332 



DEFORMITIES AND DISEASES OF THE HOOF. 



what long. A leather sole is useful, and the frog should be 

 allowed to come to the ground. In all other cases, as when 

 the horn is of bad quality, or when corns, contraction, sand 

 crack, separation of the wall, etc., are present, bar shoes are 

 preferable. The bearing surface should be as large as possible, 

 so that the weight may be distributed over the entire foot. 

 The wall, white line, and outer margin of the sole should all 

 assist. Where the wall projects below the sole, the bearing 

 surface of the shoe may be given a slight cant inwards (fig. 

 322, h), but a horizontal bearing surface should be preferred 

 when the wall has grown down again. The toe-clip can be 





Fig. 322. — Transverse section through a flat-soled hoof with shoe. At a the wall is suffi- 

 ciently high and the surface of the shoe is therefore flat. At h the wall is not high 

 enough and the bearing surface of the shoe is therefore canted inwards. 



let into the foot almost as far as the white line without injury 

 — sometimes several clips are required ; the direction of the 

 nail holes must in all such hoofs be governed by the direction 

 of the wall. 



The space caused by separations in the wall may be filled 

 with tar or Venice turpentine. De Fay's hoof cement mass 

 should never be used, because as it hardens it acts like a 

 wedge, and causes further separation. Two quarter-clips may 

 be raised opposite the point of the frog, and will be found 

 very useful in retaining the shoe in position. To protect the 

 sole, it may be smeared with Venice turpentine, pitch, or soft 

 resin. Where the wall and frog are defective, a leather sole 

 can be applied. If, however, the frog is large, and projects 

 below the heels, the cross piece of the bar shoe may be allowed 

 to bear on it, or an ordinary flat shoe provided with low heels 

 may be applied. 



The condition just discussed may be still more aggravated. 

 The sole is then distinctly ' dropped ' or convex. This con- 

 dition may involve either one or both sides of the hoof ; in 



