FARRIERY. 
260 
The bog fpavin does not fo often occafion lamenefs as 
the preceding, except when a horfe isnvorked hard, which 
generally caufes a temporiry lamenefs, eafily removeable 
by reft ; but it does not often admit of a radical core ; 
for, though it is frequently removed by two or three 
blifters, it is apt to return w henever the horfe is made to 
perform any confiderable exertion. Tying up the vein 
w hich paffes over the infide of the hock has been confi- 
dered the moft effectual remedy, from a fuppofition that 
the lamenefs depended on an enlargement of that veffel ; 
this operation, however, cannot be necefTary, fince it has 
been proved that the enlargement of the vein is always 
an jfcil, and not a caufc y of the difeafe. 
Curb.—T his is a fwelling on the back part of the 
h.ock, which fometimes occalions lamenefs. Bliftering 
and reft are the only remedies ; it is frequently neceffary, 
however, to apply two or three blifters before the fwel- 
Iing is perfectly reduced. 
DISEASES OF THE FOOT. 
The importance of found and healthy feet in the horfe, 
has been already (hewn in the anatomical department of 
this article ; it therefore only remains in this place to (hue 
the difeafes incident to thofe parts, and offer the moft ap¬ 
proved modes of cure. The moft frequent can fe of lame¬ 
nefs in the foot is, a contraction of the horny matter that 
compofes the hoof, generally accompanied with an increaf- 
ed concavity and thicknefs of the foie. The cavity of 
the hoof being thus diminifhed, the fenfible foot fuffers a 
greater or lefs degree of compreflion, which occafions in¬ 
flammation. When the bottom of a contracted foot is 
attentively examined, inftead of being circular, it will be 
found more or lefs of an oblong form, the heels and frog 
appearing as if fqueezed together. Sometimes the frog 
becomes rotten, and difeharges an offenlive matter. The 
fenfible foot may alfo be comprefled and inflamed by an 
increafed thicknefs, and a confequent K fs of elafticity in 
the hoof and foie, and in this cafe there is feldom any con¬ 
fiderable alteration obferved in the external form of the 
foot, though lamenefs enfues. 
In attempting to cure this difeafe, the firft ftep to be 
taken is to remove carefully with a knife all the rotten 
parts of the frog, and apply tar to thofe which are found : 
a fmall quantity fliould alfo be poured into the cleft of 
the frog ; this will promote the Accretion of horny matter, 
and if aflifted by preflure, will increafe the folidityof that 
which is already formed. The quarters and heels are 
then to be rafped, particularly at the coronet, and the 
fuperfluous parts of the foie removed with a butterisand 
drawing knife. The toe fliould be (hortened as much as 
can conveniently be done, and if the heels are too high, 
that is, if the cruft at the heels is too deep, it will be ne- 
ceflary to reduce it with the butteris and rafp. It fre¬ 
quently happens, however, in feet of this defeription, 
that the heels are too low ; in fuch cafes they mull be 
carefully preferved, and when a fhoe is applied, it fliould 
be made thicker at the heel than at the toe, and fome 
what longer than that recommended in the Farriery 
Plate XI. fora found foot. 
When the contracted hoof has been thus treated, the 
next thing is to keep the foot as nioift as poflible, and 
expofe die frog conftantly to preflure, either by means of 
Mr. Coleman’s artificial frog, or by reducing the cruft 
at the heels. When thefe remedies have been perfevered 
in for a (hort time, the frog will have acquired a certain 
degree of hardnefs and fulidity ; it will then be proper 
to turn the horfe out into fome (oft pafture, without 
flioes, taking care that the bottom of the foot be occa- 
lionally reduced, fo that the frog may recover its true 
natural (fate. If the foot, after a fliort period, be ex¬ 
amined, it will be found that all the new-formed hoof at 
the quarters and heels, that is, all the horn that lias been 
produced at thofe parts fince (he remedies were firft em¬ 
ployed, inftead of growing down nearly in a perpendicular 
direction, or obliquely inward, is forced outward in its 
defeent, fo that the cavity of the hoof will be confidera¬ 
bly enlarged, and the compreflion of the internal parts 
removed. When the horfe has been at grafs a ftifficient 
time for the new hoof to grow completely down, the 
fhape cf the foot will be found much altered ; the heels, 
inftead of being narrow, will be open and expanded, the 
frog confiderably widened, and the oblong form of the 
foot wi'l be changed to one that is nearly circular. In 
(hurt, when the frog during this time has been fufliciently 
expofed to preflure, and the quarters fo rafped as to be 
rendered fufliciently flexible, the hoof will be found very 
fimilar in its form to that of an unftiod and unbroken colt. 
In cafes where a contraction of the hoof has already 
produced inflammation and lamenefs, particularly if the 
lamenefs is not recent, it will be advifeable to blifter the 
patterns previous to turning the horfe out, and when the 
inflammation is very confiderable, a laxative ball, with a 
cooling diet, might he ferviceable. The cruel operation 
of drawing the hole lias been recommended as a remedy' 
for contracted feet, bur very little reflection will convince 
any one of its inefticacy ; wherever it has been fuppofed 
to do good, the benefir has probably arifen from the long 
run at grafs that muft follow after it; and then the ad¬ 
vantage might have been equal, perhaps greater, had the 
operation been omitted. It has been already obferved, 
that in eontrafted hoofs there is generally an increafed 
concavity in the (ole, whence we may reafonably conclude 
that it oppofes the contracting caufes ; though in the end 
it might not be capable, unaflifted, of preventing the con¬ 
traction from taking place. When the lamenefs is not fo 
confiderable as to render the horfe totally unfit for work, 
or where the heels remain long tender, it will be advifeable 
to apply the bar-fhoe, delineated in the Farriery Plate XI. 
fig. 11. It will alfo be ufeful to keep the hoof as moilt 
as poflible, by making the horfe ftand in wet clay three 
or four hours after work each day. 
In examining the feet of horfes after death, that have 
been thus difeafed, we find generally that the laminae 
have been deftroyed, the form of the coffin-bone altered, 
and its fize diminiffied, or the lateral cartilages offified ; 
in fome cafes, however, no appearance of difeafe can be 
perceived in the internal parts of the foot. When the 
difeafe has gone fo far as to injure the laminae, cartilages, 
or coffin-bone, there is not a pofliAenlity of removing it, 
which (hews how neceffary it is to attend to the feet of 
horfes much more than is commonly done ; for, of what 
value is a fine horfe without a foot to ftand upon > 
Foot Foundered, or down below. —Foundered 
horfes are known by a general ffiffnefs of the fore-extre¬ 
mity, attended with an acute pain of the joints, ligaments, 
and mufcles, connefted with it. The pain which the ani¬ 
mal fuffers on moving the joints, obliges him to keep the 
flexor mufcles in a conftant relaxed ftate-. which pofition 
ultimately produces an entire debility and ffiffnefs of every 
joint which compofes the fore extremity. It the horfe 
has been neglected, or the difeafe fo rapid in its progrefs 
that it cannot be removed, the fymptoms will increafe fo 
faff, that in a very little time we may obferve the enti- 
cular veins become turgid and varicofe, fimilar to the 
lymphatic enlargement in farcy. In this ftate, exercife 
confiderably increafes the pain and violence of the fymp¬ 
toms, the afiimal falls off his food, his health becomes 
impaired, and a general decay of the whole limb, parti¬ 
cularly obfervable in the extenfor mufcles of the fare arm, 
foon renders the animal,ufelefs and dangerous to ride 
It is uncommon for this difeafe to attack one leg only; 
becaufe, if a horfe labours a long time under the painful 
lamenefs of a comradfed foot, (lie other becomes difeafed, 
in confequence of the continual and violent exertions to 
which the animal is expoled, iivorder to ea(e the difeafed 
fide. The fymptoms are very eafy to be known, for the 
horfe cannot walk on firft coming out of the (table; but 
exercife feems to afford temporary relief, becaufe it in. 
1 creafes 
