ARTISTIC HORSE-SHOEING. 21 



the breeding- of the animal, and the conformation of the 

 limbs ; so that no definite degree can be assigned. But it 

 must be pointed out, that giving the angle of 45°, as is 

 done in almost every treatise on shoeing and the anatomy 

 of the foot, is a grave error. Looked at in profile, a hoof 

 with this degree of obliquity would at once be pronounced 

 a deformity ^ and if the farrier were to attempt to bring 

 every foot he shod to this standard, he would inflict serious 

 injury, not only on the foot itself, but also on the back ten- 

 dons and the joints of the limbs. Careful measurement 

 will prove that the obliquity of the front of the hoof is 

 rarely, if ever, in a well-shaped leg or foot, above 50°, and 

 that it is, in the great majority of cases* nearer 5G°. The 

 sides or ' quarters' of the wall are less inclined — though the 

 outer is generally more so than the inner; while the heels 

 are still more vertical, and the inner may even incline 

 slightly inward. Viewed in profile, the posterior face of 

 the hoof will be observed to have the same degree of slope 

 as the front face. In height, the heels are usually a little 

 more than one-half that of the toe ; both heels are equal in 

 height. 



^* These features, as will be seen hereafter, are sufficient- 

 ly important to be constantly remembered. The other 

 characteristics are to be found on the lower or ground face 

 of the hoof — the most important, so far as the farrier's art 

 is concerned. 



*^In a natural condition, the whole, or nearly the whole 

 of this face comes into contact with the ground, each part 

 participating more or less in sustaining the weight thrown 

 upon the limb. On soft or uneven soil, the entire lower 



