106 VETERINARY LECTURES 



seen running from the top to the bottom of the hoof are wounded 

 and left exposed to the action of the atmosphere, which makes the 

 hoof turn hard and brittle, breaking off where the nails are turned 

 down or clinched. I thus strongly say that the knife and rasp 

 ought to be used sparingly and with great caution. The hoof must 

 not be rasped above the clinches on any account. 



183. Stopping for the Feet. —Numerous authorities do not 

 favour stopping the feet with articles of a moist nature. I was my 

 own groom for over twenty years, and as I did all my work on the 

 saddle, I felt the full benefit of stopping the feet when the roads 

 were hard and dry, for if the practice was omitted the want was 

 readily noticed on mounting next morning. Therefore, in long- 

 continued frosts, or during a spell of hot weather, where a horse is 

 doing a lot of work on the hard dry road, and the moisture of the 

 horn becomes exhausted, I am in favour of stopping the feet, to 

 keep them cool, moist, and pliable. By referring to pars. 168 

 to 170, it will be seen how much moisture the different parts of the 

 hoof contain, and these quantities should be maintained. I have 

 never yet found anything for this purpose to beat cow-dung and 

 clay in equal parts, stuffing the bottom of the feet with it each 

 alternate night. 



184. Leather Soles should not be used except in cases of injury, 

 when they become necessary ; for, to stimulate and preserve the 

 healthy action of the hoof, air should be allowed free access to all 

 parts. Exercise also is very essential, in order to keep both the 

 outside and inside of the hoof in sound condition. Without it 

 healthy circulation cannot be maintained in the foot, and the result 

 is disease ; therefore, if a horse cannot be taken out every day, it 

 should be turned into a loose-box or paddock. 



185. Indiarubber Pads. — In connexion with leather soles 

 rubber pads are now made of various descriptions and sizes, and are 

 found to answer well. The rubber frog pad, for example, is an 

 artificial indiarubber frog, fixed on a leather sole, which is nailed 

 on between the foot and the shoe, and is very useful for narrow- 



