668 



SHOEING. 



CONTRACTION. 



I ain now entering upon what must be considered as practi- 

 cally new ground. There is nothing published by any author of 

 whom the writer has any knowledge, explaining reliably how to 

 cure contraction and quarter-crack. Indeed, the leading veteri- 

 nary surgeons of the country seem to be so much at sea in relation 

 to accomplishing this, that they do not pretend to give practical 



FIG. 487. Front view of sound, 

 healthy feet. 



FIG. 488. Side view of 

 sound feet. 



treatment. The treatment herein given is published for the first 

 time, and will be found as reliable and effective as it is simple. 



I give illustrations of the usual position assumed by horses suf- 

 fering from contraction, as well as appearance of feet and legs gen- 

 erally, in Figs. 489, 490, which have been drawn from life. The 

 contrast between such conditions and those of health, which are 

 also shown, are quite noticeable. By looking at Figs. 414, and 

 also 448 to 452, it will be seen that the arches formed by the 

 union of the bars and frog near the extreme of the heel, extend 

 well upward into the foot. Fig. 493 shows the outline of the hoof 

 in its natural condition. Fig. 494 shows the heels somewhat 



