138 



Some practitioners, after paring the parts, simply fire the 

 wall by drawing a hot iron across the upper part of the 

 crack, so as to cut off the healthy parts above from the 

 unhealthy below. The iron should go rather deeper than 

 for ordinary firing, or nearly through the insensible sole. 

 After this three or four yards of waxed cord, or iron wire, is 

 bound lightly around the hoof, so as to hold the cracked 

 surfaces together, and then blistering the coronet twice a 

 month. A shoe so modeled as not to press upon the crust 

 under the crack will be found of great benefit in helping 

 forward the repair of this injury. The crack, if properly 

 treated, will in time recede from the coronet, and at length 

 totally disappear. 



INTERFERING, OVERREACH, TREAD, CALKING, &c. 



These names are usually applied to contused wounds of 

 the foot and leg, with loss of skin in many cases ; when this 

 occurs they are more properly called abraded injuries, or 

 wounds of the parts so affected. 



The foot'and leg of the horse are liable to these various 

 external injuries, most of which are inflicted by one limb 

 wounding the other. 



Interfering is said to take place when one foot strikes and 

 wounds the opposite fetlock ; they usually occur in young 

 and timid horses, with ill-formed legs. To remove the cause 

 of this injury a particular form of shoe is required to be 

 made by some horse-shoer who knows something of the 

 science of his business. The wound must be mildly dressed, 

 and a boot made to protect the part until it is healed. 



Speedy cut is an interference, only higher upon the legs, 

 and generally happens with fast-going horses when put 

 beyond their speed. In this case also a proper boot is 

 required to protect the part from further abrasion. 



Overreach is a wound or bruise produced on the heel of the 

 fore foot by the hind one while travelling at a fast rate, and 



