THE HORSEMAN'S MANUAL. 63 



The Foot. 



The foot is subject to many defects ; among which we 

 may mention contraction, diseased and tender frogs, corns, 

 <fcc, which cause him to step badly and without confidence. 



A horse suffering from these will, if he treads on any- 

 thing sharp, drop, as if he were going to fall, therefore, 

 much caution is necessary in riding him to give him all 

 the support and assistance possible. 



The rider will do well, in addition, to keep him well 

 up to the hand ; to pick his road for him, so as to avoid 

 sharp stones, &c. : indeed, this should always be done, let 

 the horse's feet be ever so sound. 



Shoeing 



Owners of horses cannot pay too much attention to shoe- 

 ing, for horses have been irremediably lamed by the 

 ignorance and carelessness of farriers ; and when we con- 

 sider that the hardest part of a horse's foot, namely, the 

 outer crust, is by no means so hard as iron, it will not re- 

 quire much reflection to understand that if the foot is con- 

 fined by too narrow a shoe it cannot expand, but must 

 contract and grow to the shoe; and as I mentioned before, 

 a contracted foot is a very great defect, and renders ahorse 

 unsafe to ride. 



