foot or feet too high on the outside, the foot or feet too long 

 at the toe, and too low at the heels, all out of proportion 

 as to the correct angle. Horses that are weak, low in flesh, 

 and worked beyond their physical capacity, when not able 

 to perform their daily task without getting leg weary, con- 

 formation of some horses makes them brush, box, or cut 

 their hind ankles. 



The conformation that makes a very bad ankle hitter is 

 one where the horse stands wedge shaped from his hips 

 down to where his feet rest on the ground. This kind of a 

 horse will stand with his hind feet close together or against 

 one another when at rest, horses of this conformation and 

 without much hock action are the very worst in this respect. 

 The same treatment will not apply to all cases of ankle 

 hitting. Unbalanced feet are the main cause for all ankle 

 hitting, when not caused by some deformity. A farrier 

 with a good eye and good judgment, on examination of the 

 hind feet, will find out the main cause of the trouble. Keep 

 the toes of all ankle hitters as short as possible for the 

 shorter the leverage to break over and leave the ground 

 from, the straighter the line of action of the leg will be ; a 

 middling high heel, and a very short toe is the best. If the 

 foot or feet are too high on the inside, lower the insides to 

 a level with the outside, and shoe with a heel calk, hot rasp 

 the inside of shoes to a bevel. If you find the foot or feet 

 too high on the outside lower the outside to a level with 

 the inside, if either foot is winged out, wider on one side 

 of the leg than the other, edge the foot up until you have 

 an equal portion of the foot on both sides of the frog 

 measuring from the center of the frog. This rule applies to 

 all feet in foot fixing. Shoe the same as above stated. 



I have seen horses cutting their ankles very bad on 

 account of their heels being too low, and their toes too long. 

 I have stopped this kind of ankle cutting by raising their 

 heels with a side heelcalk seven-eighths of an inch high 



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