336 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



Pricking is sometimes concealed by the farrier, who rivets the nail 

 upon the shoe at the level of the seat of injury. 



Compression by the Nail. This condition is produced when 

 the nails are driven too deeply (too so/if), that is to say, too close to 

 the sensitive tissues, which are thus more or less compressed. This 

 accident happens quite often in soft or weak feet, in consequence of the 

 thinness of their horn. It is easy to perceive this accident by making 

 the horse trot, and to remedy it by removing the shoe immediately. 



Compression by the Shoe. Compression of the sole occurs 

 when the shoe, which is badly fitted, bears in some places on a weak 

 or thin sole. Compression also takes place when the farrier has pared 

 the sole too much or draws the shoe too tightly. Certain defective 

 feet (flat and pumiced feet) are more particularly predisposed to this 

 accident. 



Heated Sole. The sole is called heated when it has been sub- 

 jected for too long a time to the contact of the red-hot shoe ; it is the 

 more predisposed as it is less concave. 



Burnt Sole. The sole upon which has been applied for too long 

 a time a shoe simply red is, on the contrary, qualified burnt. In the 

 preceding case the abundant carbonaceous layer formed by burnt horn 

 has protected the foot against the injurious effect of the heat. Here, 

 there is very little charring of the horn, which permits the heat to pen- 

 etrate quickly and deeply into the living tissues. 



The burnt sole is rebellious to treatment. 



Excessive Paring of the Foot. When the foot is pared too 

 much it acquires an exaggerated sensibility from the excessive thinness 

 given, by the farrier's knife, both to the sole and the inferior border 

 of the wall. 



Cuts from the Hoof-Knife and the Butteris. These are 

 accidents produced by unskilful or unintelligent employment of these 

 instruments of farriery. Their gravity is in relation with the depth, 

 the nature and the seat of the wounds which result from them. They 

 are sometimes complicated by red excrescences, excessive granulations 

 of the subjacent tissue, known under the name of cherries. 



F. Diseases of the Foot. 



" These numerous and varied diseases," says J. Girard, 1 " can be 

 produced by prolonged travelling on dry, hard, rough, and stony 

 roads ; by concussion, the contact of external bodies and even of one 



1 J. Girard, Traite du pied, 2e ed., p. 95, Paris, 1828. 



