AND HOW TO KEEP IT SOUND. 41 



.••Jie horse is not palpably lame in one foot only ; for if he 

 should chance to be lame in both fore feet, the pain of allow- 

 ing the weight to rest upon either will cause him to pass it as 

 quickly as possible from one to the other, and not only save 

 •nim from condemnation, but most probably gain for him the 

 reputation of being a quick stepper. 



The truth is, that a foot afflicted with inflammation and 

 pain sufficient to deter a horse from bearing a fair share of 

 his weight upon it, cannot be considered to be in a sound 

 condition ; and so long as the disability continues, so long 

 is the foot unsound. The various degrees of ^^ pointings" 

 ranging between the occasional partial withholding of the 

 weight from the heel without advancing the foot — perceptible 

 only to the most practised eye, — and the habitual thrusting 

 out of the whole leg to the front — palpable to every beholder, 

 — are so many indications of pain in the foot ; the intensity 

 of the pain being marked by the degree of pointing : and in 

 spite of the determination to consider them as mere variations 

 of a trick, they are unequivocal symptoms of unsound feet. 

 The horse is far too wise an animal ever to inconvenience 

 fiis whole frame, merely to gratify a particular trick ; and I 

 take it, his reason for pointing will be found, upon investiga- 

 tion, to have much more to do with a desire to relieve him- 

 self from pain than an inclination to indulge a caprice. The 

 act of pointing calls upon him to withdraw half the support 

 from half of the base on which his body stands, and that too 

 at a part where it can least be spared, — where his head and 

 neck overhang it, and tend to throw a great increase of 

 weight very unevenly upon the remaining support ; thus 

 foi'cing him to equalize the pressure as soon as he can, by 

 dividing it between the remaining support and the leg of the 

 opposite side behind. Experience has taught him that this is 

 best effected by adjusting the balance, before the removal of 

 the suffering foot from the ground ; and we accordingly ob- 

 serve him commencing the process by withdrawing the sup- 

 port of the hind leg, and then, having arranged the balance 

 to his mind, he raises the foot intended to be rested, and car- 

 rying it forward, deposites it at such a distance from the base 

 as shall ensure to it perfect exemption from sustaining any 

 of the weight. We can readily imagine that an animal 

 formed to stand upon four legs, would find it an irksome 

 business to support himself for any length of time upon two : 

 and so in practice the horse finds it to be ; for his muscles 

 ■oon become weary of their increased work, and he is driven 



4* 



