v88 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



ment across the heels, whether the feet corres- 

 pond. 



The fore feet are rather larger in a well-formed 

 horse than the hind feet. If a purchaser is very 

 particular, this circumstance may assist his observa- 

 tion ; should he find a material difference in the size, 

 the hind feet being the largest, he may safely infer 

 that the animal is unsound, or likely to become so, 

 from malformation. 



The purchaser should carefully notice any crack 

 in the hoof; a fissure descending from the coronet 

 towards the toes, is always a serious defect, and gen- 

 erally produces lameness. Any cracks imply a brit- 

 tle and dry hoof, and, of course, a tendency to lame- 

 ness. It is not very easy without minute scrutiny, 

 to discover a sand crack, where an attempt is made 

 to conceal it : a month's run in marshy grounds will 

 often make it close up, till the horse is again 

 brought to his work on the hard road : and it is not 

 difficult to cover the interstice superficially with tar 

 and tallow, so as to hide it from a common observer. 

 Any shining, oily appearance about the hoofs should 

 immediately awaken a suspicion of the existence of 

 cracks. 



