374 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



avoid placing too great a pressure on the teeth of its lower 

 third. This is done by keeping the hand too greatly de- 

 pressed. Again, this leads to wounding of the sensitive 

 structures (this time at the lower end of the incision), and 

 again the operator is confused by the blood thus allowed to 

 run into the groove. 



The only portion of horn difficult to operate on is that 

 immediately under the coronet. This is best severed with 

 a succession of downward movements, and is easier per- 

 formed with Smith's later pattern of side-bone saw (Fig. 145) 

 in which the set of the foremost teeth is reversed. 



In making these grooves we must say that we think the 

 use of the special saw may be dispensed with, and the 



Fig. 145. — Smith's Side-bone Saw (Improved Pattern). 



incisions just as easily, or, at any rate, just as successfully, 

 made with the knife. Those who select to use this instru- 

 ment should choose a narrow-topped and sharp searcher, or 

 a modern shaped drawing-knife of suitable size, such as 

 those depicted in Fig. 46, a and h, and they will find their 

 work much easier if they will make the first steps in the 

 incisions with an ordinary flat firing-iron. By the use of 

 the latter instrument the grooves are made conveniently 

 open along their tops, and room left for nicely finishing the 

 more delicate manner of removing with the knife the softer 

 horn near the sensitive structures. 



Those whose leaning is towards the use of special instru- 

 ments, but who, at the same time, do not care to use the 

 saw, will find their wants sujjplied in the hoof plane 



