HORSESHOEING. 



67 



A hoof of the base-wide position (Fig. 67) is always awry, because 

 the outer wall is naturally somewhat longer and decidedly more 

 slanting than the inner (see 

 Figs. 55 and 56). The plan- 

 tar border of the outer wall 

 describes a large arc, whose 

 sharpest curvature is where 

 the side wall passes into the 

 quarter. The plantar body 

 of the inner wall is straighter 

 (less curved) ; the outer half 

 of the ground- surface (sole) 

 of the hoof is, therefore, 

 wider than the inner. So 

 long as the hoof is healthy, 

 both branches of the frog 

 are equally developed. The 

 wryness of the hoof depends 

 upon the direction of the 

 limb ; therefore, a base-wide 

 hoof should be regarded as 



a normally wry hoof to distinguish it from hoofs which are wry 

 from disease. 



A hoof of the toe-wide position (Fig. 68) is distinguished from 

 the preceding by the bending or curvature of the plantar border 

 of the outer toe and inner quarter being often decidedly less 

 pronounced than on the inner toe and outer quarter ; therefore, 

 two short curves and two long curves lie opposite each other ; in 

 other words, the inner toe and outer quarter, lying opposite each 

 other, are sharply curved, while the outer toe and inner quarter, 

 lying opposite each other, are much less sharply bent or curved. 

 The toes are turned out. The feet are not set down flat upon 

 the ground, but meet it with the outer toe. 



A hoof of the base-narrow position is normally wry, but never so 

 pronounced as a hoof of the base-wide position. The inner 



Eight fore-hoof of the regular position. 



