110 CAKE AND TRAINING OF TROTTERS AND TACERS. 



Wearing Shoes at the Toe. 



(Dr. Jack Seiter in Horseshoers" Journal.) 



Am shoeing a tiorse that is giving me much trouble to get going 

 right. Her hind feet are at an angle of 60 degrees and she wears 

 out the shoe only at the toe, never touching the heels. 



We have a lot of hind toe draggers out here and don't understand 

 why, but think it is caused from weak kidneys and this trouble is 

 in turn caused by eating alfalfa. 



I would like to have the opinion of some of the Grand Circuit 

 shoers on the subject and will value the favor very much if you 

 would send the shoe that I am mailing you and which was taken off 

 of this horse, to Dr. Seiter for his opinion. 



The animal is a good trotter around the pumpkin circuits and 

 moves along at about a 2:20 gait. 



In answer to this inquiry I will state that this trouble 

 is rather common among our race horses, especially so 

 among- those that have been trained as yearlings, or twc- 

 j-ear-olds, and is to be found more frequently amor.g 

 pacers than trotters. 



There probably are several causes that we may lay 

 blame to for this condition. Some are hereditary, and 

 naturally no cure can be advocated for this class outside 

 of always remembering that like begets like, and in this 

 way aim to breed only the best to the best. 



In others the trouble is mechanically brought on, either 

 by excessive training when young, or not sufficiently de- 

 veloped to withstand the severe preparation required in 

 order to develop speed in a colt. These may be classed 

 as strains or sprains to either the ligaments or tendons. 

 At times a nail wound, a nail prick, a bruised frog, a 

 bruised heel, or a weak ankle may be the direct cause of 

 this condition, but the main cause in the majority of cases 

 is due, in my estimation, to the neglect of the foot in 

 the early career of the animal. Failure to keep the foot 

 of the colt trimmed properly froin the time it is a 

 few months old up to the time it is first shod is generally 

 the direct cause of this trouble. At this age they are apt 

 to grow abnormal feet, either the toes get too long, this 

 naturally weakens the ankle, or else the toes become too 

 short and the heels too high, and then the column of bones 

 of the foot and ankle gradually adjust themselves to 

 correspond with the deformed foot, consequently by the 



