344 GROOMING. 



from brushing can be treated by an antiseptic, such as Friar's 

 balsam. 



The shoes should be tested every day to see if they are 

 loose. This is best done by holding the foot up with one 

 hand, so as to have the foot more or less horizontal, and 

 then tapping the ground-surface of the shoe all over with 

 the tips of the fingers of the other hand. By this method, 

 even the slightest play which the shoe may have, will be 

 made apparent by the difference in the sound caused by 

 the tapping. We should here note that the looseness in 

 question almost always arises from the giving way, to a 

 greater or less extent, of the clenches of the nails. Persons 

 who endeavour to find out if a shoe is loose, by catching 

 it between their fingers and trying to shift it from side to 

 side, appear to be ignorant of the fact that the displace- 

 ment is almost always in a vertical, and not in a horizontal 

 direction. In any case, the plan of trying to shift the shoe 

 with the fingers, would succeed only when the looseness was 

 extreme. If a shoe is found to be loose, or any of the 

 clenches started, the animal should be sent to the blacksmith 

 before he is put to work. The groom should also be careful 

 to see that the heels (generally the inner heels) of the fore 

 shoes do not press on the " seat of corn." This faulty bear- 

 ing of the shoe is particularly liable to occur, when the fore 

 shoes are light and short, as would usually be the case with 

 hunters. The groom should see that the inner edges of the 

 toes of the hind shoes have not become sharp from wear, in 

 which case the injury from an over-reach would be greatly 

 aggravated. 



The feet should be picked out at least three times a day, 

 especially if the bedding is of tan, peat moss or sawdust ; 

 because neglect of this precaution will be liable to induce 

 thrush and softening of the sole and frog, with consequent 

 impairment of the strength of these parts. The effect of 



