The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-05-11
AGRICULTURAL.
Care of COlts---The Feet, Seventh
Paper.
BY j. W. DAVIS, FAiRLEE, VT.

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watch the feet and level them with
blacksmith's rasp as often as they grow
enough out of level to be detected by
the eye. The word "level" as here
used may not be understood as in
tended. Perhaps the word "pitch"
might be proper if we were only to con.
slider the angle of the front side of the
hoof, as determining guide for fitting
the foot for the ground, or for a shoe.
But, as we take into consideration the
bottom of the foot and the changes
made must be on the bottom, our idea
of level foot is this: Both sides of the
foot at the heel of equal and proper
height, the bottom surface that would
come in contact with shoe, Cor the
surface the horse stands upon), should
be true plane and so adjusted that the
point, or forward end of the frog, is
held (when the horse is standing) at
the same height from the ground or
floor as the larger or back end of the
frog.
The bottom surface of the frog
of colt or horse without shoes
should generally be on about the same
level as the bearing surface of the bot
tom of the hoof, thus sustaining part
of the weight of the horse and also act
ing as cushion, or buffer, to prevent
conclusion from the violent contact of
the foot with the ground. The frog,
also, if preserved as nature intended it
to be, has the very important double
action of spreading itself out by the
horses weight coming upon it and
springing the heels apart, giving the
foot the necessary fexibility and still,
by its elastic-like properties, prevent
ing the heels from spreading too far
when an under pressure is brought
upon them. Hence the frog is pre-
vented from acting as a cushion if the
bottom of the hoof is not worn or cut
down to about the level of the frog, at
heel and toe; and if the "bars" are cut
out, separating the frog from the hoof
at the heels, its mission of spreading
and strengthening the heels is entirely
baffled, and the hoof at the heel con-
tracts, grows brittle, and becomes ten
der when brought in contact with hard,
uneven surfaces-the same evil results
coming from thrush when allowed to
eat out the frog.
We think this level should be 80 kept
and maintained from the time the colt
is six months old until the coming of
old age or death. This will, require
rasping down the bottom of the foot at
the toe lower than the average black
smith or sheer places it; but if so kept
only very few cases of sprung knees,
cockled ankles, "windpuffs," ringbones
or curbs, will ever appear in the grow
ing colts, unless hereditary. When the
colt is seen to stand with his hind feet
too far up under him, toward his for
ward feet, or his hind ankles to cookie,
or "knuckle over" or continually or
frequently resting one hind foot at a
time tipped up on the toe, the ankles
swollen and "windpuffs" appearing, an
examination will usually show that the
toes of the hind feet are too high, and
properly rasping them down usually
removes these symptoms almost imme-
diately; but, if neglected and allowed
to continue, they result in permanent
diseases of this nature. "Windpufs"
(so.called) are only bursal swellings, or
swellings of the sheath of the tendons,
caused by undue straining of the same,
which is frequently caused in driving
and work horses simply by leaving the
toe too high when shod. If the colts
knees begin to tremble, look sprung,
legs too small Cor narrow just below
the knees, his feet standing too far out
in front, breast growing narrow, wind
puffs or ringbones appearing, generally
the toes (or the points of the frogs) of his
forward feet are too high, and rasping
them down to proper relation to the
heels is the only remedy needed. Fewer
cases of heels too high will be found, but
frequently the outside heel of forward |
foot is too high and the foot is "toed
in" the legs standing braced apart,
the shoulders narrowed in, breast hol.
lowed and the colt awkwardly stumbles
along if he tries to trot or play, having
the appearance of being too long legged.
Nature provides for the extra wear
required of the toe by making it hard
er, 80 that almost invariably il heel is
too high the toe is also. Blacksmiths