120 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



the stones, as they have no cover to the sole. In this 

 instance they are strictly true, for they, by a free use 

 of the knife, have taken away all the true cover with 

 which Nature had fortified the foot, seeing the nature 

 of the work the horse was destined to fulfil. If the 

 horse is shod with narrow web shoes, and the smith 

 forbidden to touch the sole or frog with the knife, the 

 horse will be much less liable to receive injuries from 

 treading upon stones, as the shoe is less liable to pick 

 them up, and Nature has herself put a protection on 

 the sole to prevent injury of a far superior material to 

 any of man's invention. It must be evident that this 

 is a case which can only be successfully treated by a 

 veterinary surgeon or a man well versed in the 

 superstructure of the foot. In most instances it 

 becomes necessary to cut away the greater portion of 

 the horny sole of the foot, and thereafter to restore 

 the healthy state of the tender surfaces beneath. 

 When this has been effected the horn will be quickly 

 reproduced, but when much of the horn of the sole 

 has had to be cut away, it will take at least six months 

 to restore fully that which had been removed so that, 

 the horse may be again fit to work. To restore the 

 healthy condition of the foot very active means must be 

 adopted ; caustic applications alone will destroy the 

 ulcerated surface. To ascertain the state of the disease 

 a probe must be used, and if it touches any of the bones 

 it is doubtful if a cure can be effected even by the most 

 skilful. One thing is certain, if it is found when the 

 probe is inserted into the fistulous openings on the 

 coronet that the direction of the sinuses is backward, it 



