SHOEING. 77 



ease being so evidently inflammation of the sheath of 

 the tendon, that the ahimal was ordered to be treated 

 accordingly — viz., with cold applications ; and this not 

 succeeding, firing the leg was resorted to, after which, 

 the weather being suitable, it was thought expedient to 

 let the beast have a run at grass. As a preliminary 

 the shoes were removed, in the course of which opera- 

 tion a bed of gravel was found to have secreted itself 

 in the foot of the supposed diseased leg, and the in- 

 flammation occasioned by the gravel having gone up, 

 caused what appeared to be marked disease about the 

 tendon. 



Such were the results of neglecting the precautions 

 here recommended. 



Brushing^ or cutting, is a very tormenting weakness 

 in the horse, whether behind or before, and often highly 

 dangerous in the latter case. 



The ordinary practice of farriers under such circum- 

 stance is to rasp away the inside quarter of the offend- 

 ing hoof, as well as doubly thickening the shoe under 

 the weakened wall, leaving the toe to extend itself for- 

 ward. This is a great mistake, jdelding only a tempo- 

 rary improvement, not at all tending towards a cure. 

 On the contrary, it would be better to shorten the toes 

 by degrees ; and on no account should a rasp be put 

 near the wall of the inside quarter, in order to let it get 

 as strong as possible towards the heel. 



I would certainly allow no nails to i)e driven inside, 

 but let the shoe be fastened round the outer quarter of 

 the foot, the shoe itself being of equal thickness on both 

 quarters as an ordinary shoe ; but in putting it on, it 

 should not be suffered to project outside the inside quar- 

 ter, and the sJwes might here be rasped to guard against 



