FAULTS AND FADS IN SHOEING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1726, 29 March 1905, Page 62

FAULTS AND FADS IN SHOEING

The following is an unpublished article by the late Captain M. 11. Hayes, which appeared in the “Live Stock Journal''’ of December 2nd:

The raoße common faults in the method of shooing horses are the following:1. The proper slope of the foot is not preserved. As the shoe is not fixed at the heels, those parts are liable to wear, while the toe of the hoof is not subjected to any lowering process by the action of the shoo. Hence, the slope of the feet will, as a rule, be too little. It is necessary to bear in mind that the slope of the hind feet is from 5 degrees to 10 degrees greater I ban that of tho fore feet-—a fact which wo may observe if we examine the feet of hpr.-cs or ponies that do their work bai cioot. The greater the slope i ho greatee is ihc mechanical advantage under Vvliicl] the back tendons aud suspensory ligiuii'-nts act, and I he- greater the effect or concussion, and vice versa. .As concussion plays bill a small part ill tho

infliction of injuries on the hind limbs, we very safely give a degree of slope to the hind feet that, if applied to the fore feet, would quickly make the animal Bore and “stilty” in front. Although we may take 50 degrees for the front hoof and 55 degrees for the hind as about the proper slope, still, we must remember that individual feet vary ,a good deal as to their natural slope. 2. The relative heights of the inner and outer heels are not properly regulated. TVe frequently see with horses that turn out their toes that the outer heel and outer quarter of the foot are too high. By lowering them we tend to bring the toe of the foot which has an outward twist into the line of progression, and consequently to save the inner ligaments of the fetlock from undue strain. 8. Seated shoes are often used. The excuse that forge owners must please their customers is the only one which I can find to palliate the ignorant error of using "seated” shoes, which throw the bearing of the foot on to the wall, instead of, as it should be, distributing it also on the sole. The best form of shoe, as has often been remarked, is the very opposite to the seated one, namely, the “hunting shoe,” which is flat on the foot surface and concave on the ground surface.

The horse's hoof allows such a margin for "fads,” that it forms such an endless subject of discussion by persons who think they know a great deal about horses. Some of these faddists regard nails in horse-shoeing as necessary evils, while the fact remains that their presence is a great boon to the animal which has to walk on iron. Nailless shoes would have to partake, more or less, of the character of sandals, and could not be attached so that there would be no movement between the foot and shoe without more injury to the wall of the foot than would be caused by the nails. As it is essential to the safety of the animal and to the retention of his full powers regarding speed that the periphery of the shoe should not project beyond the ground surface of the foot, and that there should be no projecting surface on the wall, 1 fail to see any advantage to be derived from a nailless shoe, which could not be fixed on without some such contrivances. A particularly "trying” faddist is the pseuao-scientific one, who will argue about the natural exfoliation of the horn of the sole, and reprehend any attempt at removing flakes or loose ends of horn. Such men forget, or more probably do not know, that the action of moisture is inimical to the well-being of horn, and that if the soft crumbling horn and exfoliating flakes of the over-long sole and any loose or undermined portions of the frog be retained, they will form a ready means for the retention of moisture and dirt. When the absorbed and collected moisture is impregnated with ammonia, its destructive effect ou h<Aa is greatly increased.

Another objectionable “crank” is the frog-pressure man, tvho insists that because the frog is the natural buffer of the foot, it should bear all the weight under artificial conditions. This idea, entertained many years ago by one of our chief veterinary surgeons, was the cause of a large number of horses in this country getting sprained back tendons, until their owners learned from experience that the theory was false. An old authority advooates the use of thin-heeled shoes so as to obtain the desired frog pressure. Hence, as the toes of the shoes had to be made thick in order that they wolild stand strain and wear, the profile of the foot was brought down to 40 degrees (instead of about 55 degrees as it ought to be), and accordingly the back tendons were forced to work at a serious mechanical disadvantage. Under artificial conditions we must not overlook the fact that with horses we often have only a choice of two evils. Here was a case of deficient frog-pressure or sprained tendons; the choice of the greater evil did not reflect credit on the wisdom of the theorist. A particularly rabid faddist is be who objects on humanitarian grounds to hot shoeing, and inveighs on the enormity of applying heated iron to the horse's foot, as if horn was a living and not a dead substance. We can all understand that barm would accrue from the practice of burning the foot down to an extent Avhich would affect the sensitive structures; but this could not occur under the adoption of precautions that Avould not be beyond the capacity of ten years of age. As well might we say that a barber ought never to singe our hair, because it might be possible, in so doing, for him to burn our scalp. Not alone do we obtain by hot shoeing exact contact between hoof and iron, but by charring the ends of the horn fibres we render them impervious to moisture, which makes the horn soft and pulpy.