.
| and tho layers separate. rosutln-, In The
| hollow wall" The wall near the hcels
| becomes bent under the sole, producing
| hcoT bound" The timely ana Intelligent
use of the hoof knife is the remedy. Tho
outer edges OF the hoof should be rounded
off carefully to prove1t splitting OF The
| horn. In pairing the boof we must have re-
| gard for the natural form and position 81
| the foot. In very young animals irrog'
larly shaped legs can be Improved by ju'
! dicious pairing. Shoeing colts TOO young
! interferos greatly with the growth OF III,
| hoof
! Tho shod hoof OF the adult horse needi
| even more care than that of the barefootet
colt. shooting at best is an evil, but u
| must be rcsortcd to. The shoe must be re-
moved every four or six weeks and the
boot shortened. The popular demand fol
plenty of foot thooD under the horse" Il
| grave error There may be arguments
In favor Of allowing the hoof to grow e
abnormal length TO gain In length Of
| stride, but such n proportion must In tint
| lead to Disease OF the foot. l. e.. tho ten
| dons and joints.
Moisture is very essential for tho proper
development OF the hoof. Smcaring the
hoof with fat Is beneficial. u requires ~
specific formulas or patent ointment Pure
| lari snffices. Glycerlne should never b,
| applied, as IL dries II. Salves should neye
be put IN a dirty hoof Wash first, NJ
ointment can directly stimulate tn
growth OF the hoof til lugh some may con
tend to tho contrary, In very wet weather
add little tnrpentine or wax 70 the lard
This prevents tho hoof from becoming to-
soft Use very little oil and apply With
cloth 70 the upper part Of the hoof TO tn
sole and frog.