212 THE horse's resgue. 



very suddenly, some are years changing. These slow 

 changes I cannot describe, except in this way : You 

 cannot see them change ; it is like the hill of corn. It 

 grows and yet you cannot see it grow. The change on 

 thousands of these horses is so slow you do not notice 

 the effect until they get very bad, and yet they have 

 been changing for many years. The degrees are very 

 small on some, and the degrees of change vary on the 

 same foot. These variations depend on the treatment 

 the foot or feet have had. They will vary on every 

 foot on the same horse. This is the way some change 

 from natural. Some will change in a large degree in 

 twenty-four hours, from many cj^uses. 



This old white mare is one of these cases. The 

 first cause was ignorance. The driver did not know 

 much about a horse; if he had he would not have 

 abused her by driving her ofi her legs on hard roads. 

 The concussion on her feet caused heat. The struc- 

 ture of the foot at the start was out of hai-mony in 

 some degree, as all are that have been shod for several 

 years, as she had been. The lever at the toe was 

 some degree of length, as all are, out of harmony ; 

 then kept in motion up and down hills, on dry, hard 

 roads, for twenty-four hours, and drawing a load. 

 This will cause some heat internally in the foot, a 

 strain on the cords or back tendons. This mare was 

 used badly. The owner well knew this. She must 

 have rest. She is tied in the barn, no care taken of 

 her feet, for this reason: he did not know it was 

 necessary. This mystery he had not solved. She is 

 sore and stiff. She must not be moved until she gets 

 better. The consequence is^ when she lies down the 



