546 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



angle of the inner heel, where the descending heel of the 

 coffin-bone, forcibly pressing the vascular sole upon the 

 horny sole, ruptures a small blood-vessel, and produces 

 what is called a corn.' It is, however, in his remarks 

 on paring of the horse's foot that his erroneous views of 

 its physiology are shown, and his directions for the per- 

 formance of that operation are marked by a singular 

 absence of reasoning, unless it be that which was founded 

 on the descending properties of the sole. 



As this work has, perhaps, passed through as many 

 editions as Mr Youatt's, and as it treats entirely of shoeing, 

 claiming for itself the teaching of ' how to keep the foot 

 sound,' we have every inducement to inquire into his prac- 

 tice ; influencing, as it must have done, the art of farriery in 

 this country to a very considerable extent. We shall then 

 be able to pronounce how far the usual abuses had been 

 mitigated and the art improved ; though it will be apparent 

 that his principles are those laid down by Youatt. ' The 

 operation of paring out the foot is a matter requiring both 

 skill and judgment, and is, moreover, a work of some 

 labour when properly performed. It will be found that 

 the operator errs much oftener by removing too little than 

 too much ; at least it is so with parts that ought to 

 be removed, which are sometimes almost as hard and 

 unyielding as a flint-stone, and in their most favour- 

 able state require considerable exertion to cut through. 

 The frog, on the other hand, offers so little resistance 

 to the knife, and presents such an even, smooth, clean- 

 looking surface when cut through, that it requires more 

 philosophy than falls to the share of most smiths to 

 resist the temptation to slice it away, despite a know- 



