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catch these, and tear the shoes off. This fre- 

 quently happens to those horses that are weak 

 in the pasterns, particularly when they become 

 tired, or travel on a heavy road, where the fore 

 feet stick, and they have not strength or sinew 

 enough to move them out of the way of the 

 hind ones. Indeed the shoes of both hind and 

 fore feet ought to be exactly the length of the 

 foot ; for making them longer answers no pur- 

 pose ; the superfluous weight only adds weight 

 to the horse's foot; and be it ever so small, will 

 draw out, or at least loosen the nails both be- 

 hind and before ; those behind, on account of 

 the additional weight; and those before, for the 

 following reason : when the horse puts his 

 hind foot forward, it alights first rather on the 

 heel •, the weight of the animal, therefore, on 

 the heel of a shoe that is too long, would strain 

 and loosen the nails at the toe. The turning 

 up of shoes too mxuch at the heel is improper 

 either for cavalry or saddle horses, because it 

 prevents them from straightening their knees, 

 which is as necessary in the motions of a good 

 horse as the bending of them. If cavalry 

 have occasion to move in frosty w^eather, it 

 becomes absolutely necessary ; but the turning 



