YOUATTS TREATISE. 53j 



Mr Youatt,' in his in many respects deservedly popular 

 treatise on the horse, refers to shoeing ; and as his opinions 

 must have had much influence on the practice of the art 

 in Britain, if we can form any criterion by the large sale 

 of the work, it will be well to give them a brief notice. 

 In the anatomy of the foot, he dwells upon its expansive 

 properties — especially at the quarters, though he does not 

 mention having tested this in any way. Speaking of the 

 bars, or inflections of the wall, he writes : ' The arch 

 which they form on either side, between the frog and the 

 quarters, is admirably contrived, both to admit of, and to 

 limit to its proper extent, the expansion of the foot.' 

 ' When the foot is placed on the ground, and the weight of 

 the animal is thrown on the little leaves (laminas), ive can 

 hnagiiie these arches shortening and widening, in order 

 to admit of the expansion of the quarters ; and we can 

 see the bow returning to its natural curve, and powerfully 

 assisting the foot in regaining its usual form.' He pro- 

 tests against removing these bars, and the evil results which 

 follow their destruction. ' Too many smiths cut them 

 perfectly away. They imagine that that gives a more 

 open appearance to the heels of the horse, — a seeming 

 width which may impose on the unwary. Horses shod 

 for the purpose of sale have usually the bars removed 

 with this view, and the smiths in the neighbourhood of 

 the metropolis and large towns, shoeing for dealers, too 

 often habitually pursue, with regard to all their customers, 

 the injurious practice of removing the bars. The horny 

 frog, deprived of its guard, will speedily contract, and be- 

 come elevated and thrushy ; and the whole of the heel, 



^ The Horse, London, 1846. 



