56 



yield ; and, sinking his head and neck at every step, to 

 remove their weight from the foot, at the moment it meets 

 the ground, declares by signs no longer to be mistaken, that 

 he is decidedly lame ; and this in all probability is the first 

 intimation, which the master receives, of any thing being 

 amiss with his horse's foot ; and he then in his innocent 

 astonishment begins recalling to mind the events of the last 

 few days, vainly hoping to find in them the canse of this 

 nnlooked for calamity. 



Few circumstances appear to arouse a horse-master's indig- 

 nation so much, as an im]:)utation upon the soundness of his 

 horse's feet ; but surely this extreme sensitiveness is not very 

 philosophical, where tlie tendency of the whole treatment of 

 the animal is to make tliem unsound : it would be more 

 rational to admit the unsoundness, and adopt measures for 

 removing it, than to deny its existence, and persevere in the 

 treatment, that caused it. 



A horse in work with perfectly sound feet is of much 

 rarer occurrence, than is generally supposed ; but fortunately 

 perfect soundness of foot is not absolutely essential even to 

 the performance of a vast deal of work in, what is called, 

 very good style, as is proved by the feet of a great majority 

 of the horses, that perform wonderful tasks to the entire 

 satisfaction of their masters ; it is nevertheless a very desir- 

 able attribute, and will amply repay any trouble, that we 

 may take, to insure it, not only in the extent to which it pro- 

 longs the horse's usefulness, but also in the free, willing, and 

 agreeable manner in which his work is done ; carrying con- 

 viction on the face of it, tlrnt it is unaccomj^anied liy pain. 



