THE horse's rescue. 129 



niglit if tbey do Imrt. For many reasons tlie owner 

 does not want to pay for movirig the wboes, and be 

 does not feel tbe pain the poor horse endures. I wish 

 tbey all could for twenty-four hours ; that would be 

 long enough ; you would hear the loudest bawling you 

 ever beard. Man's feet do notgr^win length ; bis toe- 

 nails grow; if be does not cut them off be will be 

 likely to have bis attention called to the end of his 

 toes if be wears boots ; and this is not all; his foot 

 bas joints, and bis foot has no shell ; it turns up at the 

 toes when be walks, if tbe soles are not too thick and 

 are made of leather, if they are three inches longer 

 than tbe foot; but it is rather torturesome to break 

 such boots in in any weather. When tbey do not get 

 soaked with water it hurts at tbe top of tbe instep — 

 where tbe ringbone is located on tbe horse. They will 

 slip up and down at tbe heel, which wears tbe skin off 

 tbe heels, but that will grow on again if you can stand 

 the torture a few hours each day. It will be neces- 

 sary for you to have rest from tliis suffering quite 

 often. If you can stand it until these boots assume 

 the shape of sleigh-runnoi p, it will be more easy to 

 raise over that lever. I notice the}^ do not all accom- 

 plish this difficult task, and tbey toe out, which runs 

 over their boot?. Then tbey interfere and are con- 

 stantly wiping the mud oft* of their boots on their 

 trousers at tbe ankles at every step. But this is no 

 comparison to the horses' feet. Take all into consid- 

 eration. The shell of tbe horse's foot does not bend 

 as tbe lever lengthens, if it is not ironed, without pro- 

 ducing injury in some way. If it is allowed to get too 

 long it may cause it to sink dovv'n in front, or it may 



