856 



THE TROPICAL AGl^fCULTURlST. 



[JUNt I, 1886. 



the shoe, and the operation is well, and to his 

 satisfaction, completed. The following month the 

 same pi?rforman3e is gone through. 



In a .state of nature, the wall, the sole, and tlio 

 frog each bear their proportion of weight, and wenr; 

 but with continuous work, on hard roads, the wear 

 is too great, and an iron protection is necessary ; 

 but, why cut, or rasp away any part of the hoof, 

 except the wall, and the outer edge of the sole just 

 enough to afford a good bearing for the shoe, and 

 low enough, so that when a moderately thin shoe 

 is applied the frog will sustain beneficial pressure, 

 and wear, and it the shoe be made the size of the 

 hoot, and fitted on red hot for about three seconds, 

 to ensure a close union, and when gradually cooled, 

 nailed on with five nails, the ends being pulled 

 upwards, and then bent downwards and twisted off, 

 about one-eighth of an inch from the hoof, and the 

 clenches laid down evenly on the outside of the hoof ; 

 then no rasping is necessary, and the oil-conducting 

 fibres are not severed, and the horn at the liaso 

 of the hoof is strong, elastic, and durable. 



bhod in this maimer, in the event of casting a 

 shoe on a journey, there will be no inconvenience to 

 the horse until a new shoe can be fitted. A liorse 

 that has had his feet mutilated by paring the sole 

 and frog, cannot travel on his tender feet at once ; 

 time nmst be allowed for nature to repair the 

 damages, and this is where a farrier asserts his 

 knowledge, for if be finds a tender frog bearing on 

 the ground, he cuts it away, and when the horse 

 does not limp on leaving him, he thinks himself a 

 clever fellow, and asserts that frog pressure causes 

 the liorso to go laine. I will now quote a few 

 paragraphs from the book on Shoeing by the undoubted 

 authority, G. Flemming, r.it.o.s., ji.a.t. There are 

 several quotations in Captain Hayes' vetermary notes 

 after the above authority's ideas, and in .almost all 

 ailments in the feet, or limbs, the first advice is 

 " allow frog pressure " thereby inducing many 

 advantages detailed. 



Ahhreriutel Nntes /'rum the U'urk on Jlursi-.slm- 

 «";/ ''.'/ ''• l''lemiiiiiii/, !•'. R. G.H., J[. A. /., eU\ 



rrejiariog the hoof. — iK-velling the wall is an import- 

 ant ojjeratiou which if unequal in pressure ciuses the 

 deform of the hoof, and luodilies the growth of the 

 horse, etc. 



.Shortening the wall. — I'riividcd the hoot, before it 

 comes into the baud of the farrier, has the proper 

 incliuatiun, and is cquni on botU sides of its grouad 

 face, but is nevcilhless fi\'crgrown, the artizan has 

 flii'H only to rcniuve the 1 xcess of growth, without 

 disturbing the relations between the several region.s 

 of the wall. Or should the hoof be overgrown too 

 obliijue, too upright, f)r luiequal at the sides, th.'u in 

 remedying the one detect lie at the same time remedies 

 all. The amount of horn to be removed from the 

 margin of the hoof will depend upon citcumstiiU'"Gs, 

 the liiuil Ut which the rasping may be Cftrried Avill 

 be where the wall is almost, or quite, reduced to a 

 level with the strong uu/uired sole. It mu.st ever bo 

 borne in miud, that if the wall does not stand bejond 

 the level of the sole, it does not require reihiciug. 

 AVhen ri'duced suHicieiitly the rasp should fiuish tlie 

 ta.sk by rounding off the sharp edge to provide .ngaiiLst 

 fract.ure of the wall fibres. 



Paring the sole. — f<ike so many practises relating to 

 the maiiiigement of the horse, this paring of tlu: sole 

 is nlisunl in the extreme, and hss r.ot the most trifling 

 recommendation to support it. To remove the growth 

 of (be wall is an idi.'^ilute necessity; but to denude 

 the sole of its horn is wanton Injury to the foot and 

 cruelty to the anim.il. Tliis is easily accounted for. 

 The sole only inerca.ses its .substance to a certain 

 thickness, never too imicb, anri then the excess is 

 thrown otl in a natural maimer in ll dtes. In this 

 way the sensitive foot wifhiii is amply pi-iilceteil ; 

 the solo can sustain a share of the weiglit especially 

 arouud its margin iu front, where it is strouj;e6t, aud 



meet the ground, however rough and stony this may 

 be, with perfect impunity. This is its fnnctiun! It 

 lias been nicntiniied that the horn is secrtrtt d from the 

 living surface, and that myriads of beautilul \ascul;tr 

 and sen.sitive tufts, dependeT.t from this .surface enter 

 the horn fibres to a certain depth, and play an import- 

 ant part in the formation of thesoN*. The newly-formed 

 horn is soft, aud spongy aud incapable of resisting 

 exposure to the air, but as it is puslied further away 

 from this surface by successive deposits of fresh 

 material, it becomes old horn, luses its moisture and 

 in doing so acquires the hardness and rigidity neces- 

 ary to enable it to withstand external intlucnces ; 

 then it is subjected to wear, and if this be hisuflici- 

 ent to reduce it sulhciently, it fads off iu scales. l!ut 

 the process of exfoliation is not a rapid one. Horn 

 is a slow conductor of heat and cold, and when thick 

 retains moisture for a long period. These Hakes, 

 then, act as natural "stopping"' to the hoof, by a<;- 

 4-unudating and retaiiiiug moisture beneath ; and this 

 moisture not only keeps the foot cool as it slowly 

 evaporates, but ensures to the so'id aud growing horn 

 its toughness, elasticity, and propi'r development. 

 In addition to this, every flake acts mnre or loss as 

 a sjiring iu warding off bruises, or other injuries to 

 the sole ; and thus the floor of the horny box ia 

 tlioronghly protected from injury, externally and in- 

 ternally. What occurs v hen the farrier followaig 

 out tlie routine of his craft, or obeying the iujunc- 

 tions of these as ignorant as himself, or so prejudiced 

 as not to be able to reason, pares the sole until it 

 springs to the pressure of his thumb ? The im- 

 mature horn, suddenly robbed of its outer covering im- 

 mi-diately begi'S to experience tbe evil effects of 

 external influences ; it loses its moisture, dries, hardens 

 and shrivels up, it also occupies a smaller space, ami 

 in doing so, the sole becomes more concave, drawing 

 sfter it the wall. For it most be remembered that 

 the sole is a strong stay against c'litr.iction of the 

 lower margin of the hoof; aud the consequence is 

 that the hoof gradually decreases iu size, and the 

 quarters aud heels become narrow. The animal goes 

 '* tentler '' even on smooth ground; but if bechance 

 to put his mutilated sole on a stone, what pain must he 

 experience ! The tendcrllcs^ and lameness arising frnin 

 this maltreatment are usually ascribed to everything but 

 tlie right cause, and the most populrr'is concussion etc 

 etc., Seeing, therefore, tlie natural provision existing in 

 the sole of the lioof fur its dimiiuition in thicknesr., 

 when necessary, and knowing that the intact solo is 

 the best safeguard against injury, and deterioration 

 to this region, it must be laid down as a rule in 

 farriery — aud a rule from which there must be no 

 dei-arture — that this part is not to be interfered with 

 on auy pretence, so long as the fuot is iu health, 

 not even the flakes are to be disturbed. 



raring the Frog. — This part of the hoof is that 

 which in the opinion of tbe groom.-, and coaclmien, 

 and some others who should know better, most re- 

 quires cutting *' to prevent its coming on the gri>iind, 

 and laming the tiorse " ; and this reason, together 

 with its softer texture, causes it to be made the 

 special spnrt of the farrier's relentless knife. It is 

 artistically and thm-oughly trimmed, the fine elastic 

 horn bring sliced away, sometimes even to the quick, 

 and iu its sadly reduced form It undergoes the same 

 changes as have been ohservetl in tbe pared sole. 

 No wonder, then, that it cannot- bear touching the 

 ground, any more than the sole. Stri|i tbe skin off tbe 

 solo of a man's foot I How wouM the elephant, 

 the camel, or oven the dog travel, if we pared aw;iy 

 the pads on the bottom of their feet? .and yet 

 tbe liorse's frog performs tbe .*?aino imporlant 

 function that the pad does on their feet. The 

 artistically shaped frog, so treated, soon wastes, 

 becomes diseased, and at length appears as a ragged, 

 ffuil smelling shred of horn, almost imperceptible 

 between the narrow df^foi'med heels of the pared foot. 

 The function of the frog in the iminial economy is 

 oiu; of great moment, and has already been indic- 

 ated. It is eiiiinently adapted for eontaet with the 

 4 round, and iu this resides its most important ollice. 

 U'j longer tbe frog is left uutoueliud by tbu kuife. 



