of support to tbe pedal bone, consequently the main support to 

 the limb was weakened and the principal and most important 

 articulation seriously interfered with. This style of foot was 

 cultivated most frequently for the fore feet. The hind ones would 

 be lower at the heels. 



la shoeing such a foot the shoe should follow closely the wall 

 from heel to heel, all around, and at the quarters, both inside 

 and outside, a clip should be struck on the shoe and the nails al- 

 lowed to be driven well back toward the heels, which never should 

 be allowed in a foot of fairly correct proportions, and the clips 

 hammered to a proper, g-ood resting place before the foot is 

 placed on the floor from the smith's hands. This^practice of shoe- 

 ing such feet will gradually bring them together more, as it 

 were, and make them incline to a healthier proportion of growth, 

 and thus will the support be regained and an important point in 

 balancing the trotter be gained also. 



Horses with such feet as described for the fore and hind ones 

 will be found standing with their fore feet well back under the 

 girth and their hind ones standing under their loins. Very little 

 space will be noticeable between the fore and hind feet on the 

 ground lay of them. In old times this used to be "the thing," 

 It used to be remarked, " I like to see a horse stand with all his 

 four feet well under his body." 



Now, a good judge of horses wishes to see the hind legs stand 

 straight down under the quarters, so that a plummet attached 

 to a string held at the point of the hock will make the string lay 

 against the back part of the leg, all the way down to the fetlock 

 joint. When a horse, stands this way not much fault can be 

 found with the "balance of the trotter," as far as his hind action 

 is concerned. Then, with the front feet in proper proportion 

 and angle, the leg will stand plumb and straight from the 

 shoulder down, and not with the feet standing back under the 

 girth. 



The only way to "balance the trotter" is to have his feet truly 

 balanced and in proper proportion and at proper angle to the 

 limbs they support, so that the articulation will be as near fric- 

 tionless as possible. With this condition maintained the 

 animal's instinctive action will be even and true, with a perfect 

 rhythm. 



The fad nowadays with nearly all drivers and trainers is the 

 long and deep foot in the front part and an all-out-of -proportion, 

 low heel. This manner of proportioning the feet is ruining our 

 trotters faster than we can raise and educate them. If the 

 smith cannot balance the foot any other way, let him measure it 

 with a set compass, so that he may be enabled to have one side 

 exactly the same height as its opposite of the same foot. In 

 this way one of the most important points in "balancing the 

 trotter" will have been gained. 



Now as to the proportion and angle of the foot to the limb 



it supports. I have to stop here. I know of no infallible rule to 



lay down for this, except that the measurement of the front of 



the foot from centre at the coronet to the surface lay of 



the foot should be about 65 per cent, of that of the depth of it, 



62 



