168 DISEASES OP THE HORSE. 



little at the toe, with the ground surface of the wall well 

 cut away, and the sole and frog untouched. The art of 

 shoeing horses consists in fitting a shoe to the foot of a 

 horse, for the purpose of protecting, at the same time 

 not to injure it. 



Shoulder Lameness- — Is produced by a slip or side- 

 fall, and is frequent with horses in cities, with broad 

 rails laid on the streets for railroad purposes, and in wet 

 weather these rails are very slippy ; hence the horse has 

 no foot-hold, and the leg is stretched far out before the 

 animal, and the muscles of the shoulders, and in some 

 cases, the shoulder joint is involved, a much more serious 

 afi'air than simple shoulder sprain is the result. 



Shoulder Lameness is common to young horses when 

 ploughing in the furrow. 



Symptoms. — The absence of heat, tenderness, and 

 swelling in any other part of the leg or foot. Always 

 find out with certainty, where there is no lameness, and 

 the situation of lameness will very soon be apparent. 

 Negative and positive symptoms should always be well 

 considered before coming to a final conclusion, as by 

 doing so the situation or trouble is so narrowed down 

 that a mistake can scarcely occur. Shoulder lameness, 

 however, is known by the horse stepping longer with the 

 lame leg, and shorter with the sound one, and excepting 

 in very severe cases the horse will not only point the leg 

 out from the body, but carries it also to the side of the 

 body. Now in most sprains and diseases in the foot, the 

 leg will be pointed straight out without any side posi- 

 tion. Take the leg which is lame by the pastern, and 

 gently carry, or pull it straight out from the body of the 

 horse in front, and gently also to the outside, and if it 

 be shoulder lameness, the horse will not only show 



