132 THE ORANGE COUNTY 



when it is recollected that every nail-hole is enlarged by this 

 brutal force, and the future safety of the shoe to a greater or 

 less degree weakened; and pieces of the nail are sometimes 

 left in the substance of the crust, which becomes the cause of 

 future mischief. 



In the paring out of the foot, also, there is frequently 

 great mischief done. The formidable butteris is still often 

 found in the smithy of the country farrier, although it is 

 banished from the practice of every respectable operator. A 

 worse evil remains, however. By the butteris much of the 

 sole was injuriously removed, and the foot was occasionally 

 weakened, but the drawing-knife frequently left a portion of 

 sole sufficient to destroy the elasticity of the foot, and to lay 

 the foundation for contraction, corns, and permanent lame- 

 ness. One object, then, of the looker-on is to ascertain the 

 actual state of the foot. On the descent of the crust when 

 the foot is placed on the ground, depends the elasticity and 

 healthy state of the foot; and that maybe satisfactorily deter- 

 mined by the yielding of the sole, although to a very slight 

 degree, when it is strongly pressed upon with the thumb. 

 The sole being pared out, the crust on each side may be low- 

 ered, but never reduced to a level with the sole; otherwise 

 this portion will be exposed to continual injury. 



The heels often suffer considerably from the carelessness, 

 or ignorance of the smith. The weight of the horse is not 

 thrown equably on them, but considerably more on the inner 

 than the outer quarter. The consequence of this is, that the 

 inner heel is worn down more than the outer, and the foun- 

 dation is laid for tenderness, corns, and ulceration. The 

 smith is too often inattentive to this, and pares away an 

 equal quantity of horn from the inner and outer heel, leaving 

 the former weaker and lower, and less able to support the 

 weight thrown upon it. 



Mention has already been made of the use of the bars in 

 admitting and yet limiting to its proper extent the expansion 

 of the foot. The smith in the majority of the Qountry forges, 

 and in too many of those that disgrace the metropolis, seems 

 to have waged interminable war with these portions of the 

 foot, and avails himself of every opportunity to pare them 

 down, or perfectly to destroy them, forgetting, or never hav- 

 ing learned, that the destruction of the bars necessarily leads 

 to contraction, by removing the chief impediment to it: 



The horn between the crust and the bar should be well 

 pared out. Every one accustomed to horses must have ob- 

 served the great relief that is given to the horse with corns 



