144 



DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



plane. It is a condition observed far more frequently in 

 fore than in hind limbs, and is seen in connection with 

 low heels, more or less obliquity of the wall, and a tendency 

 to contraction. The action of the animal with flat feet is 

 heavy, a result partly of the build of the foot, and partly 

 of the tenderness that soon comes on through the liability 

 of the sole to constant bruising. 



This figure represents the lower surface of a typical flat-foot. 

 It illustrates, too, the commencement of a condition we re- 

 ferred to in Section B of this chapter — namely, the com- 

 pression of the frog by the ingrowing heels (b) and bars (a). 



Causes. — Flat-foot is undoubtedly a congenital defect., 

 and is seen commonly in horses of a heavy, lymphatic type, 

 and especially in those bred and reared on low, marshy 

 lands. It is thus a common condition of the forefeet of 

 the Lincolnshire shire. 



As might be expected, a foot of this description is far 

 more prone to suffer from the effects of shoeing than is the 

 foot of normal shape, and regarded in this light shoeing 

 may be looked upon as, if not an actual cause, certainly a 

 means of aggravating the condition. Directly the shoe — 

 or at any rate the ordinary shoe — is applied, mischief 



