TREAD AND OVER-REACH. 229 



the coronet ; and both are occasioned by blows from the 

 shoes. They owe their importance chiefly to the structure 

 of the part injured : and this renders such wounds trouble- 

 some to heal, and makes persons apprehensive of their 

 animals incurring them. 



A Tread is a contused wound on the coronet of the hind 

 foot, occasioned by a blow from the shoe of the opposite hind 

 foot. The blow is received upon a part which, although 

 vascular upon its surface, is in its interior cartilaginous. 

 The vascular covering becomes bruised^ and the consequence 

 is, destruction of part : hence the black condition in which 

 we commonly find the wound. 



An Over-reach is nothing more than a tread upon 

 the coronet of the fore foot from the shoe of the hind 

 foot. 



What part of the hind shoe is it that inflicts the bloiv ? 

 Formerly, it was thought to be the toe ;^ now-a-days, it is 

 believed to be the inside edge:'' It is not an easy matter to 

 determine : indeed, had it been easily cleared up, there would 

 not be so much difference of opinion. It appears to me 

 that the accident may occur in either way. 



Nature. — In these injuries, the terminating skin and the 

 incipient hoof are contused ; the vascular expansion is rup- 



1 James Clark says, " it is occasioned by the toe of the hind shoe." And 

 adds, " Some horses are much addicted to this, owing to the manner of going, 

 viz., the hind foot moving in the same line of direction with the fore foot, in 

 riding fast, the fore foot not giving place in time to the hind foot, strikes against 

 the fore heel : hence some horses in trotting make a clattering noise with the 

 fiind shoes striking against the heel of the fore ones ; hence, likewise, many 

 horses are thrown down by the same cause." — ** Trot or walk horses upon soft 

 ground, or sand, and it will be found that those who are addicted to over-reach, 

 place the hind foot either a little before, or in the same jorm^ or tread which 

 the fore foot occupied ; others place the hind foot on the outside of the print." 

 (James Clark's * Observations on Shoeing.') 



2 "Ten years ago (1823) a good judge of these matters informed me that 

 over-reaching was not done by the toe, but by the inner edge of the hind 

 shoe. I have since had the inside edge of the hind shoes bevelled or rounded 

 off, and have never had an over-reach. Hunters are more particularly subject to 

 over-reach in countries where there is much brook-jumping." (Nimrod's 

 * Letters.') 



