FAKMERS' INSTITUTES. 391 



needs a thicker layer of horn for its protection, while the latter case offers the 

 most favorable surface that most of our horses ever have to travel upon, and 

 should be taken advantage of for a thorough pai'ing out of the sole, in order 

 that the internal parts of the foot may derive the full benefit arising from an. 

 elastic and descending sole ; a state of things very essential to the due perform- 

 ance of their separate functions. Again, in horses with upright feet and high 

 heels horn grows very abundantly, especially towards the toe, and such are 

 always benefited by having the toe shortened, the heels lowered, and the sole 

 well pared out, while in horses with flat feet and low heels horn grows sparingly, 

 and the toes of such feet, being always weak, Avill admit of very little shorten- 

 ing. Such heels, being already too low, should scarcely be touched with a rasp ; 

 and the sole presents such a small quantity of dead horn that the knife should 

 be used with great discretion. In the first case, the thickness of the sole pre- 

 sents the due descent of the coffin bone, when the horse's weight is thrown 

 upon the foot, and it requires in consequence to be pared down thinner and 

 rendered more yielding, while in tlie latter case it is ah-eady so thin and unre- 

 sisting that it can with difficulty support the coffin bone in its proper place, and 

 offers at best but a feeble resistance to its downward tendency. 



The consideration of the foregoing circumstances Avill show the impractica- 

 bility of prescribing general directions capable of meeting the exigencies of all 

 feet, and the futility of attempting to establish one particular mode of i:)aring 

 out all feet, one particular mode of applying the shoe, or one particular form of 

 shoe. They must, each in its turn, be varied to meet the degree of deviation 

 from what may be called a perfect foot. Perfect feet are indeed tolerably well 

 formed, with a fair growth of horn, should have the toe shortened, the heels 

 lowered, and the sole well pared out, that is, all the dead horn removed, and, 

 if need be, some of tlie living, until it will yield, in some small degree, to hard 

 pressure from the thumb. The corners formed by the junction of the crust 

 and bars should be well pared out, particularly on the inside, for this is the 

 common seat of corn, and any accumulation of horn in this situation must 

 increase the risk of bruising the sensible sole between the inner point or heel 

 of tlie coffin bone and the horny sole. I much doubt either the utility or 

 wisdom of leaving the bars projecting beyond the surface of the sole. It can- 

 not possibly increase the power of resisting contraction, and this projecting rim 

 is left exposed to the danger of being broken and bruised by contact with stones 

 and other hard substances ; and it is further attended with the disadvantage of 

 making the cleaning out of these corners a work of considerable ingenuity. I 

 prefer paring them down to a level with the sole, or very nearly so, avoiding,. 

 however, every approach to what is called ''opening out the heel," a most rep- 

 rehensible practice, which means cutting away the sides of bars, so as to show 

 an apparent increase of Avidth between the heels, which may for the time deceive 

 the eye, but it is a mere illusion, purchased at the expense of impaired power of 

 resistance in the bars and ultimate contraction of the feet. It is self-evident 

 that the removing any portion from the sides of the bars must diminish their 

 substance, and render them Aveaker, and consequently less able to resist contrac- 

 tion. 



The only recommendation I have to offer concerning the shoe itself has refer- 

 ence not to its form, but to its weight, and is suggested by the prevailing idea 

 that shoes cannot well be too light. A very little reflection Avill convince us 

 that this notion must be founded in error, inA'olving, as it does, two most objec- 

 tionable properties in a shoe, viz. : liability to bend, and insufficient covering.. 



