Experiments and their Verification 1 99 



tion it was seen that action in front was higher than it used to be. At 

 a distance it gave the impression as if she was single- footing just a 

 little now and then. From the variations of the strides it was seen 

 that they were all nearly the same, with the exception of the near fore, 

 which exceeded the other three, showing the tendency of that leg to 

 point forward. This may have been due to the near hind reaching 

 forward habitually, hence the greater extension of near fore to avoid 

 the interference. It was evident that the hind extension had to be 

 checked in order to equalize it with that of fore. As is well known, 

 there are two remedies for that: square toes and heel calks. I chose 

 them both for the next shoeing, and it was plainly demonstrated that 

 the mare's good hind action could thereby be restored and converted 

 from too much low extension into higher elevation. The front shoes 

 were creased at the toe to afford a firmer hold, since the previous trial 

 showed some slipping of the toes of the fore feet. The shoeing is given 

 in Fig. 154. We notice an easier and longer stride and the expected 

 check to hind extension. The average distance between extremities 

 has increased to 3.32 ft., and the extension of off hind over near hind 

 is quite marked. Again the observation was made that the turns 

 were taken much better and more steadily and without loss of time or 

 speed. 



In the beginning of this chapter under Figs. 90 and 92, the ad- 

 vantage of just such a change of extension was explained, and this is 

 another example of the importance of not only ascertaining what the 

 extensions are, but also of trying to change them in order to have the 

 animal take the turns with greater ease and without loss of speed. 



I increased the angle of off fore because the toe on that foot was 

 somewhat dished and flattened out ; and in order to overcome such a 

 toe leverage as compared with that of the opposite mate, the heel was 

 raised. Observations to that effect were made in a previous case and 

 will appear again subsequently. The off hind had likewise a some- 

 what lower heel than near hind, which may in part account for its 

 greater extension. It may as well be mentioned that where such dif- 

 ferences of angles or toes are made there may appear indifferent re- 

 sults; but much depends upon the accurate execution of the work, 



