DISEASES OF THE FEET 257 



the back of the foot, which acts as a pulley for the 

 tendons; and sometimes the tendons themselves are 

 affected. The navicular bone often becomes honey- 

 combed from decay — and it may be imagined how 

 painful must be that condition. In fact this is one of 

 the most terrible diseases from which the horse suf- 

 fers, and a horse thus afflicted should either be nerved 

 or killed. The operation of nerving is a difficult one, 

 but after it is performed the horse feels no pain and 

 goes as if sound. 



Navicular disease sometimes exists in a very bad 

 form without altering in the least the natural appear- 

 ance of the foot; but as a rule the feet contract, espe- 

 cially in long-standing cases. 



Horses with flat feet are more apt than others to be 

 foundered. Horses that have strong "cup feet" or 

 " mule feet " are more apt to get navicular disease than 

 other horses, because when this kind of foot is shod, it 

 does not get sufficient frog-pressure. Special pains 

 should be taken with such horses to prevent their feet 

 from becoming hard or contracted, and on soft roads 

 they can, for short periods, be used to advantage with- 

 out shoes or with tips. Calks are more harmful to such 

 feet than to others. I have known a case of chronic 

 founder — not navicular disease — of about six weeks 

 standing, to be cured or almost cured in a horse with 

 cup feet by shoeing him with tips. No doubt, if he had . 

 thus been shod when his feet first began to contract, 

 the foundering would have been prevented. 



Navicular disease can be distinguished from founder 

 thus: 



