86 
Contemporary Progress of Veterinary Science 
and Art. 
By John Gamgee, M.R.C.V.S., 
Lecturer on Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, London. 
( Continued from p. 51.) 
On the relative thickness of the Walls of the 
Hoofs of fore and hind Feet in the Horse, con- 
sidered in relation to Shoeing. — It is generally ac- 
cepted, says my friend, Mr. Meyer, that the difference be- 
tween the horny wall of a fore and hind foot is, that in the 
former the toe is strongest and the heels weakest, whereas the 
reverse holds good with hind feet, in which the toe is held to 
be the weakest part. Meyer finds that the toe is always the 
thickest part of the horny box; it is half a line or a little 
more, thicker in the fore feet than in the hind. The heels of 
the fore feet are a quarter to half a line thinner than those of 
the hind. If in the fore hoofs you compare the toe with the 
heels, the latter are from 1 to 1^ line thinner than the 
former, and if the hind feet are studied, the difference between 
the crust at the toe and heels is half a line less than in the 
fore. The difference then between the wall of a fore and 
hind foot resides in the proportion of their diminishing thick- 
nesses from toe to heels. This diminution in thickness bears 
a relation with the height of the crust ; hence, when the heels 
are low they are proportionally thinner. The heels of the 
hind feet are generally higher than those of the fore, and in 
these the sole is generally a little the strongest; this greater 
height of the heels depends on tfc$ upright position of the 
hind fetlocks and the deeper concavity of the sole. In spite 
of these facts, says Meyer, Grosz, of Stuttgart, and Fuchs, of 
Carlsruhe, both distinguished writers on farriery, have stated 
the contrary. 
Sometimes the inner quarter and heel are to be found weaker 
than the outer, but only in such cases where the former are 
more upright than the latter, or when the wall curls in on 
the inside, in which case it is always lower. Meyer asserts 
that in horses, whose movements and manner of standing are 
perfectly regular, the inner and outer portions of the crust 
take the same direction and are equally strong. When the 
standing is awkward, the weight of the body is unequally 
divided, the inner side of the hoof becoming upright and 
thin. 
