what we are pleased to term, "perfect physical 

 condition," his condition is reflected in the con- 

 dition of his feet because, as a rule, they are 

 free from fever or trouble of any importance 

 and it is a well-known fact that when the 

 horse's system is run down and he looks 

 "rao-^ed" and "off" his feet show it as much 

 as his body. 



It is well, therefore, if your colt, that has 

 been going- good-gaited and free, begins to 

 shorten up in his stride, or singlefoots and 

 tries to go sidewa3^s, to have his feet examined 

 carefully before you begin to put on more 

 weight or make any change in his shoeing in 

 order to get him in balance again. If his foot 

 is hot and the walls show signs of dropping in 

 just under the hair back at the heels, get busy, 

 'and relieve the pressure at once. Or, if the 

 soreness is caused by concussion, lower the 

 heels a little and put on a light rubber pad. 

 If you discover that it is tendon trouble, you 

 know what to do; but before putting on extra 

 weight find out why you are putting it on. If 

 the trouble is caused by soreness and you re- 

 move the cause, you will not have to change 

 the weight of his front shoes. I said lower the 

 heels when a rubber pad is put on, because a 

 horse can travel with a low heel while wearing 

 a pad. It is much better that his heels should 

 be lowered, as with the ordinary heels and the 

 customary pads, his heels would be too high. 



When the colt you supposed was a trotter 

 shows an inclination to pace with his trotting 

 shoes on, don't get alarmed ; there's very little 

 difference between a trotting shoe and a pac- 



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