CHAPTER XIII 



THE FOOT IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



Irrespective of age, sex, or breed, sound feet are in- 

 dispensable, and it is an absolute truism '' no foot no 

 horse/' 



Horses' feet, more especially horses working on the 

 hard roads in cities and towns, are subject to a great deal 

 of wear and tear, consequently if an animal has any 

 structural defects, such weakness will soon show itself 

 either in one form or another. If breeders of horses 

 would only pay more attention to the feet during colt- 

 hood many of the infirmities which so commonly make 

 their appearance later on in hfe would be altogether 

 unknown. 



Concussion and bad shoeing are responsible for the 

 majority of foot troubles, but by no means the cause of all. 

 A certain proportion of horses have bad feet, or a pre- 

 disposition to such, as an inheritance, thus showing how 

 essential it is to breed from sires and dams in which 

 soundness of feet constitutes a well-marked feature. 



It is quite an easy matter to have working horses 

 regularly shod, and this is a matter either for the master 

 to supervise, or else to depute a person, on whom absolute 

 rehance can be placed, to do so. 



No hard and fast rule can be laid down as to when a 

 horse should be shod, because some horses will wear out 

 a set of fore shoes in a week or ten days, whereas others will 

 carry their shoes from three to five weeks. If a horse 

 does not wear its shoes out in three weeks they should be 

 removed, the feet trimmed, and the shoes refitted. 



