68 EXAMINATION OF HORSES 



extent is frequently present without lameness resulting. 

 Of course this can only be to a limited extent. You 

 may have it without flattened sole, but in these cases 

 you usually have a dry brittle hoof, which of itself would 

 put you on your guard. 



Low heels, though not in themselves legal unsound- 

 ness, yet are frequently associated with radical un- 

 soundnesses, such as corns, bruises, and great tenderness. 

 They are natural concomitants of long oblique pasterns 

 and long toes. When such is the case the fetlock joint, 

 or rather the sesamoid bones, and the ligaments at the 

 fetlock joint are frequently the seat either of simple en- 

 largement or are actually diseased. In either case you 

 would reject a horse as unsound. Shoeing smiths take 

 special pains in thes^ cases to lame the horse by raising 

 his heels by calkins and wedge shoes. This, by making 

 the tendon heels either bear pressure or get out of the 

 way, tilts up the oblique pasterns, and then presently -we 

 find low heels, long upright pasterns, and knuckling fore 

 legs. This latter most undesirable combination is all 

 brought about to save the thin tender heels from their 

 calkined penalty, and is an unsoundness for evident 

 reasons. A horse may have low heels and yet be quite 

 sound. We see such cases every day, but you will need 

 to take care such is the case. 



Long toes, like low heels, are no unsoundness, but are 

 very apt to lead to it. Smiths usually avoid great length 

 of toe by shortening it when they shoe the horse. It 

 often happens, however, that a horse wears his shoes 



