SHOEING. 57 



stage of the disease, continued pressure on the tender part, 

 or corn, will at length cause matter to form, which, finding 

 no vent beneath, ascends to the upper part of the hoof, called 

 the coronet, where it breaks out ; and this often misleads the 

 practitioner, and the real cause is not suspected. The only 

 proper way to proceed, is to pare out the red part, then take 

 a small piece of tow, saturate it with tincture of myrrh, and 

 place it on the corn ; then have the animal shod with a bar 

 shoe, and this can only be applied when the frog is sufficient- 

 ly prominent and firm to receive its pressure. For, should 

 the frog- be lower than the heels, (that is, supposing the foot 

 to be taken up, and its bottom part held upwards,) it must be 

 obvious that the bar shoe cannot bear upon it, and will, there- 

 fore, be useless. The only thing to be done in this case, is 

 to pare away the crust of the tender heel, so that the heel of 

 a common shoe may not rest upon it. The only mode by 

 which a corn can be either cured or palliated, is to take off 

 all pressure from the parts ; and this, not only for a short 

 time, but till the injured sensitive parts have lost their tender- 

 ness, and formed horn of sufficient strength to enable them 

 to bear pressure. While a horse is worked, the shoe should be 

 frequently examined ; and whenever the heel appears to be so 

 near the diseased part as to be in danger of bearing upon it, 

 there must be a vacancy between the heel of the hoof and 

 that of the shoe. When a horse becomes very lame from a 

 corn, and matter is seen oozing out about the coronet, it will 

 be advisable to leave off the shoe, and apply a poultice of 

 shorts, or marshmallows. 



SHOEING. 



Many of the evil consequences of shoeing arise from the 

 operator having but a%fcry imperfect knowledge of the struc- 

 ture and various functions of the foot. (See Anatomy of the 

 Foot.) In shoeing a strong, well-formed foot, there is very 

 8 



