54:0 DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



onet, or cause matter to form which will burrow between the wall 

 and the sensitive sole. 



The horse shows more or less lameness on the trot ; is aggra- 

 vated when driven over hard ground or trotted fast. If not inter- 

 fered with, the lameness continues for about three months, when the 

 gravel usually works through the coronet, making a small break in 

 the skin, after which the lameness disappears ; but should the mat- 

 ter be confined to the sole and surrounding parts, it is liable to 

 cause considerable disturbance and injury to the foot. 



When a horse shows lameness without any apparent cause, this 

 part should be carefully examined, 1. To discover if the sole is 

 broken at the point of the heel ; 2. By slight tapping against the 

 wall of the part with a small stone or hammer, to find if there is any 

 unusual sensibility ; 3. By resting the hand gently upon the part, to 

 see if there is any increased heat, which would of course point to 

 the seat oftrpuble. Sometimes gravel works into the sensitive part 

 in consequence of the sole being denuded to relieve a bruise or 

 corn. The point is to remove the cause of irritation. If much in- 

 flammation and pain, poultice ; this will lower inflammation, and aid 

 in soaking out and removing any foreign matter accumulated. 

 When this has. been done, .saturate a pledget of tow with tincture of 

 myrrh, or tar ointment, or Friar's balsam, and insert into the part, 

 covering* it completely. Next, fit a shoe so there Iwill be no pressure 

 upon this part, and nail on. It will usually be found necessary to 

 put on a bar shoe until the heel is grown down again and will bear 

 pressure. 



Bruise of thb Sole. 



The sole is liable to bruise from the shoe being improperly 

 seated, sometimes from sand or gravel being impacted in the web of 

 the shoe, or by "picking up" a stone, which, getting wedged in the 

 foot, bruises the sole. 



Symptoms. — Lameness first attracts attention to it ; in removing 

 the shoe, the sole is found tender, and the foot hot; on paring the 

 sole, it is found discolored at the bruised part. 



Treatment. — A few days' rest may be necessary, with the foot 

 immersed in a poultice, or stopped with some emollient dressing ; 

 and by using a leather sole or felt pads for a short time, it disappears. 



Treads, or Calks. 



Injuries to the coronet are very common, especially in the 

 Northern States during the winter months, when horses with sharp 

 calks are driven or worked on rough, icy roads or deep snow, par- 



