THE FOOT 685 



Valuable as this nerve-supply is in keeping the animal informed 

 of the nature of the ground travelled over, yet it is not essential 

 to progress or safety. All sensory impulses may be cut off from 

 the feet without interfering with the safety of the animal. The 

 inner foot is acutely sensitive to touch, especially the vascular 

 tunics. The plantar cushion is nothing like so sensitive, although 

 Mettam has shown that it is liberally supplied with touch organs. 



Physiological Shoeing. — It is impossible to conclude this chapter 

 on the foot without some mention of what may be termed ■ physio- 

 logical shoeing.' By bearing in mind the functions of the various 

 parts of the foot, it is possible to reduce the evils connected with 

 shoeing to comparatively narrow limits. The following rules form 

 the basis of physiological shoeing : 



i. The reduction of the wall to its proper proportions, such as 

 would have occurred through friction had no shoe been worn. 



2. Fitting the shoe accurately to the outline of the foot, and not 

 rasping away the exterior of the crust to fit the shoe, since this not 

 only renders the horn brittle, but is so much loss of bearing surface. 



3. The exterior of the wall should be left intact. The practice of 

 rasping the wall for the sake of appearance destroys the horn, and 

 allows of such considerable evaporation from the surface of the foot 

 that the part becomes brittle. 



4. The sole should not be touched with the knife ; it cannot be 

 too thick, as it is there for the purpose of protection. 



5. The bars should not be cut away ; they are part of the wall, 

 and intended to carry weight. The shoe should rest on them. 



6. The foot-pad should not be cut, but left to attain its full growth. 

 No foot-pad can perform its functions unless on a level with the 

 ground surface of the shoe. 



7. The pattern of shoe is immaterial so long as it has a true and 

 level bearing, and rests on both the wall and bars. The simpler 

 the pattern of shoe, the better. 



8. The shoe should be secured with as few nails as its size admits. 

 No more nails should be used than are absolutely necessary, as 

 nails destroy the horn ; further, they should not be driven higher 

 than needful, for high nailing is ruinous to feet. 



Such, briefly, are the conditions which fulfil physiological shoeing. 

 The vicious and senseless practice of cutting away the horn of the 

 foot-pad and sole, and thinning the wall by rasping it, are the abuses 

 of shoeing, and are capable of control. The real physiological evil in 

 shoeing, and one which cannot be remedied, is driving nails into the 

 foot. 



Pathological. 



The diseases affecting the foot of the horse are numerous, and as 

 a rule serious ; they may be connected with the vascular supply, 

 with the bony foundation, with the cartilages and structures around 

 the coronet, with the joint, or with the external cover. Fracture 

 may occur from violence ; injuries arise from shoeing or foreign 

 bodies, and from self-inflicted accidents. Laminitis and Navicular 

 Disease have been previously touched upon in their physiological 

 bearing. Ossified Cartilages have been referred to in connection 

 with the lateral cartilages. Fistula of the Coronet is serious, owing 

 to its proximity to the pedal joint, and affecting non- vascular struc- 



