PUMICED FOOT.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[pumiced foot. 



long journeys at a fast pace will make almost 

 any horse groggy. Bad shoeing and want of 

 stable care may help to increase, but never 

 can alone produce grogginess. It is one of 

 the evils of excessive work." In most cases 

 it admits of no remedy. 



PUMICED FOOT. 



Pumiced foot is a morbid secretion of the 

 sensitive laminse, which forces the hoof from 

 those laminated parts which cover the cofl&n- 

 bone, so that a partial separation takes place 

 between the two, whilst an inflammatory 

 attack goes on slowly and gradually. This 

 may be observed by the front of the hoof 

 giving way, or falling in, and receding from 

 its usual obliquity ; the sole also, at the same 

 time, becoming nearly flat. This is the time 

 that the horse begins to falter, and show 

 lameness, especially , if going over newly- 

 repaired roads ; when, ^if he should tread on a 

 sharp stone, it will probably be with difiiculty 

 that he will save himself from coming down. 

 Prom this curious disease, he appears to 

 secrete little or no horn for the shoe to lie 

 upon, which makes feet of this kind ex- 

 ceedingly difficult to shoe ; and still, what 

 appears strange, the sole becomes thinner and 

 thinner, and at length bulges out, forming a 

 perfect convex. This convexity becomes 

 greater, or less, as the disease is more severe. 

 Large cart-horsea are very subject to pumice, 

 especially those used in large towns, where 

 they are continually battering their feet on 

 the stones, producing a slow inflammation, 

 ending in pumiced feet from irritation. 



The pressure which the coffin-bone, thus 

 displaced, makes on the fleshy sole, sometimes 

 causes an absorption of its own edges, but 

 always an interruption to the healthy secre- 

 tion of horn. The sole, therefore, being unable 

 to bear the weight of the animal, as it would 

 be in a healthy state, loses its concavity, and 

 yields to the altered form of the parts above 

 it. The whole of the parts within become 

 deranged in structure, as well as situation, 

 and the receding of the coffiu-boue towards 

 the heels, where it rests, produces an altered 

 line of declivity. 



Palliatives are the only means by which 

 this sort of feet can be treated with any 

 degree of success. A cure is impossible, as 

 312 



the parts can never be reinstated in their 

 original form. Here, shoeing is the principal 

 remedy ; and, with this properly done, we have 

 known many horses with pumiced feet work 

 well for a considerable time. "With regard to 

 the shoeing, particular attention must be paid 

 to the thinness of the wall, or crust ; also, the 

 sole being so exceedingly thin, in putting on, 

 the greatest care is necessary, that no part of 

 the shoe bears thereon. Most smiths are 

 acquainted with the kind of shoe that is best 

 for pumiced feet, it being rather a peculiar 

 one. The framing of this shoe is with an 

 exceedingly wide web, and made thick enough 

 to be, what is called, chambered out very 

 much, almost covering the sole altogether. 

 This is done in order to prevent stones, &c., 

 from injuring the sole of the foot. This shoe 

 should be carefully nailed on, with more than 

 the usual number of nails ; but allowance must 

 be made for the extra number in the size, as 

 "^ye*," or " sixes," will be sufficiently large. 

 This sort of shoe we have found generally to 

 answer exceedingly well ; but where it has not 

 answered, we have placed on a bar-shoe, and 

 shouldered it down at the quarters, so that it 

 did not touch the crust, or heels behind. 

 Prom the form of this shoe, we have seen 

 great benefit arise. After having it placed 

 on, the sole and crust should be well smeared 

 with the following : — 



Alum pul 2 oz. 



Tar 3 do. 



This application, occasionally used, will harden 

 the hoof and sole ; for moisture, in this disease, 

 must be strictly avoided ; and horses so afiected 

 should never be turned out to grass. 



A similar afiection to pumiced feet, known 

 by the name of a "Seedy Toe," is thus de- 

 scribed by Mr. Spooner, in his work on the 

 foot of the horse : — " It can scarcely be called 

 a disease, but it is rather a natural defect, 

 which may be considerably increased by labour 

 and bad shoeing. It arises from too great 

 dryness of the horn, which renders it brittle, 

 and causes its fibres to separate. There is a 

 want of that tough elastic material which 

 connects the longitudinal fibres together, and 

 produces that strong bond of union between 

 them and the horny laminae of the sole. 

 There is a hollow space within the foot, which 

 sometimes extends upwards and around, so as 



