298 Horseshoeing, 



leaving them to dry as best they can. The amount of cold pro- 

 duced durino^ tlie process of evaporation is so great, that the poor 

 beasts remain in a state of chilled wretchedness for many hours 

 before they become thoroughly vv^arm again. If their legs and feet 

 must be washed as soon as they return from their work, let it be 

 done with water that is quite hot, and let them be rubbed dry 

 immediately ; they will then feel warm and comfortable, instead 

 of being cold and miserable; but as many stables are not pro- 

 vided with hot water at command, the best plan is not to wash 

 them at all when they first come in, but merely to pick out the 

 feet, clean off the dirt, and leave them for several hours, until the 

 circulation has recovered itself and subsided into a natural state, 

 or even until the following morning, when they may be safely 

 washed with cold water, and the delay will do no harm. 



Horses'feet are generally kept too dry in the stable ; they all re- 

 quire moisture, and the best way of applying it is to surround the 

 hoof by a wet swab, and keep it on for a few hours during the 

 early part of the day, before the horse has been to woik, but it 

 must never be put on after his return from work. The feet should 

 be stopped at night, and the best thing to do it with is fresh cow- 

 dung, without any admixture of clay ; when clay is added, the 

 heat of the foot dries it, and the stopping becomes hard and does 

 the foot more harm than good. Many persons, to save them- 

 selves a little trouble, substitute horse-dung for cow-dung ; 

 but they would do well to forego the whole of the trouble, and 

 not stop the foot at all, rather than use horse-dung for the 

 purpose. 



It is a very good plan to smear the hoofs, sole, and frog all over 

 with some emollient dressing every morning, as soon as the horse 

 has been cleaned and got ready for the day ; it need not interfere 

 with the use of the wet swabs, which may with advantage be placed 

 over it. I have used the following preparation for many years in 

 my stable, and have found it to be very efficient in preserving the 

 natural covering of the hoof in a good healthy state, and, as a 

 necessary consequence, the horn beneath it elastic and tough : — 

 To a pound and a half of lard add a quarter of a pound of beeswax, 

 a quarter of a pound of common tar, and a quarter of a pound of 

 honey ; melt the lard and beeswax together, and then stir in the 

 tar and honey : they require to be stirred for some little time, 

 until the mass begins to set. I am informed that the addition of 

 two or three ounces of glycerine will prevent the mass becoming 

 too hard, and I have no doubt, from the peculiar oily properties 

 of glycerine and the numerous purposes for which I find it is 

 used in surgery, that it would prove a valuable addition to the 

 hoof-dressing. What is required is some covering that shall pre- 



