10 HOESE-KEEPING FOE AMATEUE8. 



rities on the subject of stopping a horse's feet. I never 

 found any benefit from the practice, and, on the other hand, 

 am convinced that it often does much harm, from unduly 

 softening and rotting the horn. If the foot is abnormally 

 dry, a little damp clay may be used as frequently as is 

 needful ; the washing that it gets — or ought to get — in dry 

 weather, and the mud it experiences in its daily work in 

 wet, as a rule supplies ample moisture, anything beyond 

 which is, in my humble opinion, distinctly injurious. 



For the hunter and hack I have found no shoe so good 

 as that made on the Charlier principle. It consists of a 

 very light shoe, like a narrow rim, let in almost flush to 

 the horn of the foot. The great advantage of this shoe is 

 that it does not confine the foot, as the ordinary one does, 

 and allows the frog to expand in the natural way. It should 

 be so fixed that the frog comes actually on to the ground, 

 and this will be found to most materially diminish concussion, 

 besides giving a firmer foothold, and, in some slight degree, 

 improving the freedom of a horse's action. The heels do 

 not contract with these shoes, and the fact of the frog 

 coming on to the ground is a strong encouragement to it 

 to grow. Great diversity of opinion exists as to the washing 

 of horses' legs when they come in from a journey. For 

 many years the legs of my horses have not been touched 

 with water — except in the hot summer months — but the 

 mud left to dry, and then thoroughly brushed off. This 

 I have found infinitely preferable to the washing system, as 

 being less likely to produce cracked heels, chaps, and mud 

 fever. Another thing in its favour is the fact that grooms 

 rarely take the trouble needful for thoroughly drying the 

 legs, and especially the heels, after using water, and if this 

 is not done your norse will be liable to all sorts of disorders. 



If you keep your horse in a box, let it be as large as 

 possible ; if in a stall, it should be from 6ft. to 7ft. in width, 

 and at least 14ft. long. The manger should be of iron, 

 enamelled inside, and containing a receptacle for water, another 

 for corn, and a low rack for the hay ; this last is preferable 

 to the high rack, which sends dust into the eyes, nose, and 

 lungs, causing irritation and coughing. There is also con- 

 siderably more waste of hay in an overhead rack than in one 

 placed on a level with the manger. 



The paving of a stable is an important matter. Dutch 



