Year: 1860

WICK, contained IN the Transactions o.
the Maine Board of Agriculture for the yeal
1857. The treatise should be in the hand:
of every producer, and its principles studied
and owners of horses need more knowledge
than they now possess Of that most import
ant part of the ANIMAL the foot. We hope
to see it published with the illustrations, in
form easily accessible to ALL for we now
find the same errors prevalent Eere as then
existed in Brunswick.


The first error we notice is that the hoot
is allowed to grow to an excessive length
AS all the weight Of the animal and bis RI
der has to be raised over this long toe, it op.
crates like a continual block before car
raige wheel, and the muscles of the leo
work at very disadvantageous leverage.


Again, when the horse stands STILL if he
has long toes, it is as if he were standing on
an inclined plane, and an efor: of the mus
Giles Is continually required, producing great
fatigue, and finally the horse becomes
sprung in the knees" The difficulty is 40
gravated by confinement in sloping stalls.


Another evil resulting from this length of
toes is interfering.


The shape of the horses foot, as made by
nature, is as broad or broader than it is long.
1t forms stable support against turning
sideways, as well as Offering short lever to
be overcome by the muscles


In addition to this great length of toe, a
button of steel is pat on the point of the
shoe. This adds to the length, and increases
the labor of the muscles to prevent tu; ming
sideways, when stepping upon stones or a
hard road, and from moments thought we
cease to wonder at the number of spavins,
sprans, swelled fetlocks and ringbones aris
ing from this canting, twisting and Jerking
of the coffin postern and tetIock joints at
every step.


The neglect Of an upward projection on
the point Of the shoe is another of the er-
rors indicated. The blow of the horses foot
is a compound one, as it strikes tie ground
downwards and forwards, and to meet this
the point of the shoe should rise before tie
hoof. This will hold it more firmly than
several nails, which are freely used to make
up for this lack of support, especially about
the heels This, by its pinching and feter-
ing effects, produces corns, contraction and
founder.


Two causes mainly contribute to the pro-
ductions of corns-one is, mailing of the
shoe too far back, by its preventing the
spring Of the foot: the other is, unequal
pressure of the shoe upon the sole and heels
When both are combined corns are next to
inevitable.


A dishing shoe pressing the foot together
by the animals own weight all the time, is
even worse than flat one, but both are
common. They are more easily made than
with proper seat for the sole and flat bor-
der for the hoof.


The duttris is an implement favoring the
formation of long toes and corns and con
demned by Mr.. Cunning Lameness from
corns has disappeared in Great Britain with
in forty years, simultaneously with discard
ing the use of this tool Especially is this
the case in reeimenaI shoeing.


Prof. Coleman, of the Veterinary Col
lege of London, writing in 1909, says:
There are very few horses that are not at
tackled with corns. This is so common a
disease that nine hundred horses out of
thousand have it." Mr.. Percival, veterinary
surgeon to the First Life Guards, in his
work on ameness in horses, published in
1922, says, that faulty shoeng is the chief
and predominant cause of corns, cannot any
where receive more satisfactory demonstration
than in the army. Corns and cutters, and
contracted feet. were in former days, as rife
in the cavalry as in other places, whereas
at the present day these diseases are all but
unknown to veterinary surgeons OF regiments;
and all this is owing to an amended practice
of shoeing."


The reason for objecting to the use of the
buttris in preparing the foot for the shoe is,
that it cuts all parts to one level--the crust,
bones and sole, whereas the sole should be
cut out deeper than the rest The soft parts
about the heels being the easiest cut, get the
largest share, and the toe is left projecting
There is no objection to its use as an aid to
the drawing knife, but a'one it can hardly
produce well shaped foot for receiving a
shoe.


The following is an outline of correct
system of shoeing equally cheap with the
faulty ones, AMI far more satisfactory.


In making the shoe whether fore or hind,
studdiously avoided. Even when from pre-.
vious bad management the feet are con ract-
ed at the heels and fattened in on the sides,
admitting only partial restoration to the
proper shape, still the projecting point upon
the toe can be dispensed with, and broad
and solid bearing given in front. The fore
shoes, if they have a concave seat should
have perfectly level bearing of the breadth
of the crust around the outside. This is
not necessary in the hind shoes, as the hind
feet have greater concavity Both fore
and hind shoas should hava a tin or nro;o.
ton turned up in front, as a rest for the toe
to bear against, and aid to the nails in keep
ing them on. The body of the shoe should
be Of one thickness all around, and when
heel caulks are worn they should be both