THE horse's foot ; SHOEIXG AND CARE. 



109 



rasp. The frog and sole should be left untouched. 4. The shoe 

 should be as light as possible to last a month's wear. 5. Clinches 

 should be level with each other, and not rasped away. 6. The nails 

 should not extend farther back than about three- fourths of the 

 distance from toe to heel on the outer side of foot, and not more 

 than four-fifths on the inner, and the heads should not project 

 beyond the surface of the shoes. 7. The clips should be small." 



SHOEING DEFECTIVE FEET. 



Interfering is striking the inside of the pastern or above it 

 with the shoe of the opposite foot. It is generally caused by toeing 

 in or out, or by such defective formations of the foot, as are illus- 

 trated in figures 20 and 23. Various forms of shoes have been 

 devised to correct the evil, the inner quarter being narrower and 

 thicker than the outside. The inside quarter of the hoof is pared 

 enough more than the outside to equalize the difference in the thick- 

 ness of the two sides of the shoe. It is then nailed on like any other. 



Pumice Foot is one of the sequelae of acute laminitis or 

 founder, of which more is said in the next chapter. The hoof 

 becomes light, soft and 

 spongy, the sole loses its 

 elasticity and concave 

 form, and sinks down 

 tinder the pressure of 

 the coffin - bone. For 

 this evil and some forms 

 of navicular disease, 

 the following device 

 has proved beneficial : 

 Plates, shaped as shown 

 in figure 67, are cut 

 from an old saw-blade, the temper having first been drawn. A 

 small tongue of metal is left at the toe and a hole is punched in it. 

 The edge of each plate is heated and struck into the beveled upper 

 surface of the shoe, giving it a slight concavity downward. The 

 shoe is perforated with a rivet-hole at the toe, as shown in figure 68. 

 The foot is nicely leveled, the frog, sole and bars being left untouched, 

 and the shoe fitted to it. Tiie plate is then retempered and riveted 

 to the shoe, the toe of the hoof is rasped to make a seat for the 

 tongue of the plate. The shoe is applied and the two forward nails 

 lightly driven, a cushion of tarred oakum is laid in, and the nailing 

 completed. Finally, as much more oakum as can be crowded in at 



Fig. 67.— PLATE. 



Fisr. 68.— SHOE. 



