The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-12

of which tho shoe had been lost was
really worn off much too short. Un-
fortunately the mare was placed 'n
the hands OF veterinarian who loves
to make a horses foot just the proper
thing" with his knife. This man then
stated that the marc had diseasea
front feet He went to work first on
the long loot, as he said she was lame
in that foot (of course, she appeared
lame on that foot, as 1t was longer
than the one which had been without
the shoe and was worn off; naturally
in stepping from the long to the short
foot she appeared to limp, and he thus
not only went to work with his knife,
but applied blister on the other loot
to stimulate the growth OF the hoof
on the "short foot" BY this method
a good. absolutely sound mare was iaid
IN for months and In fact when last
saw her she certainly had diseased
front feet beyond any question, but ~
was all caused by tho abuse OF the
knife in the hands Of one VINO thoueht
he was an expert in treating a horses
foot and especially in telling n young
blacksmith in q little country town now
to properly shoe a horse. That same
blacksmith has shod some OF the very
best horses that ] have ever seen. and
when using his own Judgment he has
never injured n horses foot that 1
know Of AS matter OF fact, the
country blacksmith. or blacksmith in
| the small towns, as a rule, Is not going
to injure a horses foot by too much
| cutting because they are AFRAID TO
cut.
1t is a.sknown fact that the city
horse is the horse that has so mucn
foot trouble; while. of course, we ali
know that the streets are much harder
| ty,a 90, trr
| roads. yet 1t Is not altogether the
streets. 1t Is very often the abuse of
| the knife in the hand OF the black
smith who means right but Is trying
! to be entirely too professional. II they
do not stop this cutting, after while
| people in the city will be driving out
| OF town looking for come old black
| smith in the country. who does not
know how to cut a horses foot is
! afraid of the knife, and simply makes
| the shoe fit the foot, and not the foot
| the shoe. In many cases the galts
| OF the horse can be wonderfully i'm
| proved by proper shoeing but let the
| corrections be in tho shoe as far as
possible instead OF trying to, by the
use OF the knife, put modern horse
| show foot" on good horse until his
| foot looks like some foot which has
| been seen on a horse on paper only.
Cutting is the thing in some cases
in shoeng horses. provided that you
| understand the case In question. ana
| actually know what to cut. and what
Is more important, II you know what
not to cut. In all cases II possible let the
| frog of the foot come in contact with
the ground. The frog Is intended to
| do this in order to prevent conclusion,
/ and TO keep the heels apart. Where
this Is done we do not see contractor
| heels. The knife used too much on the
| portion OF the foot on which the shoe
| rests may result in the development of
| that condition known as corns. 1t is
simply bruise of the foot from the
| pressure of the shoe where 1t should
| not press. Horses that go without
shoes never have corns.
4 The outer surface OF the hoof Is
naturally furnished with protective
surface. Here the rasp Is often used
i too much by nearly all blacksmiths,
| who have not considered horse-shoeing
very carefully. with tho result that the
hoof becomes very brittle and it Is
hard to get shoe to stay on the foot
i any length OF time. and when q shoe
Is lost the hoof splits and breaks very
badly around the edges. The nails be-
4 come loose very soon after they have
j been driven into hoof which has
been thus abused by too much rasping
1 on the outer wall or surface.
j The condition of contracted heels
also is often developed by shoeing too
j narrow at the heel. This is done by
some to prevent the heels of the shoe
from being seen too prominent-be-
cause it looks ugly-and also to pre-
vent some horses from stepping on
the heels Of the front shoes with the
4 hind toes. However. 1t Is very bal
policy to hava the shoes too close at
the heels.
\ Trim the rough. dead portion of the