41 



CHAPTER YI. 



YOrATT ON THE WEIGHT OF SHOES — AMERICAN TROTTING 

 HORSE ' ST. JTLIEN ' — ^ AN OUNCE AT THE HEEL TELLS 

 MORE THAN A POUND ON THE BACK ' — LUNETTE SHOE OR 

 TIP OF LAFOSSE — DOUGLAS ON THE STRUCTURE OP THE 

 CRUST — MILES ON EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION. 



Fashion has of late led our ladies into the habit of 

 wearing very high heels to their boots ; and, to 

 make things worse, they are placed, not under the 

 ball of the heel, but ahead of it — that is to say, in 

 a part which was not intended by nature to take 

 their full weight at every step. Medical men tell 

 us that since this became the fashion, hysteria is 

 largely on the increase, and also that many other ill- 

 nesses may be traced to the same cause. Fortunately, 

 ladies can take off their boots when they come in- 

 doors (and they avail themselves of the chance), to 

 put on others of different construction. From this 

 the horse is debarred. 



Medical men, as physiologists, are able to judge 

 to a great extent as to the value or non-value of the 

 foregoing remarks upon the horse's foot and its shoe ; 

 they, at least, have no excuse for tacitly admitting 

 that grooms and farriers should have any advantage 



