156 



SCIENTIFIC HORSESHOEING. 



avoided or overcome by proper care of the feet and right meth- 

 ods of shoeing. The main feature is to keep the feet as near as 

 possible to their natural shape, and this can only be done by 

 leveling and balancing them as directed in Chap. IV. 



The complica- 

 tions brought about 

 by contraction in- 

 clude not only the 

 effects visible on the 

 external parts of the 

 hoof, as shown in 

 the preceding Figs. 

 52 and 53, but its 

 tendency is to work 

 many destructive 

 changes in the ap- 

 paratuses of the in- 

 ternal foot, as is 

 here partially indi- 

 cated by Fig, 54, 

 which represents 

 the displacement of 

 the bony structures 

 from such cause. 

 When the hoof con- 



FlG. 54. MEDIAN SECTION OP FOOT, SHOWING DIS- 

 PLACEMENT CAUSED BY CONTRACTION. 



A, Coffin-bone. B, Navicular. C, Lower pastern. 

 D, Upper pastern. E, Lower end of cannon. F, Sec- 

 tion of velvety tissue. G, Section of wall. H, Sec- 

 tion of horny sole. I, Section of horny frog. 

 K, Fragment of plantar cushion. L, Horny laminte. tracts and Wires 

 M, Sensitive laminae. N, N, Extensor tendon. uii(Jer around the 

 O, O, Flexor perforatus. P, P, Flexor perforans. v. i ;i 



R, Sesamoid ligament. S, Sesamoid bone (dotted base, the sole and 

 line). T, T, Branching of flexor perforatus. 1, Pyr- fj-Qg are forced up- 

 amid of coffin-bone displaced. 2, Its normal posi- , , . , 



tion. 3, Normal position of coffin-joint. ^ard, together With 



the bones and other 

 organs of the foot, until they are all tightly cramped by the 

 closing in of the horny box. The unnatural pressure around 

 the sole inflames the various tissues, causing a disease of the 



