84 



HORSESHOEING. 



Fig. 85. 



rapid wear, and, indeed this levelling process is often rendered 

 impossible through- the welding of high steel calks to the shoe. 

 If this fault in trimming be repeated at the next and Subse- 

 quent 'shoeings, and if the faulty relation of the ground surface 

 of the hoof to the direction of the foot-axis remain during 

 several months, the portion of wall 

 left too high will grow more rapidly, 

 the walls will lose their natural 

 straight direction and become bent 

 If, for example, the outer wall has 

 been left too long during a consider- 

 able period of time, a crooked hoof 

 results (Fig. 85) in which the rings 

 are placed closer together upon the 

 low (concave) side than upon the 

 high (convex) side. If for a long 

 time the toe is excessively long, it 

 will become bent; or if this fault 

 affects excessively high quarters they 

 will contract either just under the coronary band or will curl 

 forward and inward at their lower borders. These examples are 

 sufficient to show both the importance of the manner in which a 

 horse places his foot to the ground and its influence upon the 

 loading, growth, and fonn of the hoof. 



Wear of the Shoe and of the Hoof upon the Shoe. 



The wear of the shoe is caused much less by the weight of 

 the animal's body than by the rubbing which takes place be- 

 tween the shoe and the earth whenever the foot is placed to the 

 ground and lifted. 



The wear of the shoe which occurs when the foot is placed 

 on the ground is termed " grounding wear," and that which 

 occurs while the foot is being lifted from the ground is termed 

 " swinging-off wear.'* When a horse travels normally, both 

 kinds of wear are nearly alike, but are very distinct when the 



Crooked (right) fore-hoof. 



