208 



THE PRACTICE OF SHOEING. 



inner, and spares the sole, frog, and bars, which shed their 

 suj)ertiuous growth naturally. Natural wear gives to the foot 

 the form best suited to the animal's action, and produces a 

 perfectly Hat bearing surface from the quarters to the heels. 



Finally, Goyau declares that the equilibrium (aplomh) of the 

 limb should result as far as possible from the yreparation of 

 the foot and not from varying the thickness of different regions 

 of the shoe. 



Special care should be taken in paring the hoof to bring the 

 wall into line with the axis of the foot (fig. 197). 



In dealing with the foot as seen from the side, the question 

 resolves itself into one of the relative heights of the toe and 

 heels. 



The axis of the foot must be the guide. In normal feet it 

 is parallel with the wall of the toe (figs. 165-167). If the 

 hoof becomes too long, the intersection of the hoof and foot 



Fig. 199. — Hoof too oblique, 

 horn to be removed shown 

 by dotted line. 



Fig. 200.— The same hoof pro- 

 perly prepared. 



axes forms an obtuse angle (fig. 199). This renders it more 

 difficult for the load to be moved, and leads to disease of the 

 coronet joint through strain on the ligaments connecting the 

 suffraginis and coronet bones. Shortening the toe compensates 

 for this, and restores the foot to its proper position (fig. 200). 

 There is less injury to the joints when the heels are too high 

 (fig. 201, 6), because the back of the shoe is then worn away. 

 By shortening the toe or heel the fetlock and foot axes are 

 thus readily brought into line, as shown by fig. 201. 



It has been found that excessive lowering of the heels tends 

 to strain of the perforans tendon, while excessive height relieves 



