280 THE HORSE. 



and carnage-horses. In the usual state of our roads this defence is not 

 wanted, or, rather, the hair would be a perfect nuisance. The hand- 

 rubbinir or dry brushing will be an easy process ; or if the heels must be 

 washed, let them be carefully and thoroughly dried. We close this part 

 of our treatise by repeating that grease is the child of negligence and 

 mismanagement. It is driven from our cavalry, and it will be the fault 

 of the gentleman and the farmer if it be not speedily banished from every 

 stable. 



Chapter XV, 

 THE FOOT. 



The foot is composed of the horny box which covers the extremities of 

 the horse, and the contents of that box. We will first consider the hoof, 

 or box, which is composed of the crust or wall, the bars, the sole, and the 

 horny frog. 



THE CRUST OR WALL OF THE HOOF. 



The crust, or wall, is that portion which is seen when the foot is placed 

 on the ground, and reaches from the termination of the hair to the ground. 

 It is deepest in front, where it is called the toe (see cut, p. 255) ; shal- 

 lower at the sides, which are denominated the quarters; and of least extent 

 behind, where it is termed the heel. It is placed flat on the ground, but 

 ascends obliquely backward, and possesses different degrees of obliquity in 

 different feet. In a sound hoof, the proper degree of slanting is calculated 

 at forty-five degrees, or the fourth part of a semicircle. When it is more 

 oblique, or the crust is said to have "fallen in," it indicates undue flatness 

 of the sole, or, if the obliquity be very much increased, pumiced, or convex 

 sole. If it be more upright than the angle we have mentioned, it shews 

 a contracted foot, and a sole too concave ; so that there is no necessity to 

 take up the foot in order to ascertain either of these states of it. It is also 

 of importance to observe whether the depth of the crust appears rai)idly or 

 slowly to decrease from the front to the heel. If the decrease be little, and 

 even at the heel the crust is high and deep, it indicates a foot liable 

 to contraction, and sand-crack, and thrush and inflammation, and the 

 pastern is upright, and the paces of the horse are not pleasant. If the crust 

 diminish rapidly in depth, and the heels are low, this is accompanied by 

 too great slanting of the pastern, and disposition to sprain of the back 

 sinew ; the foot itself is hable to be weak and flat and bruised, and there 

 is likewise more tendency to that frequent but obscure lameness of which 

 we shall have occasion to treat, termed the "navicular-joint disease." The 

 foot has spread out too much at the side, instead of growing upward, and 

 therefore it is too much exposed. 



The crust in front is rather more than half an inch in thickness, and 

 becomes gradually thinner towards the quarters and heels. If, therefore, 

 there be but half an inch for nail-hold at the toe, and not so much at the 

 quarters, we need not wonder if horses are occasionally wounded in shoe- 

 ing, and especially when some of them are so unmanageable while under- 

 going that process. 



While the crust gets thinner towards both quarters, it is thinner at the 

 inner quarter than it is at the outer, because more weight is thrown upon 



