CHAPTER II. 



THE FOOT IN ITS RELATION TO THE ENTIRE LIMB. 



As there are well-formed and badly foraied bodies, so there 

 are well-formed and badly formed limbs and hoofs. The form 

 of the hoof depends upon the position of the limb. A straight 

 limb of normal direction possesses, as a 

 Fig. 44. ^le, a regular hoof, while an oblique 



or crooked limb is accompanied by an 

 irregidar or oblique hoof. Hence, it is 

 necessary, before discussing the vari- 

 ous forms of the hoof, to consider briefly 

 the various positions that may be 

 assumed by the limbs. In this discus- 

 sion we shall deal with the living horse. 



A. Standing Positions of the Limbs. 



The position of a limb depends 

 upon the varying lengths of its com- 

 ponent bones and tlie angles at which 

 they meet one another. To judge the 

 standing position of a fore-limb one 

 must stand i7i front of the horse; to 

 judge a hind limb, stand behind the 

 horse ; the backward or forward devia- 

 / ft \ tions of both front and hind limbs 



2=4 Jti| are judged by standing at the side. But 



' I ' ' ' ' — a horse does not always move as his 



Normal (regular) position of,-,. ... IJIJ x 



fore-limbs. Standing positiou would lead one to 



suspect; standing and moving are 

 different. Therefore, in order to arrive at a proper judgment, 

 one must observe the limbs both at rest and in motion. 



(a) The position of a limb viewed from in front is normal 

 62 



