SHOEING. 



639 



to form against the foot, and become a cause of soreness and in- 



flammation. On the other 

 long and stiff, there will 

 he correspondingly in- 

 creased strain brought upon 

 the ankle and gTeat ten- 

 don at the heel, causing 

 fatigue and injury. Again, 

 if the heel is too narrow or 

 drawn in too much on one 

 side, the sui-face of resist- 

 ance being thereby less- 

 ened, it wears down more 

 rapidly and i-uns ovei*. 



To remedy this, it is nec- 

 essary to make the adjust- 

 ment of the shoe to conform 

 to the line of bearing of 

 the foot ; that is, low heels, 

 with broad, elastic sole, an 



hand, should the sole be excessively 



Fig. 446. — Toe too sUort. 



Fici. 445. — Toe too long. 



increase of the bearing surface 

 of that side, and, if necessarj' , 

 a drawing in or nariowing of 

 the opposite side sufficient to 

 equalize the line of bearing. 

 The principle is the same in re- 

 storing or preserving the ad- 

 justment of the horse's foot ; 

 consequently properly cutting 

 away and leveling the foot, and 

 adjusting the shoe to it so that 

 the bearing surface will be ex- 

 actly the same from the center 

 outward on each side, and of 

 the right length, requires con- 

 siderable skill and judgment. 



Again, the foot is continually 

 growing wider and longer, .so 

 that after being shod, proper- 



