134 THE horse's rescue. 



about three miles away, and could hardly be got 

 liome. Wright brought him to the shop to find out 

 the cause. 



"Mr. Wright, what have j^ou been doing? You 

 have soaked this horvse's feet too much." 



" It was some trouble to soak this horse's feet. I 

 have got a ground floor in my barn I dug a hole in 

 the ground and filled it wnth water, and tied him so 

 he would be obliged to stand in it." 



This horse had flat feet. After his feet got to be 

 their natural size the fever was gone, and they needed 

 but very little soaking. He had corks on his shoes, 

 and the frog: did not touch the erround. The weight 

 is in the center of the foot. Driving on dry roads his 

 weight drove the sole down ; or, in other words, he 

 went down through the cup or top of the wall. His foot 

 was rounding on the bottom, which affected the coffin 

 joint badly and threw all out of liarmony of action. 

 If it had been muddv it would not have been as 

 likely to go down. The frog would have had a rest. 

 This often happens on all flat feet where the frog has 

 no rest. It is easy enough to get it back, dishing the 

 shoe, as ignorant people do, to get it off the sole, 

 that only makes bad worse. Most people, in cases like 

 this, will run from one shop to another until their 

 horse is nearly ruined. To pull o£f the shoes is all that 

 is necessary. The weight of the horse on the frog 

 will push it back to its place. I told Mr. Wright not 

 to soak the horse's feet. '' Put him to night on the 

 floor. In the morning he will be all right. He will 

 lie down; his feet will dry; his weight will be off 

 t])em, and as they dry the sole will rise up." 



