HORSESHOEING. 487 



ment " represents the same foot after one pound 

 of overgrowth had been removed from one foot. 

 Plates Nos. 26 and 27 show the difference be- 

 tween the foot before and after treatment, and 

 show the importance of being careful in observ- 

 ing a horse's foot so as to prevent lameness, and 

 the various diseases caused by neglect. 



Plates Nos. 28 and 29 — Enlargement of the 

 Metacai'pal Bone. — In a great many cases be- 

 cause the enlargement interferes with the free use 

 of the flexor tendon, pressing it out of its proper 

 place. A horse with a contracted foot suffers 

 from this pressure when the shoe is fitted tight 

 and brings the heels inward. The metacarpal 

 bones extend from the back of the knee down- 

 w^ard to the pastern joint, forming, as it were, a 

 brace on each side. They become quite small 

 as they extend downward, and the enlargement 

 is generally found on the inside of the leg. (See 

 Plate No. 28.) 



The enlargement may be discovered by run- 

 ning the hand downward from the knee, the 

 thumb on the side and the forefinger on the 



