SHOEING. 425 



Sever the foot at the upper joint of the pastern bone, trace the 

 veins, arteries and tendons, as suggested by the description ; note 

 the principal resistant parts affected by locomotion, the position of 

 the coronary bone and its inclination within the hoof (not as fre- 

 quently engraved entirely without or above it, and vertical when 

 at rest), the navicular bone and joint, the tendons and sheath, with 

 the action of each, the elastic property of the fatty heels, the 

 tough, springy frog, its shape and position, the structure of the 

 coffin bone, sole, crust and bars, and their mutual relations. Let 

 the examination be careful, and guided by reflection, with due 

 regard to each particular hoof, fore and hind, near and off, and 

 condition of health. Form no hasty conclusions from partial in- 

 vestigations, and study for practical benefit, not for a show of wis- 

 dom. A wooden vice, butcher's saw, chisel, knives and nippers, 

 are about all the instruments necessary, and after becoming ac- 

 quainted with the natural tone of the crust, the operation may be 

 facilitated by the use of warm water to soften the horn. 



If this has excited an interest in the subject, let the student ex- 

 periment with the shoeing of his own horses, young and old ; having 

 the entire control and supervision of their working, driving, stabling, 

 pasturing and shoeing, he must learn something, if but his own 

 ignorance. If resident of a country of light sandy soil, and the 

 nature of the work will allow, the hind feet, if not all, might be 

 left unshod to illustrate natural development; we have seen such 

 with hard glossy hoofs, that could travel over turnpike roads with 

 a light load, without breaking the crust or flinching on the frog. 



The detail of horse-shoeing has been subjected to such adverse 

 teachings by different authors (many of whom have but repeated 

 palpable errors of their predecessors without attempt at originality), 

 that it would be impossible to produce positive rules that will not 

 meet with opposition, but the indications of disease, may be related 

 without assigning their particular cause, of which there is much 

 difference of opinion and uncertainty. 



The conditions of a good, sound foot as apparent, are a smooth, 

 glossy, resilient crust, almost circular were it continued around at 

 the bars, but fuller on the outside quarter, which difference is sel- 

 dom seen on a foot that has been shod a dozen times ; a concave 

 sole not too dry and hard ; a full frog elastic throughout, with its 

 centre or frog stay complete ; heels sufficiently low and free from 

 crust to bear their share of the springiness of action, and full and 

 well developed to allow freedom to the bones and tendons in their 

 movements. In horses the general rule is that dark hoofs are 

 harder than light ones. The internal organization is in conformity 

 with the external, the healthy state has been already described 

 under the heads of bones, muscles, &c. In disease, we find within 

 a concave, furrowed crust, the elastic process or bed of the same 

 36* 



