FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



and original shape of the foot and not to attempts 

 to improve upon what is already exactly suited to 

 the animal's needs. The blacksmith of to-day is 

 a man of great skill and intelligence, wide awake to 

 the advance of methods and to the new departures 

 in his trade. He is competent, as a general thing, 

 to not only apply but to originate patterns suitable 

 to the case at hand, and to-day the diseased or 

 irreparably abused foot is becoming quite uncom- 

 mon — and to this end the daily and the sporting 

 press have worked their active part. No details of 

 this kind are too much trouble for the owner to take, 

 and any man who assumes to take horses under his 

 charge and into his stable is deficient in his duty as 

 a man, and as a master, if he does not as thoroughly 

 insure their ability to comfortably do their work 

 as he provides their food and shelter. 



Certain diseased conditions of the foot necessi- 

 tate special shapes of shoes, but many or most of 

 them will be as quickly relieved by the methods 

 given here as by more complicated means, all of 

 which are valuable according to the faithfulness 

 with which they imitate nature and allow her 

 processes to proceed undisturbed. 



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