76 OF THE DISEASES 



plains, whilst the under-bred horse, brought up in 

 low wet pastures, and fed on succulent diet, has a 

 tendency to large coarse feet. 



Small feet, if equally so all round, are, as a gene- 

 ral rule, preferable to wide spreading feet. The 

 horn in small feet is generally sound and tough, 

 whilst in feet above the standard size it is usually 

 deficient in toughness and strength. 



Small feet, when a natural formation, are easily 

 distinguished from contracted feet, by the fact that 

 they are correspondingly small all round. Con- 

 traction rarely affects all the feet, and never affects 

 all the feet equally. One foot smaller than the rest 

 is rarely, if ever, a natural formation. 



Contracted 73. Contraction of one or more feet, though by no 

 means an absolute bar to the purchase of a horse 

 otherwise desirable, must always be regarded with 

 great suspicion. 



Contraction has its origin either in saving or 

 " favouring " the part, or in bad shoeing. 



The ordinary cause which induces a horse to 

 save or " favour " a foot, is pain either in the foot 

 or in some limb connected with it, either directly 

 or indirectly. The foot which is saved, by the 

 usual law of nature becomes smaller than the 

 others, which are sustaining their proper share of 

 work and wear. Want of use in any part of the 

 animal frame, which is intended for work, invari- 



