_The preventive treatment_ consists in giving the necessary attention to the feet of young animals, by trimming the wall frequently and keeping the feet in balance and the careful selection of breeding stock. Resting the animal, keeping the foot that has the ring-bone on it in proper balance and counterirritation by means of blisters and cautery (searing) are important lines of treatment. Shortening the toe and raising the heel, if necessary, greatly relieves the lameness in some cases. Sectioning the sensory nerves that go to the part should not be practised, unless in exceptional cases. QUESTIONS 1. Give the causes of shoulder lameness; give the treatment. 2. Describe capped elbow; give the treatment. 3. What is "broken knee"? 4. What are "wind-galls" and "road-puffs"? 5. Give the cause and treatment of sprung-knee. 6. Give the cause and treatment of splints. 7. What class of horses most commonly have strained tendons? Give the causes and treatment of this form of lameness. 8. Give the treatment of contracted tendons in the new-born colt. 9. Give the causes for interfering. 10. What are the different forms of ring-bone? Give the causes and treatment of ring-bone. CHAPTER XVII DISEASES OF THE FOOT GENERAL DISCUSSION.--The foot of the horse as generally spoken of, includes the hoof and the structures that are enclosed by it (Fig. 36). It may be divided into three parts, the insensitive and sensitive structures and the bony core. The _insensitive foot_ or _hoof_ is divided into wall, sole, frog and bars. The _sensitive foot_ is divided into vascular tissue and elastic apparatus. The vascular tissue is in turn divided into coronary cushion, laminae and velvety tissue. The elastic apparatus is divided into plantar cushion and fibro-cartilages. The _bony core_ is formed by the navicular and third digital bones. The hoof and vascular tissue in turn enclose the elastic apparatus and bony core. [Illustration: FIG. 36.--Photograph of a model of the foot: wall; sensitive tissue; plantar cushion, inferior dark portion, sole and frog; lateral cartilage; and pedal bone.] THE WALL forms that portion of the hoof seen when the foot rests on the ground (Fig. 37). It is covered by a thin layer of horny tissue, the _peripole,_ that coats over the wall and assists in preventing its drying out. On lifting the foot and examining its inferior surface, it is noticed that the wall at the heels is inflected under the foot and in a forward direction. This portion of the wall is termed the _bars._ Within the bearing margin of the wall and in front of the bars is a thick, concave, horny plate that forms the _sole._ At the heels and between the bars is a wedge-shaped mass of rather soft horny tissue that projects forward into the sole. This is the _foot pad_ or _horny frog._ It is divided into two lateral portions by a medium cleft.