204 THE STRUCTURE OF THE HORSE. 



the hands of ignorant mechanics, by whose obstinate 

 adhesion to routine and ancient custom all the at- 

 tempts of those who have endeavored to introduce a 

 more rational system are constantly foiled. This 

 subject, however, though of immense practical im- 

 portance, is beyond the domain of natural history, 

 except in so far that a knowledge of the structure and 

 action of the foot in its natural state ought to be a 

 guide to those whose duty it is to counteract the un- 

 natural conditions to which we subject it.* 



* Among many other works, see a small pamphlet oil The 

 Structure of the Horse's Foot, and the Principles of Shoeing, by 

 Prof. G. T. Brown, C.B., reprinted from the Journal of tlie 

 Royal Agricultural Society of England (1888), and the larger 

 work of Dr. George Fleming, C.B. on Horse Shoes and Horse 

 Shoeing, 1889. 



