ARTISTIC HORSE-SHOEINa. 37 



TO SHOE A KNEE-SPRUNG HORSE OR A KNUCKLER. 



The difficulties above mentioned are broiig"ht on by using* 

 too sliort shoes. They ma^^ also be produced in other 

 ways. I think many horse owners contribute to bring* 

 about these troubles by permitting the shoes to remain on 

 too long. Some people will never get a horse shod until 

 the shoes drop off, on account of the expense. It thus 

 happens that in many cases the shoes remain on the feet, 

 six, eight or twelve weeks. Of course the foot grows out 

 long and in climbing over this long toe with a large toe- 

 calk on the shoe the horse strains the cords and tendons of 

 the leg and when 3^ou stop him he will '^ go over a little " 

 as it is termed. A horse does this to ease the strain on the 

 cords of his leg and he will keep doing it more and more as 

 long as the trouble exists. After a while the cords con- 

 tract, and, failing to resume their natural position the 

 horse is knee-sprung or knuckled. It is very hard to cure 

 a knee-sprung horse, but they can be helped very much. I 

 dress the foot perfectly level as in all other cases and make 

 a good long shoe, one that will run out behind the foot say 

 one or two inches. Put on a small heel-calk with no 

 toe-calks. Nearly all horse owners when the}^ think a 

 horse's legs are strained use some strong liniment or a 

 blister. In all cases of this sort there is a great deal 

 of fever in the legs ard we want to take out the fever, 

 not put on something- that will create more. Further 

 along in this work a recipe Avill be found for a prepara- 

 tion for sprains, soreness of the tendons or any enlarge- 

 jnent of the leg", 



