CONTRACTION I 33 



can bear no weight, and the mode of progression is 

 cJtianged. 



The treatment of founder is so difficult and its 

 results so serious for the poor animal, that apart 

 from pecuniary interests, it should only be entrusted 

 to a veterinarian, if one can be found. 



CHRONIC FOUNDER. 



Chronic founder is merely a conventional term, 

 adopted by farriers to express those changes which 

 take place in the foot of the horse in disease 

 brought on by bad shoeing or mismanagement in 

 some way or other. In fact, it is a word too 

 frequently used as a cloak by ignorant pretenders. 



CONTRACTION. 



To enable persons to judge of the perfect and 

 healthy state of the foot of a horse, they should 

 examine those feet of young horses in the natural 

 condition which have not been shod or worked in 

 any way. We have given a representation of the 

 sole of a sound foot (Plate vi, fig. 12). It will be 

 seen that it is very nearly circular, and is somewhat 

 widest towards the quarters ; the inner one is a very 

 little wider than the outer. This form, however, 

 seldom continues long ; for the foot increases in 

 length and gradually becomes narrow^ in the quarters, 

 more especially at the heel, when the frog becomes 

 contracted. The entire foot assumes a greater con- 

 cavity, and the heels become higher. To those 

 unacquainted with the different parts of the sole, 

 we refer to the above figure for their form. The 

 crust is represented at a a; the sole, b ; the bars, 

 c c ; the frog, d d. 



Contraction may exist without inducino- lameness ; 



