ing the speed and enabling tlie animals to go at a 

 smooth and rhythmical gait as a consequence. 



A Perfect Foot. 



Numbers 1, 2 and 3 represent different views of the 

 same foot. These views represent what might be 

 called a foot of proper proportion and in proper angle 

 to the limb it supports. If horses' feet can be kept in 

 about such proportions and angle, the gait will be 

 found to be rhythmical and true, with frictionless 

 articulation. Care must be taken to fit the shoes to 

 such a foot even with the wall all around and they 

 should be made of even thickness from heel to heel 

 with no calkins on either the fore or hind shoes, 

 except it shall be necessary to sharpen for the snow 

 path, when of course calkins must be used and placed 

 on the shoes as instructed in the paragraph on the 

 subject under the heading "Calkins, How to Pro- 

 portion." When the feet are in such a degree of 

 perfection of balance and proportion, light, narrow 

 webbed shoes will be found to be all that are needed 

 to keep the gait true and even, and the hind shoes 

 should be made of the same bar of steel that the 

 front ones are made of, when, if there shall be any 

 difference in the size of the feet, as the hind ones 

 on*the same animal are sometimes found to be a 

 trifle smaller than the fore ones, they will each be 

 carrying their proper weight. Such difference will 

 rarely or ever be found to be greater than about one- 

 half to three-fourths of an ounce. 



When the feet are kept in the proportion here shown 

 the percentage of lame horses will be reduced to a 

 minimum, for they cannot become lame except by 

 some very infrequent accident. Their chances of 

 getting lame will be in no greater percentage than 

 that of the human family. 



Number 4 will give some ideas of proper dimensions 

 of feet by measurement. Height or depth of heels all 

 around, of all four feet should measure comparatively 

 the same. From connection of wall and flesh at 3 

 straight down dotted line to level floor should meas- 

 ure from about iSS^X^ inches for horses 15 hands, up to 



y 3 29 



^ 8- 



