Treatment of contraction, briefly speaking, is expansion. The foot should be thoroughly prepared in the following manner: If the horse is lame, the farrier should shorten the toe, lower the foot all around, and open the heels back until the blood is drawn. The sole of the foot should be pared as closely as possible on each side of the frog, in the manner shown by the illustration on Plate No. 12, “natural foot.” The frog should be lowered, but the side should not be cut. A groove should be made with a rasp just under and parallel with the coronet on each side (see Plate No. 14) deep enough to draw blood, then with a fine shoeing knife, cut little notches down from the cornet and across the groove at certain equal distances, as shown by illustration No. 14, the entire length of the groove. These notches should also be deep enough to draw blood. This will relieve the pressure caused by contraction from the cartilages on both sides, and allow them to resume their proper shape.
No. 19. Quarter-Crack, after Treatment.
No. 20. Toe-Crack, before Treatment.
Having the foot ready for a shoe, a hand should be placed on each side of the foot, pressing it outward in the manner shown by Plate No, 15. The shoe must be very carefully fitted, and must have eight nail-holes, for the reason that it is the heel nails that relieve a horse while in contraction.
The shoe should be fitted so as to project at least a quarter of an inch on each side of the foot, so as to see the nail-holes projecting on each side of the outer and inner quarter. Having this accomplished, the bearing should be equal; the nails must be driven first toward the toe, then toward the heel, driving them half-way, and using the utmost care and skill; the higher the nails are driven the better. The shoe being fitted so wide, there is no fear of pricking.