44 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



fault, particularly if the footing is soft or going 

 heavy. 



Those used to the hard footing and light draft 

 of the pavement in cities may never be heard to 

 forge until driven on a country road where the 

 draft is greater and the going heavier. 



The mouth, too, is not without an exciting in- 

 fluence. The horse that has a hard, unyielding, 

 unresponsive mouth is much more liable to forge 

 than one that, at a touch of the whip or spur, will 

 raise his head, get his nose in, and respond to 

 the pressure of the bit, so as to go in a balanced 

 manner. 



Indifferent riders and drivers that have bad 

 hands, and do not know how to keep their horses 

 collected, will allow many to over-reach. 



One need never be discouraged about a young 

 well proportioned horse, but should wait until 

 the mouth is made, the animal got into good con- 

 dition by steady judicious work, good feeding 

 and grooming. 



In horses inclined to "click," the forefeet 

 should be kept as short as possible, and the shoes 

 for them should be as light as can be used in 

 order to conserve their normal condition. Very 

 frequently horse owners use an increased weight 

 of shoe on forefeet as a remedy for this fault, 

 which is a palpable error, as undue weight is one 

 of the exciting causes. Rounding off the toes of 



