148 
A. ZUNDEL. 
the design of which is to resist the return of the hoof which lias 
been dilated, to its former contracted condition. Ruinien had 
spoken of this shoe as early as 1618. It was put on, after the 
dilatation of the hoof with the farrier’s nippers, applied on each 
side of the quarter, the sole being entirely removed. In our days 
this operation of removing the sole is considered useless, and in¬ 
stead of the nippers of the farrier, dilators are used, under the 
name of spreaders (Desencasteleur). The oldest known form is 
that of Jarrier (fig. 14). This is composed of two curved 
Fig. 
14 . 
branches, 11 centimetres in length, articulated at one of their ex¬ 
tremities like the ordinary compass, at which point there is a 
screw of peculiar form by which the branches are closed or 
opened at will, the other extremity having a strong claw project¬ 
ing outwards. These claws are applied inside of the bars, towards 
the heels, which are previously thinned out, and by manipulating 
the screw the hoof is dilated to the extent desired. The shoe is 
then used like an ordinary one, both heels being armed with a 
clip on the internal border, the clips resting on the heels of the 
foot, which have been first opened with the drawing knife. This 
mode of treatment proved successful with Lafosse and others 
who experimented with it at the Saumur school. Under various 
experiments, the Desencasteleur has changed its form. Thus, 
Lafosse has arranged the two branches to run separately upon a 
transversal rod like an ordinary vice, in which form the branches 
are shorter, and more power is obtained (tig. 15). There are 
