114 '^HE horse: its taming, 



farmers, towards the autumn when their horses have 

 Hght work to do or none at all, turn them out with 

 their shoes on, no care being taken to render their 

 rest as beneficial and as comfortable for them as 

 possible by taking them off. 



Shoeing Foals. — I was surprised to see when I came 

 to this country y^w/s- shod, actually shod, not only for 

 purposes of being taken to a show, but for grazing 

 also. I am sure no farmer could walk mile for mile 

 with a foal until it became lame from want of shoes. 

 It is ridiculous to shoe it under any circumstances, 

 unless ordered to do so by a veterinary surgeon for 

 purposes of treatment of local disease. 



Now I will pass on to the half-bred horse — the 

 hackney and hunter. Certainly the half-bred horse 

 in this country has, as a rule, a pretty hard time of it, 

 especially in the season, at some of the fashionable 

 visiting places, and it is particularly necessary that 

 every attention possible should be paid to the comfort 

 of these hard-working animals. 



Perhaps a few words upon the natural construction 

 and functions of different portions of the foot may not 

 be out of place here. The parts composing the feet 

 are similar. The bones entering immediately into 

 what is termed the foot (as being within the hoof) are 

 the coffin and navicular bones ; articulating with these 

 and partly within the hoof is the little pastern or 

 coronary bone. The foot is composed of the hoof. 



