4#8 TlIK HOKSE. 



inattentive to this, cand pares away an equal quantity of horn 

 from the inner and outer heel, leaving the former weaker and 

 lower, and less able to support the weight thrown upon it. 



Mention has already been made of the use of the bars in 

 admitting and yet limiting to its proper extent the expansion 

 of the foot. The smith in the majority of the country forges, 

 and in too many of those that disgrace the metropolis, seems 

 to have waged interminable war with these portions of the foot, 

 and avails himself of every opportunity to pare them down, or 

 perfectly to destroy them, forgetting, or never having learned, 

 that the destruction of the bars necessarly leads to contraction, 

 by removing the chief impediment to it. 



The horn between the crust and the bar should be well 

 pared out. Every one accustomed to horses must have ob- 

 served the great relief that is given to the horse with corns 

 when this angle is pared out ; and yet, from some fatality, the 

 smith rarely leaves it where nature placed it, but cuts away 

 every portion of it. 



The true function of the frog is easily understood ; it gives 

 security to the tread, and permits the expansion of the heels ; 

 but the smith, although these cases come before him every day, 

 seems to be quite unaware of the course which he should pur- 

 sue, and either leaves the frog almost untouched, and then it 

 becomes bruised and injured, or he pares it away, so that it 

 cannot come into contact with the ground, and consequently is 

 not enabled to do its duty. 



The ow^ner of the horse will therefore find it his interest oc- 

 casionally to visit the forge, and, guided by the simple princi- 

 ples which have been stated, he will seldom err in his opinion 

 of what is going forward there. He should impress two prin- 

 ciples deeply on his mind ; that a great deal more depends on 

 the paring out of the foot than in the construction of the shoe ; 

 and that few shoes, except they press upon the sole, or are 

 made shamefully bad, will lame the horse, but that he may be 

 very easily lamed by an ignorant or improper paring out of the 

 foot. 



Where the owner of the horse has suflicient influence with 

 the smith, he will find it advisable always to have a few sets of 

 shoes ready made. Much time will be saved, in case of acci- 



