SECRETARY'S REPORT. 211 



down so as to remove all siiperfluous horn, and leave a smooth 

 and level surface to receive the shoe. Those feet which are at 

 all inclined to he high and narrow, should he well cut down at 

 the heel, but fiat feet will not bear it, and do not need it. 

 "With regard to the sole of the foot, the best authorities differ ; 

 but it seems, on the whole, advisable, for the most part, to let 

 it alone, as it greatly protects the internal parts of the foot 

 from bruises and from sudden variations of temperature, and 

 will dry less rapidly when thick. Of course it must be cut 

 away sufficiently to prevent it from receiving any pressure from 

 the shoe, which must, however, be " seated" to avoid this and 

 make it possible to pass the point of the pick between the sole 

 and the shoe. 



The ragged portions of the frog should be trimmed off, but 

 the substance of it should never be unnecessarily diminished, 

 as it is very properly called the " life of the foot." The appear- 

 ance of the frog affords a most reliable evidence respecting the 

 past and present health of the horse's foot. 



The next step is the selection of a proper shoe and fitting it 

 to the foot, and this requires judgment and mechanical skill on 

 the part of the sheer. The web of the shoe should be thick or 

 thin, narrow or wide, according to the form of the foot, the 

 work of the horse and the character of the roads. 



The feet of Arabian horses are proverbially good, and they 

 are shod with a plate of iron covering the entire sole and frog, 

 except a small hole in the centre of the shoe. This protects 

 the whole foot, and probably is beneficial by bringing some 

 pressure upon the frog, which is adapted by nature to receive it. 



The outer edge of the shoe should exactly fit the foot, whatever 

 its shape, except at the heels, where it may be suffered to project 

 very slightly to allow room for the hoof to expand when weight 

 is thrown upon it in going. Spreading the heels of a shoe can 

 have no effect in expanding the foot, as is sometimes imagined. 

 If there were no danger that the horse would step on them, it 

 might perhaps be of service to narrow-heeled horses to spread 

 the shoes somewhat, and thus furnish a broader base of support 

 for the foot, especially where high corks are used. Still it is 

 better as a general rule to adhere to the form of the foot as the 

 guide to the proper form of the shoe. 



