The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-11-08
stur,1blrng.

discover the cause OF stumbling IN
driving horses: hence it is a good plan
TO make a study Of the matter and be
prepared to make proper examina-
tion Of the animal that is giving
trouble from this bad habit. We have
called 1t habit. for that Is often the
case, and especially so where the horse
has become fat from over-feeding and
lack OF exercise. and we see the same
thing in many horses driven by WON
en- who are loath to use the whip and
do not, as rule, keep the horse VI
to the bit" with the result that he ac-
quires slovenly way Of going and, be.
ing half asleep, stuHbles whenever he
comes to an object that is above the
level of the road. The cure for these
patients is to "waken them up and, II
fat from the use of corn, feed them
upon ration of sound old oats and
bran, along with good hay.
Another common cause Of stumbling,
and perhaps the commonest cause of
all, is the practice of the smith in
leaving the toes too long at each shoe
ing time, and of cutting down the
heels. After doing this he fits the shoe
With high toe as well as heels, which
prevents any chance that the horse
would otherwise have had of getting
over" the long toe. which acts as a
tulcrum. requiring an added degree
OF leverage. which naturally becomes
tiresome and puts strain upon the
back tendons. The result is that, while
the horse may for time go we'll
enough, he begins to stumble as soon
as he becomes tired and this ends in
broken knees, possibly broken shafts,
and quite frequently smashed check
lines and tsaddle hooks. The remedy is
not, as some seem to think, the high
checking of the horse, for this only
tires him the sooner, and he will surely
stumble when he becomes tired. The
cure is to cut down the toe all it will
stand at each shoeing and leave the
heels and quarters alone; then fit on
shoe that has no toe calking. but a
pair of heels that raise the heels OF
the foot trifie, or to some extent
when the habit is a bad. one. Shoeing
in this way will relieve the sore ten
dons, but if there is contraction and a
good deal of thickness it will, also be
necessary to blister the back tendons
to remove the swelling and strengthen
up the cords.
The presence of corns or other foot
troubles is also a cause of stumbling.
and it may also be due to defective eye
sight, but still another feasible 1x-
PLANTATION of the habit is given In the
following interesting remarks by a
writer in the Horseshoer's Journal:
have given this question great
deal of study, and I come to the con-
clusion that the same ratio Of diff
Guilty does not exist in the prevention
of stumbling as can be found in some
other defects of the horses travel
There is, above all, one cause that
produces stumbling, and that is the
natural build of the animal. When we
find that nature has not been kind in
proportioning the animals build, Stun
bling then becomes most aggravated
evil and difficult to cure. A stumbling
AoAoC, ~, VIII uoudAly Oc AOelSSu, Al
built heavier in front and the same
part will be lower from the withers to
the sole Of the feet than from the ex-
IRENE height of hip to the sole of hind
feet. The horse will always have the
front limbs set somewhat prominently
in front of the shoulder, and the feet,
instead of being proportionately set,
will extend beyond the line of limb.
This is faulty conformation and is the
natural cause of stumbling. Taking
such as an extreme case. have shod
with success, by bringing the heels OF
the shoe well back, leaving them as
wide between each as possible and us
ing a shoe with the toe we'll set back
or improve on the defects which ma
tural conformation has caused. Some
times find it necessary to place four
calk shoe on an extreme case Of STUN
bling, raising the heels to GOOD
height and lowering the toe calks as
they proceed toward the toe of the
shoe, at the same time rolling that por-
ton to give the horse an easy ard free
motion as he is passing over the point
of toe. The heel calk, on such shoe.
should be placed on the extreme out
side Of the web and the web at the
heel should be as wide as possible, so
as to take in all parts of the heel and
bar in their bearing.