THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 75 



bought the horses, and saw the animals at the time they 

 were sold, though they were both disposed of in different 

 parts of the country. I asked the owners why they bought 

 them in the condition they were in, as they walked like a 

 cat on hot bricks. The answer I got from them both was, 

 " Oh, the horses will be alright in a very short time, they 

 only want a little care and attention." Of course, it must 

 be borne in mind both these gentlemen understood horses 

 thoroughly, and had bought many such animals, then after 

 they had come round they fetched very long figures. I just 

 mention this circumstance as an illustration to show how 

 people are mis-led by horses becoming lame in their feet. 

 In some cases the horn which goes round the top of the foot 

 becomes very brittle and hard, which of course binds the 

 foot, and I have every reason to believe that corns often 

 appear on the horse's foot simply through this. Then when 

 the horses are running on hard roads, the jarring causes 

 these to form quicker, and makes them grow faster, as the 

 horn presses on the foot so much and the animal has to 

 work hard at the same time. If a person wears a very hard 

 pair of boots which press tightly to the feet, it brings corns, 

 and so it is with the horse. That is usually what a blacksmith 

 looks for when an animal goes lame in the fore feet. He cuts 

 the sole or bottom of the foot away to find the corns, and digs 

 in close to the hoof, making the foot more tender than 

 before, and after the sole has been cut away so closely and 

 then a hot shoe put on, this causes inflammation to set in 

 at once and makes the horse a great deal worse than it was 

 before. When the horse goes to be shod these corns have 



