Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-05-03
NoNsLIPPING HORSESHOE.

NONSLIPPING HORSESHOE
same manner as the ordinary plain
shoe, while it leaves the frog perfectly
open and in its natural state.
@. W. Broadhead, the blacksmith
member of the Pennsylvania board of
agriculture, says of horseshoeing:
1.-THE parts of which the internal foot
is composed are replete with blood yes
sells and nerves and are possessed Of a
high degree of sensitiveness, and so
nicely do they adapt themselves to the
cavity of the hoof that they complete
ly fill it without suffering in the least
from pressure unless the folly and OBJ
stinacy of man pervert or destroy
its beautiful structure. Three bones
enter into the constitution of the foot
proper-the coffin bone, the nut or
navicular bone and the lower pastern
bone. worked at shoeing six years
before I ever saw the inside of a
horses foot and had no more idea of
its inside formation than a Fiji is
lander.
Some Of the abuses most prevalent
at the present time are: First, most
horseshoers are rated as to how long
they can make a shoe wear and how
long time it will stay on. This is an
error in Judgment on the part of the
owner. The use of big nails and heavy
shoes is not for the good of horses
feet and don't judge the sheer by the
length of time he can keep the shoes
on or make them wear You win see
the folly of such a course when too
late. have followed a great many
horses made lame by using too large
nails, as in clinching them down they
have been crinkled in against the SEN
sitive lamin@.
Another abuse practiced by horse
owners themselves is that in case
horse pulls off shoe and it becomes
necessary to reset it the owner in most
cases thinks it is necessary for him
to pare the foot. He does it with all
honesty of purpose, but in nine cases
out of ten he pares just where it does
not need 1t at all, or If his shoe is too
small he sets it on and cuts the foot
to the shoe. Now. my advice is do not
pare the foot at al unless you know
where to do it. I do not wish you to
get the idea that discourage the set
ting of shoes by owners of horses in
the country on the farm. On the CON
trary, do urge that all keep nails and
extra shoes so they can be set in case
of losing one when you are in hurry
But do not cut or haggle the foot, as
have seen done. which mutilation took
months to set Alright through lack of
knowledge on the part of the owner.
'sHot fitting is one Of the most de-
structiye and barbarous practices
known IN connection with the horses
foot. Burning the sole will in time
partially destroy the sensitive lamina
and impair the membranous lining I'M
derneath the coffin bone as well as
close the pores of the horn covering
the hoof, causing 1t to become brittle,
hard and dry. 1t also impedes to a
certain extent the healthy growth of
the hoof The advocates Of hot fitting
say that shoes cannot be fitted so rap
Idly nor as closely by any other means.
This Is generally true. for by this
means the hoof is burned to correspond
with the Inequalities that occur on the
surface of the shoe until the latter is
thoroughly imbedded in the horn. On
the other hand, however, this fusing OF
the horn is in opposition to its right
growth and is a prolific source of evils
and abuses. Using the language of
Russell, Horn. being a nonconductor
of heat, is slowly affected by it.
cit is said that three minutes burn
ing Of the lower face of the sole is nee
essary to produce any Indication of in
crease of temperature on its upper sur
face. This is falIacy. as | myself
have proved by operating On green
specimens with soles Of different thick
ness. They were penetrated by the
heat when heated shoes were applied
for the time specified and less, and the
sensitive sole was found to be seorched
as well as the laminR in their connec-
tons with the sole burned and charFed.
In the living subject these effects
would have wrought serious results.
These experiments have convinced me
that the foot Of the horse may in no
sense be compared to an Illuminate
block Of wood which may be elarred
ar carved as ignorance may dictate be-
Sa1se il II llIea Will ilfa and feeling. z