with lofty forward action should be trained in a natural 

 low quarter and low heeled foot, with a bar shoe as light as 

 possible, with frog pressure. 



The most dangerous and uncomfortable kind of a foot 

 for a horse that hits the ground hard to have is one with the 

 heels abnormally high. The higher the heels the greater the 

 concussion. The lower the heels the less the concussion. 

 The more weight the more concussion. The less weight the 

 less concussion. A foot that is kept at the proper angle, as 

 near to a natural foot as possible, and kept soft, will pre- 

 vent the stinging and painful sensation that is caused by 

 concussion. With feet kept like this the horse will not 

 flinch or shorten up in his stride when he strikes hard places 

 in the track. The light thin heel calks that are used on 

 shoes do not break much of the concussion when horses are 

 going fast. Why? because when the legs are extended at 

 speed the shoes land on the ground back on the heel, with 

 the toe of the foot elevated away from the ground, and 

 with some horses more than with others. They do not 

 strike the ground flat-footed like the most of them do when 

 going slow. Thin hard pads are very good under light 

 shoes, but thick pads that will allow the walls of a horse's 

 foot at heels to sink or cut through them at the heels are 

 no good. They will create a hard lump at the seat of corns 

 between the bar and wall at the heels, and hold dirt that is 

 liable to create unpleasant feelings to a sensitive horse that 

 goes in middling low heels. When heels of the front feet 

 are allowed to become too high on horses taking fast work 

 or racing, a very severe strain is thrown on the ligament or 

 tendon that holds the navicular bone in its socket. When 

 the leg is extended at speed the extra high heels cause the 

 foot to land too far ahead of the leg while the toe is elevated 

 on landing, so that it creates an extra amount of work 

 for the ligament to hold it in its proper position at the 

 time of impact with the ground. 



-47- 



