248 



DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 



horseshoeing is what is needed at the present time, more so than 

 ever before. 



THE FOOT. 



Preparing the foot for the shoe is of the greatest practical 

 importance in the farrier's art. This is one of the first things he 

 must learn to do, and it takes considerable time, study, and prac- 

 tice to learn how to do it prop- 

 erly. It is advisable at first to 

 get a dead foot, dissect it, and 

 study its anatomy before prac- 

 ticing on the living animal, as 

 most beginners do. You will 

 find the anatomy of a horse's 

 foot an interesting study, and 

 time spent studying it will not 

 be time lost. The structure 

 learned, you will know where to 

 cut and where to stop cutting 

 in the preparation of the foot 

 for the shoe. All extra growth 

 of wall and sole should be care- 

 fully removed by cutting or 

 rasping it down to its natural 



(Fig. 54.) Use a great deal of judgment in doing this, as 

 there are scarcely two feet alike. Some grow fast, while others 

 grow slow; some are high-heeled, and some low; some have thick, 

 concave soles, while others are thin and flat. Flat-footed horses 

 have thin soles, while club feet, etc., have the opposite. A good 

 rule to go by is to pare down the foot until you come to what 

 may be called the "white line," or union of sole and wall. All 

 the horn removed in cutting down to this white line is extra 

 growth and should be cut away. In flat feet little paring is 



Fig. 54. The Foot, ready for the shoe, 

 showing the frog and bars as they 

 should be left. 



size. 



