Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1875 — Striking, or Interfering. [ARTICLE]

Striking, or Interfering.

A cheat number of horses are in the habit of striking one leg against anofher; and a good deal of ingenuity has been at different times exercised in search of a remedy for this very troublesome prac tice. Both the fore and hind legs are” subject to cutting, the latter, perhaps, most frequently; but in them it is confined to the fetlock joint, whereas in the fore legs the horse may hit either the fetlock, the leg just above the pasterns, or just under The knee, where it is called a speedy cut, from its occurring chielly in fast action. It is desirable, before applying a remedy, .to ascertain, if possible, the cause, and the part which strikes, whether the shoe or the foot, and if the latter, what part of it. Many horses strike from weakness, and cease to do so when they gain strength and condition. This is more particularly observable with young horses. Others cut from a faulty conformation of the limbs, which are sometimes too close to each other; and sometimes the toe is turned too much out or too much in; when the toe is turned in the horse usually cuts under the knee. The objects to be kept in view in shoeing such horses must, be to remedy, as much as we can, the faulty action, and to remove, if possible, the part which cuts. The part of the foot which strikes is generally between the toe and the inside quarter, sometimes the inside quarter itself, hut very rarely the heels of the shoe. If the horse turns his toe in, in all probability he wears the inside of the shoe most; and if so, it should be made much thicker than the outside. If the contrary, the outside heel should he thicker than the inside. The shoe should he beveled off on the inside quarter, which should also he free from nails. In the hind legs we olten find that a three-quarter shoe will prevent cutting when other plans fail; for here the part which cuts is not situated so forward as in the fore legs, so that the removal of the iron altogether from the inside quarter will often accomplish our aim. It sometimes happens that every plan we can adopt will not prevent cutting, and then the only resource is the* adoption of hoots or straps. —Prairie Farmer.