SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



139 



hence anj atldition made to the length of the toe, has the same effect 

 upon the horse, as the placing of a block before the wheel of a car- 

 riage has on it. It acts against the muscular power of the animal 

 as used in the raising and carrying forward of his weight, and if 

 ridden, of the weight of his rider, and though only requiring a small 

 additional effort at each step, tells materially in a day's journey. 



Figure 2. — Is a sole view of a foot of the same size and shape as 

 figure 1 had originally been. It appears to be the foot of a young 

 animal, and only to have been shod for a short time. Still the inside 

 heel (that to the left hand) has slightly begun to contract. The foot 

 is prepared for shoeing, the crust levelled, the toe made as short as 

 it will admit of, and the bars and frog left full. The outside circle 

 shows the thickness of the wall of the hoof, which in this foot is very 

 thin. The shading shows the w^ay in which the sole should be 

 cleared out between the bars and crust at the heels, so as to prevent 

 the production of corns. A comparison of the two feet is worth 

 infinitely more than any description. The actual difference of length 

 between them was more than an inch. Therefore the long toed 

 horse (if other things were equal) had the whole weight of his head, 

 neck, and body, to lift this inch more at every step, than his snug 

 footed neighbor ; an amount of exertion that would tell plainly on a 

 hard day's Avork, or a closely tried race. Both feet from which the 

 figures were sketched are still in my possession. 



