CHAPTER III. 



DEFECTS OF THE HOOF. 



A. Changes of Form. 



1. The Flat and the Full Hoof (Dropped Sole). 

 (a) Flat Hoof. — A flat hoof is one whose toe and side walls 

 are iTiclined very obliquely to the ground surface, and whose sole 

 is on a level with the bearing-surface of the wall. 



It exists most often in horses bred in low-lying, marshy coun- 

 tries. 



Frequently the frog is fleshy, and projects considerably beyond 

 the level of the wall. The branches of the sole sink perceptibly 

 under the weight of the body, much more than in better-formed 

 hoofs. 



Preparing the Hoof fmr the Shoe. — The rule is to spare the 

 plantar surface of the foot. After removing from the sole what 



little loose horn there may be, 

 level the usually deficient bear- 

 ing-surface of the wall with the 

 rasp. The outer border of 

 the wall, especially at the toe, 

 should be rounded off rather 

 more strongly than usual, be- 

 cause the toe requires and will 

 Cross-section of a shod flat foot: a, sufficiently bear Considerable shortening. 

 tt^^i:X°Lrl:^'C^:ZZ outward bendmgs of the lower 



Pig. 129. 



iieight of bearing-edge of wall, and therefore 

 a corresponding downward and inward incli- 

 nation of the bearing-surface of the shoe. 



border of the wall should be 

 removed as far as it is prac- 

 ticable to do so. 

 The shoe, which should be rather wider in the web and thicker 

 than usual, should have its bearing-surface shaped to correspond 

 146 



