THE HOESE EDUCATOE. 93 



liorn and sole ; therefore tlie groimcl surface of 

 tlie foot, that is to say, the ground surface of 

 the shoe should be leveled cup fashion ; its outer 

 edge being prominent, corresponds to the lower 

 and outer rim of the hoof ; while the shoe 

 being hollow, resembles the natural cavity of 

 the sole of the foot. The ground surface of the 

 shoe should always be concave. The pattern 

 that "nature has presented us in making the sole 

 concave cannot be improved upon by the smith 

 with all his skill. The expansion of the heels 

 and growth of the foot requires that the shoe 

 should be long enough and wdde enough at the 

 heels to allow for the natural growth of the foot 

 in the time it is calculated the shoe should be 

 on before being reset ; for as the foot enlarges 

 the shoe is brought forward until it loses its 

 original proportion, and becomes too short and 

 narrow. The shoe, may be about a quarter of 

 an inch wider and longer than the extreme 

 bearing of the heels. And the nail holes should 



