The Foot Its. Care and Shoeing. 127 



or the smith may rasp down the bars and wall and not 

 remove the piece of the sole in the angle thus formed, 

 thus bringing pressure on a part not meant to bear pres- 

 sure. To correct, use a bar shoe after the usual treat- 

 ment, or let the animal go bare footed. 



Laminitis (founder), the use of the rolled heel and toe 

 shoe, the bar shoe or some of the patent pads to be found 

 in the market will often render a lame horse workable; 

 if the sole drops use a wide webbed shoe, and a leather 

 sole packed with tar and oakum. 



Contracted feet are usually the result of poor shoeing, 

 either by raising the heels too high and taking away the 

 natural frog pressure, or by the use of shoes with an in- 

 ward slope of the upper surface of the shoe heel; the 

 causes indicate the cure, barefootedness is as good as any. 



Horses difficult to shoe may have the fore foot of the 

 same side tied up, and by means of hobble and rope draw 

 back the hind foot. Sometimes the disinclination to 

 stand is due to the animal being thrown out of balance 

 by the smith drawing the hind leg out too far from the 

 body, therefore always see that the horse is able to stand, 

 which may be aided by turning the head to the side op- 

 posite to the foot to be lifted^ The rope twitch can also 

 be used, the foot being kept raised by tying it to the tail: 

 If a kicker tie up a front foot first, then a hobble to the 

 hind foot to be lifted, take a rope (one-half inch) 20 feet 

 long, fasten to the tail, then run the two free ends through 

 the ring of the hobble, one from each side, the ends are 

 now held by two men, standing at right angles to the 

 horse, one on each side of the limb, as they pull the leg 

 is lifted, the fore leg should be let down before attempt- 

 ing to lift the hind one. 



