43 
ON SHOEING HORSES THAT STRIKE OR CUT. 
By Mr . Moorcroft. 
[The following Essay appeared in a veterinary periodical eight years ago. 
Its practical value will be a sufficient apology for our presenting it to our 
readers.] 
To prevent a horse from striking the foot or shoe against the 
opposite leg, by which it is often bruised and wounded, is an im- 
portant point, inasmuch as this accident occurs very frequently, 
and as it not only blemishes and disfigures the leg, but also en- 
dangers the safety of the rider. 
The parts struck in the hind leg are the inside of the fetlock 
joint and the coronet; in the fore leg, the inside of the fetlock 
joint and immediately under the knee; which latter is called the 
speedy cut, from its happening; only when a horse goes fast. 
Young horses when first backed generally cut their fore legs, 
though naturally they may be good goers. This arises from 
their placing the foot on the ground too much under the middle 
of the breast, in order the better to support the burthen to which 
they are unaccustomed ; but by degrees they acquire the method 
of balancing the weight with the foot in the same direction it 
would naturally have if they were without it. It may therefore 
be laid down as a rule with such horses, that until they regain 
their natural method of going, the edge of the inner quarter of 
the shoe should follow the exact outline of the crust, but should 
not be set within the crust, nor should the crust itself be reduced 
in thickness ; as both these practices tend to weaken the inner 
quarter, and to deform the hoof. And here it must be observed, 
that the outer edge of the shoe should in all cases of sound feet 
follow exactly the outer edge of the crust, except just at the heel, 
where it should project a little beyond the line of the hoof. 
Horses with narrow chests have their legs near together, and 
are apt to cut when they begin to tire ; and with these the prac- 
tice just mentioned should always be employed. Horses that 
turn their toes much outwards are, of all others, most subject to 
cut. It has been asserted that this defect also happens to those 
who turn them much inwards ; however, the author does not 
recollect to have met with a single instance of the kind in the 
course of his practice. In horses of the first description it has 
been long observed, that the inner quarters of the hoof were lower 
than the outer, and that the fetlock joints were nearer to each 
other than in horses whose feet pointed straight forwards. These 
two facts probably led to a conclusion, that if the inner quarters 
