78 



CAUSES OF INJURY. 



Fig. 596.— Points Showing where the 

 Horn is Strongest to Drive 

 the Nails In. 



"When a horse loses a shoe, a circumstance often occurring, if the hoof is 

 pared, the animal cannot walk a hundred steps without going lame ; because in this 

 state the lower surface of the foot being hollowed, the horse's weight falls upon the 

 crust, and this, having no support from the horny sole, is quickly broken and worn 

 away ; and if he meets hard substances on the road, he all the more speedily be- 

 comes lame. It is not so when the sole is al- 

 lowed to retain its whole strength. The shoe 

 comes off, but the sole and frog resting on the 

 ground, assist the crust in bearing the whole 

 weight of the body, and the animal, though 

 unshod, is able to pursue his journey safe 



and sound It is necessary to be 



convinced of another fact ; that is, it is rare 

 that a horse goes at his ease and is not 

 promptly fatigued, if the frog does not touch 

 the ground. As it is the only point of sup- 

 port, if you raise it from the ground by paring 

 it, there arises an inordinate extension of 

 the tendon, caused by the pushing of the cor- 

 onary against the navicular bone, as has been 

 mentioned above, and which, being repeated 

 at every step the animal takes, fatigues it and 

 induces inflammation. From thence often 

 arises distentions of the sheaths of tendons 

 (moletts-vulgo, ' windgalls ') engorgements, 

 and swelling of tendons, etc., that are observed after long or rapid journeys. These 

 accidents arise less from the length of the journey, as has been currently believed, 



than from the false practice of 

 paring the sole. . . . We al- 

 ways find ourselves more active 

 and nimble when we wear easy 

 shoes ; but a wide, long, and 

 thick shoe will do for horses 

 what clogs do for us, — render 

 them heavy, clumsy, and un- 

 steady. * * * 



" The feet become convex by 

 hollowing the shoes to relieve the 

 heel and frog, because the more 

 the shoes are arched from the 

 sole, the more the wall of the 

 hoof is squeezed and rolled in- 

 ward, particularly toward the in- 

 ner quarter, which is the weakest ; 

 the sole of the foot becomes con- 

 vex, and the horse is nearly al- 

 ways unfit for service. * * * 



" The reason why it is dangerous to pare the feet of horses is, that when the 

 sole is pared, and the horses tands in a dry place, the horn becomes desiccated by the 

 air which enters it, and removes its moisture and its suppleness, and of ten causes the 

 animal to be lame. * «• * 



Fig. 597. 



-The Same as would Appear with the 

 Shoe On. 



