Leg and foot guard.
（
Menage.) A device to protect a horse's feet or legs.
They are of several kinds.
1. To prevent the cutting of the fetlock or foot by
interfering or
overrcaching; that is, by striking the fore or hind foot against its fellow as they pass each other in motion, or striking the heel or shoe of the front foot by the toe of the hind foot or shoe.
2. To prevent the cutting of the knees in kneeling or falling forward on to the knees.
3. To prevent the unhairing or abrasion of the hide by hopples.
See hopple.
Rotch's flexible elastic horseshoe, patented in
England in 1810, and with improvements in 1830, consisted of a sheet-metal sole and a body of india-rubber made to fit over the crown and upon the pastern.
The immediate purpose of the caoutchouc cover was to hold on the sole to which a regular bar-shoe was riveted, if necessary.
The india-rubber covering, in the case of
interfering horses, was prolonged over the fetlock in order to keep the hide from abrasion by the blows of the other foot, or from being barked or cut by the toe of a hind foot in horses addicted to
overreaching.
Fig. 2899 shows several kinds.
a has a protecting pad, which catches in the crevice between the heel and the shoe, and is fastened by a hook engaging with the clip in front.
b has a pad or fender to fit the inside of the kneejoint and ankle-joint of a horse addicted to interfering; it has also an interlining or stiffener, and a whalebone strip at the upper end of the fender to prevent the pad from turning round the leg.
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Leg and foot guards for horses. |
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Lemon-squeezer. |
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Lenses. |
In
c, a band surrounds the hoof at its crest, with flexible projections of caoutchouc, to prevent injury from interfering.
In
d, the spur is inserted between the shoe and the hoof, and holds in position the inflated pad on the strap, which is secured around the hoof.
In
e, the upper surface of the elastic inner shoe conforms to the shape of the hoof; the under surface rests on the shoe, and the peripheral flange prevents cutting by interference.
f has a strap with bristles protruding.
2. A lined sleeve, as a hopple-ring, to prevent abrasion of the fetlock.
See hopple.
3. A stout piece of leather, strengthened by a longitudinal iron plate.
It is strapped to the right leg of an artillery-driver, to prevent injury from the pole of the carriage.
