SHOEING BAD FEET. 115 



In many European countries, a shoe is used for toe- 

 cracks whicli lias two clips drawn on the inside border of 

 the shoe at the heels. These clips catch the bars of the 

 hoof and prevent the heels of the foot closing in. The 

 idea is that when the wall at the heels contracts, there is 

 a tendency for the wall at the toe, if separated by a 

 crack, to open. Fig. 89 shows the position of the clips, 

 which must be carefully fitted, so as to rest on the inside 

 of the bars. Mr. Willis, V.S., has tried these shoes and 

 speaks well of their utility. 



When the crack is in the quarters of the foot, it is 

 not the tendency to expansion of the hoof that has to be 

 guarded against. It is the downward motion of the 

 heels that forces open a crack in this position. The 

 farrier provides against this by taking care to have a 

 firm bearing of the shoe on the hoof behind the crack, as 

 shown in Fig. 84. 



Contracted Feet. — Some diseases of the foot lead 

 to contraction of the hoof, which is most noticeable 

 round the coronet and at the heels. Any long continued 

 lameness, which prevents the horse placing the usual 

 weight on the foot, may be accompanied by contraction. 

 Constant cutting away of the bars and paring the frog, 

 so that it takes no contact with the ground, also leads to 

 shrinking in of the heels. By lowering the heels and 

 letting the frog alone, many feet will in time widen out 

 to their proper size, but no system of shoeing is so good 

 for contracted feet as the use of tips, which leave the 

 whole back part of the hoof to take direct bearing on the 

 ground. 



Many shoes have been invented for forcing open the 

 heels of contracted feet. Some* have had a hinge at the 

 toe and a moveable screw at the heel. Some have had 

 the bearing- surface at the heels made with a slope out- 

 wards (see Fig. 54, page 80), so that the weight of the 

 horse should constantly tend to force the heels apart. 

 There is no necessity for any of these contrivances. 

 A properly fitted tip (see Fig. GO, page 84) will permit 

 the hoof gradually to expand to its healthy size and form. 



