THE FORE-FEET. 73 



more effectually will they perform their duty in keeping 

 the walls of the foot perfectly immoveable. The writers 

 referred to are quite right in insisting, at the hands of 

 the blacksmith, upon the preservation of the bars ; but 

 their directions on this head are inconsistent with their 

 own ideas about expansion. The antiquated notions 

 about expansion of the heels and descent of the sole 

 are almost completely exploded, as the Veterinarians of 

 the present day are making rapid strides towards the 

 adoption of all rational views on this as well as other 

 subjects. 



^ The sole is that part which intervenes between the 

 crust, the bars, and the frog. In a well-formed foot, 

 it is always a little concave. As I do not believe in 

 the current opinion about the descent of the sole under 

 the weight of the horse, any more than I do in the ex- 

 pansion of the heels, I would not, of course, be dis- 

 posed to allow the sole to be pared veiy thin at the 

 time of shoeing. So far from that, I think a thin sole 

 is a most serious defect. It will render the horse very 

 tender, in passing over broken stones — so much so, that 

 he will probably come off with a pah* of broken knees. 

 The sole should be pared a little lower than the 

 crust, but it certainly should not be made very thin. 

 If it is ever thought necessaiy, in the treatment of corns, 

 to lower it in the angle between the bars and the crust, 

 the operation ought to be done carefully with a small 

 instrument, so that neither the crust nor the bars may 



