THE horse's foot, AND HOW TO SHOE IT. 245 



remaining support. This is precisely the condition 

 of things under the common vicious system of shoeing. 

 The bars are cut away so that they cannot touch the 

 earth ; the frog is pared down the same way ; the sole, 

 also, is gouged out: and the result is, that nothing is 

 left but the wall of the hoof to support the vast bulk 

 and weight above. When you remember that the wall 

 is very thin, — scarcely half an inch in thickness where 

 it touches the ground, — you will share with me the 

 surprise, not that so many horses ^' pound their feet 

 up " and break down, or "give out in their feet" as 

 the saying is, but that any horses survive at all. The 

 true way is to let every thing grow, and grow to the 

 fullest extent that Nature designs it to reach: and, 

 in shoeing, seek only to protect from too rapid destruc- 

 tion what Nature has put together ; least of all cut away 

 that which Nature has provided so abundantly, and 

 more efficiently than the art and skill of man can ever 

 hope to effect. And this brings me to the preparation 

 of the foot for the shoe. 



The only preparation that the frog, bars, and sole 

 require in a healthy, natural foot, as we have shown, is 

 to be let alone. The only portion of the foot that need 

 be or should be touched is the ground-surface of the 

 wall. This should be levelled with knife or rasp (better 

 with the rasp than with the knife, as we think) until 

 the proper angle which the hoof should make with the 

 ground has been reached; and this is all. This angle 

 of the ground-surface is apt to be unattended to. The 



