298 ON THE TREATMENT OF HORSES' FEET, 



horse or mare which may have long been subject to 

 the disease, — it matters not. From whatever cause the 

 disease may proceed, whenever it does make its ap- 

 pearance, it mostly makes the frog its place of prefer- 

 ence ; and, if neglected, it spreads to the other parts of 

 foot. Now, the frog being thus affected with canker, 

 is in a highly diseased state ; yet notwithstanding this, 

 one of the first steps towards the cure of the disease is 

 to lower the horse's heels, so as immediately to throw 

 as much pressure as possible upon the frog, even in its 

 diseased state. So necessary is pressure to the frog in 

 forwarding the cure, that if it cannot be obtained by the 

 the above means, a bar shoe is put on ; and after the 

 dressing has been applied, the foot is stopped up with 

 tow as tight as it can well be done, so as to throw 

 all the pressure possible upon the frog, with a view to 

 keep down the fungous parts which are much inclined 

 to rise on its surface. So that even in a diseased state, 

 this part of the foot (the frog) will not only bear pres- 

 sure, but, that pressure being applied to it, becomes 

 one of the principal remedies for bringing it again to 

 its former healthy state. 



From this it appears necessary that the frog of the 

 horse's foot should receive natural pressure, by being 

 allowed to come fully in contact with the ground. 



The wall or crust of many of our large horses' feet 

 (such as heavy coach and draught horses) is much too 

 oblique, with low weak heels and convex soles. These 

 diseases, or perhaps, more properly speaking, the ill- 

 formation of many such horses' feet, more frequently 



