26 HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 



ting action, that the hind stroke should overreach the front 

 stride. This is the prolific cause of the manifold interferences 

 between the hind and front ]3airs of limbs and feet. It is 

 plain, however, that if the body is balanced and the action 

 equally balanced, then no interference can take place. But it 

 is a difficult matter to accomplish, because the individuality of 

 each animal is so unlike. Some horses are long, low striders ; 

 some are high, short striders ; some require heavy, some light 

 shoes; some require bar, some open shoes; some, shoes that 

 are concave on the ground surface ; some, flat shoes ; some, roll- 

 ing-motion shoes to quicken the action in front; some need 

 toe-weight shoes to lengthen the stride ; some long toes, others 

 short ones. These are peculiarities which must be determined 

 by the owner and driver. By balancing the hoofs is not meant 

 to make them of precisely the same size, as very often, espe- 

 cially in case of the front feet, one, usually the off one, is the 

 larger. But the foot is balanced when, taking the center of 

 the cleft of the frog as the base line, the outer margin of the 

 wall, at points equidistant from the leveled heels, measures 

 precisely alike on both sides. 



Balk ; Balking- ; Balky. A check or defeat ; to stop 

 short and obstinately refuse to move ; a vice. 



Ball. A horse or nag, originally white-faced; used 

 appellatively like dun, bayard. 



Ball. A dose of medicine; a form in which certain 

 kinds of medicines are administered. They are cylindrical in 

 shape, two inches in length and about three-fourths of an inch 

 in diameter, and are generally wrapped in tissue paper when 

 administered. It is the best form in which to administer 

 medicine when it is extremely disagreeable, when the dose is 

 not too large, when the horse is hard to drench, and when the 

 medicine is intended to act slowly. 



Ball Bearing's. Practically perfect spheres, rolled- 

 forged from tool steel, hardened and burnished for the axle- 

 bearings of sulkies. The sizes chiefly used are 4-16, 5-16 and 

 3-8 of an inch. From twenty to twenty-four are placed in the 

 cone of each hub. 



it is the ball bearing itself that is most instrnnieTital in reducing the 

 friction, and, consequently, the power required to propel the vehi- 

 cle; but tlie pneumatic tire also contributes very materially to the 

 general result, inasmuch as, to a great extent, "it makes a rougli 

 road smooth by equalizing small obstructions with mucli less con- 

 cussion than tlie ordinary wlieel. The tires and non-friction bear- 

 ings have brouglit a great revolution in the sulky and in speed. 



Balling-up. The filling of the shoe with snow, damp 

 earth or mud. 



