6^4 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



Stuck between the foot and shoe, with the intention of 

 shielding the surface that has been, through ignorance, 

 rendered morbidly sensitive and defective. What is 

 called the excessive growth, or exuberant horn, was in- 

 tended to protect the lower surface of the foot from 

 wounds and bruises, to maintain the elasticity of the 

 young horn beneath, and to aid the crust in sustaining 

 the weight and imjDulsive efforts, at the same time 

 strengthening the latter at its point of union, and pre- 

 venting its being broken or worn avv^ay too readily. 



These remarks, which we can scarcely too much insist 

 upon noticing, apply with equal force to all horses, from 

 the dray mammoth, to the fleet race-horse or diminutive 

 Dartmoor pony. 



Indeed, they are perhaps more applicable to the case 

 of race-horses and hunters than to any other class. With 

 these animals, it is of the utmost importance that the feet, 

 especially the fore ones, be accurately levelled on both 

 sides or ground face, according to the rule laid down, so 

 as to obviate the risk of sprains and dislocations during 

 rapid and energetic movements, particularly lateral twists 

 of the lower joints. By leaving the sole, bars, and frog 

 intact, the foot is not only strengthened, but muscu- 

 lar fatigue is wonderfully diminished, especially in tra- 

 versing heavy ground. When the sole has been thinned 

 and hollowed out into a cup-like shape, the foot readily 

 penetrates to a greater depth than if it were flat, and is also 

 more difftcult to withdraw, because there is a larger ex- 

 tent of surface in contact with the tenacious soil. In 

 proportion to the width of cover in the shoe, and the 

 space between it and the sole, there is a still greater 



