368 MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING OF HORSES 



Care of the horse's feet. — Formerly much of the litera- 

 ture on the horse pertained to the anatomy and care of 

 the feet. The early writers recognized the very great 

 importance of the feet. At present more attention is 

 given to the general conformation and the general ap- 

 pearance, and the feet are being neglected, with the re- 

 sult that many of our breeds of horses have notably poor 

 feet. Because of the importance of the feet, they should 

 be carefully cared for throughout the active career of the 

 horse. Each evening after returning from work, as well 

 as in the morning before being sent out, the soles of the 

 feet should be carefully examined and all foreign ma- 

 terials removed. Frequently nails, stones and other 

 foreign materials are found driven into the sole, or col- 

 lected in the cleft along the frog. It is very essential 

 that all such materials be removed if the hoof is to remain 

 in a healthy condition. 



Some hoofs have a tendency to dry out, thus becoming 

 hard and brittle. Such hoofs should be packed with clay 

 mud and left on overnight. This will soften the wall of 

 the hoof and make it less likely to crack or break. For 

 this purpose some persons prefer oil or hoof ointment, 

 but the mud leaves the hoof in a better physical condi- 

 tion. Should the hoof become broken or worn in such 

 a way as to throw the foot out of line, it should be leveled 

 at once, otherwise the weight of the body will strain the 

 joints and cause deformity and disease. Further, when 

 the horse is closely confined to the stable the hoofs grow 

 out long and if not trimmed may deform the limb and 

 make traveling difficult. It is very important that such 

 feet receive proper attention and be trimmed with a rasp. 



Growth of the hoof. — We are often interested to know 

 the rate of growth of the hoof so that we may estimate 

 how long it will take an injury, such as a cleft, calk or 

 crack, to grow out. While the rate of growth is influ- 

 enced to some extent by the work, exercise, grooming, 

 moisture and food, yet the time required for the hoof to 



