ON SHOEING. ♦ 57 



worst state of a contracted hoof, the sole is 

 sometimes so pressed upon laterally by the 

 quarters, as to be forced upwards agahist the 

 fleshy sole in such a manner as to cause great 

 pain. This is denominated by the French, 

 an encastelated hoof. It is easily distinguished 

 by a preternatural concavity in the sole. 



A cure is often attempted by scoring the 

 hoof perpendicularly from the coronet to the 

 ground, rasping the quarters to the quick, and 

 applying a screw shoe. 



But attempts of this kind to produce a sud- 

 den alteration in the dimensions of tlie hoof, 

 will be found totally useless, if not injurious. 

 The disease is brought on gradually; the re- 

 medy, therefore, must be gradual, as the texture 

 of the hoof is too lirm and tenacious to yield 

 hastily to artificial impressions. If the horse is 

 worth the trouble and expencc, the most pro- 

 bable 



