FAULTY CONFOEMATION 153 



in this case long-continued, render the feet extremely pre- 

 disposed to canker. The horn is distinctly soft to the knife, 

 and has an appearance more or less greasy. Animals with 

 spongy feet are unfit for long journeys on hard roads. When 

 compelled to travel thus, the feet become hot and tender, and 

 lameness results. A mild form of laminitis, extending over 

 a period of three or four days, often follows on this enforced 

 travelling on a hard road, more especially in cases where the 

 animal is * heavy topped,' and the usual food of a highly 

 stimulating nature. In fact, it has been the author's experi- 

 ence to meet with this condition several times in the case 

 of shire stallions doing a long walk daily upon hard roads, 

 with the weather hot and dry. 



Treatment. — When a horse with spongy feet is shod for 

 the first time, care must be taken to avoid excessive paring 

 of the sole, for already the natural wear of the foot has 

 been sufficient to keep the soft horn in a state of thinness. 

 For the same reason hot fitting of the shoe must not be 

 indulged in for too long a time. That common malprac- 

 tice of the forge, ' opening up the heels,' must, in this case, 

 be especially guarded against, or the excessive paring of the 

 frog and partial removal of the bars that this operation 

 consists in will lay the foot open to risk of contraction. 

 To begin with, the heels are naturally weak, and, once the 

 bars are removed, there is nothing to prevent them rapidly 

 caving in towards the frog. Even when carefully shod, a 

 foot of this class is readily prone to contract directly the 

 animal is brought into the stable, and the horn commences 

 to dry to excess. An ordinary light shoe should be used, 

 and the nails should be light and thin. They should be 

 driven carefully home, and the ' clinching ' made as tight 

 and secure as possible. 



G. CLUB-FOOT. 



Definition. — Under this name we indicate all cases in 

 which the horn of the wall become straightened from above 

 to below. It will, therefore, include all conformations 

 varying from the so-called ' upright hoof,' in which the toe 



