228 DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



Forging or Clicking. 



As this habit sometimes causes injury to the foot, and as it 

 may often be remedied by suitable shoeing ; it is not inappropriate 

 to consider it from a veterinary point of view, and not merely as 

 a riding or driving vice. 



DEFINITION. — Forging or clicking is the act done by the horse, 

 at the trot, when he strikes a fore shoe, or the ground surface of 

 its hoof, with the hind hoof or shoe of the same side (Fig. 76). 

 The term is usually applied to the noise thereby made. 



MANNER IN WHICH FORGING TAKES PLACE.— Generally, 

 one of the heels of the fore shoe is hit by the hind foot, as may be 

 proved by the fact that in the majority of cases, a horse which 

 forges will not be heard to do so, if he be shod in front with tips. 

 Also, when instances are noted of the hind hoof being injured by 

 the practice of this habit, it will be found that the front of the 

 hoof, at some spot intermediate between the ground surface and 

 coronet will become, more or less, deeply indented. In some cases, 

 the toe of the fore shoe, at its inner edge, is struck by the toe of 

 the hind shoe. 



CAUSES. — (1) Inability to lift U]} the fore foot quick enough to 

 remove it out of the way of the hind foot. This may be due to 

 an " uncollected " method of trotting, by which the horse throws 

 too much weight on the forehand, which he may do when going 

 either too slow, or too fast; to weakness; to fatigue; or to ill- 

 regulated shoeing. Conformation has a strong influence on the 

 liability of a trotter to forge or over-reach; the animals which 

 are most addicted to these forms of interfering being short in 

 the body as compared to their length of limb, and higher over the 

 croup than at the withers. In fact many of the best American 

 trotters are so liable to strike their fore feet with their hind ones, 

 tlijit they cannot be worked at fast paces without wearing boots 

 whicli are specially designed for the prevention of such injuries. 

 (2) A vicious habit acquired by the horse, who appears to obtain 

 amusement from hearing the " click, click " of his feet. 



REMEDIES. — (1) Preserve the proper slope of the fore feet, 

 by lowering the toes, or raising the heels, as the case may require. 

 This slope should, with ordinary shaped feet, be about 50^. 

 (2) Use tips. (3) If the horse hits the toe of the fore shoes, the use 

 of concave shoes Avill often stop the objectionable noise. (4) Have 



