LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 347 
ever a casc «.f contraction is submitted to us for treatment, will ba 
whether it be one of the pure or mixed description. If the former, 
the horse not therefore lame, and his feet be submitted to our in- 
spection simply from the apprehension of his becoming lame, and 
the contraction be on this account desired to be removed, the cimple 
and best means of doing so will be to substitute tips for the horse’s 
ordinary shoes, and to order that he stand with his contracted feet 
in cold water (or, what is better, in a bed of clay) for a couple of 
hours, once ur twice a day, he being allowed to lie down, as usual, 
at night. By suck. a simple plan of treatment as this will his hoofs, 
giving sufficiency of time for Nature to carry out her operations, 
become restored to their pristine condition.” 
The author’s method of treating contraction is, to soften the 
hoof by soaking it often in warm water; then open the heels by 
means of the drawing-knife; rasp the quarters of the hoof; then 
pare the foot, but do not touch the bars nor frog; then put on a 
light shoe, and use the animal, daily, at light work. It will be 
proper, also, to anoint the hoof, frog, and sole occasionally with 
@ portion of fish oil and spirits of turpentine, equal parts. This 
will soon soften the hoof, and render it elastic. 
HooF-BounpD. 
This term is usually applied to hoofs that appear to be dry, 
brittle, unyielding, and having the appearance of more or less 
contraction at the heels, The hoof, under such circumstances, 
“ pinches the foot,” as the saying is, or, rather, embraces the soft 
tissues too closely. The consequence is, pain, fever, lameness, and 
perhaps, finally, organic disease of the foot. The condition of the 
foot termed hoof-bound usually occurs in horses laboring under 
some predisposition to the same; that is to say, they have faulty 
feet, which fault may be either functional or structural, and thus 
the foot may be affected accordingly whenever the ordinary causes 
of disease are in operation. 
Causes.—The ordinary cr exciting causes of diseases of the feet 
are said to be faulty shoeing; allowing horses to stand on plank 
flours, or in any situation which is likely to pervert the function 
of the foot; sometimes the feet are very much neglected, and 
scarcely, if ever, make the acquaintance of sponge and water, and 
i} is very certain that uncleanliness has a bad effect upon the feet, 
