96 THE HORSE 



eral rule is laid down that the sole, bars, and frog should 

 never be pared at all. But this is going too far. In 

 the case of the unshod hoof the sole and frog will 

 certainly wear off and flake off quite enough, and often 

 too much. Horses at pasture frequently become foot- 

 sore because their feet wear down too much. 



But when the foot is shod, even in the case of a 

 healthy foot, it often happens that the sole does not 

 flake off naturally, and the superfluous, dead part 

 should be pared away when the shoes are removed. 

 Sometimes the sole grows in such a way as to present 

 a lumpy, uneven surface, which should of course be 

 leveled. In the case of a foot that is contracted or 

 otherwise diseased, there is often an abnormal growth 

 of sole which is very hard, and clings tenaciously to 

 the live sole beneath. This should be cut off. 



Moreover, it sometimes happens that the whole foot 

 becomes hard and rigid, contracting at the heel, losing 

 Its elasticity, and its capacity to expand when the foot 

 strikes the ground. In such cases it is sometimes neces- 

 sary to thin both the wall and the sole, so as to restore 

 the elasticity of the foot; but only an expert should be 

 permitted to administer this kind of treatment; and 

 only an expert would know when It was necessary. 



On this very important point, Mr. McLellan says : 



The practice of rasping or thinning the wall of the contracted 

 hoof is in many cases a benefit as the hoof thereby regains its 

 proper elasticity and normal size. Then by fitting the grow- 

 ing foot with shoes, Increasing in size as the foot increases, 

 very beneficial results are obtained. 



The bars of the foot are a continuation of the wall, 



