In dressing a foundered hoof the outer circumference of the sole is the guide. The thick projecting wall at the toe may be removed with the rasp without injuring the foot. The sole should be spared, but the quarters should be lowered to improve the setting of the foot to the ground.
The choice of the shoe will depend upon the shape and nature of the sole. If this is still concave, an ordinary shoe may be used. If, however, the sole is flat or dropped, it must be protected by an open shoe with a broad web, or with a bar-shoe ([Fig. 197]), which is of especial value when the bearing-edge of the wall is weak or broken away.
Fig. 197.
A well-covered (wide-webbed) bar-shoe,
with two lateral toe-clips and an
end-clip, for a foundered foot.
Fig. 198.
An open shoe for a foundered
foot with a dropped sole.
As long as there is pain on pressure about the toe there should be no toe-clip, but two side-clips. The wall between these clips should be lowered a tenth to an eighth of an inch to prevent pressure of the shoe upon the sensitive tissues of the toe ([Fig. 195]). The nails should be as small as possible and placed well back towards the quarters. No nail should be driven in the wall at the toe when there is separation of sole and wall at the toe (hollow wall, seedy-toe).
The shoes of horses affected with founder often work forward as a result of the animals travelling upon their heels. To prevent this evil, clips may be raised at the ends of the branches of an open shoe, or one clip in the middle of the bar, in case a bar-shoe is used ([Fig. 197]).