THE FEET. 41 



denotes a weak foot : this kind of foot docs not 

 look so bad when lifted up, showing often a fine 

 large frog ; but the sole is a little too flat, and 

 the heel a little too low; the horn often too 

 brittle, continually chipping away at the nail- 

 holes; and the crust being thin, it is easily 

 pricked in shoeing. The foot at the coronet, 

 when the horse is standing, should not look 

 small, but nearly as large as it does at the 

 bottom. 



If the horn is not smooth, but rufliled, or 

 wrinkled round the crust like an oyster-shell, it is 

 frequently curable, if not very bad ; but the foot 

 may possibly have suffered severely from fever, or 

 be one of the natural weak feet. Whether a 

 foot with these inequalities of horn can be safely 

 purchased, must depend upon the strength with 

 which the animal treads, and whether it is pro- 

 perly formed in every other respect ; if not, you 

 will do well to reject it; for should there be 

 nothing internally wrong, it will take a long time, 

 even with great care, before the horn will grow 

 down smooth. 



The heels of the crust should descend nearly 

 straight to the ground, not slanting and shelv- 

 ing forward : they should run well back to the 

 heels of the frog, or the foot will lengthen out ; 

 and all feet which lengthen out, not descending 



