548 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



beautiful feet should be reduced to the same morbid 

 state as those which had been ruined — though he did not 

 suspect so — by paring, and could ' barely support the 

 coffin-bone in its proper place, and offers at best but a 

 feeble resistance to its downward tendency.' ' Perfect feet, 

 or indeed tolerably well-formed feet, with a fair growth of 

 horn, should have the toe shortened, the heels lowered, and 

 the sole ivell pared out ; that is, all the dead horn re7noved, 

 and, if need be, some of the living too, until it will ijield in 

 some small degree to hard pressure from the thinnh. The 

 corners, formed by the junction (f the crust and bars, should 

 he well pared out, particularly on the inside, for this is the 

 common seat of corn ; and any accumulation of horn in 

 this situation must increase the risk of hi'uisirig the sensible 

 sole between the inner point or heel of the coffin-bone and 

 the horny sole' A most extraordinary statement, certainly. 

 We are told that horn protected the feet at one season of 

 the year, but was not needed at another. We are now 

 informed that an accumulation of horn at the corners of 

 the heels would bruise them, and that therefore these 

 corners must be well denuded of their protection. 



Beside this damaging treatment of the foot, the bars 

 were to be removed to a level with the sole. The single 

 feature in this portion of his subject that redeemed it from 

 the ordinary barbarous treatment of the farrier, was his 

 earnest desire that the frog might remain untouched ; and 

 this is the only good that commends itself in his work, 

 unless it be the diminution of the number of nails required 

 to attach the shoe. 



We have seen that he deprives the sole of its natural 

 protection in the most unreasonable manner, merely be- 



