CHAPTER X

HOW TO SHOE A KNEESPRUNG OR KNUCKLER

KNEESPRUNG is the result of disease that sometimes is brought about by bad shoei
ng. In a healthy leg the center of gravity is down through the center of the leg
and out at the heels. This is changed in a case of kneesprung legs, giving the
legs a bowed appearance. This trouble always comes on gradually; in some cases i
t will stop and never get worse, while in others it will keep on until it render
s the horse useless. A horse with straight legs will sleep standing, but a knuck
ler cannot; he will fall as soon as he goes to sleep, on account of the center o
f gravity being thrown on a line forward of the suspensory ligaments. The cause
of this trouble is sprain or injury to the back tendons of the legs; soreness of
the feet, shins or joints. In old cases nothing can be done but just to relieve
the strain a little by shoeing with a long shoe and high heel calks, with no to
e calk. In cases not more than three months old clip the hair off the back tendo
ns when there is any soreness, and shower them with cold water several times a d
ay for a week or two, and then turn the horse out for a long run in the pasture.
CONTRACTION
Contraction is in itself no original disease, except in a few cases. It is mostl
y the effect of some disease.
Foot prepared for chatier tip
Foot shod with chartier tip
Contraction follows sprains of the tendons, corns, founder and navicular disease
. When contraction is the result of a long-standing disease of the foot or leg i
t will be in only one of the feet, because the horse will rest the affected leg
and stand most of the time on the healthy leg; thus the healthy foot receives mo
re pressure than the diseased, and is spread out more; the foot becomes much une
ven they don't look like mates. This kind of contraction is generally the result o
f some chronic disease, but in most cases contraction is the result of shoeing a
nd artificial living. Before the colt is shod his hoofs are large and open-heele
d, the quarters are spread out wide, and the foot on the under side is shaped li
ke a saucer. The reason of the colt's foot being so large is that he has been ru
nning on the green and moist turf, without shoes, and the feet have in walking i
n mud and dampness gathered so much moisture that they are growing and spreading
at
every step. This is changed when the colt is shod and put on hard roads, or take
n from the pasture and put on hard floors where the feet become hard and dried u
p. A strong high heeled foot is predisposed to contraction, while a low heeled f
lat foot is seldom afflicted with this trouble.
When contraction comes from bad shoeing or from standing on hard floors, pull th
e shoes off, pare down the foot as much as you can, leaving the frog as large as
it is. Rub in some hoof ointment once a day at the coronet and quarters, and tu
rn the horse out in a wet pasture. But if the horse must be used on the road, pr
oceed to shoe as follows: First, ascertain if the frog is hard or soft. If soft,
put on a bar shoe with open bar. I have invented a shoe for this purpose. See F
ig. 2, No. 1. The idea of shoeing with an endless bar shoe is wrong. In most cas
es contraction is brought on by letting the shoes stay on too long, whereby the
hoof has been compelled to grow down with the shape of the shoe.
If an open shoe has helped to bring on contraction, much more so will a bar shoe
, which will tie the hoof to the shoe with no chance of spreading, no matter wha
t frog pressure is put on. Make the shoe as light as you can, with very low or n
o calks; let the bar rest against the frog; keep the hoofs moist with hoof ointm
ent; use an open bar shoe.
Make a low box and fill it with wet manure, mud or clay, and let the horse stand
in it when convenient, to soften the hoofs. Spread the shoe a little every week
to help the hoofs out, or the shoes will prevent what the frog pressure aims to

do, but this spreading must be done with care. If the frog is dried up and hard
, don't put on a bar shoe, as it will do more harm than good. In such a case mak
e a common shoe with low or no calks; make holes in it as far back as you can na
il; spread them with care a little every week. Let the horse stand in a box with
mud or manure, even warm water, for a few hours at a time, and keep the hoofs m
oist with hoof ointment. In either case do not let the shoe stay on longer than
four weeks at a time. In addition to the above pack the feet with some wet packi
ng, or a sponge can be applied to the feet and held in position by some of the m
any inventions for this purpose.
No man can comprehend how much a horse suffers from contraction when his feet ar
e hoof-bound and pressed together as if they were in a vise. The pain from a pai
r of hard and tight boots on a man are nothing compared to the agony endured by
this noble and silent sufferer. It must be remembered that there is no such a th
ing as shoeing for contraction. Contraction is brought on by artificial living a
nd shoeing. A bar shoe for contraction is the most foolish thing to imagine. The
pressure intended on the frog is a dead pressure, and in a few days it will set
tle itself so that there is no pressure at all. If a bar shoe is to be used it m
ust be an open bar shoe like the one referred to. This shoe will give a live pre
ssure, and if made of steel will spring up against the frog at every step and it
can be spread. I will say, however, that I don't recommend spreading, for it wi
ll part if not done with care. It is better to drive the shoe on with only four
or five nails, and set them over often.
Contraction never affects the hind feet because of the moisture they receive. Th
is should suggest to ever shoer that moisture is better than shoes.
CORNS
Corns are very common to horses' feet, a majority of all cases of lameness is du
e to this trouble.
Corns are the result of shoes being allowed to stay on too long. The shoe, in su
ch a case grows under the foot and presses on the sole and corns are formed. Eve
n pressure of the shoe and sometimes too heavy bearing on the heel causes corns.
Gravel wedging in under the shoe or between the bar and the wall is sometimes t
he cause of corns. Leaving the heel and quarters too high, whereby they will ben
d under and press against the sole, is another cause of corns.
The seat of corns is generally in the sole of the foot at the quarter or heels b
etween the bar and the