26 



PRACTICAL HORSESHOEING. 



part or toe, and of the ripper surface, varies with the 

 amount of growth ; but where this has been counterbal- 

 anced by a proper degree of wear, it will be remarked 

 that this obliquity corresponds to the inclination of the 

 pastern-bones immediately above the hoof, when the horse 

 is standing. 



It will be obvious that this inclination also varies with 

 the breeding of the animal, and the conformation of the 

 limbs; so that no definite degree can be assigned. But 

 it must be pointed out, tha£ giving the angle of 45°, 

 as is done in almost every treatise on shoeing and the 

 anatomy of the foot, is a grave error. Looked at in pro- 

 file, a hoof with this degreee of obliquity would at once 

 be pronounced a deformity — the slope is too great (Fig. 

 6) ; and if the farrier were to attempt to bring every foot 



Fig. 6. 



he shod to this standard, he would inflict serious injury, not 

 only on the foot itself, but also on the back tendons and 

 the joints of the limbs, Careful measurement will prove 

 that the obliquity of the front of the hoof is rarely, if ever, 

 in a well-shaped leg and foot, above 50°, and that it is, in 

 the great majority of cases, nearer 56°. The sides or 

 " quarters " of the wall are less inclined — though the outer 

 is generally more so than the inner ; while the heels are 

 still more vertical, and the inner may even incline slightly 

 inward. Viewed in profile, the posterior face of the hoof 



