HORSE AND OX SHOEING. 301 



Various kinds of horse-shoes have been introduced and new 

 modes of attaching them to the feet have been advocated. 

 The latest novelty in the way of shoes is one with a rim or calk 

 extending around the whole shoe from heel to heel, to be used 

 both for summer and winter. If there were no other objection 

 to this invention it is this: that they must always be of iron, 

 and cannot be sharpened for winter use. Another plan is that 

 of slanting off tl^Uieel of the shoe, and the reason given is that 

 the horse may strike the ground more towards the centre of the 

 foot. But what advantage is gained by this is more than I can 

 imagine. Horses that throw their feet far ahead in travelling 

 very fast may thus strike their feet, but generally they do not, 

 while with such shoes they must roll back the hoof, producing 

 severe strain upon the shuttle or navicular bone and cords of 

 the leg. Neither can they befcalked for winter or used for 

 draft. 



Other methods for fastening horse-shoes have been adopted, 

 among which are screws having a welt around the edge of the 

 hoof just above the edge of the shoe, and fastening the welt and 

 shoe together by the screws. The welt being smaller than the 

 lower edge of the hoof retains the shoe upon the foot. 



I will now briefly notice some of those diseases of the feet 

 which are more intimately connected with the shoeing of 

 horses. And first — 



Contraction. — The hoof of the unshod colt approaches nearly 

 to a circle. But after being shod a few years the hoof grows 

 long and narrow, and hollow on the bottom. The frog dimin- 

 ishes in size and becomes hard and dry. In such cases use the 

 convex shoe with low heels, that the frog may come near the 

 ground. This shoe will spread the hoof in a natural way and 

 remove the pressure from the frog and coffin bone, and if the 

 case has not become chronic a cure is soon effected. 



Founder. — The fleshy plates between the coffm bone and the 

 wall of the hoof are liable to inflammation, as they are full of little 

 blood vessels. In a severely contested race these blood vessels 

 become distended or stretched to their utmost tension. And 

 when the weight of the horse is thrown upon them with great 

 violence they are often ruptured and extreme soreness succeeds. 

 Or if the horse is only heated and then suffered suddenly to 

 cool, either by going into the water or standing where the cold 



