372 ON THE ART OF SHOEING. 



ufelefs, by rafping them, and paring the foles ? 

 under pretence of giving them eafe, which, in 

 faft, caufes them to dry and contract ftill more : 

 the only means whence they can poihbly get 

 eafe is, by the expanfion of the quarters, to be 

 attained from the animal's weight borne upon 

 them ; the frog, alfo, which appears dried and 

 fhrunk up, will expand and increafe in bulk 

 from the fame caufe. Some feet of this de- 

 fcription will be thus rendered good, and the 

 remedy is pleafant, from being void of trouble 

 or expence ; but if the horn be of a certain 

 peculiar hard and faulty contexture, or the 

 bones and internal procefles of the feet mate- 

 rially damaged, which will be difcovered after 

 a few times fhoeing with the fhort (hoes, all 

 remedies hitherto propofed, from the days of 

 Solleyfel (the grand empyric for feet) to the 

 prefent, are worfe than the difeafe. 



For the flat foot, the author juil men- 

 tioned advifes the following treatment : — Forge 

 a fhoe as ftraight as poilible from the toe to the 

 fpunges, that is to fay, not fo circular as ufual, 

 with holes pierced very near the edge ; after 

 this fhoe is nailed fail, there mould be about 

 half an inch of horn left to be cut with the 

 knife from the toe, and in proportion round 

 the fides. The fhoe is on no account to be 

 made concave next the foot, although it may 



rather 



