f 



276 THE PERFECT HORSE. 



Fleming is altogether right in the following description, 

 when he says, — 



" Pattern of Shoe recommended. — If the sole of the 

 hoof has not been mutilated by the knife, it does not 

 require to be covered by the shoe, as Nature has fur- 

 nished an infinitely better protection. Wide-surface 

 shoes can, therefore, be at once dispensed with ; and a 

 narrow shoe — made of the very best and toughest iron, 

 adapted for travelling on slippery roads, and for aiding 

 foot and limb, and sufficient to withstand wear for four or 

 five weeks — is all that is required. We will therefore 

 conclude that the upper or foot surface should be the 

 whole width of the shoe, and plane, — not bevelled, — 

 for we have seen that the sole was destined, particu- 

 larly at its junction with the wall in front, to sustain 

 weight. We also know that it is advantageous to the 

 whole foot and limb to allow the sole as wide and 

 general a bearing as possible, so that one part may 

 relieve the other ; the sole coming to the aid of the 

 wall, and the frog interposing to share the fatigue im- 

 posed upon both, as well as to relieve the strain on the 

 hinder-parts of the foot, flexor tendons, and limb, and 

 keep a firm grasp of the ground by its elastic and adhe- 

 sive properties. 



'' The shoe applied to the foot, then, should have its 

 hoof-surface flat, in order that it may sustain the wall 

 and as much of this strong portion of the sole as its 

 width permits. This is contrary to the usual practice, 

 which only allows the wall to rest on a narrow surface, 



