INTERFERING

Interfering is a bad fault in a horse. It is the effect of a variety of causes.

In interfering the horse brushes the foot going forward against the other foot.
Some horses strike the knee, others above it, the shin or coronet, but in most c
ases the fetlock.
Colts seldom interfere before they are shod, but then they sometimes interfere b
ecause the shoes are too heavy. This trouble disappears as soon as the colt is a
ccustomed to carrying the shoes. Weakness is the most common cause. Malformation
of the fetlock is another cause. The turning in or out of the toes, giving a sw
inging motion to the feet, is also conducive to interfering.
The first thing to do is to apply a boot to the place that is brushed. Next, pro
ceed to remove the cause by shoeing, or by feeding and rest in cases of weakness
. Nothing is better than flesh to spread the legs
Natural foot
with. Some old horse-shoers in shoeing for interfering will turn the feet so as
to turn the fetlock out. This is done by paring down the outside and leaving the
inside strong. This is a bad way of shoeing for interfering, as it might ruin t
he horse. The foot should be leveled as level as it is possible. The inner side
of the hoof should be scant; instead of being curved it should be almost straigh
t, as the horse generally strikes with the side of the hoof or quarter. This is
done to make a side-weight shoe, the side weight not to reach over the center of
the shoe, but to be only on one side. Put the shoe on with the weight on the ou
ter side. If the horse still interferes, give more side weight to the shoe, and
make the heel on the outer side about one and one-quarter inch longer than the i
nside heel; give it an outward turn. This heel will prevent the horse from turni
ng the heel in the way of the other foot when it goes by, so as not to strike th
e fetlock.
Properly made and applied, side weight will stop interfering almost every time.
If the side weight is heavy enough it will throw the foot out, and the trouble i
s overcome.
There are only a few horse-shoers that have any practical experience in making s
ide-weight shoes, which we understand from the articles in our trade journals.
Some horse-shoers in shoeing to stop interfering will make common shoes shorter
than they ought to be and set them far in under the foot, so that the hoof on th
e inner side will stick out over the shoe a quarter of an inch. These they don't
rasp off, and everybody knows that the hoof adheres to and rubs harder against
the leg than the hard smooth shoe. But, foolish as it is, such shoers stick to t
heir foolish ideas. I call all such fads faith cures.
The rule is to have the side weight on the outer side, while the exception is to
have the side weight on the inner side of the foot. For old and poor horses gro
und feed and rest is better than any kind of shoes. It will give more strength a
nd more flesh to spread the legs.
Chapter 10
Chapter 8