FAULTS AND FADS IN SHOEING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 47

FAULTS AND FADS IN SHOEING.

The following 1 is. an unpublished article by the la-to Captain M. H. Hayes, but which subsequently appeared in the Live Stock Journal : —

The more common faults in the method of shoeing- horses are the following: — 1. The propei elope 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 anylowering process by the action of the shoe. 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 sdeg to lOdeg greater than that of the fore feet — a fact which we may observe if we- examine the feet of horses or ponies that do their work barefoot. The greater the slope the greater is the mechanical advantage under which the back tendons and suspensory ligaments act, aud the greater the effect of concussion, and -vicv versa. As concussion plays but a small part in the 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 sore and "stilty" in front. Although we may take 50des for the front hoof and 55deg for the "bind as about the proper slope, still, we must remember that individual feet vary a good deal as to their natural elope. 2. The relative heights of the inner and outer heels are not nroperly regulated. We frequently see with horses that turn cut their toes that the outer heel and outer quarter of the foot arc too high. lowering them we tend to bring the toe of the foot which has an oxitward twist into the line of progression, and oonsequentlv to save the inner ligaments of the fetlock from undue strain.

3. Seated shoes are often used. The excuse that forge owners must please their customers is the only one which I can find to palliate tffe 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 Pole. The best form of shoe, as has_ often tvtn remarked, is the very opposite to the seated one — namely, the '"hunting shoe," which is Sa.t on the foot surface and concave on the ground surface. The horse's hoof allows such a margin for "fads" that it forms an- endless sublet of discussion by persons who think they know a great deal about horses. Some of these faddists regard nails in horse-shoe-ing as necessary evils, while the fact remains that their presence is a great boon to the .ipimal 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 cau&ed by the nails. As i* is essential to the safety of the animal and to the retention of his full powers regarding ■speed that the periphery of the shoe sheuld not project beyond the ground surface of the foot, and that there should be no m-o-jecting surface on the wall, I fail to see any advantage to be derived 1 from a na'llDSs rb-oe, which could not be fixed on without some such contrivance.

A particularly "trying" faddist is the pseudo-scientific one, who will arguo 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 on horn is greatly increased. Another objectionable " crank " is the frog-pressure man, who insists that because the frog is the natural buffer of the foot it should bear all the weight under aitificial 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 learnt from -experience that the theory was false. An old authority advocates the use of thinheeled 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 would stand strain and wear, the profile of the foot was brought down to 40deg (instead of about 55deg 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 th© 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 lie who objects on humanitarian grounds tp hot shoeing, and inveighs on the enormity of applying heated iron to the horse's foot, as if horn were a living and not a. dead substance. We can all understand thai harm would pecrue from th© practice- of burning the foot down to an extent which would affect the sensitho structures; but this could not occur under the adoption of precautions that would not be beyond the capacity of 10 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 ?calp. Not alone do we obtain by hoi shooing exact contact between hoof and iron, but by chairing the ends of tbo horn fibre* \v<^ render them impervious to moisture, which inakej> the horn soft and pulpy, &