CONTRACTION.] :\rODErvN veterinary practice. [coN'TiiACTioir. 



navicular bono, seta up inflammation, and tho , 

 liorso goes lame. It unfortunately happens, 

 however, that the poor animal, especially if ho 

 is a hariiesi^-horse, is still doomeil to suflVr 

 until tho inllainmation runs so high, that tho 

 absorbenta commence their work by removing 

 the fiue membrane with which tho navicular 

 bone ij! covoroJ, and absorbing tho gristly cover- 

 ing also, Tho inflammation still being kept 

 u|i, the bone becomes all'octed, and caries, or 

 mortification, may tako place ; and then tho 

 navicular disease has arrived at its height. 



The principal causes of these diseases we 

 believe to be bad shoeing; though in going 

 over our subject, we shall, in all probability, 

 mention others of a minor nature. 



The old-fashioned method of preparing and 

 rasping the feet, has occasioned more lame- 

 ness than any one thing ; for what with 

 paring the frogs away, and opening the heels, 

 as it is termed, with scarcely touching the 

 sole of the foot, was enough to produce con- 

 traction ; added to which, there was the ac- 

 companiment of a very high-heeled shoe. 

 These means, with a little thought, will im- 

 mediately explain to the experienced horse- 

 man, why the feet of his animal become con- 

 tracted. 



Owners of horses are sometimes to blame in 

 not having their feet pared frequently enough. 

 If the horse should wear his shoes rather light, 

 they will let him go as long as six weeks 

 without paring, and even longer ; not thinking 

 of the injury the foot is, all this time, sus- 

 taining by its improper growth. 'No man 

 should let his horse go, without removing the 

 shoes, longer than a fortnight, and new shoes 

 should be put on every month. An oppor- 

 tunity is then given both of examining and 

 paring out the feet properly, and watching 

 that they do not grow out of form ; but the 

 custom of nailing the shoes oa so exceedingly 

 tight, particularly where the crust is not 

 strong, must affect the feet, and prevent the 

 ordinary expansion. 



Shoes of a bad form are very hurtful, except 

 it be for slow-working cart-horses, which have 

 feet of all shapes. 



Thick-heeled shoes are sometimes the cause 

 of contraction ; but we have seen thin-heeled 

 shoes produce it, by constantly bearing too 

 much on the frog. Still, a moderate bearing 



on tho frog ia highly necessary. But there 

 are so many strangely fashiuned feet which 

 pass through tho hands of a smith, that it ia 

 next to an impossibility, unless hy he a clevef 

 fellow, for him to know wtiat Kind oi slioo u» 

 tho best to be generally adapted to them. 



AVo have read of authors wondering how it 

 was that farm-horses had such fine open feet, 

 when they are the worst shod, and mostly 

 with high calkins; but we think tho matter ia 

 easily solved, when we reflect that their feet 

 are kept open from pressure below ; and, though 

 they may have high calkins, and the frog con- 

 siderably cut away, it is forgotten that tho 

 rough land they have to plough, or harrow, 

 perhaps is in balls, the size of large potatoes, 

 all acting as so many expanders while the 

 horse is going over them. Again, if the 

 weather be wet, and the soil damp, this keeps 

 the feet cool and moist ; and, of course, renders 

 them more susceptible of expansion. 



Artificial heat has a great tendency to pro- 

 duce contraction, especially in hunting-stables, 

 where horses are kept in the highest con- 

 dition ; also, in racing-stables, where they are 

 kept on good dry litter, half-way up their legs, 

 and every hole and crevice stopped to pre- 

 vent the least air from coming iu. The heat 

 that is thus generated, dries up the hoof, and 

 necessarily disposes it to contract. 



Heat also, applied by the shoeing smiths, 

 will produce it, if not discontinued ; for heat, 

 as they apply it to the foot, has a different 

 tendency during the actual time they are 

 applying it, from the gradual continued heat 

 of the stable. Moisture, on the other hand, 

 has a directly opposite efiect, its application 

 greatly tending to counteract the contractile 

 disposition. It also softens the hoof, and 

 assists the weight of the horse in expanding 

 the foot ; but sometimes, from the extreme 

 thickness of the hoof, it will not even yield to 

 moisture. In the natural state, it is well 

 known that the hoofs must be accustomed to 

 considerable moisture, of which they are 

 mostly deprived in artificial life. A horse 

 confined to the stable, frequently doea not 

 get his feet moistened once a day ; but in a 

 state of nature, half his feet may be said to be 

 exposed to moisture half his time, either from 

 dew, or from being immersed in rivers or 

 ponds. Farmers' horses are much more bcue- 



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