next morning and continued at work until sold for two 

 hundred dollars. Elevating the heels with calks creates 

 pain and misery to the animal. 



XL. CROSSFIRIXG PACERS. 



When a pacer begins to crossfire every one knows he is 

 not balanced. There are different causes for crossfiring: 

 front feet not properly fixed and at the proper angle, not 

 carrying the proper amount of weight in front will help to 

 cause it, and on hind feet the same. Too much slipping will 

 help to create it. But the most important thing that causes 

 crossfiring, nine times out of ten, is because the hind feet 

 are a lot higher on the inside than they are on the outside, 

 which creates a leverage to leave the ground from when at 

 speed, which extra height or length of foot acts as a lever- 

 age to control the line of action of the leg after the foot 

 leaves the ground. In all my experience with crossfirers I 

 have found this the most important factor, namely, the in- 

 side of the offending feet to be the highest. So the fixing 

 of the feet is the most important part of the contract. If 

 you can get the feet properly fixed to change the leverage, 

 to control the line of action, there will be no more cross- 

 firing. (This same rule applies to a trotter that is unbal- 

 anced if the insides of his hind feet are the highest and 

 when he strikes a singlefoot or pace he is very likely to 

 crossfire). The pacer that begins to crossfire needs the 

 insides of the hind feet lowered, a little longer angle to 

 leave the ground from, with the height or extra length of 

 foot to create a leverage on leaving the ground to be at the 

 outside toe. A foot properly fixed as herein prescribed and 

 a properly made and fitted shoe will stop crossfiring. I 

 would recommend a sideweight shoe, the weight to be ap- 

 plied to the outside of feet, the inside to be beveled or 

 rounded from center of toe back to the inside quarter of 

 each hind shoe. The shoes could be a few ounces heavier 



-49- 



