BHOEINQ. 



m 



mind, that the shoe is intended for the foot, and not the 

 foot for the shoe, and that it is therefore peculiarly proper 

 to make the shoe to fit the 

 natural form of the foot, in- 

 stead, as is too often the case, 

 of paring, burning, and rasp- 

 ing the foot until it fits the 

 shoe, which is made accord- 

 ing to the smith's notion of 

 what the form of the horse's 

 foot should be. No amount 

 of paring can bring the foot 

 of a horse to an unnatural 

 figure, and also leave it 

 sound and safe for work and use. 



THE POSITION OF THE 6H«E. 



This cut represents the foot with the shoe rendered transparent, showing what parts of 

 the foot are protected and covered by bringing in the heels of the shoes, a, a, a, the 

 crust, with the shoe closely fitted all around, b, b, the bars, protected by the shoe, 

 c, c, the heels, supported by the shoe, d, the situation of corns protected from injury. 



The truth really is, that the shape of the shoe cannot by 

 possibility influence the shape of the foot ; for the foot being 

 elastic, it expands to the weight of the horse in precisely the 

 same degree, whether it is resting upon the most open or the 

 most contracted shoe. It is the situation of the nails, and not 

 the shape of tlie shoe, that determines the form of the foot. 

 If the nails be placed in the outside quarter and toe, leaving 

 the heels and quarters on the inside, which are the most ex- 

 pansive portions, free, no shape which we can give to the 

 shoe can of itself change the form of the foot. It must not, 

 however, be inferred from this, that the shape of the shoe is 

 therefore of no importance ; quite the contrary being the case, 



