LESSONS IN HORSE JUDGING. 83 



thoir long axes is from behind forward. The wall 

 of the foot in front must be in a line with the 

 front outhne of the pastern when the horse is 

 standing. The line formed at the top of the foot 

 where the hair and hoof meet must be nearly at 

 a right angle with the front hne of the foot and 

 pastern, so that the heels will neither be too high 

 and the foot 'boxy' nor too low, and thereby 

 tender. The sole of the foot must be well arched, 

 and the frog large, wedge shaped and unbroken 

 or ragged. The foot must also have a bright, 

 shining gloss upon it, like our own nails. Shoe- 

 ing-smiths ought not to be allowed to remove 

 more of this bright substance than they can help 

 at the time they are rasping the turned ends of 

 the nails, with which they fasten on the shoe, as 

 it is this glue-like substance which keeps the"" 

 fibres of the hoof from splitting. They ought 

 never to be allowed to pare the sole of the foot 

 and so weaken the arch on which the column of 

 bones rests. After duly warning the shoeing- 

 sinith against the infringement of these rules, 

 horse owners should instantly dispense with the 

 services of one who abuses the rasp and drawing 

 knife. In order to detect abuse of the rasp, 

 horse owners should forbid the smith to put 

 grease upon the hoof, and so gloss over the 

 injury he has inflicted with the rasp. Grease 

 or hoof ointment may be put on after due in- 

 spection has been made of the parts. 



68. — The fore limbs should be set on, so that 

 when the horse is standing the limb may neither 

 be turned in nor out. The breadth of the shoul- 



