138 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



applied, and a hoof with heels of a wider pattern com- 

 mences to grow down from the coronet. Two to three 

 months' rest is necessary before the animal can again be 

 put to work.* 



(b) Thinning the Wall in the Re<iion of the Toe, — This is 

 done with the idea that the tendency of the heels to expand 

 under pressure of the body-weight is helped by the thinned 

 portion at the toe allowing the heels to more readily open 

 behind. Seeing that in the case of toe sand-crack the 

 converse is argued — that contraction of the heels readily 

 takes place and forces the sand-crack wider open — it is 

 doubtful whether this method is of any utility in treating 

 contracted heels. 



(c) Grooving the Wall Vertically or Horizontally, and 

 Shoeing with a Bar Shoe. — Marking the wall with a series 

 of grooves, each running in a more or less vertical direc- 

 tion, was suggested to English veterinarians by Smith's 

 operation for side-bones. 



The manner of making the grooves, and the instruments 

 necessary, will be found fully described in Section C of 

 Chapter X. 



That the method is followed by satisfactory results the 

 undermentioned case will show : 



' A mare, which I have had in my possession since she 

 was a foal, has always had contracted feet, which were also 

 unnaturally small. . . . Lately the mare has been going 

 very " short," and at length her action was quite crippled. 

 At times she was decidedly lame on the off fore-foot. At 

 no time have I been able to detect any sign of structural 

 disease. I thereupon concluded that the lameness was due 

 to mechanical pressure on the sensitive structures, and I 

 determined to try the effects of the above treatment. As 

 this was my first experience of the process, I was careful to 

 carry it out in all its details, as described by Professor 

 Smith. After the bar shoes had been put on, the mare 

 was very lame. I allowed her two days' rest, then com- 



* This is the treatment strongly advocated by A. A. Holcombe. 

 D.V.S., Inspector, Bureau of Animal Industry, U.S.A. 



