V 



464 



TJic Country Gentleman's Magazine 



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INCLINATION, OR OBLIQUITY OF THE HORSE'S FOOT. 



THIS subject has been for long a bone 

 of contention amongst fanciful theo- 

 rists and superficial observers ; and it is re- 

 markable how many have been led to foster 

 the errors originated and hand them down as 



truths. 



The angle of inclination or obliquity of the 

 horse's foot is a point which farriers should 

 be practically acquainted with, but we find 

 by experience that as a rule they are quite 

 ignorant of its importance in the management 

 of the foot, alid therefore they diligently treat 

 all " badly " alike. The position of the limb 

 is mainly ordered by the obliquity of the hoof 



it may be too upright or the reverse ; and 



the action of the animal may be greatly im- 

 proved or rendered wretchedly bad. His 

 leo-s may be grossly deteriorated and he may 

 be caused to fall, and these results will arise 



indeed, they are too common now — from 



the system of cutting the foot in ignorance 

 of the plan for preserving the proper angle. 

 The common mistake into which falls the 

 theorist, who has newly taken up the subject, 

 is the conclusion that all feet have the 

 same inclination. He may be seen standing 

 a few paces away from the side of the 

 animal, and, unaided by anything but his 

 vision, concludes all previous statement?, 

 which state the inclination to be 45 degrees, 

 are quite true. In order, therefore, to pro- 

 duce such a state in a hoof considerably 

 grov/n, which the reader must understand has 

 greatly departed from that angle, the 

 heels must be also lowered very much, and 

 the toe being left alone, a most awkward re- 

 sult maybe brought about. The heels being 

 reduced too much are materially weakened, 

 from which corns are certainly occasioned, 

 and the length of toe causes the horse to 



stumble ; while the two states — low heels and 

 a long toe — strain or lacerate the back ten- 

 dons, as a result of unnatural leverage in 

 duced. 



If the horse stands upon a stall floor too 

 much on the incline, and works in a hilly 

 country, he needs no other treatment to ren- 

 der him almost useless before half his natural 

 life is expired. In the stable he will be 

 found standing as far back as possible, and 

 if he can reach the cross gutter behind, the 

 observer may be certain to find him with the 

 toes placed in the centre, or lowest por- 

 tion, while the heels derive the support 

 of the sides, which are higher. This the 

 dumb sufferer practises to lessen the tension 

 upon the back sinews. If he cannot obtain 

 this assistance by reason of a short chain or 

 halter, he will stand across the stall, and as 

 his bed will doubtless be somewhat disar- 

 ranged, according to the groom's notion of 

 propriety, he receives a chastisement when 

 that worthy enters the stable, and probably 

 an injury as well, such as a prick from a fork, 

 contusion of the slioulder from running in 

 fear against the manger, and now and then 

 a broken rib or limb, by the blow from a 

 fork-shaft or other convenient bludgeon. 



The consequences of lowering the heels so 

 as to obtain an angle of 45 degrees, in some 

 cases may be very serious, and we have 

 known horses rendered absolute cripples for 

 weeks, because the horn was removed so far 

 as to expose the sensitive parts, and deprive 

 them of support and protection, when by 

 common observation it might have been 

 ascertained that such a degree of inclination 

 is not at all natural to the foot under treat- 

 ment. Strong, and straight or upright feet 

 with short pasterns may be damaged, and 



