DISEASES AND AILMENTS OF HOUSES, ETC. 



130 



Corns. — These occur in a horse generally in the Corns i" 



.. liorse H 



forefoot, in tho sensible sole, between what is called feet, symp- 

 the bar and tho quarters, or nearly luider tho heel 

 of tho shoe. They have been held to be unsound- 

 ness in a horse, and if thoy cause, or are likely to 

 cause, lameness, would bo so; but if a horse's corn 

 is carefully pared, before it is sent for sale, tho 

 corn will not affect the animal's action for many 

 days, and will not be soon discovered. If a horse 

 is suspected to have corns, the foot should be pared 

 in the heel or part mentioned, and if there is a 

 corn there, it will be seen by the redness of tho 

 horn, as if the blood was suffused. If the part is 

 pinched, as all smiths know how to try a horse's 

 feet, with a pair of pincers, the horse will at once 

 wince. From such a corn, a horse is likely to go 

 lame at any time. A red or bruised appearance 

 is not ah\-ays a corn ; a horse may tread on a sharp 

 stone and bruise his feet, and become lame for a 

 day or two, which will, however, go off, but the 

 redness remains for many weeks. An accident of 

 this kind is not at all unlikely to happen to a 

 young horse bought at a fan-, and should not be 

 confounded with corns or other permanent injury 

 to the sole of the foot. Corns may be cured, if 

 not of long standing, by great care in shoeing. 

 If a corn has developed into quitter, or gathering 

 and suppm'ation of tlie foot, it is not to be ciu'cd, 

 and renders the horse unsound for life. This is 

 sometimes called by grooms a "festering corn." 



