132 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



A good treatment for the first stages of the disease is to 

 bathe the part until it is clean, dry it well, and apply carbolized 

 vaseline locally. This dressing must be frequently changed, as 

 dust adheres to it and, if left on after it becomes caked with dust, 

 it may do more harm than good. The patient must be rested, 

 as the cracks open with each step the horse takes. 



Horses that are tied by so long a rope that they can tangle 

 their hind (very rarely the fore) foot in it, will usually struggle 

 to free themselves, and often seriously chafe the tender skin under 

 the fetlock; such a chafe is termed a rope-burn. Because of 

 their position and the difficulty of keeping the part at rest, they 

 are tedious to heal, and, when healed, leave unsightly scars. Rope- 

 burns are merely blemishes when they heal without causing 

 stiffness in the action. On account of their unsightliness, it is 

 best to prevent them by watching horses that are picketed out- 

 very carefully until they have learned how to avoid burning 

 themselves. In the stables, care should be taken that a horse 

 is tied short enough that he cannot get his hind foot over the rope. 

 Brushing, cutting, or interfering are names given to 

 indicate an injury to the fetlock of either a fore or hind foot, 

 done by striking the fetlock with the opposite foot. They are 

 caused by improper shoeing, weariness, or defective action, and 

 are prevented by proper shoeing or by the use of boots or so- 

 called interfering straps. 



Forging, or clicking, is the striking of the under side of 

 the shoe or the sole of the front foot by the toe of the hind hoof 

 or shoe on the same side. It is caused usually by defective ac- 

 tion. The front foot is slow in recovering from a stride and is 

 struck at the instant it is most bent to the rear. The theory 

 has been advanced that the horse does it willfully, because he 

 likes to hear the click as the shoes come together. It is corrected 

 by special shoeing. 



Coronitis is the name for inflammation of the coronary 

 band. This disease is usually the accompaniment of some other 

 disease of the foot. 



