124 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



Excessive paring of the bars, to which we have already 

 partly alluded, is also an active agent in bringing about an 

 inward growth of the horn of the heels and quarters. The 

 bar, or inflexion of the wall at the heel, by means of its 

 close contact with the frog, communicates the outward 

 movements of that organ to the wall of the hoof. With the 

 bar removed, the outward movements of the frog under pres- 

 sure are naturally rendered of no account, and a proper anr 1 . 

 intermittent expansion of the wall denied it. The same evil 

 fellows, though to a less extent, excessive paring of the sole. 



The shape of the bearing surface of the shoe is often to 

 be blamed. (Where this is concave — ' seated ' — and the 

 ' seating ' is carried back to the heels, it is easy to see that, 

 when weight is on the foot, there is an ever-present ten- 

 dency for the bearing edge of the wall to slide down to- 

 wards the inner edge of the shoe. This tendency, operat- 

 ing on both the inner and outer wall simultaneously, must 

 strongly favour contraction. 



A further wrong practice is that of continuing the nail- 

 ing too far towards the heels. In our opinion this is not 

 now often met with. When it occurs its effect is, of course, 

 to prevent those movements of expansion of the wall which 

 we now know to be normal and most marked at the heels. 



It may be remarked of the build of the shoe, or of errors 

 in the preparation of the foot, that neither are of much 

 moment. Neither are they. But when one stays to con- 

 sider that errors of this description are practised not only 

 once, but each time the horse goes to the forge, and that 

 with some of them — those relating to the build of the shoe 

 — the injury thereby brought about is inflicted not only 

 once, but every day that particular shoe is worn, then it is 

 not to be wondered at that, sooner or later, ill consequences 

 more or less grave result. 



Prognosis. — This will depend to a very large extent upon 

 the conformation of the limb, and upon the previous dura- 

 tion of the contraction. Contraction of long standing, 

 where atrophy of the sub-lying, soft structures and the 

 pedal bone may be expected, will prove obstinate to treat- 



