CHAPTER IX. 



SHOEING KNEE-SPRUNG, FLAT-FOOTED OR 

 CLUB-FOOTED HORSES, ETC. 



Shoeing a Knee-sprung or Flat-footed Horse. 



In the case of a horse knee-sprung from a recent strain 

 on the back cords, I find it well to leave the heel of the foot 

 high, and put on quite a long shoe, as that helps to relieve 

 the cords. 



I will also give my method of shoeing flat-footed horses. 

 A fiat foot, as every farrier knows, does not need much par- 

 ing on the bottom ; some, in fact, will bear hardly enough 

 to even them up, the growth being straight out on the toe, 

 and with some the bottom of the foot is very thin. If such 

 a horse is shod with a shoe the full size of the foot, it brin^-s 

 the bearing too far from the center of the foot, and as the 

 horse's weight bears mostly near the center of the foot 

 when it is in shape, there is need to get the bearing of the 

 foot on the shoe back as near to the center as possible. In 

 preparing a flat foot for the shoe, I take a sharp rasp and 

 cut the toe back as far as I think will do, and then fit my 

 shoe the full size of what foot I leave, giving the shoe as 

 even a bearing as possible. In shoeing this way I have 

 helped some quite bad cases of drop sole. An}^ one can 

 easily see that a heavy horse, with a thin bottom to his 

 foot, will press the sole down quicker if the bearing on the 

 shoe is too far awa3^ from the bones in the foot on which his 

 weight comes. — By C. West. 



