Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1904-03-12
Growth Of the Horses Hoof.

'NAH W. AudulSs professor OF NeteTl
nary surgeon in the University of
pennsylvania, says: All parts of the
hoot grow downward and forward
with equal rapidly, the rate of growth
being largely dependent upon the
amount Of blood supplied to the podo
derm, or quick" Abundant and reg.
ular exercise. good grooming. moist.
ness and suppleness of the hoof, going
barefoot, plenty of good food and at
proper intervals removing the over.
growth of hoof and regulating the
bearing surface, by increasing the vol
ume and improving the quality of the
blood flowing into the pododerm, favor
the rapid growth of horn of good dual.
ity; while lack of exercise, dryness of
the horn and excessive length of the
hoof hinder growth.
The average rate of growth is about
one-third Of an inch month. Hind
hoofs grow faster than fore hoofs and
unshod ones faster than shod ones
The time required for the horn to grow
from the coronet to the ground, though
influenced to a slight degree by the
precited conditions, varies in proper
ton to the distance of the coronet
from the ground. At the toe, depend
ing on its height the horn grows down
in eleven to thirteen months, at the
side wall In six to eight months and at
the heels in three to five months. We
can thus estimate with tolerable &C.
cLs Lcy the time required for the dis
appearance Of such defects in the hoof
as cracks, clefts, etc.
Irregular growth is not infrequent.
The almost invariable cause of this is
an improper distribution of the body
weight over the hoof-that is, an un-
balanced foot. Colts running in soft
pasture or confined for long periods in
the stable are frequently allowed to
grow hoofs of excessive length. The
long toe becomes dished that is,
concave from the coronet to the ground
the long quarters curl forward and
inward and often completely cover the
frog or lead to contraction of the heels.
or the whole hoof bends outward or in
ward. and a crooked foot, or, even
worse, crooked leg, Is the result If
the long hoof be allowed to exert its
powerful and abnormally directed lev
erage for but a few months upon
young plastic bones and tender and
lax articular ligaments. All colts are
ure to Vsate the f6s1 Iens,a legs. Des .al1,
of the hoof may make a straight leg
crooked and crooked leg worse, just
as intelligent care during the growing
period can greatly improve congen-
italy crooked limb. II breeders were
more generally cognizant of the power
of overgrown and unbalanced hoofs to
divert the lower bones of young legs
from their proper direction and, there
fore, to cause chem to be moved Inn
properly, with loss of speed and often
with injury to the limbs. we might
hope to see fewer knockkneed, bow
legged, "splayfooted.' "pigeon-toed,"
cow-hocked. interfering and padding
horses.
If in shortening the hoof one side
wall is, from ignorance, left too long
or cut down too low with relation TO
the other, the foot will be unbalanced.
and in travelling the long section will
touch the ground first and will contin'
ne to do so till it has been reduced to
its proper level (length) by the in.
creased wear which will take place at
this point. While this occurs rapidly
in unshod hoofs. the shoe prevents
wear of the hoof, though 1t is itself
more rapidly worn away beneath the
high (long) side than elsewhere. so
that by the time the shoe Is worn out
the tread of the shoe may be fiat. IL
this mistake be repeated from month
to month, the part of the wall left too
high will grow more rapidly than the
low side whose pododerm is relatively
anemic as a result of the greater
weight falling into this half of the
hoof, and the ultimate result will be a
"wry" or crooked foot.
Sheep Wagons.