PREPARATION OF THE FOOT. 737 



the foot. Usually, a good deal of confusion exists in the application 

 of the terms " lowering the toe " and " shortening the toe,'' which, 

 in its correct acceptation, means reduction of the length of the 

 long axis of the hoof by vertical removal of horn at the toe. In 

 lowering the toe, the removal is effected horizontally. Approval, 

 in a general way, of the adage that we should fit the shoe to the 

 foot, and not the foot to the shoe, ought not to blind us to the 

 advantage to be obtained, in many cases, from increased leverage, 

 by shortening the toe ; that is, by placing the toe of the shoe 

 further back than the toe of the hoof, and then rasping off the 

 projecting portion of horn. This procedure is almost imperative 

 in the shoeing of the hind feet of hunters, which are generally 

 obliged to have the toes of their hind feet made " square," so as 

 to diminish the risk of over-reaching. After the reduction of horn 

 has been made, the weight-bearing surface of the wall and sole 

 should be perfectly flat. Any " thinning of the sole," " opening 

 out the heels," paring down the frog, or cutting away the bars, 

 should on no account be allowed ; beyond slightly easing off the 

 " seat of corn " with the drawing knife, so that the shoe may not 

 press on it, and removing any, loose portions of the frog in order 

 to prevent the lodgment of moisture, which would tend to rot the 

 frog. In lowering the wall and bars it is perhaps safest to restrict 

 the shoeing smith to the use of the rasp ; ■ although the drawing 

 knife will be required to cut away any loose or undermined 

 portions of the frog. Care should be taken that the heels and 

 quarters are kept level. If the heels are unnaturally low, 

 allowance should be made by the employment of thick-heeled 

 shoes. When the circumference of the hoof has at length been 

 brought to a condition to receive the shoe, the rasp must finish its 

 task by removing the sharp edge, and rounding it so as to leave a 

 thick strong border not likely to chip. The unshod hoof nearly 

 always exhibits this provision against the fracture of the wall- 

 fibres. When a horse goes bare-foot, even for a short time, this 

 should also be done. 



It was formerly a very common custom to mutilate the horse's 

 foot in various ways, with the erroneous view of causing the heels 

 to " open out," or to prevent them from contracting. An exami- 

 nation of the animal's foot shows us that the horn at the heels 

 is secreted by the membrane wrapped round the ends of the wings 

 of the pedal bone. Hence, it is impossible to really open out the 

 heels without first fracturing the pedal bone. The horny heels 

 imdoubtedly " wire in," if they are allowed to grow too long ; but 

 this is a mere temporary condition. The hoof is a " simple horny 

 box " which neither expands nor contracts, as these terms are 

 popularly understood. The foot, like all other structures, is, of 



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