4i6 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[8 July, 1907. 



common and pernicious practice of cutting away the bars, undoubtedly, 

 disposes the foot to contract this ailment ; for the wall at the heels, when 

 it loses the support afforded by the bars, is apt to bend inwards and to 

 press on the seat of corn. It sometimes happens that, when " preparing " 

 the foot, the smith rasps down the wall at the heels without also reducing 

 the horn over the seat of corn, which then bears the greater part of the 

 pressure, with the natural result of this injury. Again, when the heels 

 of the shoe are "sprung " — that is, when a space is left between them and 

 the horny heels — grit and particles of stone are apt to work in between 

 the web of the shoe and the " seat of corn," and, consequently, to hurt 

 the latter on account of its being constantly hammered upon by the former, 

 whenever the animal moves. 



56. — Slipper and bar shoe combined for corns on 

 both sides. (After Hayes.) 



" The principal manner, however, in which horses get corns from shoeing, 

 i? undoubtedly the practice adopted with hunters and other saddle-horses, 

 of having the shoes on the fore feet short at the heels, and of making the 

 outward edge of the inner heel of the shoe to coincide with the outward 

 edge of the wall of the hoof at that part, or even ' set ' slightly inside it. 

 Here, although the position of the shoe is perfect for the time being, it 

 does not allow for the continued opening out and lengthening which the 

 heels undergo during the downward growth of the hoof. Consequently 

 when a shoe is applied in this way, and is allowed to remain on, say for 

 six weeks, the heels of the shoe, instead of exactly covering those of the 

 foot, will be found to be a little within their outer margin and somewhat 

 in front of their rearmost point. As the horn of the ground surface of 



