MANAGEMENT OF THE FEET. 199 



under the general denomination " thrush," are due to severe in- 

 ternal disease of the bones of the foot, and are not caused by mois- 

 ture at all. Still these are rare exceptions, and the ordinary thrush 

 of the stable may be considered as invariably caused in the latter 

 way. Cases are also occasionally to be met with, in which, from 

 general grossness of the system, the sensible- frog throws off part 

 of its horny covering, and secretes a foul matter instead. The 

 management of these diseased conditions comes within the province 

 of the veterinarian, and I shall therefore not enter upon its con- 

 sideration; but the prevention of the mere decomposition of the 

 external surface by moisture is a part of the duties of the groom, 

 and so is the application of the proper remedies for it, as soon as 

 the nature of the case is clearly made out. Here antiseptic astrin- 

 gents, which are quite out of place in inflammatory thrush, are the 

 only useful applications, and by their means alone can the decom- 

 position be stopped. Of these Sir W. Burnett's solution of chloride 

 of zinc is the best, but in mild cases, Condy's fluid, which is the 

 permanganate of potass, will answer well, and is not so poisonous 

 in its nature if carelessly left about. Friar's Balsam, with as much 

 of the sulphate of zinc dissolved in it as it will take up, is the old- 

 fashioned grooms' remedy for thrush, and a very good one it is if 

 carefully insinuated into the cleft of the frog on a piece of tow 

 wetted with it. The grand principle, however, is to prevent thrush 

 rather than to cure it, but when horses are bought, or come home 

 from grass with it, the curative method must be carried out. 



The removal of the shoes at regular intervals, whether they 

 are worn out or not, is a most important part of the duties of. the 

 groom. On examining the shape of the foot it will be seen that 

 the diameter of the circle in contact with the shoe is greater than 

 that of the coronet, and hence as the shoe is forced away from its 

 original position by the growth of the horn it confines the Avails 

 to the extent of the difference between the diameter of the foot at 

 its old position and that of the part which it now occupies. For 

 if two lines from the surface of the coronet on each side were 

 continued through the outside surface of the crust to the new seat 

 of the shoe, they would be far from parallel, and yet the shoe nails 

 must have been carried on in perfect parallel lines on account of 

 the unyielding nature of iron. For this reason a shoe, when it 

 has not been removed at the end of a month, will be found to lie 

 within the heel of one side or the other, by which to some extent 

 contraction is prevented, but at the expense of the heel, into 

 which the corresponding part of the shoe has entered. This is a 

 frequent cause of corns, and horses which have once been subject 

 to that disease should have their shoes removed once a fortnight. 



One of the most annoying accidents to the horseman is 

 the loss of a shoe, whether it happens in the hunting field or on 



