SHOEING. 
133 
in or pushed forward tinder the foot. Therefore the prevention 
and cure of contraction must depend upon removing excess of 
horn, frog pressure and freedom of the quarters, or if necessary 
opening them mechanically as desired and upon moisture. If 
the feet could have conditions that would afford natural moisture, 
and the shoes made so thin that the frog and the sole could have 
reasonable contact with the ground, the quarters so free that 
they could expand with the growth of the foot, there would be 
little if any contraction. We see that in all cases where there is 
reasonable frog pressure, it becomes larger, firmer and more elas¬ 
tic, while raising the frog from the ground or contact causes it to 
become small and hard, the quarters to draw in and the whole foot 
to diminish more or less in size ; if there is but little contraction, 
with fairly good condition of the feet, all that is necessary to do 
is to level down the foot, remove any surplus of horn from the 
sole and put on tips and keep the feet soft by moisture. But for 
a bad condition of contraction more direct and positive treat¬ 
ment will be necessary. If the frog is small and the sole forced 
upward, the whole internal structure locked and tied, as it were, 
by severe compression of the wall, three conditions are neces- 
sarv: 
j 
1. Complete elasticity of the quarters and sole. 
2. To open the quarters so as to relieve pressure and allow 
the sole to settle back to its natural position. 
3. Gradual frog pressure. 
The first important step is to thoroughly soften the feet. 
This being accomplished, an ordinary shoe or tip properly ad¬ 
justed will soon remedy the defect. In shoeing for quarter cracks, 
give entire freedom to the affected quarter by cutting down be¬ 
tween the bar and frog and remove all loose parts; use a bar 
shoe and see that there is no pressure on the affected quarter, 
then blister the crown or apply some stimulating liniment or 
hoof ointment. 
For corns, remove the horn or part of the shoe so that there 
will be no pressure on the affected parts. In severe cases use 
a bar shoe or tip. With sore and tender feet, great care should 
