THE HORSE'S FOOT: SHOEING, ETC. 97 



weak heels (showing that when the frog meets the 

 ground pressure the feet expand at the back), and the 

 sole, as a rule, instead of being concave, is flat. 

 Horses with feet of this kind are certainly useful, but 

 they are best on farms. Such feet are frequently 

 affected with corns and bruises, and are at times 

 troublesome to shoe (Plate XL, No. 3). 



(4) Dished Feet, or feet with hollow walls and rounded 



(convex) pumiced soles, are somewhat similar to 

 the last, but more pronounced, and are more prone 

 to bruises and disease than any other kind of feet, 

 requiring very careful shoeing, with a shoe well seated 

 on the upper surface next the sole (Plate XL, No. 4). 



(5) Odd Feet. — Curiously enough, these are often seen in 



race-horses, and, although one is smaller than the 

 other, there is no disease, and the small foot stands 

 as much wear and tear as its larger mate. These 

 feet generally resemble varieties Nos. 1 and 2, 

 Plate XI. A horse's feet, however, may become of 

 different sizes by frequently pulling the shoe off one 

 of them, which is done by the animal galloping round 

 in a circle, the inside fore shoe being apt to be clicked 

 off by the hind one on the same side ; and each time 

 the shoe is replaced the foot decreases in size ; still, 

 there is no disease. But the foot may also become 

 smaller from disease. 



177. Different Kinds of Shoes are required, according to the 

 kind or breed of horse, and the work it has to do : 



(1) Race- horses require only a very narrow plate, cover- 

 ing the ground surface of the wall, and but slightly 

 overlapping the junction between the sole and 

 wall, or white line (Plate XV., 1 A and 1 B.) The 

 French or Charlier system meets these require- 

 ments. In this form of shoeing, a groove is made 



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