A. Lungwitz

“ On a shoe we distinguish an outer and an inner branch. The anterior portion, formed by the union of the two branches, is called the toe. The upper surface, upon which the hoof rests, is called the hoof-surface, and the under surface, which is in contact with the ground, the ground-surface. That portion of the hoof-surface which is in direct contact with the lower border of the wall, the white line, and a narrow margin of the sole is termed the bearing-surface, and when necessary “concaving” (seating) extends from this to the inner border of the shoe. ”

“ The external layer, or epidermis, is composed merely of single flattened, horn-like cells (scales) lying side by side and over one another, and uniting to form one entire structure,—a thin, horn-like layer, without blood-vessels or nerves. It extends over the entire surface of the body, and protects the underlying, very sensitive middle layer from external influences. The oldest cell-layers lie on the outer surface, and are being continuously brushed off in patches or scales, while new ones are constantly being formed on the outer surface of the middle layer. ”

“ Inertia increases with the weight. A heavy shoe cannot be snatched from the ground as quickly as a light one, but when moving forward at a given velocity its greater momentum (momentum = mass (wt) × velocity: m = wt × v) carries the foot farther forward then does the lighter shoe. Thus, the heavier shoe, or weight attached to the hoof, lengthens the stride at both ends. The farther from the centre of rotation of the scapula the weight is placed, i.e., the nearer to the toe it is placed, the greater the muscular effort required to start it and to stop it. ”

“ The scope of horseshoeing is by no means so narrow and insignificant as it may appear, and since a knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the horse’s body in general, and of the foot in particular, is necessary, it is evident that the schools of horseshoeing in which one can get the best instruction are those in which there is not only a [Pg 15] regularly graded course of instruction, with demonstrations upon dissected material and upon living horses, but also an abundance of daily work at the forge and on the floor in the shoeing of horses. ”

“ Forging is that defect of the horse’s gait by reason of which, at a trot, he strikes the ends of the branches or the under surface of the front shoe with the toe of the hind shoe or hoof of the same side. Forging in a pacer is termed “cross-firing” and consists in striking the inner quarter, or the under surface of the inner branch of a front shoe with the toe of the diagonal hind shoe or hoof.
Forging is unpleasant to hear and dangerous to the horse. It is liable to wound the heels of the forefeet, damages the toes or the coronet of the hind hoofs, and often pulls off the front shoes. ”

“ Besides good, tough iron for the shoe, we need an anvil with a round horn and a small hole at one end, a round-headed turning-hammer, a round sledge, a stamping hammer, a pritchel of good steel, and, if a fullered shoe is to be made, a round fuller. Bodily activity and, above all else, a good eye for measurement are not only desirable, but necessary. A shoe should be made thoughtfully, but yet quickly enough to make the most of the heat. ”

“ Every articulation in the limbs possesses a capsular ligament, and all, except the shoulder-joint, have several funicular (cord-like) ligaments. The capsular ligaments are lined upon their inner face with a delicate membrane (synovial membrane) which secretes the synovia, or “joint-water,” whose function is to lubricate the joint and prevent friction; they enclose the joint in a sort of air-tight cuff or sack. The funicular ligaments are very strong [Pg 22] and often large, and are the chief means of union of the bones. ”

“ The position of a limb depends upon the varying lengths of its component bones and the angles at which they meet one another. To judge the standing position of a fore-limb one must stand in front of the horse; to judge a hind limb, stand behind the horse; the backward or forward deviations of both front and hind limbs are judged by standing at the side. But a horse does not always move as his standing position would lead one to suspect; standing and moving are different. ”

“ This is that act of horseshoeing by which the shoe is fastened to the hoof by special nails called hoof-nails or horseshoe-nails, which are driven through the shoe and horny wall.
At present there are hand-made and machine-made horseshoe-nails. Both kinds should be made of the best wrought iron. The nails must be slender, wedge-shaped, and twice as wide as they are thick. Thickness and length must be in proper relation to each other. We should never choose a nail which is longer than is absolutely necessary to hold the shoe; six to eight sizes are sufficient for all purposes. ”

“ In many cases one will find that the width that has been advised for the outer branch of the shoe at the quarter is not sufficient. Indeed, if a horse has wry feet, and there is unequal distribution of weight within the hoof, and we attempt in shoeing it to follow to the letter the directions given on preceding pages, we would be apt to favor the perpetuation of the defect. In such cases the slant of the wall at the quarters is of the greatest practical value to us in estimating the proper width for the shoe at this point. ”

“ When treatment is not promptly begun the inflammation extends to the deeper layers of the pododerm, or, indeed, even to the plantar cushion, and gives rise to swelling of the bulb of the heel upon that side and to a well-marked lameness, which requires treatment by a competent veterinarian.
Ordinarily a bar-crack is only found by a close examination of the hoof after the shoe has been removed. In paring the hoof the crack usually appears as a dark streak, sometimes as a bloody fissure; not infrequently grayish hoof-pus is discovered in the depths of the crack. ”

“ Vessels which carry blood from the heart to the tissues are called arteries, while those which return the blood to the heart from the tissues are called veins. Arteries and veins are connected by very small, thread-like vessels called capillaries, which originate in the smallest arteries and are so minute that they can not be seen without the aid of a microscope. The capillaries penetrate the soft tissues in every direction, and finally unite to form small veins. For our purpose we need consider only the arteries and veins. ”

“ On both trotting and pacing shoes the heel-calks should be low and sharp and should run straight forward so as not to retard the forward glide of the foot as it is set to earth heel first. The heel-calk serves chiefly to prevent the lateral twist of the foot as the horse takes the sharp turns of the track.
Freak shoes, toe-weights, side-weights, excessive length of hoof or toe, and other unscientific appliances and methods of shoeing speed horses are being gradually eliminated, and today the fastest are dressed and shod in accordance with the principles enunciated in this book. ”

“ If the shoer, for example, wishes to raise the left fore foot for inspection, he stands on the left side facing the animal, speaks quietly to him, places the palm of the right hand flat upon the animal’s shoulder, and, at the same time, with the left hand strokes the limb downward to the cannon and seizes the cannon from in front. With the right hand he now gently presses the horse towards the opposite side, and the foot becoming loose as the weight is shifted upon the other leg, he lifts it from the ground. ”

“ If the cause of lameness be found to be a penetrating nail, piece of glass, or other pointed foreign body, it must be carefully drawn out, in doing which we should remove the entire object, not allowing pieces to break off and remain in the wound. Since it is always important to know in what direction and how deep the foreign body has penetrated, in order to be able to estimate the gravity of the wound, it is advisable in all cases to preserve the penetrating body, that it may be shown to the veterinarian, in case his services are required. ”

“ By this name we designate a peculiar inflammation of the pododerm at the toe. It arises suddenly in well-nourished and apparently healthy horses, following excessive work or long-continued rest in the stable, and frequently leads to a decided change of form of the hoof.
The disease is always accompanied with intense pain. It most often affects both front feet, more rarely all four feet, or only one foot. In the first case the two front feet are planted far in advance of the body, and the hind feet well forward under the belly. ”

“ The extensor and flexor tendons essentially contribute to the strong union of the phalangeal bones, and especially to the support and stability of the fetlock-joint. The gliding of the tendons is made easy by the secretion of a lubricating fluid, called synovia, from the inner surface of the sheaths which surround them. In thin-skinned well-bred horses with sound limbs one can not only distinctly feel the tendons through the skin, but can see their outline. ”

“ When the momentum of a foot moving rapidly and abruptly upward is increased by weight the result is extreme and even exaggerated flexion of all joints of the leg, and by allowing the hoof to grow long the flexion is still further increased. In the show ring, harness horses with fair natural action may be made to “climb” by shoes weighing from thirty to sixty ounces upon hoofs an inch or more longer than normal. The leverage of a heavy shoe on a long hoof is excessive, fatiguing and most injurious to ligament, tendon and muscle. ”

“ They assist in widening the hoof, and lessen shock when the foot is set to the ground. These are all matters which favor the growing down of unbroken horn.
When the crack gaps widely, and the frog is small and deep in the foot a shoe with bar-clips (Defay’s shoe) , or a Chadwick spring, with bar-shoe and leather sole may be used. It is not impossible, indeed, to obtain a cure by using an ordinary open flat shoe, though much will depend upon the other lesions that may be present, the nature of the hoof, and the service required of the animal. ”

“ The causes, aside from too little exercise, are chiefly errors in shoeing, such as weakening the posterior half of the hoof, leaving too long a toe, either neglecting to remove the spurs of horn which grow from the buttresses and press upon the frog, or removing them incompletely, and using shoes whose branches are either too wide apart or are inclined downward and inward, so that under the weight of the body the heels are squeezed together and contraction is favored. ”