EXAMINING FOR SOUNDNESS AND HEALTH 



49 



the lateral cartilages changed into a bony struc- 

 ture. 



Give the foot considerable attention. The old 

 law of the ancients, " no feet, no horse," is cer- 

 tainly true in our day. You can overlook many 



other imperfections and 

 troubles in the horse, but 

 if the feet are bad you do 

 not have much of a horse. 

 A good foot is well 

 shaped, with a healthy- 

 looking hoof and no in- 

 dication of disease either 

 now or ever before. 



See that the shape is 

 agreeable. A concave wall 

 is not to be desired, and 

 the heels are not to be con- 

 tracted. The wall should 

 be perfect — no sand cracks, 

 quarter crack, or softening 

 of the wall at the toe of 

 the foot. 



Examine for Corns. — 

 These are both trouble- 

 some and cause much 

 ANATOMY OF THE FOOT lamcncss. A healthy frog. 

 The delicate nature of Uninjured by the knife or 



the foot is readily recog- 4.1,^ blacksmith or Other 



nized when the various "-^^'^ '^^ ^ t. 4. U^ 



parts are considered in their caUSe IS very mUCh tO DC 

 relation to each other. . j 



Hind Legs and Feet.— In examining these 

 regions give the hocks of the horse special atten- 

 tion. No defect is more serious than bone spavm. 

 You can, as a rule, detect this by standing in front 

 of the horse just a little to the side. If there is 



